Reborn in America: I Have an Equipment Slot

"impossible!"

Caroline didn't believe Owen at all, and her voice suddenly rose, "These Cartier diamond earrings cost me a full $3! Even if diamonds aren't worth much anymore, they shouldn't be worth only $350 now, right??"

"That's the price of diamonds," Owen said bluntly. "Caroline, if you follow the news even a little, you'd know that diamonds can be synthesized in labs a long time ago."

"I still don't believe it. You're not trying to trick me, are you?" Caroline looked at Owen with a suspicious expression and paused for a moment.

After a moment's thought, she took off a Cartier diamond watch from her wrist, placed it on the counter, and said defiantly, "Since you say diamonds aren't valuable, how much would this watch be worth if I sold it now?"

Caroline tried her best to control her emotions.

The only valuable thing she owns now is this limited edition Cartier diamond watch.

She had wanted to sell this watch several times before, but she couldn't bear to part with it, so she didn't. She was quite clear about the current market resale value of watches, so she could take it out and test the waters.

"Wait a moment, let me take a look." Owen, wearing white gloves, took the watch and examined it carefully.

The moment he picked it up, he roughly knew the price of this limited-edition Cartier diamond watch, but even so, he examined it carefully for a few minutes before slowly speaking:

"This limited edition Cartier diamond watch is far more valuable than the pair of diamond earrings you just wore. It's in excellent condition, and you can tell at a glance that you cherished it. The market price for it is around $10,000, but I can offer about 80% of that."

"Ha, eighty percent?" Caroline scoffed. "That's... eight thousand US dollars?"

"That's right!" Owen nodded, then gently placed the limited edition Cartier diamond watch on the counter. "This is all the price I can offer you. If you think your offer is too low, you can go to other stores to ask and take a look."

"No, your offer for this watch is very reasonable..."

Caroline tried her best to control her emotions. Looking at the little over $100 left in her wallet, she gritted her teeth and decided to sell the diamond watch.

"Madam, what's your situation? Are you homeless?" Seeing tears welling up in Caroline's eyes, Owen hesitated for a moment before asking in confusion.

Caroline looked up and, hearing the other person's concerned tone, she took a closer look at Owen.

Upon discovering that Owen, despite his Asian appearance, was quite handsome and had a reassuring physique, Caroline felt a surge of resentment welling up inside her, and she covered her face and began to cry.

After some words of comfort, Irving finally learned that the other party had gone bankrupt.

She used to live in a luxury apartment in downtown Miami, where she had no worries about food or clothing. Her parents ran a venture capital fund, and she was well-off and lived a wealthy life.

However, due to an unexpected event, the company faced malicious suppression from its competitors, and its cash flow deteriorated rapidly.

In just a few months, the parents incurred enormous debts and were eventually imprisoned.

Her life also plummeted from its peak to its lowest point.

To Irving's dismay, everything happened far too quickly, from the court ruling to the seizure of his property; the entire house, including all the items inside, was frozen.

Even her parents' bank accounts, as well as her own, were frozen at the same time, making it impossible to access any funds.

If it weren't for a friend who took pity on her and offered her help, Caroline would probably be one of the homeless people on the street by now.

Upon hearing that Caroline had been relying on friends for financial support to get through the past few months, Owen exclaimed in surprise, "Perhaps you could try to find a job; at least that's better than constantly depending on your friends, right?"

Caroline wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, composed herself slightly, and then slowly began to speak.

"Of course I looked for work, but the pay was just too low, only three or four hundred dollars a week!"

Caroline grew angrier as she spoke. "Yes, there are some high-paying jobs, but those jobs all require selling your body and beauty. I don't want to be a whore."

"..."

Irving was at a loss for words.

To be honest, he had seen too many people "killed" by various accidents during this time, so he was now quite used to what happened to Caroline.

Given their current situation, it would be better for them to rely on their friends than to live a life of hardship and rely on shelters and charitable organizations to avoid starvation.

"How about this, Caroline, would you like to work for me?" Seeing that she was having such a hard time, Owen suddenly remembered that he had just been thinking of hiring a shop assistant, so he asked her.

"Work?"

Caroline paused slightly, then frowned, looking at Owen with suspicion and wariness. "You're being so kind, are you trying to pick me up? Let me make this clear, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a law degree. If you dare to sexually harass me, I will definitely call the police!"

"..."

Seeing the other person take a step back, looking nervous, Owen's lips twitched.

To be honest, he admitted that Caroline was indeed very beautiful, but he really had no intention of pursuing her this time.

I said that simply because I felt sorry for the other person and I happened to need to hire an employee myself.

Seeing Caroline's wary expression, Owen shrugged and said frankly, "If you don't want to come, that's fine. Never mind. Are you selling these Cartier diamond earrings?"

"Sell it? I've already sold my watch, why would I keep the earrings?" Caroline glanced at her wallet again, then sighed deeply.

Irving nodded, took out a receipt book from a nearby cabinet, and said while opening the receipt, "A pair of Cartier diamond earrings, $350 each, plus this limited edition Cartier diamond watch, that's $8350 in total. Cash or check?"

"cash!"

Owen nodded without saying anything more. After deducting the price of the secondhand goods Caroline had selected, he wrote a receipt and handed it to her.

After taking the receipt, Caroline counted the money, confirmed the amount was correct, and then turned and left.

But at that moment...

Ring ring—

As the doorbell rang, Tina pushed open the shop door and walked in.

They bumped right into Caroline, who was about to leave.

The two exchanged glances without speaking, only subconsciously sizing each other up.

Only after Caroline pushed open the shop door and left, her figure disappearing around the corner, did Tina turn around and look at Owen.

"Hey, Tina, what brings you here? Missed me?" Owen greeted Tina warmly upon her arrival.

Tina didn't speak, but forced a smile. "It's nothing. I just came to check on you. I was thinking you've been busy these past few days and might not have time for lunch, so I brought you some food."