The cashier shook her head. “No,” she said plainly. “It was successful.”The moment the cashier said it was successful, the air in the store changed, people began to murmur in shock, whispering to each other, some even turning fully to stare at Kael as if they had just witnessed something impossible. The first attendant blinked repeatedly, clearly unsettled, then said quickly, “Successful? Are you sure? Refresh it, check again, check properly.” The cashier didn’t even argue with him, she simply glanced at the screen once more and said calmly, “It’s approved.”Kael took his card back without saying a word and slipped it into his pocket, then looked at the counter and asked, “So, my clothes?” The cashier immediately handed him the receipt and said politely, “Here’s your receipt, sir, thank you so much for shopping with us, looking forward to seeing you again.”At that moment, the reality settled in, he had truly paid, the transaction had gone through, and there was no denying it. The o

Food spread across the ground, liquid running across the tiles, fragments of broken dishware resting near his shoes.The waitress stumbled backward, shocked, staring at the mess before lifting her eyes toward him.“What are you doing?” she snapped, her voice rising quickly. “Can’t you see where you’re going?”He stood still, looking at her calmly, even though the lower part of his shirt was stained. Several guests were now watching openly.One of the waiters rushed forward from the counter. “What happened?”“She walked into me,” he said evenly, not raising his voice.The waitress looked offended hearing his reply.“No, you moved into my line,” she insisted, pointing slightly at him, her tone sharp enough to draw more attention.The waiter who rushed over bent down slightly, staring at the broken plates and spilled food, then he looked at the waitress with a serious expression.“Hope you know this belongs to a customer in the private room,” he said in a low but firm tone, “and hope yo

Again, the machine blinked red, payment rejected. A soft murmur spread across the watching crowd. This time even he was visibly surprised, his brows tightening as he wondered what exactly was happening.Ariana sighed quietly.“Kael, it’s fine,” she said, her voice softer now, almost pleading, “if you don’t have the money, let’s just go, we can find a way to—”“No,” he cut in immediately, turning toward her, “I do have money, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll solve it right now.”The confidence in his voice made several people exchange looks.He pulled out his phone.“Relax,” Kael said calmly, looking at the waitress, “let me call my account manager, he’ll fix it immediately.”The words dropped like a stone in water. Account manager?Whispers started instantly.People knew what that meant. For someone to call an account manager directly, to solve issues without stepping into a bank, it meant high status, serious funds, priority service.Even Ariana blinked. The waitress laughed d

“Stab?” Kael frowned, his brows tightening as the situation began to shift from irritation into something more serious, and he clearly had no interest in fighting anyone on the roadside over something this ridiculous. He adjusted his grip on the shopping bags and looked at the dagger again, trying to measure how far they were willing to go.“You want to stab me,” he said, his voice edged with annoyance, “because I asked for a name and gave you 60 bucks for it? Are you stupid?”Huh?The question stunned the trio.They looked at each other almost at the same time, as if confirming they had truly heard him correctly, and the mood around them darkened instantly.“You’re insulting us?” the one who had demanded 100 bucks each asked slowly, stepping forward again, his tone no longer playful but sharp.The one who had been smoking tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he studied Kael more carefully now, as though reassessing who exactly was standing in front of them.“You must be very brave,” he

Hearing that question from the manager, Ariana went quiet for a while, her fingers tightening slightly around the edge of her apron as the weight of it settled on her chest. Making just 800 bucks per month as a student worker was already barely enough to settle her personal bills and take care of her daily needs, and now losing this month and the next was going to make things even harder.“If not that I barely knew him and didn’t want tension here, why would I even be the one to pay for what he did?” she muttered softly to herself, her voice low enough that only she could hear it.The manager tapped the desk lightly, and she snapped back to attention immediately, straightening her posture.“Yes, sir,” she said, forcing composure back into her tone.“You may leave,” he said shortly.“Thank you, sir,” Ariana replied, then turned and walked out of the office, closing the door quietly behind her.The next morning, Kael was still in bed, wrapped loosely in the robe he had bought from the s