"Alex, you lucky bastard! You took a gamble on half a million bucks, and it''s paying out like a goddamn gold mine. I can''t believe these are actual


    Verdantheart seeds!"


    Even Kelly, who''d seen her fair share of wild riches, couldn''t hide her awe.


    "I''ve never evenid eyes on something rumored to be worth hundreds of millions. But thanks to these fools letting it go, here we are"


    She shot an incredulous nce at ra and Florence-her tone cold enough to freeze blood.


    "Seriously, though, you two deserve a medal for Most Oblivious Sellers of the Year. I almost feel bad you let it slip- away so cheap...almost."


    Her wordsnded like a series of sharp jabs, making ra and Florence look even more devastated.


    They had basically thrown away a treasure that could''veted them a fortune beyond their wildest dreams.


    ya


    From the sidelines, the crowd buzzed with fascination, envy, and raw disbelief.


    "Did I hear that right? Seeds of the Verdantheart Root?"


    "I''d kill for even a single bean of that stuff!"


    "Man, if I knew that garbage husk had these inside, I wouldn''t have sold it in a million years," the shop owner groaned, cursing his own blind luck.


    Jack, practically trembling with rage, spat through clenched teeth, "Those seeds should''ve been ours!"


    But Florence, eyes wild, suddenly lunged forward.


    "This is mine! I want it back!" She reached for the precious seeds, only to be blocked by Kelly''s iron grip.


    "What in the hell are you doing?" Kelly hissed, fixing Florence with a scathing re.


    "It''s my root," Florence snapped, desperation dripping from every word. "I''m returning your half million—take it! Just give me back that treasure.”


    "You''ve gotta be kidding," Kelly said, eyebrows shooting up. "The deal''s done,dy. Grow up."


    As if on cue, ra stormed in behind her sister. “Quit ying. Hand it over. Right. Now."


    The crowd watched, stunned at the brazen demand.


    "Wow," someone whispered. "The nerve on these two."


    Kelly folded her arms, refusing to budge. "You sold it of your own free will. You


    can''t just holler ''time-out'' because you realized you screwed up.”


    Florence''s face flushed red as she lost thest shred ofposure.


    "I''m telling you to give it back! You scammed us! I swear to God, I''lle at you with everything I''ve got."


    Alex, holding the seeds protectively, met her threats with a quiet coldness. "Scammed you? That unnying from the same people who tried to unload worthless trash on us in the first ce. Now that I''ve found a hidden


    treasure, you want to renege?"


    He shook his head. "Not a chance."


    "You knew all along there were seeds in there!" ra screamed, voice quivering with fury.


    "You set us up-yed innocent so you could rob us blind


    A shortugh escaped Alex. "Your logic is impressive. Let me spell it out: I took a shot in the dark for half a million, fully prepared to lose every cent. You were the ones determined to offload this ''rotting waste.'' So don''t stand there ming me for your own ignorance."


    Murmurs from the crowd turned hostile toward ra and Florence.


    "Yeah, they''re being ridiculous."


    "Trying to backtrack after the money changed hands...shameless."


    Someone else snorted, "If they follow that logic, doesn''t the root technically belong to the shop owner? He had it first, right?”


    Florence''s face twisted in rage. "Shut up, all of you!" she shrieked, hands


    clenched so tight her knuckles turned white.


    "Ladies, please, don''t hold back! We''re recording-give us more of that ungrateful drama. The audience eats this stuff up!"


    "Oh, this is gold! Upload it, and watch it go viral in no time!?"


    "You-your whole pack is ganging up on us, aren''t you? You filthy bunch of lowlifes!" Florence snarled, practically foaming at the mouth as she raised a fist.


    "I''ll knock the lot of you t if you don''t back off!"


    Kelly merely scoffed, crossing her arms. “Go ahead and try. But given how your precious ''Lancaster'' name is going down the drain right now, maybe the word ''scammer would suit you better. And don''t be shocked if Kingston decides you''re not worth partnering with anymore."


    Sophia, who had been observing finally spoke. “Enough already, Mother. You lost. Take the blow with some dignity-or any dignity at all, if there''s any left. This meltdown is humiliating for everyone."


    Stung by Sophia''s rebuke, Florence''s rage momentarily flickered into shock. "Sophia, you-!"


    "Don''t look at me like that," Sophia snarled, eyes shing. If you keep causing a scene, the Kingston group might cut ties with Lancaster altogether. Do you realize how bad that''d be for our family?"


    Jack suddenly lunged forward, trying to yank the Verdantheart Root right out of Alex''s hands.


    But Alex shifted at thest second, causing Jack to clutch at empty air and topple face-first onto the floor in front of everyone.


    A ripple of scornfulughter spread through the crowd, their voices dripping with mockery:


    "Can you believe this family? They''re all stumbling over themselves for a quick buck!"


    "Must be some special upbringing-blinded by greed and no shame at all!"


    Sophia sighed, "Mom, we won''t win this. Let''s just go before we make it worse."


    Seething with rage, Florence finally backed off, but not before fixing Alex with a poisonous re. "Don''t think you''ve seen thest of me. You''ll regret this." ra, stoking the mes as usual, hurled one more string of insults over her shoulder.


    "Go ahead, cling to that fancy root. Let''s see if you even live long enough to use it! You''re a snake, stealing people''s money and lives-you''re cursed, and fate will chew you up for it. Don''t you dare forget my words."


    With that, she spun around and stormed out, fury rolling off her like a gathering storm.


    Kelly stuck out her tongue dramatically. "Don''t let the door hit you on the way out, losers."