Chapter 611 Exposing the Fraud
The salesperson explained, “Mr. Shaw, this customer accuses us of selling fake jewelry, and she refuses to talk it over with us. We really can’t do anything about this.”
“Got it. Leave it to me.” Tom told the salesperson to stand aside before walking toward the woman. “Madam, I’m the store manager. How about we head for the VIP room for a nice chat over a cup of tea?”
“Who the hell wants to have f*cking tea with you?!” The woman still refused to cooperate, though. “I bought this red jade necklace here three days ago for 1.2 million, only to find out that it was a fake! Do you know how embarrassed I was at the time? How am I gonna show my face in public from now on? You’re the store manager, huh? Fine, tell me how you’re gonna compensate for this!”
Before anyone realized it, a bunch of reporters had gathered at the entrance while the woman was speaking, broadcasting the scene live right away with their videography equipment.
The customers in the store broke into a discussion as well.
“Red jade is Alexis’ trademark product. There couldn’t be a mistake here; the necklace has to be their product.”
“That’s right! I’m here for their red jade as well. And besides, didn’t they just win the jewelry design competition using jewelry products that were made from it?”
“Red jade is as hard to come by as rare animals, but Alexis launched a whole series of jewelry products made from it. It’s really intriguing to think about how many of these products are genuine!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s why people are worried while using small companies’ products. Saunders Jewelry sells faux jewelry as well, but they put these products on public display with price tags attached, letting their customers decide whether or not to buy them as they please. On the other hand, Alexis is using crooked means to force customers into buying fake jewelry!”
“I heard that Alexis and Smith Co. belong to the same owner. Now that I’ve seen this, I’m gonna have to be careful while doing business with Alexis!”
A troubled expression instantly came over Tom’s face when he heard the last comment. Alexis was starting to make profits very soon, so it would be a fatal blow to the jewelry brand if a scandal were to break out at this very moment that Alexis was selling fake jewelry. Moreover, now that even Smith Co. was involved, it was evident how serious the implications could be. After all, the former Shaw’s Jewelry Co. had been forced to close down because of such rumors!
“What do we do now?” Tina asked Tom in a whisper.
Shooting a glance at the overbearing woman, he whispered, “Go ask Miss Sinclair for instructions.”
Instantly realizing what he meant, Tina stepped aside and called Elise, telling her what had happened.
Elise had been wandering around near Alexis’ store all this while. Upon receiving the phone call, she immediately hurried back to the store. Five minutes later, a loud and clear female voice rang from behind the door to the staff’s break room. “What a lively scene it is today!” With that, Elise showed up in front of everyone.
Unaware of the truth of her being Alexis’ actual owner, the crowd looked around them in confusion. “Who is she?”
“I’m one of Alexis’ employees, of course. Didn’t I just come out of the room? And besides, Mr. Shaw is my uncle, so why can’t I be here?”
Upon hearing Elise’s words, Tom was rendered speechless. She calls me her uncle? That’s flattering me!
The middle-aged woman ignored Elise, though. Instead, she refused to let Tom off, saying, “I don’t have time for your family shenanigans here. Now that you guys have sold a fake product to me, you’ve got to pay me ten times its selling price as compensation, or else I’m gonna go around telling people about this. Let’s see who will dare to buy your company’s jewelry products after this!”
A hint of a sneer flashed across Elise’s eyes when she saw the well-equipped reporters at the entrance. What a cheek she’s got, bargaining with us in such a high-sounding tone after she’s gotten the reporters here! She’s simply trying to appear dignified while acting like a total b*tch!
Hearing the woman’s words, Tom had no choice but to turn to Elise for help.
Elise stepped forward unhurriedly. “In that case, please show us the red jade you’ve bought here as well as the receipt.”
Obviously, the woman came well-prepared. Immediately, she took out the jewelry box and receipt, which she had prepared beforehand, slamming them on the table with a loud thud. “I just knew you guys were gonna make an issue of this. Just take a look; both the necklace and the receipt are kept well. Let’s see what sort of excuses you’re gonna make!”
Tom immediately picked up the receipt and the box containing the red jade necklace, which he then opened before him to take a closer look. In reality, he secretly adjusted the angle to let Elise have a better look at it. On the surface, though, he was still dealing with the woman, saying, “Madam, isn’t it unreasonable to demand ten times the product’s selling price as compensation? How could you demand 12 million from us after having spent only 1.2 million in total? There’s no business in which you can reap such a fat profit at little cost!”
“Be reasonable, you guys! She lost face completely after going around wearing jewelry from your store. It’s nice enough of her not to ask you guys to compensate for anything else. Why act so stingy now that she’s only asking you for peanuts?”
“That’s right! How could you have the nerve to rip her off but not the courage to take responsibility for it? Since you guys dared to sell fake products, you should’ve expected the consequences you’re facing today!”
Having put up with these comments for so long, Tina finally blew her top, unable to restrain herself any longer. “Who told you that we’re selling fake jewelry? Do you have any evidence to prove that? Keep on saying that, and I’m gonna sue you for libel!”
This was Tom’s first time seeing Tina being so furious. He hurriedly pulled her toward him to placate her, saying, “Easy, Tina. Don’t be mad with such people. Those in the wrong should be the ones who feel uneasy instead.”
Just then, however, the middle-aged woman mocked meaningfully, “Ha! If you’re not selling fake jewelry, why would you haggle with me here over the amount of damages you have to pay?”
Thanks to her misleading remarks, the atmosphere in the store was thrown into confusion again all at once.
Just then, a curious “Hey!” rang all of a sudden, resounding throughout every corner of the room in the seemingly hopeless situation.
Everyone looked in the voice’s direction, only to see Elise holding up the red jade necklace that the woman had brought with her. Studying the necklace with great interest, she said, “Uncle, this part of the red jade feels different to the touch somehow. The other pieces of red jade in the store feel much thicker!” She was referring to the anti-counterfeit label.
“Different?” Tom was startled for a moment. After looking into Elise’s eyes, he finally realized what she meant. He said excitedly, “That’s right! Alexis’ jade products are marked with a special anti-counterfeit label. This piece of jade is different from Alexis’ ones; it’s not a product of our store at all!”
“How’s that possible?!” The middle-aged woman raised her voice all of a sudden. She said confidently, “I’ve scanned the laser code on the necklace, and it shows that the necklace is Alexis’ product. Don’t think that I don’t know anything!”
Elise’s lips curled into a smirk as a flicker of disdain flashed across her eyes. It must have taken them a lot of trouble to even fake the laser code, she thought. “Uncle, with so many people watching, why don’t you pick a random piece of red jade in the store and prove it before everyone to convince this woman?” She raised her left eyebrow at Tom.
Tom immediately went to the display cabinet at the center and took a jade bracelet from the corner while getting a UV lamp at the same time. Then, he shone the UV lamp on the anti-counterfeit laser code, ordering the staff, “Turn off the lights!”
The instant the lights were turned off, a purple “Alexis” logo appeared on the jade bracelet Tom was holding where the anti-counterfeit label was supposed to be. “Look closely, everyone! This is the second anti-counterfeit code custom-made by Alexis. Alexis stands firmly against piracy and counterfeits and will never give copycats any opportunity. Facts speak louder than words, and I believe everyone has made your judgment on which of us is the wronged party here,” Tom said in a sonorous voice while expressing his inner beliefs.
Many of the customers were moved by Tom’s words. This is exactly what jewelry stores lack—a jewelry brand that’s responsible to the public!
“Looks can really be deceptive, huh? To think that this seemingly benign woman is actually a fraudster!”
“If it weren’t for Alexis being able to weather such scrutiny, another conscientious enterprise would’ve been ruined!”
“Could this woman be sent by Alexis’ rival?”
In an instant, everyone immediately directed their criticism at the middle-aged woman.
