chapter 17 Watch you eat it

"Dad, Dad, this house is small; let's buy this one!" Zoey pointed to a standalone villa in the center of the sand table model, shouting excitedly. She knew her dad was here to buy a house today, and after looking at the entire sand table model, all the buildings were tall. This house, being the smallest, must be the cheapest. Over the years, Zoey understood how hard her mom worked to earn money. So, being sensible, she never spent a single penny recklessly. Even if she wanted something or desired some food, she never asked for it. Fernando smiled gently, patting his daughter's head, and asked, "Zoey, do you like this house?" Zoey hesitated for a moment, carefully looked at the sand table model again, and nodded firmly. She was sure this house was the smallest here, and she didn't want her dad to spend too much money. "Then let's go with this one," Fernando lifted his chin, pointing to the 'small house' in the center of the sand table model. "Ah!" Layla was stunned, and Wanyi smiled, "Sir, this house is the only villa in the entire community, and it's the penthouse of the whole neighborhood, with two floors above ground and one below. The yard is complimentary, totaling 880 square meters, priced at $250,000 per square meter. Are you sure you want to buy this house?" Layla didn't look down on Fernando; she couldn't believe he would buy it. She never thought she would sell the penthouse. The price was not affordable for ordinary people. "Let's go with this one; my daughter likes it," Fernando said, looking down at his daughter, his gaze filled with love. What his daughter liked was what he liked. "S... Sir!" Layla was completely shocked. She didn't expect the other party to decide to buy the penthouse so easily without even discussing the price. "Honey, this house is great!" At this moment, a woman exuding a strong fragrance walked over, pointing to the villa and coquettishly shouting. Beside her was the portly man who drove the Mercedes earlier. "Well, it's not bad," the Mercedes man looked at the sand table model and nodded. "Oh, boss, you have an eye. This is our penthouse, the only standalone villa in the whole community. Originally, our boss was planning to keep it for himself. It comes fully furnished with luxurious decorations and all appliances and furniture. If he hadn't emigrated, he wouldn't bear to sell it," said Bella Wang, the saleswoman, with excitement. Other houses had a commission of only one or two percent, but this penthouse had a commission of a whopping four percent. Moreover, the price was extremely high. If it were sold, the commission alone would be over eight million. "Uh, Sis Wang, this penthouse has already been sold," Layla explained. "What!?" Bella instantly widened her eyes. Due to excessive force, the foundation at the corners of her eyes started to fall. "When was it sold? Why don't I know?" If the penthouse was sold, it would cause quite a stir in the entire sales office, and who wouldn't know about it? "It was just sold, this gentleman said he wanted to buy it," Layla politely pointed to Fernando in front. "Him!?" Bella looked Fernando up and down, "Layla, this guy is crazy? Are you crazy too? Can't you see he's not the kind of person who can afford the penthouse?" She had been working in the sales office for over a year, and if not claiming to be an expert, she was at least someone who could tell if someone had money or not. Fernando's attire was entirely from street vendors, and the idea of buying the penthouse was downright laughable. "Sis Wang, what you said is not right!" Layla was a bit angry. She could endure being disregarded, but calling the customer crazy in front of them was a bit much. "Enough, just go away." Bella couldn't be bothered with Layla, turned to Fernando with a fawning smile, and said, "Sir, this penthouse is still available. My colleague is new; she doesn't know anything. Can you make a decision today?" "Whether to decide or not depends mainly on the price, and..." The Mercedes man, standing with his wife, licked his tongue suggestively toward Bella. Those engaged in selling houses here naturally had a certain degree of charm. While Bella might not be the most beautiful, she exuded a charming allure, combined with heavy makeup, which had its appeal. Selling houses that lead to "other transactions" was an open secret in their circle. Even the cheapest house valued at two million, with a commission of one percent, meant an easy twenty thousand. This far exceeded one month's salary by a large margin. To sell more houses, every saleswoman used all their charms. Making money was the most practical outcome. Of course, there were exceptions, like Layla, who earned only a fixed salary every month. Compared to others, she had no advantages. Bella understood the game, but with the other man's wife present, she couldn't be too explicit. "Sir, if you buy it, everything else is negotiable. Regarding the price, this penthouse is priced at 220 million. Let me check if there's any room for a discount." The Mercedes man furrowed his brows upon hearing this; the price had far exceeded his budget. Bella glanced at him and continued, "Sir, how about this? I'll check for you and see if we can get a little discount." Before the Mercedes man could respond, Fernando's lips moved slightly. "Did you all not hear, or are you deaf? Didn't Miss Qin say that I've already bought this house?" A single sentence left everyone around stunned. Only now did the Mercedes man pay attention to Fernando, sneered, and said, "You're quite arrogant for your age! If you manage to buy this house, I'll eat this sand table model." He chuckled. Two hundred and twenty million! This was not a joke. If the money were stacked in cash, it would weigh at least two and a half tons! Fernando ignored him and handed a bank card to Layla. "Card payment, no PIN required." Layla took it with trembling hands, cautiously asking, "S... Sir, may I try to negotiate the price? Perhaps we can get it cheaper." Fernando shook his head directly. Money couldn't buy his daughter's happiness, and as long as his daughter liked it, Fernando wouldn't care about the extra money. That amount was insignificant to him. Layla still couldn't believe she had sold the penthouse. She walked to the finance office, turning back a few times before reaching the door. In the lobby, both the Mercedes man and his wife and the front desk Sis Chen and Sis Li kept their eyes fixed on the finance office. They were waiting, anticipating how Layla would come out disappointed. Soon, Layla stumbled out of the finance office. The front desk duo was the first to notice; a sense of joy filled their hearts. It turned out exactly as they expected; this newcomer was truly just a newcomer. Only she would foolishly believe that the man was buying the penthouse. They thought to themselves, "How about that? She must be feeling foolish now, stumbling around like that." Layla, swaying and swaying, walked up to Fernando. It was only now that everyone saw she was holding a bunch of keys and an invoice. "Mr... Mr. Ye, here are your keys and the invoice," Layla said, still in a daze. She had sold the penthouse. The commission alone was over eight million! "Thank you," Fernando said, taking the items. He turned to his daughter and said, "Zoey, hungry? Dad will take you to eat." "Yeah!" Zoey nodded happily. Dad bought a small house, and she and Mom wouldn't have to sleep in the damp basement every day, chasing away those nasty bugs. "Oh, by the way, Victor, stay here and watch as he devours the sand table model." After saying that, Fernando, holding Zoey's little hand, walked out of the sales office.