The Price Of Everything Book Novels & Stories

“The problem is everything seems to remind you of me. Even that hideous, wall-sized stuffed animal you brought home last week.” “You made me return that,” he reminds me smoothly, and before I can pull my hand back, he catches it and presses a warm kiss to my knuckles. Like I didn’t already lose this argument three minutes ago. “And you were so excited when you saw it, until you googled the price.” Okay, fine. He got me there. I was excited. It was limited edition merch from one of my favorite romance novels, which basically means it came with a caution label: “Warning, financially devastating. Do not look directly at checkout total.”

The clerk was carefully watching us and the situation before he spoke. - Miss this book costs seven thousand three hundred fifty-four dollars and twenty-two cents. The clerk said - I understand. I do not care about the price it is for a gift. Just tell me do you have a terminal for a credit card? Alice said and smiled - Yes we do miss. The clerk said and smiled back

"Honestly, it’s no trouble at all. It wasn't exactly a blow to the budget. The campus bookstore had a clearance bin, so I snagged it for about a credit and a half." The warm smile on Patricia’s face turned into a frozen mask of secondary embarrassment. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. It wasn't that the book was inexpensive—it was the fact that I had just admitted to buying the most powerful Alpha in the Kingdom of Valeria a 'peace offering' that cost less than a cup of cafeteria coffee. To make matters worse, I was standing there bragging about what a bargain it was.

"You used to argue with every lecturer who designed beautiful buildings that felt impossible to live in. "I’d forgotten saying that. He hadn’t. I looked back at my sketch before he could see what that did to me. "People still deserve sunlight," I said, softer. "Yeah." His eyes stayed on me a second too long. "They do." By the time we packed up, it was dark outside, and the sky had that low, swollen look that meant rain was already decided. I made it four steps past the library doors before it came down, not a drizzle, just straight down, no warning, the kind of rain that doesn't negotiate.

After ten years studying interior design overseas, I came back to my hometown to do work that mattered to the people who raised me. I offered the full package, from site survey to soft furnishings. The materials were chosen by hand. The price was fair to the bone. The town had just gone through a redevelopment. Everyone was getting new units. With the new family policy, every family wanted a third bedroom too. My business was good. Customers from the next county were driving in. Then a girl just back from a city college kicked open my studio with her phone on a livestream and her neighbors at her shoulder. "This is the dishonest one. Look at her. She has been ripping the village off." "

My stomach drops so fast it almost hurts. Six figures is more than my father lost in his final month before bankruptcy. More than my mother will earn in years. More than the total balance of every desperate calculation scribbled in the margins of hospital bills at home. Security starts moving toward me. I open my mouth. “I am so sorry. It was an accident. I will—” You will what, Andrea? Sell your kidney? The host pushes through the small crowd forming around the disaster, his expression strained but controlled. “This piece was specially acquired from a private European collection,” he says tightly. “It is not replaceable.”

Out of the blue, Julian suggested taking me to Florence to clear my head. I agreed without hesitation. Florence was bathed in gentle, golden sunlight. The square was crowded with tourists, and the air felt warm and alive. Without warning, Julian dropped to one knee. He reached into his pocket and took out a ring. The design was delicate and unique. The band was formed from tiny diamonds arranged like intertwining flower branches, and at the center sat a smooth, luminous pearl that glowed softly in the sunlight.

She let out an icy huff. "Smart girl. I'm giving you one last chance." "What kind of chance?" "I want a whopping four million and five hundred thousand dollars. Cough up the cash, and I'll get these Indoria locals to back off and spare you, unless you want to end up dead." Was she seriously demanding a fortune like she was the queen of the world? I scrunched my eyebrows and shot back. "Have you lost your mind? If I had that kind of money lying around, why would I have bothered with that crazy bride hunt with you?"