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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