Chapter 408

Marina's face clouded over, her temper hanging by a thread.

"And what if 1 just walk away?" she challenged, brandishing her phone with the dial screen open. "There's a police station nearby. If you try to stop me, I'm calling them" Feeling she was on solid legal ground, Marina was emboldened in her defiance.

But the shopkeeper's cold response cut her off at the knees. "You think you'll have the chance to make that call?"

With a command barked towards the back, several burly men emerged, swiftly relieving Marina of her phone and

into the back room.

escorting

her-none to

1-none too gently

"Hey! What are you doing?" Marina was shocked by the shopkeeper's brazenness. 5

She struggled, but her efforts were no match for the men's strength.

Before she knew it, she was hauled into a back room and unceremoniously dumped on the floor, her hair a disheveled mess from the scuffle, making her look positively frantic

The shopkeeper approached, his face a mask of menace, a switchblade flicking dangerously close to Marina's face as he hissed, "Do you feel like buying now!"

Marina was petrified, the reality of the situation sinking in-she'd stumbled into a den of thieves.

How had she gotten so unlucky, encountering this mess just after returning to the country!

The icy blade on her cheek left Marina no choice but to submit.

105 thousand dollars was a hefty sum, but it was better than getting hurt. If she refused, who knew what these thugs were capable off,

For now, she'd play along and then run to the police station as soon as she was free.

"Alright, I'll just buy it Marina whispered, her voice barely audible.

"That's more like it, the shopkeeper sneered, patting Marina's cheek condescendingly before ordering his goons to bring the card machine.

The transaction was a blur, and Marina thought she was in the clear. But then, shockingly, the man tore at her clothes.

What are

are you doing? I've paid for it!" Marina screamed, her hands fumbling to cover herself.

The shopkeeper restrained her, snapping a photo with his phone. "There you go. You're free to go. We'll keep this picture. If you call the cops, this photo goes online. But if you behave, your secret's safe with us."

The shopkeeper, a seasoned seller of counterfeit goods, had muscle on hand to deal with unruly customers. Marina had fallen right into his trap.

Finally, Marina was ushered out, clutching the ring she'd reluctantly bought, feeling utterly defeated.

She watched the shop return to its facade of tranquility. Fury burned inside her, but she lacked the courage to go to the police.

What a mess she'd gotten herself into!

Meanwhile, Cynthia and Queena had wandered around but found nothing to their liking. The items in such stores were exorbitantly priced, beyond Queena's current budget.

They decided to check out the night market later; it was known for its private antique vendors where good deals could be found.

It was already noon, so they opted to grab lunch first, handle some card-related business in the afternoon, and return for the night market.

As they headed towards the parking lot, Queena was still buzzing about the earlier scene. "Cynthia, do you think that woman actually spent all that money on that piece?" "These shops have a way of making sure you follow through," Cynthia replied.

I can't help but laugh thinking about the look on her face. It would've been hilarious to watch Queena said, disappointed she'd missed out on such a dramatic monirnt. Cynthia playfully tapped Queena's head. "If we'd stayed, you might have had to worry about her coming over and scratching up your face."

Querna nodded in agreement. "True, she didn't look like someone you'd want to mess with. If the went ballistic, it wouldn't be pretty"

Just as they were chatting, Marina came around the corner and overheard them. She was so angry she could have choked on her own breath. Chapter 108

So these two had been plotting against her all along.

She'd thought they were competing out of genuine interest, which at least gave her some solace, making her feel like she had a moral victory.

But to discover it was all a setup, she felt like she'd been made a fool of, playing right into their hands.

Now, because of them, she'd not only lost 105 thousand dollars, but she'd also been humiliated in the process.

The more Marina brooded on it, the more furious she became. With her frustrations bottled up, she stepped right up to confront them. "You two bitches, give me back my money, she demanded. Cynthia and Queena were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the person they'd been discussing.

Queena, who had been fighting a laugh, couldn't hold it in any longer at the sight of Marina's disarray and burst into laughter

"Shut your mouth, Marina snapped, fecting the laughter was a direct insult. She lunged at Queena, but Cynthia swiftly grabbed her wrist, causing Marina's arm to go numb and forcing her to retreat. Realizing Cynthia wasn't someone to tangle with Marina didn't dare act out further, but she still didn't back down. "Because of you, I paid an extra 100 thousand dollars. You need to pay me back, she insisted. "You're the joke here. We didn't sell you anything. What you paid is not our problem. You should be looking for the shopkeeper or the cops, not bothering us, Queena retorted, not one in hold back.

Marina, seething, clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles were white. She didn't dare face the police or the shopkeeper, so she took her anger out on these two women.

"I don't care. You're the reason I spent extra, and you have to pay me back," Marina repeated stubbornly.

"Wow, you've got some nerve, Queena remarked as she led Cynthin away.

The parking lot was right there, and Marina, not ready to give up, tried to follow but was stopped in her tracks by a chilling look from Cynthia.

Watching the two women get into the luxury car in the parking lot, Marina trembled with rage

'No wonder they are so bold; they must be someone's mistresses. How shameless she thought.

Marina had always excelled academically and worked at a Fortune 500 company with a substantial salary.

have sold themselves

But even she couldn't afford a luxury car, and she figured other women couldn't either. So she was convinced these two must b to be unethical mistresses.

Since she couldn't fight now, she resorted to insults. "You're so bold because you're someone's mistress. Disgusting," she shouted..

Inside the car, Queena's temper flared at the insult, and she was ready to get out and confront Marina

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