As Raymond and Valentina walked toward the payment department, the air between them felt heavier. The quiet murmurs of the showroom faded into the background as anticipation built around them. The moment they stepped forward, a staff member approached, holding a tablet.
"The price for the car has been finalized," she announced, her voice polite yet firm.
"It's three million dollars."
Immediately Silence followed.
Then Valentina's breath hitched.
'Three million?'
Her body stiffened as she turned sharply toward Raymond.
"No," she blurted out, shaking her head. "That's too much."
Her voice trembled slightly, disbelief clouding her expression.
She had expected something high-end, something luxurious—but not this. Not a car worth millions.
"This is too much," she repeated, her chest tightening. "I was thinking something around twenty or thirty thousand, not this."
She glanced at Raymond, as if waiting for him to laugh, to say this was all a joke. But he didn't.
