Everyone waited to see the light scanner on the machine turn green, signaling that Darius had indeed paid for the outfits. However, that was not what happened. The machine’s light turned red, which meant only one thing.
‘His transaction was declined.’
Sarah and David all burst into laughter when they heard the beep sound after the machine turned red. It turned out that they were right. Darius was just posing as a rich person after all. He only came here to waste their time. They were right. Darius could never afford to buy clothes worth $610,000. They were really delusional to believe for a split moment that he could afford it.
Dana, the sales lady who helped Darius choose the outfits was very sad and disappointed. She had thought that with the confidence that Darius showed when he offered to pay for the outfits that he really had the means to pay. It seemed that it was all a lie after all.
Several people who had gathered to watch the drama unfold started gossiping loudly.
“Wow can you believe that? He actually chose several outfits worth $610,000 when he couldn’t even pay for it.”
“Right? I’ve never seen someone so shameless before in my life.”
“Doesn’t he feel any remorse? He’s literally here to toy with the staff here.”
“Why was he even allowed to enter here in the first place? Didn’t the security see how he was dressed? They should focus more on things like this.”
Sarah and David gloated as they heard the derogatory remarks directed at Darius. Sarah felt indescribably glad at the drama unfolding before her. She was very happy to see Darius being slandered continuously by various people.
Meanwhile, Darius was having the shock of his life. He clearly knew that there was 10 billion dollars in that card, as his grandfather would never lie to him, so why wasn’t he able to pay for the outfits?
Darius looked around and noticed the people were making derogatory statements about him. He sighed. He thought about paying for the outfits by transferring the money with his phone, but decided against it. From what he could see, the people here were hell bent on slandering him. They would never believe that he had the capabilities to pay for the outfit.
Sarah, having had enough laughter about Darius situation spoke up again. This time there was a huge smile on her face.
“See? I told you that he’s very poor. He’s nothing but a pretender. Pay for clothes worth $610,000? As if! He’s just here to toy with you. It’ll be in your best interest to send him out now; otherwise some of those outfits might really go missing.”
The sales lady had already changed her view of Darius. She thought he was a genuine customer, but it turned out that he was just here to waste their time. As someone who led him around the store, she naturally felt the angriest at Darius.
“Sir, it would be in your best interest to leave. You’re unable to pay for these outfits so I’ll return them back.” Dana said.
Darius was unwilling to accept this. He understood where Dana was coming from. Who wouldn’t be angry if someone came to their store and selected a lot of goods but wasn’t able to pay for them? At least Darius knew that he would be angry if he were Dana.
“Please wait. Scan the card again. I’m telling you that I can afford it.” Darius pleaded. He didn’t want his intentions to be misinterpreted by Dana.
“Oh please. It’s obvious that that is a fake card that has no single penny in it. Don’t let him waste your time anymore.” Sarah chimed in, enjoying this moment greatly.
Darius ignored Sarah and talked to Dana to scan the card again. However, Dana was having none of it.
“Sir, please leave the store. If you keep on disrupting our business hours, I will have no choice but to call the security personnel.” Dana said firmly. She was beginning to get disgusted by Darius level of shamelessness.
Darius was about to reply when a loud voice echoed in the store and a tall man appeared.
“What is going on here?” The man asked in an authoritative tone.
Immediately everyone turned to look at the man. The man was neatly dressed in one of Louis Vuitton rare suits that cost over $70,000 which showed the man was no ordinary person. He looked to be in his late thirties and was fairly good looking. He walked slowly again until he got to where the people had gathered before speaking again.
“I asked a question. What is going on here?” The man repeated his question, glancing at the staff present.
“Manager Gary!” Dana and the other staff present yelled while bowing deeply.
The person present was none other than the manager of the Louis Vuitton store. He rarely made appearances, unless there were important personnel present, so his presence here was shocking to everyone present. However, he had heard the commotion from his office and decided to come down to take a look at the problem.
“Good day Mr. Gary. I’m David Lesley, son of Jack Lesley.” David said, introducing himself to the manager. He knew that the manager of this store was also a big shot, as this wasn’t the only store he managed, so he wanted to get on his good side.
The manager responded lightly to David’s greeting and then spoke again.
“Don’t you all have mouths? I asked what is going on here?!” The manager shouted.
“It’s nothing much Mr. Gary.” David started. “This peasant here came in here claiming to buy clothes worth $610,000. Meanwhile he cannot even afford a meal of $100.”
Gary frowned when he heard David’s narration. There was someone who was really bold enough to pull such a stunt at this store when he was around?
He shifted his gaze to Darius and stared at him in an intimidating manner.
“Is this true, young man?” he asked domineeringly. If this young man really came here and pulled such a stunt he would make sure that he was never going to walk out of this store properly again.
However, Darius was unfazed when he saw the manager’s intimidating stare. He just handed out the black card that his grandfather gave him and said.
“I think there’s something wrong with your machine.” Darius stated boldly. While he pleaded with Dana, he would not allow an outsider to look down on him, no matter who the person was.
“Oh?” The manager muttered; his brow furrowed. However, his eyes widened in surprise after he grabbed the black card from Darius and examined it intently.
“This! Where did you get this?” Gary asked in a low and confused tone. He was completely stunned. “Is there a problem?” Darius asked, slightly frowning. Sarah and David, along with Dana and the other onlookers were confused at Gary’s sudden behavior. They were sure that he was going to kick Darius out after exposing him for the liar and pretender he was, but that was not what happened. Gary couldn’t help but look Darius up and down once again, but still shook his head. He was the manager of this store and had been doing it for years, so it was natural that he recognized that the card was out of the ordinary. At a glance, he could tell that the card was a customized card made exclusively for the head of a top business or company. However, the appearance of the male in front of him was not matching with what he imagined. He certainly didn’t look like someone who controlled such an astronomical amount of power and wealth. He was about to confront the said peasant when he remembered
Darius walked out of the store happily. He felt very much fulfilled after the small episode in the store. He walked for a few minutes with the shopping bags in his hand before stopping. Darius' stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything yet. He wanted to eat at the Sky Golden Hotel, but he had a lot of shopping bags on him. Taking the shopping bags to the hotel would be quite inconvenient for him. Besides, he really needed to change his outfit, or he might not even be granted entry this time. Darius hailed a taxi and got in. He decided to drop his newly purchased outfits at the dorm before going to the hotel to dine. The ride back to his dorm was uneventful, and so was his walk. Apart from the occasional stares and gossips from the students, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He entered his dorm room and saw that it was still empty. Even though two hours had passed since he left for the mall, his dorm mates were not yet back from school. Darius kept the shoppi
The three ladies who walked in looked extremely familiar to Darius, especially the one in the middle, which made him wonder where he had seen them before. He was still looking at the ladies intently when the lady in the middle noticed someone staring at her.She had noticed someone staring at her, which she ignored as she was so attractive, but when she looked at Darius, she recognized his face but couldn't recall where she had met him.A single glance at his table filled with luxury meals showed that the person was probably very wealthy, as being able to dine here meant that he had a membership card. The least membership card cost $100,000 which meant that he clearly had $100,000 to spare for food.“Claire, what are you looking at? Let’s go.” Hera, one of the ladies who accompanied her spoke up.Claire nodded lightly and burned Darius face into her mind before leaving. As she came from a well-to-do family she also had a membership card. Although it was a silver membership card it was
The young man looked at Darius with a very livid expression on his face. He couldn’t believe the kind of luck he had.First, a no-name bitch had stepped on his shoes and while he was disciplining her, another idiot had come to play hero at his expense. Did the person want to die?He tried to yank his hands off the stranger’s grip but the stranger’s grip was just too strong.“I don’t know who you are but I suggest you unhand me this instant. Otherwise it won’t end well for you.” The young man said angrily.The people in the crowd all watched this scene with bated breaths. They had thought this would be a one sided beat down for the lady who had offended this big shot, but they didn’t expect another person to step out from the crowd and stand up for the lady.The lady herself felt very shocked. She clearly did not expect anybody to stand up for her. She thought that she was already doomed, but now it seemed that that wasn’t the case.“I won’t unless you promise to let the lady go.” Dari
The young man looked at Darius for a brief second before bursting out into laughter. Darius stood still and watched the man laugh for a few seconds. When the man was done laughing, he wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye before speaking. “What? You want to pay for the shoes?” The young man asked. Darius remained silent and only stared at the young man, showing how dead serious he was. “You can’t be serious. How do you even want to pay for the shoes when you can’t even afford a decent pair of shoes?” The young man asked in a mocking tone. Everyone immediately moved their eyes to Darius’ shoes. When they saw the worn out shoes he was wearing, another round of whispering and gossip broke out. “He’s asking the price for the limited edition collection shoes while he can’t even afford a nice pair of shoes?” “I can’t believe my eyes. What sort of vanity is that?” “He must be probably trying to impress the lady. After all look at his outfit, plain ordinary.” The lady who stepp
He turned back and saw that it was the lady he saved. He took a closer look at the lady and saw that she was really beautiful. She was tall, although not as tall as him, probably 180 cm, with fair skin and beautiful blonde hair. She also had an hourglass figure which her poor clothing did little to hide. The girl stared back at Darius, and then looked back at her feet. She was too afraid to speak up, but she didn’t want to let Darius go just like that. He had just paid 1 million dollars on her behalf. Even though to him it might seem like nothing due to how rich he was, to her it was something very touching. After fidgeting for a few seconds, she finally had the courage to speak up. “Hello.” She muttered; her voice very meek. Darius didn’t reply and kept staring at her, waiting for her to speak up. When she saw that Darius didn’t respond, she finally braced herself to speak up. “Thank you very much for your help sir. If you didn’t even help me I don’t dare imagine what would hav
Darius woke up the next morning earlier than his roommates. Just like he guessed they had indeed gone to the club and came back very late in the night. That wasn’t even the worst part. They had not only come back late, but they also came back very drunk. They probably didn’t have a lecture today, which was why they could afford to sleep this leisurely. Darius took his bath and dressed up in his new outfit and shoes. He now looked completely different from his past self when he attended classes. He gave his roommates one more glance before shaking his head and leaving the room. Darius had no car yet, he decided to walk to his lecture venue. As he walked to his venue, several expensive cars passed by him including Ferraris, Audis, Mercedes and several sleek sedans. Darius didn’t pay them any heed. He now had two super cars of his own. All he needed to do was to wait for Bruce to deliver them; then he’d be driving to class in an expensive car too. Darius thoughts soon shifted from tha
Since everyone was aware that the charity gala had always been conducted in a single manner, they were all interested to learn what the new change to the traditional method would entail."I wouldn't waste your time on this because I'm sure you're all curious about it." The professor said when he noticed his students' earnest and curious looks."The charity gala this year will be a joint event with Kingston University, Lockwood University, and Evergreen University."The charity gala was a joint event with Kingston, Lockwood and Evergreen University? Everyone let out gasps of shocks when they heard the announcement from the professor. The three universities collaborating for the events were all top universities in their districts. They all had top students attending their universities and of course majority of the students there were of wealthy background. Darius scowled deeply when he heard this news. He hadn’t even gotten over the incident that happened at the last gala he attended
"If you hadn't picked on me, I wouldn't have ended up like this. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'll never be able to take these black robes off!" The mysterious man's voice was shaky. He was extremely agitated.James frowned at that. He said curiously, "You keep saying I've done you wrong, but everything I did to you was what you did to others. I only gave you a taste of your own medicine."The mysterious man's breathing sped up when he heard that. He barked out a laugh and sneered, "I'll be honest with you. I never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone as dumb as you again."He shook his head. "I find it hard to imagine what your grandson will do when he sees you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. The man was caught off guard. He looked at Darius as his body trembled violently.Darius frowned when he saw this. It was completely different from what he'd imagined. He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, his
Gabriel smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll return to my workstation and prepare a proposal on what to do with Noah."Darius nodded and smiled. "Good. That's all I ever wanted." He turned to leave. "You need to get to work, and I need to return to my hotel to get some rest."Gabriel stopped. Darius' words made him hesitate. "I'm sorry to be asking this because I don't think it's my place, but it's probably better for me to ask anyway. I don't remember there being any hotels nearby."You should head home if you wanna get some rest. I don't understand why you're heading to a hotel to rest."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He turned with his hands behind his back to look at Gabriel helplessly. "I don't know how to feel about what you've just said. You're making me think you're a little silly. Wouldn't I know how to search for a hotel?"It won't take you long to prepare a proposal, but it'll take me ages to get home from here." Darius turned and left.Gabriel's lips twitc
"Because you realized the risk was far greater than what you were comfortable with," Darius said calmly.But Noah started trembling. He looked at Darius in terror. He didn't expect Darius to see right through him after some simple back-and-forth. His eyes widened in fear.Everything that was happening now made him feel like he was dreaming. Noah had only been a step away from success, yet Darius had ruined everything.Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at Darius. "I've said everything there is to say. I'm the lowest rung on this ladder, and I only have one purpose for being here. It's to make you come under the authorities' control. Once you're here, my mission's accomplished."Someone else from the authorities will be here to deal with you, but that has nothing to do with me. They wouldn't have told me about it, anyway."Darius put his hands behind his back without saying anything. He turned to leave. Noah's eyes widened as he stared in fear at Darius' back.Darius didn't see this, bu
When Darius straightened up, his face became devoid of emotion. He said calmly, "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only want frank answers. Otherwise, I'll punish you for every lie that you tell me. I don't see any hope in your eyes, but let's see whether you prove me wrong."Darius paused, then continued, "I've already said something similar once. That was a chance I gave you. From this moment onward, I want you to know that I won't repeat myself because I believe you've had enough time to prepare yourself."Gabriel stood beside him and put his hands behind his back as his lips twitched. He'd thought about the various reasons for Darius repeating himself. But the one thing that hadn't occurred to him was that Darius had done it to give Noah time to prepare.Gabriel felt like applauding Darius, but the rational side of him stopped him from doing so. His rationality told him he'd be in for trouble if he were to do that, so he only looked at Darius with a smile.Darius sensed Ga
Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. Then, he said, "You're too nervous, Gabriel. It makes it seem like you don't trust me. In truth, there's nothing for you to worry about."He stretched his neck and continued, "I know very well how bad the consequences of destroying this building will be. Aside from those silly regulations, I'll also need to pay for it. I might be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy forking out a huge sum of money as compensation."Darius spread his hands and shrugged. At the same time, he pointed at the window and turned to look at Gabriel. Then, he said, "Look. The windows are perfectly fine. They're not even scratched. That shows my life force is non-destructive."That's why you have nothing to worry about. You can put your heart back into your chest."Gabriel straightened up and sighed in relief. Then, he gave Darius an embarrassed smile.Darius grinned but didn't say anything in response. He put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Noah. He sai
"We're classmates from the same major, too! We were interns at Dream Investment Group, remember? And we got kicked out on our first day. You broke my legs because of a tiny argument we had outside the building! The surveillance cameras captured all of this!" Noah cried.Darius tucked his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. Then, he said mockingly, "You're the biggest fool I've ever met. Do you think you're the only one who can tamper with the surveillance footage? Any footage that can be tampered with can also be restored."Noah's eyes widened in shock. He gulped and tried to think of a way to explain away the injuries Darius had inflicted on him. Still, he couldn't think of anything. Before he had the chance to think any further, Darius spoke.He said, "There's one thing you got right, though. Gabriel is on my side, so he'll stand up for me no matter what you say."Gabriel's lips twitched at that. He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something in return, but Darius bea
"And I don't think it's my job to make you see sense," Gabriel continued. He put his hands behind his back. He gave Noah a look that was an odd mixture of gentle iciness. "I've given you more than enough time and chances."Gabriel sighed. "It's obvious that you don't care for that, though. And so I think it's time for me to treat you as an officer should." He sat down on the other side of the desk again.Noah's face was white with fear. Gabriel acted like he didn't see this, though. He smiled. "As I mentioned, I gave you plenty of time and chances, but you didn't appreciate them."His gaze turned frosty. "If that's the case, I'm sure you won't object to me doing this per our guidelines."Noah cried, "No, wait! I don't know what Darius has promised you to make you side with him unconditionally, but there's no way I'll let you two get away with this. You have to make sure you do everything by the book. It's a reasonable request, and you have no right to turn me down!"He trembled viole
Gabriel put his hands behind his back as he looked at Noah with a smile. "Now, you've piqued my interest."Noah looked up at Gabriel. His voice was deep and hoarse as he said, "If you help me, I'll give you half of the Reid Consortium's assets once I get my hands on them. You should know that without me, there's no way you'll get a dime from the Reid Consortium."Gabriel snorted with laughter when he heard that. He straightened up and slowly circled Noah. He sounded mocking as he said, "You've lost me there. I tried to puzzle it out, but it doesn't make sense at all."Why would I want to get my hands on the Reid Consortium's fortune? Even without it, I'm perfectly independent. I don't need it to survive."Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Noah mockingly. "Or maybe you're different from the rest of us. Maybe you'll die without the Reid Consortium's wealth." He smirked and gave Noah a sharp gaze.Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're the one making me laugh now. I don't know
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a