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.

Liam looked up, glaring at me resentfully. "You're so rich. Why are you nitpicking over such a small thing? Can't you just cut me some slack?"

I found his logic ridiculous. "If I were actually poor, does that mean I deserve your mockery?"

Liam knew he couldn't refute me, so he stood up, glaring at me venomously before returning to the counter.

As Alan watched this scene unfold, his expression grew even more grim.

He glared at me and said, "Who knows where your money came from? You probably got it from a woman as well!"

Just then, Jennifer called him back. "Alan, I was in a meeting. What's up?"

Hearing Jennifer's voice, Alan clung to it like a lifeline. He quickly explained, "Jenny, someone's picking on me. They've gotten the watch I wanted. Hurry on over!"

Jennifer went silent for a moment before asking, "Someone else got it? Didn't you buy it?"

"The card didn't work. I figured the bank's procedures were somewhat complicated, so I had to give up the watch."

Alan sounded so wounded that Jennifer's tone immediately grew colder. "That's outrageous! I'll call him right now!"

By "him", she was referring to me, of course.

"No. Just come over and get it for me yourself, alright? There's this guy who's been picking on me!" he whined.

"Alright, just wait for me. I'll be over soon," she replied.

As soon as the call ended, Alan's expression changed immediately. He then strode over to me, a look of triumph on his face.

Pointing at the watch in my hands, he said, "Put it down. My girlfriend's coming over to buy it. It's mine now."

Jennifer was coming over? Things had just gotten even more interesting. I wondered how she would react when she saw me.

I smirked, looking at Alan's smug expression. "You're the one who said you didn't want it, so I was prepared to buy it. Don't you understand the phrase 'first come, first served'?"

"I was clearly here first, but something came up, and I couldn't buy it. Since when did that make it your cue to step in?" he retorted.

Alan rolled his eyes and turned to Liam. "Wrap this up for me. This will count toward your sales."

Liam looked at me, his expression changing once more. "I'm sorry, Mr. Carson, but Mr. Parr did arrive first. If you'd like to purchase something, feel free to check our other models."

I looked at his impassive expression and knew that he was retaliating because of my earlier threat to complain about him.

I sneered. "Fine. Let's see if your girlfriend can actually buy it for you."

Within half an hour, Jennifer arrived. I sat behind the divider in the lounge, away from her direct line of sight.

As soon as Alan spotted her, he flung himself into her arms. "Jenny!"

Jennifer's voice was gentle as she stroked his head. "Who was trying to take the watch? I'll buy it for you."

Alan looked at me smugly, pointed toward my seat. "It's that guy!"

Jennifer's gaze followed his finger, but her expression faltered when she saw me. Her eyes met mine, and all the color drained from her face as she stood rooted to the spot.