DOCTOR’S LEGACY

Chapter 8

Fiona spun around, eyes blazing. “What do you mean? Don't  tell me you are expecting me to bark. Are you?.”

“You promised to bark if you couldn’t pay,” Richard said, slow and deliberate, letting the words hang like a challenge. 

“So… bark. Bark now.” A man hauled.

“Yes, do what you promise!”.

Frederick froze, face twisting between outrage and disbelief. “You are… you are.  really telling me to bark? Do you know who I am?!”

A man from the crowd laughed, “A bragging man, abusing someone when he can’t even afford it. Yeah, real classy.”

Fiona hauled. “It’s unfair! Why should we bark, when this poor man himself can’t even pay for anything? We can’t do what he says.”

Richard’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. “Will you still refuse… if I can pay for it?”.

Fiona Without even thinking twice? In fact…Her eyes gleamed, “I will howl like a wolf. You…? It's  impossible ”

Frederick’s face paled. “I failed to pay because of a sudden predicament,  but you, you will never afford it! Not in a million years!”

“Then we have our deal,” Richard said softly, almost casually. “I made the transaction. Now… you bark.”

Fiona, standing to the side, scoffed, eyes narrowed. 

Richard reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, black, gleaming under the showroom lights. The crowd gasped.

“What?!” someone whispered. “Is that… a premium black card?”

Fiona’s lips curled in disdain. “Black card?. No way someone like you can have it!. Just do the transaction. Today, you will be revealed for your stealing.”

Richard nodded, giving the card with a small, polite smile to the staff. The staff hesitated, then swiped it. The screen beeped… and the machine hummed.

Tooom!

Transaction completed.

Richard held up his phone, showing the debit confirmation to everyone. Silence fell over the showroom, heavy and suffocating.

The staff announced, “Transaction completed!. You can have your car”.

“What!” Fiona’s voice shook. She stepped forward, disbelief etched in every line of her face. “How… How is this possible? What is happening here? ”

Richard’s gaze swept over the crowd, calm and unshakable. “I told you. I am not who I was yesterday. I can buy every car in this showroom, if I wanted. This is a premium card—no one can have it unless they have got ten million dollars or more”.

Fiona’s knees went weak. Her voice trembled as she stammered, “Richard… Richard… my… my husband…, how do you get it, what happened overnight”.

The crowd erupted, murmurs and whispers bouncing off the showroom walls. Some laughed, some gasped, some simply stared in disbelief.

Fionaeven rushed to meet Richard and kneel, “babe. We can make it up, I know I did what I shouldn't,  please forgive me!”.

Frederick hauled himself forward, voice tight, trying to regain control. “I am… I’m still here, Fiona. What… what are you doing?!”

Richard’s smile widened, slow, dangerous. “Get the fuck away from, you are nothing but just a mere gold digger!.”

Fionawas really humiliated. Everyone laughed at her. 

Frederick’s face darkened, his pride snapping like a brittle twig. “I’m over all this,” he muttered, voice low, and tried to walk away.

But before he could take two steps, two massive bouncers in black suits stepped out from the side of the showroom. 

One of them crossed his arms. “You should do what you promised, man.”

Frederick froze. “What?”

“You said you would bark if you couldn’t pay.” The other bouncer stepped closer. “So bark. Right now. You and your girlfriend.”

Fiona’s eyes widened, her hand clutching Frederick’s sleeve. “W–what? You can’t be serious.”

The bouncer’s gaze hardened, unblinking. “I’m very serious. Bark. Or I will break every bone in your body.”

The crowd erupted in gasps and laughter. Phones came up, recording the moment. The humiliation was absolute.

Frederick shivered under the weight of their threats. His throat worked, but no words came. Finally, with a strangled noise, he dropped to his knees and let out a bark.

“Ruf ruf!”.

“Louder,” the bouncer demanded.

“W–woof!”

The crowd burst into laughter. “Not like a puppy,” the other bouncer snapped. “Like a real dog.”

Frederick’s face twisted in agony, shame eating at him, but the threat of violence loomed too large. He tilted back his head and let out a guttural, deep bark.

“Whoof whoof whoof!”.

“Good boy,” the bouncer smirked. “Now you.” He turned to Fiona.

“No! Please—”

“You too.”

Her cheeks burned crimson. Tears welled in her eyes, but under the laughter and the flashing camera phones, she dropped her pride and let out a weak bark.

“LOUDER!”

“WOOF!” Fiona screamed, her voice cracking.

The room roared with laughter. Some clapped, others jeered. “Look at them! Dogs pretending to be masters a moment ago!”

Humiliated beyond repair, Frederick grabbed Fiona by the arm, and the two of them bolted from the showroom, heads down, fleeing under a storm of laughter and scorn.

The staff immediately hurried toward Richard, bowing slightly, their tone now reverent. “We deeply apologize for this ugly scene, sir. Since you use a black card, we understand you must be a very important person. Please forgive us.” 

That was the reason they forced them to bark. They don't want to lose such an important customer.

They gestured toward the gleaming Lamborghini. “You can test it in our garage right away. And when you are ready, you may exit with the car directly. Also…” The manager handed Richard a sleek, golden membership card.

 “This is our premium client card. You may shop in any of our showrooms without paying immediately. Just show them this, and you will have whatever you want. You can settle the bill at your convenience.”

The crowd looked on in awe, whispers rippling.

At that moment, Richard felt the weight of the card in his hand, the hush of respect in the air. 

He realized money that mattered. Money gives you power. Power that bent people, power that silenced laughter, power that crushed pride.

Richard smiled faintly, slipping the card into his pocket.

The game had only just begun.