Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 41: Making Deals

But Mariella couldn't show any hesitation. She put on the air of an expert. "I'm not worried about saving a little money, but I want top-quality goods. Mr. Hancock is a friend of mine, and he personally recommended you. Don't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, miss. I've always run an honest business, and Mr. Hancock knows me best. Besides, you're his friend. I might make money off others, but not you. Whatever you pick, I won't even take a profit. Consider it me returning a favor to Mr. Hancock."

It sounded convincing, but Mariella wasn't fully buying it.

Time was tight, and disaster was closing in. She didn't have the luxury to haggle.

"Pick out the best gemstones worth ten million and deliver them to me first. If your business is as honest as you say, I'll order more."

The gemstone dealer clearly handled big deals regularly. He wasn't even fazed by the number and agreed without hesitation. "Thank you for your trust. Just give me the time and location, and I'll personally deliver the goods."

...

Mariella passed the dealer's contact information to Matthew, then headed back to the club with Lucky.

Chandler had already completed the evaluation and officially selected ten bodyguards.

All eight male bodyguards were retained, while five of the seven female bodyguards were eliminated, leaving only two.

The ten selected bodyguards were reassigned numbers based on their evaluation rankings.

Mariella glanced over them. Number One was still Number One, but the former Number Two had dropped to Number Four. One of the female bodyguards had actually ranked Number Five, which surprised her.

She couldn't help giving the female bodyguard labeled Number Five another look. As expected, the well-endowed ones had potential.

Chandler continued his report. "The five who were eliminated have been paid their wages. Mr. Judd sent a car to take them back to Flameshield Security."

Mariella wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Good work. Thanks."

"Just doing my job." Chandler glanced at her and handed her a bottle of water.

Mariella twisted the cap open and drank more than half in one go.

She set the bottle down, looked over the group, and gave the order. "Pack up. We're moving now."

With many hands, the club was emptied quickly. Everything was loaded into three seven-seater vans and headed toward Celestine Ridge.

Outside, the heat felt like fire raining from the sky. The streets were nearly empty, with barely any pedestrians or cars.

But Celestine Ridge was anything but quiet. It was livelier than ever.

First came the coal delivery trucks. It took four full truckloads to unload everything.

The liquor store owner and the outdoor goods store owner both rushed forward to claim credit in front of their big client.

"Besides the 200 tons of top-grade smokeless coal, we also prepared 1 ton of oak charcoal and hickory charcoal just for you, Ms. Townsend. It burns hot, lasts long, and even smells great."

"On top of the 200 tons of premium smokeless coal, I also prepared 1 ton of aged applewood charcoal and coconut shell charcoal for you, Ms. Townsend. It's not only great for heating, but perfect for grilling with a rich aroma."

Mariella stored the two batches of coal separately and told them that if the quality was good, she'd continue working with them.

With such generous profits, both shop owners were beaming. Even delivering under this brutal heat had been worth it.

They lingered inside the villa, enjoying the cool air, praising the powerful ventilation system nonstop, until Lucky bared his teeth and barked at them, forcing them to leave reluctantly.

Matthew walked over and asked, "Do we need to register the license plates for the three vans the bodyguards drove over?"

Mariella waved him off and turned to Chandler. "Send a few people to return those vehicles, get the deposit back, then buy three Chevrolet vans."

In an apocalyptic disaster, nothing beat a tough, reliable Chevrolet.

Chandler assigned Number Two and Number Three to handle the vehicle return and deposit refund, instructing them to buy three Chevrolet vans afterward.

After arranging that, he sent Number One and Number Five to negotiate with the club's landlord for early lease termination and deposit return.

While they were busy, another vehicle arrived. This one was delivering emeralds.

The man who stepped out was the gemstone dealer.

"Hello, miss. My name's Denton Mack. I specialize in wholesale emeralds." He rubbed his slightly thinning hairline and joked, "I may look older, but I'm actually only 32."

"Nice to meet you, Denton. I'm Mariella." Mariella didn't bother with small talk and chose to ignore the second half of his comment, offering no reassurance about his appearance.

She accepted the emeralds and instructed, "Unload everything into the warehouse. I'll inspect the goods myself."

...

Using the excuse of inspecting the goods, Mariella cleared everyone out and stored all the emeralds in her storage space.

Something surprising happened!