My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 35

Hearing what Victoria just said, Edward’s brows furrowed deeply, and he leaned forward on his desk. His fingers tapped rapidly against the polished wood, his mind racing.

"You’re telling me..." he repeated, his voice laced with disbelief, "that the manager actually gifted the Celestial Aureate Tribute Set—an item that isn’t even meant to be sold—to a regular customer? Just like that?"

Victoria crossed her legs and smirked, hearing the frustration in his voice.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying, Edward." She tilted her head mockingly.

"Unbelievable, right?"

Edward’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. That particular tribute set was strictly reserved, not just for VIP members, no body has the right to sell it even the highest-ranking stakeholders.

"This is unacceptable," he muttered, his tone dark.

His grip tightened around the phone as he took a deep breath. "Valentina?" he repeated the name, his mind racing.

"Who the hell is Valentina, and why would our manager break protocol for her?"

Victoria grinned victoriously. She had him exactly where she wanted.

"Well, Edward, that’s the question of the day, isn’t it?" she said, her voice dripping with amusement.

Edward leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No. This doesn’t make sense. Everybody in this company knows that item isn’t for sale. I don’t care who this Valentina person is. I’m going to confirm this myself."

Victoria chuckled softly. "Good. I knew you’d want to get to the bottom of this."

She casually twirled a strand of her hair before pulling up her phone screen.

"Tell you what, Edward. Since you don’t believe me, I’ll make this even easier for you."

Her lips curled mischievously as she scrolled through her contacts.

"I have the number of one of the sales attendants," she said smoothly. "I can connect you right now, and you can hear everything from her yourself."

Edward’s eyes darkened.

"Do it," he ordered, his tone sharp.

Victoria’s smirk widened as she pressed the dial button.

The moment the sales attendant confirmed Victoria’s words, Edward’s face darkened. His fingers curled tightly into a fist as he felt a wave of irritation surge through him.

"Unacceptable!" he roared, his voice echoing through his office.

The sales attendant on the other end flinched slightly at his outburst but remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

Edward gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening. "You’re telling me," he hissed, "that an ordinary customer—someone who has never even shopped in our store before—was given a tribute set meant exclusively for top-ranking figures like the owers? Do you all take me for a fool?"

At that moment The sales attendant swallowed nervously.

"No, sir," she replied carefully. "But that’s exactly what happened. The manager acted as if he had no choice, as if he had orders from above."

Then Edward leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming rapidly against his desk. Orders from above? That was impossible. The only one who could make such a decision was the owner of the company, and he knew for a fact that no such directive had been issued.

Victoria smirked knowingly, listening in on the conversation. She could practically hear the gears turning in Edward’s mind.

"I told you, Edward," she chimed in smugly. "Something isn’t right here. This Valentina woman—who even is she?"

Edward exhaled sharply, his frustration evident.

"That’s what I’m about to find out, this isn’t acceptable," he growled.

Then Edward took a deep breath, pressing his fingers against his temple as he tried to contain his frustration.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

After dismissing the sales attendant from the call, he quickly shifted his focus back to Victoria. His tone softened slightly, masking the irritation boiling inside him.

"Victoria, I sincerely apologize for this oversight," he said, his voice measured. "This was never supposed to happen, and I assure you that it will be corrected immediately."

Victoria leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs elegantly. "Good," she mused, tapping her nails against her phone. "But an apology isn’t enough, Edward."

Edward exhaled sharply, already anticipating her next words.

"If you really want me to accept your apology," Victoria continued, "then you need to get me those luxurious items that were given to Valentina. The manager had no right to gift them away, and I should be the rightful owner, since it can be sold."

Edward’s brow furrowed. He knew retrieving the items wouldn’t be that simple. The company had strict protocols, and more importantly—why had the manager bent over backward for Valentina in the first place?

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Fine," he agreed, his voice clipped. "I’ll make arrangements to retrieve the items and have them delivered to you. However, you will need to pay a reasonable amount for them."

Immediately Victoria agreed and she even gave Edwards Valentina’s location.

At that moment Edward’s jaw tightened, his grip on his phone stiffening as he ended the call with Victoria. His breath was sharp, his eyes dark with fury—the sheer absurdity of the situation made his blood boil.

"That damn manager," he muttered through clenched teeth, "does he even realize the damage he’s done?"

Without wasting another second, he grabbed his phone again, dialing with precision. The line rang twice before a deep, authoritative voice answered.

"This is Captain Harris, who’s calling?"

"Edward Monroe, Executive Director of Luxe Emporium." Edward’s voice was clipped, businesslike, but seething beneath the surface. "I need an immediate intervention regarding a case of fraudulent acquisition of high-value property."

There was a pause on the other end, then Captain Harris spoke.

"Go on."

"A woman named Valentina unlawfully obtained highly exclusive luxury items from our establishment. The items were not for sale, yet she managed to manipulate the manager into giving them to her." His voice was cold, deliberate, every word calculated. "We have reason to believe she intended to sell with them without proper authorization."

Captain Harris exhaled.

"What’s the location?"

Edward leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple.

"Victoria, one of our VIP clients, informed me that Valentina is likely attending a private ceremony for her late mother’s remembrance." He paused for effect, then gave the address.

"Understood," Captain Harris said, his tone now professional, no nonsense.

"We’ll dispatch officers to detain her. She will remain in custody until your arrival."