The air in Elegance Emporium, usually so refined, was now thick with an acrid tension. Walter stood there with a sneer plastered on his face, while Jules, her eyes glittering with malicious glee as she leaned in with her voice low and with a venomous hiss.Walter chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. “She’s right, Jenny, your little reign is over. Monica’s signing that contract tomorrow and after that you’ll be a nobody. And then what? Who’s going to listen to you then? Who’s going to respect you when you’re just… a regular student?” He gestured vaguely at Luke and Jackson. “Like these two losers.”Luke’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. “Don’t you dare talk about Jenny like that, you arrogant jerk!” He took a step forward, but Jenny’s hand shot out, gripping his arm tightly.“No, Luke. Don’t,” Jenny pleaded, her voice strained. Her eyes, usually so confident, now held a desperate plea. “It’s not worth it.”“Oh, look at her, Fetch-Boy,” Jules cooed, turning her attention to Isai

Jules, in triumphing eyes, jumped out of her chair and wrapped her hands around Walter’s neck, planting a loud, exaggerated kiss on his lips. “Oh, Walter! You’re so amazing. My hero.” She giggled, clutching him, and watched Isaiah and his other friends bemoan their apparent defeat. “Some people just don’t get what real money tastes like.”Jackson, Luke, and Jenny exchanged uneasy glances. They had seen the price tag on Jules’s outfit—fifty thousand dollars. It was a lot. And their pile of clothes, though not as flashy, was significantly larger. Jenny's emerald dress alone was probably double Jules' total. Now Jenny felt some kind of fear rising up her stomach. Did they go too far? Could Isaiah really pull it off? He had seemed so confident when he talked, but the numbers looked so overwhelming. Luke started to shift his weight and his eyes flitted anxiously between Isaiah and the huge display of clothes. Jackson just looked confused; there was a silent question in his eyes, ‘Are we

"Well, that was awkward for those two," Luke blurted out, bag in both hands with a smug expression on his face. He seemed to be trying to hold himself from laughing, even though his face already showed that he was losing this battle with himself.Jackson held his stomach, laughing without much care for onlookers. "What do you mean, awkward?" he asked. "That was freaking hilarious. What a show! I would pay to see that every day."His laughter pricked the rest of the gang, who all joined in. Isaiah too."You know for a second there, I thought we were toast," Jenny added, her face red but much more relieved than she was in prior times. "How did you ever pull that off, Isaiah?"Isaiah's eyes were glued on the road, even with the smile that stretched across his face. He turned back and gave Jenny a knowing look. Her lips parted for a question, eyebrows raised, mind coming up with possible answers before she could say her question."Ugh, Jenny, you worry too much," Luke jumped in front of t

'What is in the bag?' Isaiah thought, the curiosity showing as a faint twinkle in his eyes. The scarred man opened the bag while the man with an eye patch stood right beside him with his hands folded. Isaiah watched with a beating heart, trepidating with much force against his rib cage.They brought out, first of all, a long, plier-like metal tool. The only difference between it and a plier was that it was much more slender. They dropped it on the table; the room was filled all of a sudden with the sound of heavy metal."You see that?" The eye-patched man, who was now standing extremely close to Isaiah, leaned towards him, his breath burning into Isaiah's ears like corrosive acid. "That there is a tongue-tearer. It was used back in medieval times in Europe to tear away the tongues of brigands like you who steal rings and lie about it."Isaiah did not flinch. There was no way, he thought, they would do such a thing to him. It was all bluff, he said in his mind, but deep inside of him,

Jerry smiled. A foxy smile. "If you can give me the $50 million you've just talked about, then I will call Walter Sterns right now and tell him to fucking go to hell with his father, and go fuck himself, along with his father's money!"Isaiah laughed briefly. "I like this. But I also want something more. I want you to be an ally to me. I want connections and business. That is not too much to ask, is it? For sure I want to see Walter's face being disappointed, but would it really be worth it at the end? I don't think so.""Hmm..." Jerry shook his head affirmatively. "You're not so bad at all. I like how you think. Perhaps not all youngsters are bad. You're not like that brat, Walter. You're different. Intelligent and reliant on yourself. That's a green flag. But the problem is, would you be able to deliver on your promises? You know you're dead meat if this is all a bluff, right?"Isaiah smiled mysteriously. "If you do this," Jerry continued. "Not only will I make a call to Walter rig