In a luxury boutique, a male influencer and I are eyeing the same watch.

I'm about to give it up when I hear the salesperson yell at me in a shrill voice, "Get your filthy hands off it right now! Mr. Parr saw it first. How dare you compete with him? He's an important customer of our store!"

I freeze and see Alan Parr staring at me with utter disgust, his arms crossed.

"You think a country bumpkin like you deserves that watch? Do you even know how much its accessories cost? A pauper like you definitely can't afford it!" he snaps, then holds up a card and signs the receipt.

However, the name he signs is my wife's. The supplementary card he's holding is the one I gave my wife for her allowance.

When I saw that familiar name, my smile hardened. "I saw the watch first. Why should I let him have it?"

My words startled both the salesperson and the male influencer, Alan Parr.

The salesperson, whose name tag read "Liam", walked up to me and gave me a look of undisguised disgust. "You? The measly chump change in your pocket can't even buy one of our paper bags! You're offending our VIP client. Get out! Or else I'm calling security!"

I couldn't help but want to laugh at Liam's snobbish gaze.

He was obviously new and didn't know me. I'd been traveling the world with my daughter for the past six months, so I hadn't been here in a long time.

Whenever a new watch was released before this, the salespeople at the store would always text me to ask if I wanted one.

Just then, my daughter, Lila Carson, came running out of the mall's play area and into my arms, tenderly calling out to me.

My first instinct was to take her away from there. I didn't want her to see Alan's hideous face.

I didn't expect Alan to scoff at us. "A beggar with a beggar kid, eh? This isn't some place you can beg. Get lost!"

His menacing tone startled Lila, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She hid behind me.

I shielded Lila, glaring at Alan. "Say that again, I dare you."

Alan merely glanced at me and retorted, "I called you a filthy pauper. What of it?"

Liam chimed in, saying, "Is he wrong? Mr. Parr spends more here than what your ancestors could have earned in three generations."

Alan waved the card in his hand, smiling smugly. "What's the big deal? My girlfriend said that she'd give me the stars if I asked for them."

With that, he sauntered over to the counter, ready to pay.

I scoffed and made a phone call. Sure enough, after Alan swiped his card, nothing happened.

He went still. "Is your card reader broken?"

I smirked. That card was registered in my name. All it took was a phone call, and I could freeze it effortlessly.

My wife, Jennifer Vale, had actually dared use the allowance I gave her to support her boy toy.

I wanted to see how Alan would handle this mess.

A different card reader was used, but the card was still nonresponsive.

Alan glared at Liam in frustration before fishing out his phone to make a call.

The call connected quickly. Alan switched to speakerphone and shot me a smug look, intending to show off.

"Jenny, my card was declined. I wanted to buy a watch!"

He kept whining, a stark contrast to his sharp demeanor earlier.

Jennifer's voice came through the phone. "How is that possible? That's a black card. There's no transaction limit on it. Maybe there was an issue with the bank while processing it. Give me a moment. I'll make a call."

Lila recognized the voice instantly, her eyes widening. "It's Mom…"

I tugged at her hand gently and shook my head, signaling her to remain silent.

The show was just beginning, so why reveal the truth now?

Soon enough, Jennifer called me.

The call connected, and Jennifer's impatient voice came through like shards of ice. "What's wrong with the card you gave me? Why isn't it working? Get it sorted in half an hour. I'm not going to say it twice."

Without waiting for my reply, she hung up abruptly.

Almost immediately after that, Alan's phone rang again.

He glanced smugly at me, putting the call on speaker again.

Jennifer's voice came through, but this time, it was dripping with honeyed sweetness. "Don't worry, Alan. There was a small issue with the bank, but it's being sorted out. You should be able to use it in half an hour."

Her tone was completely different from when we spoke earlier—it was practically like night and day.

Alan's smile widened as he listened to her. He looked at me defiantly, his eyes filled with smugness and contempt. "You heard that, you country bumpkin? My girlfriend will give me anything I want!"

I sneered. So she was going to treat me like her personal bank, was she?

No, that wasn't quite right. A bank at least gained interest and some level of respect from its clients.

As for me, supporting her was one thing, but now I had to support her boy toy? Jennifer's scheming was truly something else—she was ruthless and extremely cunning.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in my heart. I was determined to settle the score with Jennifer and Alan.

I brought Lila over to the lounge area to sit down. Then I calmly watched Alan, waiting to see what he planned to do in half an hour.

Liam, having realized I hadn't left, approached me with a frown. His tone oozed impatience as he said, "What are you still doing here? Why haven't you left?"

He gave me a once-over, eyeing me as if I were trash. "People like you scare off my real customers."

He sneered at me, his expression full of malice.

I looked up at him and said calmly, "What if he can't buy it in half an hour? I can still purchase it, right? I'm just waiting."

Liam rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, his tone disdainful as he said, "Can you even afford it? What are you bragging about? Just look at yourself. You're trying to punch way above your weight!"

Meanwhile, Alan casually sat down on the other end of the lounge area.

Seeing that, Liam put on a fawning smile and scurried over immediately. He served Alan coffee and eagerly presented him with a selection of exquisite desserts before bringing over several of the latest watch models for him to browse.

"Don't be upset, Mr. Parr. These people are just here to cause trouble and ruin your shopping experience. Don't worry. Ms. Vale loves you so much—I'm sure she'll sort things out immediately."

Alan brought the cup to his lips and sipped his coffee elegantly. "My girlfriend has never broken a promise to me."

He jerked his chin at me, his gaze challenging. "Just wait and see if you don't believe me."

Liam chimed in immediately. "Indeed, Mr. Parr. You're leagues apart from these paupers. They can't possibly understand the world you come from. Some people simply can't stand seeing others succeed. If they can't have something, they want to make sure no one else gets it either."

The atmosphere in the lounge was somewhat tense.

30 minutes were almost up. Alan stood up leisurely and walked to the card reader to swipe his card, but it was still unresponsive.

The arrogant look on his face faltered. He tried using another machine, but the result was the same.

A hint of awkwardness flickered across Liam's sycophantic face.

Alan took his phone out and called Jennifer again.

To his surprise, she didn't answer.

I glanced at my phone and made a mental note of the time. The company usually held its daily meetings at this hour.

With my support, Jennifer had risen to become a company executive. Fearing others would call her a gold digger, she went to the office every day. She was terrified of giving people anything to gossip about.

When he couldn't get through, Alan grew frantic and repeatedly called her in a panic.

After some time, he looked up, clenching his teeth. "Maybe my girlfriend is busy and can't respond. I'll pass on the watch for now. Once she's done at work, I'll have her swing by so we can purchase it together."

Liam seemed slightly displeased. He'd gone through all the effort of pleasing Alan, only for Alan not to make the purchase. Yet, he dared not say anything, only managing a strained smile as he nodded.

Just then, I stepped forward. "Since he's not buying it, can I have it?"

Liam waved me away like I was a bothersome fly. "I've no time for your silly games. Get lost! Don't interrupt me while I'm serving customers!"

I smirked coldly, placing my membership card on the table. It was an exclusive card reserved for members who spent over a million dollars at the store annually.

Liam was stunned when he saw the card, his face frozen in disbelief.

Alan recognized the card too. He stepped forward incredulously and grabbed it off the table, his expression twisting into something unpleasant.

"Impossible! You must've stolen this! So not only are you poor, but you're a thief too? I'm calling the police now to have you arrested!"

I glanced at him scornfully. "Don't believe me? Check for yourselves."

Alan and Liam shared a look before Liam leaned over to key in my details on the computer.

That was when they saw that I had racked up millions in points.

Alan's expression darkened.

The transaction details were clearly listed on the screen. Each figure felt like a proper slap to his prideful, smug face.

Liam was terrified, and his face drained of color. He stood frozen in place, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

A moment later, he began to fawn over me as he said, "If you buy this watch, I'll give you the biggest discount and throw in a few limited-edition gifts from the store, alright?"

He was like a completely different person now than before. I merely looked at him calmly, waiting until his smile faltered before I spoke.

"I'll take the watch."

Yet, before Liam had time to rejoice, I added, "But I want the sale to be credited to Joe Leith."

Liam looked up abruptly, a flash of confusion and resentment crossing his eyes.

Joe was the salesperson I knew best at this store. He always maintained a friendly smile, regardless of the customer's attire. He never judged anyone's appearance and treated every customer equally.

"As for you…" My gaze landed on Liam, who'd slumped to the floor. "I'll be filing a complaint with your headquarters..."

His eyes widened, and his body trembled violently.

"...until I get you fired," I said, enunciating each word, my tone leaving no room for negotiation.