2025-04-11 18:15:20A heavy silence settled over the store.
The total—$102,000.
James, Andrew, and Jackson stared at the figure on the screen, their disbelief mirroring each other’s expressions. The items they picked—a pair of jeans and a T-shirt each—shouldn’t have cost more than $12,000. So where did the rest come from?
Something was definitely wrong somewhere. Julian remained nonchalant, she could care less about their concerns anyway.
“Can we see the items again?” James demanded in an attempt to find out what was wrong.
Julian, however, refused. She was hellbent on getting the security to arrest Jackson. After much pressing, she brought them out to James and Andrew.
It didn’t take long for them to spot the problem.
Three wristwatches.
Each one valued at $30,000.
James frowned. “We didn’t pick any watches.”
Andrew shook his head, his voice rising. “This is a mistake. Somebody added these to our order.”
Julian folded her arms, her expression blank. “Not my problem. Either you pay or we call security.”
James and Andrew protested, their voices overlapping in frantic attempts to explain. Jackson, however, remained calm. His sharp eyes flickered to Tyler, who leaned against a glass display case, grinning like a man who knew exactly what was happening.
Julian wasn’t budging. She had every reason to push for the full payment. According to the store’s policy, she would earn a 10% commission on whatever she sold. That meant $10,200 if she forced them to pay for the watches. Tyler, ever the instigator, leaned in and whispered just loud enough for Julian to hear, “Make sure you get that money. He’s got nowhere to run.”
James took a deep breath. “Look, Jackson doesn’t have this kind of money. We were just trying to do something nice for him—”
Julian cut him off with a smirk. “Then maybe you should have thought about that before walking into Luxury Avenue.”
Jackson’s friends were now outright begging on his behalf.
Tyler, still livestreaming, laughed. “Damn, Jackson. First, you lose your girl, now you’re about to get arrested over some wristwatches. You’re having a rough week, man.”
Emily turned her head away. She wanted to leave, but Tyler wasn’t ready.
Mercy, standing nearby, had heard enough. She stepped forward, her voice firm. “Julian, let them go. They didn’t pick those watches.”
Julian rolled her eyes. “Stay out of this, Mercy. You’re lucky to even have this job.”
Mercy clenched her fists but said nothing.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Jackson spoke.
“I’ll pay for it.”
The store fell into stunned silence.
Even Tyler stopped laughing.
James and Andrew spun toward him in shock. “Bro, what?”
Jackson nodded. “I said I’ll pay. But I’ll do it at Mercy’s desk.”
A ripple of murmurs spread through the store.
Julian’s expression darkened. She immediately suspected a trick. “No way. You’re just using that naive girl to get out of this.”
Tyler smirked again. “No, no, let him do it. This is getting interesting.”
Julian hesitated, then reluctantly agreed.
All eyes were now on Jackson.
He walked over to Mercy’s counter, his steps steady and unbothered. Mercy gulped, her fingers trembling as she entered the transaction under her name. This was the biggest sale she had ever processed.
Julian barked orders at the security guards to block all exits. “Just in case he tries something funny.”
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Jackson reached into his pocket and pulled out his old, nearly expired debit card—the same one that looked too worn-out to hold any real money. He handed it to Mercy.
She swallowed hard and inserted it into the machine.
The screen prompted for a PIN.
Jackson entered the numbers.
Then, they waited.
For some reason, the transaction took longer than expected.
And then—click, click, click—heels against marble.
The store manager had arrived.
She was stunning, dressed in a sleek designer suit, with a presence that commanded immediate respect. She walked toward them, her sharp gaze sweeping over the situation.
“What’s going on here?” she asked coolly.
Julian rushed to speak first. “This boy is a thief. I caught him trying to scam his way out of paying.”
Mercy cut in sharply. “That’s not true.”
The manager raised a hand, silencing them both. “Let’s see what the transaction says.”
A beep.
Then another.
Then—Transaction Approved.
The machine spat out a receipt.
Jackson had just paid $102,000.
Gasps rippled through the store.
Mercy’s jaw dropped. Her commission had instantly shot up to over $10,000, more than all the money she had earned since working here.
Emily turned back, stunned.
James and Andrew looked like they had just witnessed a miracle.
Tyler’s smile was gone.
Julian stood frozen. “No… that’s not possible.”
She turned on Mercy. “You’re working with him, aren’t you?”
The manager’s sharp voice cut through the accusations. “Enough, Julian!”
The manager’s gaze lingered on Jackson. She had seen rich men in disguise before. The truly wealthy often preferred to stay low-key.
One transaction from Jackson had nearly matched everything Tyler had ever spent in this store.
She stepped forward, her tone softening. “I sincerely apologize for this embarrassment, sir. We will take disciplinary action against Julian.”
Jackson remained silent.
The manager turned to Julian. “Did you tear his shirt?”
Julian’s mouth opened and closed. “I—”
James and Andrew answered for her. “Yes, she did.”
SLAP!
The sound of the manager’s palm meeting Julian’s cheek echoed through the store.
Julian’s head snapped to the side, her face burning with humiliation.
The manager’s voice was like ice. “How dare you mistreat one of our top customers?”
Julian clutched her cheek, too stunned to respond.
The manager’s eyes flickered to Mercy. “You handled this well. From now on, you’re the new head of sales.”
A stunned gasp came from Mercy.
Julian’s head whipped around. “What?! That’s not fair!”
“You’re suspended,” the manager continued. “Maybe you’ll learn some manners under Mercy’s supervision.”
Julian’s face turned red. She had lost everything in an instant.
Meanwhile, Jackson remained expressionless.
He turned to Mercy. “Thanks for helping.”
Mercy could barely find her voice. “I—uh—thank you, sir.”
Jackson turned on his heel and walked out.
James and Andrew followed closely behind, still struggling to process everything that had happened.
As they passed Tyler, James let out a mocking laugh. “Yo, Tyler, what happened? Why’d you stop streaming?”
Tyler’s hands clenched into fists, but he said nothing.
Emily watched Jackson leave, something unreadable in her eyes.
As they stepped outside, a familiar voice called out to them.
“Jackson!”
A girl was running toward them.
Nancy Dupri.
One of their closest friends.
She was breathless, her face filled with urgency.
"Guys, I watched Tyler’s stream. How did you get off?
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 228: The Resistant One!
Mr. Copper and Dr. Sam stopped just outside Celestine’s room, close enough to hear the steady pulse of the heart monitor through the wall, but far enough that their words would not carry back to her or Jackson.“I think she’s the one,” Dr. Sam said first, his voice low but weighted with certainty.Copper turned his head slowly, the deep lines in his face tightening. “You mean the resistant one?”“Yes.” Dr. Sam’s answer was immediate, his eyes narrowing as though even saying it aloud carried danger. “Her DNA… it’s unlike anything I’ve studied before. It’s coded strangely—almost reversed. It mirrors the same shift Philip’s body underwent after he stumbled upon the Flameborn. Only with her, it’s not temporary. It’s permanent. Written into her blood.”Copper exhaled hard through his nose, the sound more like a growl than a sigh. The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. He pressed his palm against the wall as though steadying himself against the weight of it. “So you’re saying… there’s
Chapter 227: Questions Without Answers!
The room hummed with the faint buzz of machinery as the last scan flickered across the monitor. A thin green line danced up and down on the screen, steady, unyielding, almost too perfect. The doctor, Sam Simpson—an older man whose years in medicine had carved deep grooves in his face—stood still for a long while, staring as if waiting for the machine to correct itself.Sam Simpson was an old friend of Copper and Philip Hart while Philip was still alive. As a mater of fact, he was the doctor who attended to Philip all through his life time down to the day he died.He had been out of the country for over a year and had just returned three days ago. Copper had called him in when Jackson called to report what had happened, as the only doctor he could trust with such sensitive issues was Sam.Copper had not been himself all day as he was still trying to make sense of what could be responsible for Celestine's immunty, and the only thing that could come to his mind was the possibility that
Chapter 227: Questions Without Answers!
The room hummed with the faint buzz of machinery as the last scan flickered across the monitor. A thin green line danced up and down on the screen, steady, unyielding, almost too perfect. The doctor, Sam Simpson—an older man whose years in medicine had carved deep grooves in his face—stood still for a long while, staring as if waiting for the machine to correct itself.Sam Simpson was an old friend of Copper and Philip Hart while Philip was still alive. As a mater of fact, he was the doctor who attended to Philip all through his life time down to the day he died.He had been out of the country for over a year and had just returned three days ago. Copper had called him in when Jackson called to report what had happened, as the only doctor he could trust with such sensitive issues was Sam.Copper had not been himself all day as he was still trying to make sense of what could be responsible for Celestine's immunty, and the only thing that could come to his mind was the possibility that
Chapter 226: Shaken Allies!
The elevator hummed as it carried Jackson, Bella and Celestine back into the familiar safety of Sky Tower, but there was no comfort in its polished walls or in the quiet sweep of lights overhead. Jackson leaned against the glass panel, his mind refusing to settle. Bella stood across from him, arms folded over her chest, her face pale from what they had just endured. Celestine remained silent, her hands clasped together as if still testing whether they would tremble.When the doors slid open, the penthouse floor greeted them with its usual hush, but even here, the air felt heavy, brittle, as though the chaos they’d escaped had followed them inside.Mr. Copper was the first to break the silence. He turned, his expression drawn in stone, his voice low but firm.Jackson had called him earlier to report to him what had just happened and how Celestine had shielded them from Tyler's attack.Copper had requested that Celestine be brought back to Sky Tower but didn't say anything further befo
Chapter 225: The Replica’s Demand!
The air shimmered between them like a heatwave, the unnatural hum of Tyler’s corrupted energy pressing on their lungs, bending the light, warping the space itself. Jackson could feel it crawling against his skin as though it was a distorted reflection of the person he once used to be.Tyler’s smile widened, his voice unsteady yet sharp. “The Flameborn Compass, Jackson. Hand it over, or…” His gaze slid to Bella, predatory. “…she burns.”Bella’s breath hitched, but she didn’t back away. She stood tall behind Jackson, though her fingers gripped the edge of the car door so tightly her knuckles whitened.“You won’t touch her,” Jackson said, voice low, steady, and deadly serious. Tyler laughed, the sound fractured like glass cracking. “Always the protector. Always playing the hero. But you don't have that ability anymore Jackson."The distortion in the air thickened, swirling into jagged arcs of light, splitting cracks in the ground. Bella stumbled back, shielding her face from the stingi
Chapter 224: A Fractured Heart!
The safehouse lobby was quiet, too quiet for a city that never seemed to sleep. Jackson kept his hood up as he slipped through the revolving doors, the night air still heavy with the drizzle from Dylan’s funeral. His shoes squelched faintly against the floor, his body heavy as if every step dragged the weight of another coffin behind him.He didn’t want Sky Tower. Didn’t want the suite where memories waited at every corner. He needed somewhere no one would look, somewhere Elara’s eyes wouldn’t reach. That was why he had hidden Celestine here. And now, in his grief, his steps carried him straight to her.After leaving the small hotel on the night that Dylan had died, Jackson was able to find a safehouse that was off the radar and he believed Celestine would be safe there.She had been there for two days, and in those two days, Celestine has been safe and untracked by Elara's men.The key turned and the door opened.Inside, Celestine was curled on the armchair by the window, a thin bla
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