Ch 24 - One or two Luxury Villas?

Alex sighed. As he walked over to the desk, he accidentally bumped into a lady who had just entered the office.

"Ahh. Watch out. Look what you did. You almost stepped on my new shoes. Can you even afford a property from here? Seriously?" The woman had short brown hair. She wore sunglasses, a long figure-hugging dress, and a pair of high-heeled crystal sandals. Although she looked to be in her mid-thirties, her exposed arms were as white as snow.

Behind the woman, there was a man wearing jeans, a white vest, brown leather sandals, and carrying a bag under his arm. He said, "Don't waste your time talking to someone like that, baby. Let's go and take a look." 

Darla quickly walked over and warmly greeted the couple. Then she glanced at Alex, looking irritated with him.

"Sorry, you've had a bad experience in our office," she said. "The people around here know that this is a high-class residential area, so some people who can't afford to buy a house often come to our sales office to enjoy the free air conditioning." Darla explained to the lady in dark glasses.

Of course, Alex knew that she was talking about him. He just smiled and said, "So you think I can't afford a house at all. How much would it cost to buy the whole residential area?"

Darla looked at Alex and said, "Sir, the minimum price for a house here is half a million dollars. I can tell from looking at you that it's not something you can afford." Darla gestured toward the door, smiling as she pursed her lips.

Alex ignored her and said, "I'll take a look here. If there's a suitable property, I'll buy it." He walked over to the sales desk to check for himself.

This really annoyed Darla. "You want to buy a property here?" she demanded. "You're shameless about being here, but I think that you just want to stay in the air-conditioning for a while longer." 

Ignoring Alex, Darla ushered the couple to the sales desk and began showing them properties. After discussing various properties for about ten minutes, the man decided which house they wanted to buy. "I'll take that villa," he said. "We've come here several times before and that one always catches my eye."

Darla replied, "A great choice, Sir. You have a good eye. This villa is the most popular one in our district, with 2,500 square feet with four bedrooms. It is spacious and has good lighting. The surroundings are very quiet and it's very close to the lake." She praised the man enthusiastically and finally brought up the subject of payment. "This property costs 1.5 million dollars. You need to pay 30%, or 450 thousand dollars as a down payment."

The man was shocked. He exclaimed, "So much? On your advertisement I'm sure it said the price wasn't that high." 

"Oh, that advertisement was from a few months ago. These villas are selling very quickly, so several months ago we increased the price," Darla replied. When she noticed the shocked expression on the man's face, she started to lose enthusiasm. She realized that this couple couldn't afford to pay the price of the villa.

She continued, "Sir, a lot of people have enquired about this villa. If you really want to buy it, you need to pay the deposit today because it could easily be sold by tomorrow."

"Hubby, hurry up and think of a way to get the money," the lady in shades said as she held onto the man's hand. "I really like this villa, and there's nothing else here that I like. Didn't you say that living in this villa is the only way to raise our status in society and give the impression you need to give for our business?" 

"Can't you see that I'm trying to find a way?" The man replied as he looked at Darla. He continued, "I will definitely buy this villa. You can keep it for me for now. I guarantee that I will raise all the money within ten days."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't have the authority to do that." Darla replied, shaking her head.

"Hubby, hurry up and borrow money from your friends. I can also borrow money from my friends. We must buy this villa," the woman urged. The couple knew that to be able to afford a villa in the Green Island Garden District would demonstrate that they were among the richest people in New York. In the future, they would be superior to their friends and relatives, and they'd gain the respect and envy of others. This would definitely benefit their business.

They both took out their cell phones and began to call their friends.

"This villa is pretty good." Alex looked at information about the mansion and said, "I'll buy this villa."

"You're buying it? How could you?" The woman looked at Alex with malice. "It's a struggle but we really want to buy it."

Darla didn't take Alex's words seriously. In fact, her opinion of Alex became even worse. She felt that Alex must be up to something sinister.

With an angry expression on her face, she approached Alex and demanded, "Sir, please leave now. We have work to do."

"I want to buy a house. Why are you kicking me out? Do you want me to file a complaint against you?" Alex replied angrily.

"Okay, you want to buy a house, right? Here's how much money you'll need. This property is worth 1.5 million dollars. If you can pay for it, it's yours!" Darla said impatiently.

She didn't tell Alex about the 30% down payment because she didn't believe that Alex would buy it. She thought he was here causing trouble for no reason.

Alex was indifferent. He took out his Metro Sky Bank card from his pocket and showed it to her. "Can I pay on my card?" he asked.

The man sneered at Alex and said, "You think you can pay on a card? You loser. Even if you had the amount in cash, I wouldn't believe you could buy this villa. If you really can buy this villa, I'll kneel down before you and call you Sir!"

"Then let's give it a try." Alex handed the card to Darla.

She took the card and went over to the card machine. I know when I swipe this card, I'll hear a "beep" indicating that it's a fake card, she thought. Then I can call the security guards to throw him out.

The card flashed across the machine. According to the computer, 1.5 million dollars had already been spent on the card.

When Darla saw this information on the computer, she was dumbfounded.

This poor loser. It seemed that he hadn't lied. He really had spent 1.5 million on his card.

Noticing Darla's confusion, everyone else in the office gathered around her and read information on the computer.

The couple hoping to buy the house looked at Alex in disbelief.

Does he really have so much money when his clothes are so shabby? I can't even afford 30% of the money, yet a 20-year-old brat like him can actually pay the whole amount? the man thought, scratching his head, unable to believe what was happening. He thought about how he'd mocked Alex and felt ashamed.

When they realized he was rich, all the staff in the sales office had completely changed their attitudes toward Alex. They all looked at him with a smile. A few of the sales people even ignored the other customers and offered to make coffee for Alex, or to bring him fresh water. They all became very friendly.

There were only a handful of people who could afford to buy a villa worth 1.5 million dollars without thinking. What really surprised them was that Alex was still so young. He was clearly doing far better than most of his peers and had a really golden future ahead of him.

"Sir, I apologize. I should've helped you sooner. Let me tell you more about the property. The villa you've bought is 2,500 square feet—" Darla smiled sweetly, trying to make her voice as friendly as possible.

Now she knew he was rich, she wouldn't hesitate to agree to do anything that Alex requested, even if it was against the law.

Alex thought for a moment, then said, "Well, let's have a look. Although this house isn't that great, it's still better than the dormitory at school. I guess it will do for now." 

No-one could believe that Alex was comparing this high-end villa, worth 1.5 million dollars, with a university dorm. They didn't know Alex's true identity and couldn't comprehend what he was saying. They found him very arrogant.

One of them said, "Wow. Now I think he's intentionally showing off his wealth in front of us. You would think that buying such an expensive villa would be enough."

Another joined in, "Everyone, don't fall for it. I'm sure he's exaggerating just to look cool in front of us. I bet he's got real problems." 

"I'm exaggerating?" Alex shook his head and smiled as he glanced at the others. "To be honest, I could just as easily buy a nightclub."

When they heard this, the others couldn't hold back their laughter. A nightclub would cost 5 million dollars. This villa was 1.5 million. You surely don't have that sort of money? They each thought.

"If you're as rich as you say, why don't you buy that super-luxurious villa on Emerald Island?" A middle-aged man said to Alex and pointed at a villa on the sales desk.

"All right." Alex agreed without even looking at it.

"Sir, are you really going to buy that villa?" Darla looked at Alex in surprise. "It's the best villa on the complex, built on an island in the lake, with its own courtyard, swimming pool, and the most luxurious interior design. And it's equipped with the most advanced internet service."

She continued. "Our district is called the Green Island Garden, and this villa has the same name, 'Emerald Island,' which shows you how exclusive this villa is. Do you really want to buy it?" Darla was shocked, sure that Alex was just bragging.

When the developers built the villa, they'd not planned to sell it for at least ten years. The main purpose of building the villa was to demonstrate the high quality of the residential area. They felt that if people saw a villa there worth 40 million dollars, they'd be convinced that this is the most luxurious and desirable residential area in New York. 

"Right, do I look like I'm joking?" Alex asked casually, "How much are you selling it for?"

"40 million dollars." Darla said. She still couldn't quite work Alex out.

Alex nodded. He took out his cell phone and called the Metro Sky Bank's customer manager, Robert Miller and asked him to transfer 40 million dollars to Green Island Garden's account.

Everyone in the office was still waiting for Alex to tell them it was all a joke. When the 40 million arrived, no one could believe it.

The sales women surrounded Alex. Their eyes were full of passion, each suddenly finding Alex irresistibly attractive.

He can lay his hands on 40 million dollars with just a phone call, they all thought to themselves. How often do I get the chance to meet such a rich and handsome young man? Somehow, I need to attract him. Imagine if he fancies me.

Alex was unable to catch his breath as he was surrounded by more than ten beautiful young women. He simply squeezed through the crowd and quickly walked out of the sales office.