Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

At the auto show, Anya took mental notes of Molly's barrage of advice, her eyes scanning the cars lined up on the showroom floor.

"Hey, Chad, remember that car we saw at the booth next door? It was under $60k. Maybe we should go back and check it out? We don't need to splurge if we're tight on funds."

Leo turned to see Anya pulling another savvy move. Had they already been scouting other dealerships?

The salesman, sensing he might lose the sale, pointed in a direction. "Are you talking about the latest model from the third booth?"

Anya shook her head cautiously. "I can't remember which one exactly, but their prices were lower, and they were throwing in discounts right off the bat."

"That's just smoke and mirrors," the salesman quickly retorted, then turned to Leo to champion the virtues of their cars over the competition. He knew Leo was the decision-maker and kept the conversation focused on him. "I can go down to $72,000. I'm already cutting it close here."

"Mr. Cedillo, we're just a small dealership, and you clearly want the best. $75,000 is as low as we can go."

Anya sensed an opening. "Sir, with all these options available, we chose your dealership because of the thorough and engaging presentation you gave us. You know the fair price for this car, and we're offering a deal that works. Besides, Havenbrook isn't short on dealerships. Who's to say we can't get this deal elsewhere? If we do, that's a hit on your competitor's numbers, not yours.

And let's be real, we're all about the same age here. This won't be the last car we buy, and if we're happy, we'll be sure to recommend you. You know how important word-of-mouth is."

Anya wasn't sure if her words were sinking in, but she was following her aunt's advice to the letter.

they were at an impasse, Anya's aunt had more tricks up her

amazed at Anya's sudden

my final offer. What do you say?" The salesman was clearly disoriented by

actually

"Your husband just

we doing this at

the bargaining wisdom she had been taught. It was as if she had unlocked a hidden talent, and within half an hour, they walked away with a new car for $71,250, including five free maintenance checks and a dash cam. Leo initially balked at the dash cam, but Anya, ever the practical one, insisted, "We're getting it. It's

relented, "Alright, your

financed the purchase, Anya felt a twinge

suggested, "$72,000? Too unlucky. Let's do $71,500. It's not about

guard but impressed, agreed without

was surprised at

way home, Leo mused if Anya had sought

thrilled with her success in saving

home, the Cedillos were surprised to see a new car

"No," he replied, puzzled.