Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 81
'That part confused me the most. I've been to many business dealings and sometimes meet Sir Roman's two brothers and his cousins... Karlos is not from the direct lineage then.' Delimondo started making scenarios in his head. In fact, if Karlos looked like Roman, then he also looked like Alfonso, Roman's twin. Alfonso had grown a beard just to create a difference in their facial features.
Roman's grandfather, who founded the Alejandro conglomerate, had two sons. Roman's father, Heneral Alejandro, was the second son.
'If Roman and this guy have a resemblance in appearance, oh my goddess, does that mean they are blood related!? Delimondo, you have to control your expression. You only have to inspect their pearls, don't overstep your boundaries... Sheesh, this is big news, I can't believe this. And I thought Roman and Alfonso were the only people who looked alike. I can't believe there's another one! Perhaps they are triplets, although the age gap seems obvious, so I guess not.' Manager Delimondo was absolutely making scenarios in his head, his heartbeat quickening… He even created a whole Telenovela in his mind.
"Sir, Ma'am, I believe you're here to get your pearls appraised, right? Can I see them?"
Delimondo smiled, still a bit shaken by the idea that Roman might have a half-brother… Yeah, everyone might have thought Roman's father had cheated at this point. I mean, what explanation could you think of?
Same surname.
Almost the same face.
Heneral Alejandro might have cheated.
"These are the pearls. The three are from seashells while this pink pearl was from a conch."
"Oh, a conch pink pearl!" Delimondo was delighted. It seemed the couple had brought something valuable. For a jeweler, rare material was always a pleasure to handle.
Maya showed the pearls. She decided to trust the professional to inspect them.
There were four pearls. Three were white but varied in quality, and the last was pink, oval, and 1 centimeter in size, the most unique one.
Manager Delimondo pulled out a loupe magnifying glass, a tool used to inspect jewelry and check imperfections.
He first picked up the smallest pearl, the size of a BB pellet. It was chalk white, not perfectly round, and had blemishes. Its value was 5,000 pesos.
The second pearl was also white, 1 centimeter in diameter, perfectly round, and blemish-free. It was worth 70,000 pesos due to its symmetry and clean appearance.
The third white pearl was of even higher quality, a silver-white pearl, shiny and elegant. It was also perfectly round and the highest quality among the three, valued at 130,000 pesos.
'Not bad,' Delimondo thought.
As for the last pearl, the pink oval conch pearl, Delimondo was mesmerized by its beauty. He only had a dozen chances in his career to handle a pink conch pearl. His valuation for it was 300,000 pesos. He knew collectors would fight over it once crafted properly.
"Are you interested in selling these pearls? I can buy them for 505,000 pesos." He put the loupe magnifying glass back into his pocket. He wanted to keep the price fair as goodwill toward this unknown Alejandro. Besides, two of the pearls were high quality. It would be a waste to let them go, especially when he already imagined how stunning they would look as jewelry.
"Really? 505,000 pesos? Can we get a detailed valuation?" Maya was surprised, and so was Karlos. They had expected around 250,000 pesos at most. Neither of them imagined such high market demand.
"Absolutely. The smallest pearl is valued at 5,000 pesos, the 1-centimeter white pearl at 70,000 pesos, the silver-white pearl at 130,000 pesos, and the pink conch pearl at around 300,000 pesos."
Maya and Karlos stared at each other in amazement. Of course, they were happy. Their trip was definitely worth it.
"Ahem," Manager Delimondo coughed, drawing their attention again. He was most interested in the pink conch pearl. He wanted to craft it into jewelry that could sell for 5 million pesos… Yes, that was how business worked. A raw conch pearl was useless on its own, it needed craftsmanship. At least that was how jewelers thought.
"If you haven't known, pearls don't appreciate over time unlike antiques. They don't hold historical value and pearls are not technically rare."
Maya agreed, the fact that they could shuck one after a storm was proof. Unless it was the Millennium Pearl with supposed anti-aging properties or the golden pearl prized for its beauty, pearls were just pearls… In fact, pearls were tonsil stones if you thought about it.
Still, Maya didn't show any reaction to Delimondo's explanation.
She and Karlos had already discussed their plan. If the pearls were valued at over 300,000 pesos, they would sell them, since that amount was more than enough to support their upcoming plans.
505,000 pesos was more than they expected, but Maya wanted to try something, to see if the manager was truly willing to negotiate.
"We will sell it for 550,000 pesos."
Manager Delimondo narrowed his eyes at her… He didn't like her. People who haggled were stressful, especially when he believed he had already offered a generous price.
"510,000 pesos." Delimondo raised it by 5,000 pesos.
"540,000 pesos." Maya lowered it by 10,000 pesos, not planning to back down easily.
In the end, Maya agreed to sell the pearls for 525,000 pesos. She was so happy she squeezed Karlos's hand excitedly.
Delimondo sighed. The transaction was within his capability, it wasn't a loss at all. Once the pearls were transformed into jewelry, that was where the profit really came from. He already had several design concepts in mind.
He issued a 525,000-peso cheque, and the couple inspected it. This wasn't their first time receiving a cheque, so they were able to confirm its authenticity.
"I saw an Adobo Bank on the first floor earlier. We can cash out the money, then deposit it in the bank account." Karlos smiled at Maya, eager to secure their hard-earned income properly.
"Thank you for visiting A-Jewelries. Please visit us again if you acquire rare pearls." Manager Delimondo bowed as the couple exited the store, secretly hoping they would bring more in the future.
Maya had no intention of checking the jewelry on display, she was afraid she might spend money again. She had already spent 4,000 pesos on clothes earlier and still felt guilty about it.
The couple went down to the 1st floor and made a transaction at Adobo Bank. They finished at 1 p.m. They were so happy to see their bank account rise to 2.8 million pesos! The biggest amount they had ever saved.
After that, Karlos bought a cellphone worth 10,000 pesos. This time, it was his turn to wince at the price. He bought a Mokia 3310.
Then they bought food at Jollybee, food for everyone, even the maid Maya didn't like… She briefly thought of adding poison, but she wasn't crazy enough to do that in real life. Unless the maid did the unthinkable. So far, Maya tolerated her.
"I'll get a shopping cart."
Karlos found a cart and placed all the things they bought inside.
---
[You can read more on my Patreon.]