Primeton's Poorest Student is Now a Billionaire

Chapter 009 ~ Old Classmates, New Status

"It's really you. What on earth are you doing here?" Evelyn asked, looking deeply irritated the moment she saw him.

Evelyn Campbell was Peter’s former classmate from high school. She used to look down on him because he couldn’t afford even the most basic things back then.

One time, before their graduation, Peter had gathered the courage to ask her out. She laughed so hard in his face, finding the idea completely ridiculous.

In her own words, she had once told him:

"You must be more stupid than I thought, Peter. Being poor really makes you delusional, huh? Craving things you know are way out of your league. Aha..."

"Do you think I’m one of those low class girls who will ride with you through good and bad times? In sickness and in health? Fuck no!"

"I’m very expensive. If you want to date me, then you need to be very rich."

Now, fate had brought them face to face again, except a lot had changed in the past seventy-two hours.

"Evelyn... so nice to meet you," Peter said with a genuine smile, like someone who just met an old friend.

"Well, of course it’s always nice for anyone to meet me, I mean... it's me, hello?" Evelyn grinned. "But i can’t say the same for you,"

"Babe," she called, turning to her head to her companion. "This is my old classmate from high school, Peter Lawson."

Mr. Harrison frowned immediately. From the way Evelyn was speaking about him, he suspected Peter might have once asked her out. But he knew his Evelyn, she didn’t associate with cheap looking men like the one standing in front of him right now.

"Evelyn, I don’t think all this is necessary..." Peter muttered, but she cut him off mid-sentence.

"Uh… Jane?" she called dramatically to the saleswoman. "I never knew you guys allowed poor beggars inside your mall. I wonder how this makes potential customers feel when their safety isn’t even guaranteed."

"Sir, please, if you’re not here to purchase anything, leave now before I call security on you," Jane said to Peter, who simply smiled to himself with his hands tucked neatly in his pockets.

"I’ll make sure you regret this. All of you," Peter replied calmly, his face devoid of warmth.

"Hahahaha!" They all burst into laughter, including the saleswoman. It was the funniest joke they had heard all day. Someone who looked as ordinary as him threatening to make them pay? Evelyn had never heard anything more ridiculous.

"Are you serious right now?" Evelyn scoffed. "Make us all pay? how do you even intend to do that? I know you’re poor, but adding comedy to it is something totally unexpected."

"Young man, do you know who I am?" Riley Harrison chimed in. "I am the son of Dwayne Harrison, CEO of Harris Holdings. Do you want me to make your day miserable?"

Peter kept smiling at them, various thoughts running through his mind. Before he could respond, another saleswoman appeared from a different section. She had clearly been watching the exchange and decided to intervene.

"I’m sorry, Sir. How may I help you?" the new saleswoman, Maria, asked politely.

"I came here to buy a handbag for a friend, but this staff member has been treating me very rudely," Peter murmured, clearly unhappy.

"Aha—" Evelyn chuckled. "You? Peter Lawson, coming to K&Q Luxury Mall to buy a handbag? Do you even know how much a bag here costs?"

"Uhm… Sir, I need to inform you that handbags here start from no less than four hundred thousand dollars," Maria said politely, trying to ease his anger while informing him on the extent of luxury he just stepped into.

"I already told him that, but the man clearly likes trouble. I’ll call security right now because he’s disturbing our potential customers," Jane added, attempting to signal a nearby guard, when Maria stopped her.

"Don’t worry, Jane. I’ll handle this one. You attend to the others," Maria said.

"Over here, Sir. Let’s take a look at our best sellers," Maria said, pointing toward a path.

Peter followed her immediately. As he walked behind her, he overheard something from behind that struck him deep in the chest.

"Don't waste your time on him, Maria. I know his type," Jane muttered one last time before turning back to Mr. Harrison and Evelyn.

He shrugged it off and pretended he hadn’t heard her. I mean... he had been called worse in the past, this was nothing new.

Maria and Peter moved through different brand sections. She explained the significance and high cost of several styles as they walked.

They finally stopped in front of a bag displayed alone on a special shelf under bright lights. It's unique design immediately caught Peter’s eye.

"That one," he pointed. "What about that?"

"Oh, Sir… you certainly have an eye for the extraordinary," Maria said with a polished smile, her voice lowering slightly as she carefully lifted the bag. "This is the Diamond Himalaya Birkin 30, crafted in rare Niloticus crocodile leather with a signature ombré gradient."

Before she could mention the price, Evelyn stepped closer, her eyes widening in awe at the stunning piece.

"Oh my gosh, babe…" she whimpered. "This is the one. I want this one." She pointed at the exact bag Maria was holding, the same one Peter had shown interest in.

"Aww, Miss Evelyn, you really have exquisite taste," Jane interjected, quickly snatching the bag from Maria's hands. "This is the Diamond Himalaya Birkin 30." she repeated, lifting it up the air.

"It’s worth nine hundred and seventy thousand dollars. But we can offer you a ten percent discount as a valued customer, Mr. Harrison."

"What?" Peter exclaimed in shock. "Nine hundred and seventy thousand dollars for a bag?"

Evelyn and Jane burst into laughter. They had been right all along, someone as poor as Peter had no business being there.

"Sir, the bag once belonged to Princess Rebecca of the Liba Island. It was custom-made with white diamonds and rare Niloticus crocodile leather during a private atelier visit in Paris. It comes with authenticated letters and has been displayed in a private museum exhibition. Only three of such bags have ever been made," Maria explained calmly to him.

"I told you… you can’t afford even the lowest grade here, didn’t I?" Evelyn mocked. "Babe, I want this one. Please buy it for me and I’ll give you all the styles you want tonight. I can't wait to show it to my friends."

"Uhm… I thought you wanted Dior, babe?" Riley Harrison whispered, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, but I’ve changed my mind. I want this now," she whispered back, noticing his frown. "Babe, I know you can afford it. Please don’t embarrass me."

"It’s too expensive, darling. I promise I’ll make it up to you, but let’s stick to what we came for," Mr. Harrison said before turning to Jane. "Please, take us to the Dior section."

"Alright, Sir," Jane replied, glancing at Evelyn's sad expression. "Miss Evelyn, please don’t feel bad. Besides, no customer has ever bought this rare piece. They just admire it and move on. It's extreme price makes it almost impossible to purchase, but I must admit… it is a truly legendary item."

Before they could walk away, Peter cleared his throat and dropped the words they least expected.

"I’ll buy the bag."