Leo Gambino A Thousand Foes

005 Scammer

Leonard frowned. "No longer available? What do you mean? It's right there, and I came here first. What happened to the store's first-come, first-served policy?"

The clerk sighed as if Leonard were a headache. "We both know you can't afford to pay for this item that is worth millions. I'd say you can't even afford the wrapping paper. Why do you insist on embarrassing yourself?"

Darlene let out a mock gasp, placing a hand on her chest as if she'd just witnessed a great tragedy. "Oh dear, do you see this, Mabel?"

Her daughter smirked. "Yeah, Mom. It's so embarrassing and cringe."

Darlene sighed dramatically. "It really is. I mean, imagine walking into a high-end store, pretending you can afford something, and actually expecting people to believe it. He has forgotten he is just a construction worker."

Teddy was now thoroughly convinced that Leonard was a pretender. He straightened his back, his eyes turning cold. "Sir, please leave, or I'll have no other options but to call for security."

Leonard's face darkened. "This is outrageous! Is this how Aureum Vaults' employees treat their customers? I demand to see your manager!"

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Ugh, the manager? Do you think you're such a big deal that the manager would waste his time on you?"

Darlene let out a patronizing scoff. "Mabel, sweetie, some people don't understand their place in life. They need to be kicked to the curb like dogs to be taught the lessons."

Leonard ignored them and doubled down on Teddy. "Call your manager!"

The clerk laughed aloud, his tone dripping with mockery. "You want to see my boss? Fine, I'll call him. But I'm warning you, this will not end well. When he finds out you are a fraud, you'll be in all sorts of trouble!"

Teddy picked up the intercom receiver and pressed some numbers. "Sir, there's a penniless window shopper with a fake card causing trouble in the lobby. He refuses to leave and demands to see you."

A few minutes later, a wiry man in his mid-fifties with a pencil mustache emerged from the rear offices. He had a name tag that read J. Hargrove, Manager.

"Mr. Hargrove," the clerk greeted him, relief evident in his voice. "This is the pretender I called you about!"

"According to Mrs. Slade and her daughter, he is just a menial construction worker. Yet, he claims to have a card with funds enough to purchase the Reishi Royale."

Hargrove's gaze flicked over Leonard suspiciously, taking in the ordinary attire. He wore no Rolex watch or monogrammed cufflinks like the Emporium's regular clientele.

He took the black card from Teddy and glanced down at it. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing. "An Eclipse black card? From him?" he snorted. "That's hilarious."

He threw the card on the counter and turned to Leonard, asking condescendingly. "Punk, where did you steal this from?"

"Probably found it in the trash." Darlene jibed.

Mabel nodded, giggling. "Right? Or maybe he printed it out at a photocopy shop."

The women burst out laughing. The clerk chuckled, clearly taking cues from his boss. Several Aureum Vaults clients in the crowd began sniggering too.

Leonard clenched his jaw. This is beyond annoying.

A young clerk, Lily, had been watching the scene unfold. It was her first day working at the Emporium, and she was still learning the ropes. However, watching Leonard being humiliated moved her.

She stepped forward and picked up the black card.

"Sir," she said politely to the manager. "Forgive me if I am being too forward, but according to our policies, we have to attempt the transaction if the customer claims he can pay."

"Don't meddle in this," Teddy scolded her. "Go and get Mr. Hargrove a coffee."

Hargrave stopped chuckling and glared at his young subordinate. "What is your name? Lily? My dear girl, you are too inexperienced to identify scammers."

Lily stayed her ground. "Sir, it would be bad press for us if we declared the customer a fraud without evidence."

This argument got Hargrove. He looked around at the elite customers in the crowd, watching his every move. "Fine. Swipe his card."

Leonard raised an eyebrow at the young clerk who stood up for him even though she didn't need to. So, not everyone in this store is an idiot.

Lily smiled and took a deep breath. She switched on the POS machine and swiped it. Then she entered the amount and hit the green button.

After a few seconds of processing, the machine's screen beeped loudly with the following message: "TRANSACTION FAILED!"

The glaring red message, "TRANSACTION FAILED," flickered ominously as a crowd of wide-eyed shoppers peered at the POS machine. Nobody spoke for several moments.

The tense silence was shattered abruptly by Darlene's triumphant scream. "Aha! I knew it! Scammer! Fraud!"

Her eyes were crazy with malice, and she gesticulated wildly as if she had won a lottery.

"You're caught red-handed, punk," Teddy sneered.

"This worthless orphan was trying to pull a fast one on Aureum Vaults!" Darlene snapped, pointing accusingly at Leonard. "Just like he tried to entrap my beautiful daughter!"

She turned to the gathering crowd. "See? It is now proven that Leonard's card is fake! He's probably visited other establishments already with his scams, stealing from wealthy people like us!"

Mabel jumped in with equal enthusiasm, holding her phone high as she captured every moment on video. "You're busted, Leonard! You're going to jail! No more creeping around our family!"

The news spread like wildfire through the hundreds of patrons scattered across Aureum Vaults. Whispers turned into panic, which turned into open accusations full of disdain.

"Thief! Absolute scum!"

"Someone alert the authorities before he bolts!"

A wealthy merchant began dialing emergency services. Beside him, a married woman swathed in pearls and fur clutched her handbag tighter as if someone would snatch it from her.

"I knew it! That man looked suspicious the moment he walked in! How did the guards let him in?"

"Con artist!"

"Lowlife!"

"Get him out of here!"

Leonard stood at the center of the storm, his expression unchanging. The Reishi Royale still sat on the table before him. Without responding to the accusations, he met Lily's uncertain gaze.

"Swipe it again. It's just a system error. Try to make the transaction again."

Darlene lunged closer to the counter, blocking the clerk's vision.

"Don't you dare touch that thing! A forged card used repeatedly could fry your entire network… Or… Or hack the store's bank accounts! This boy is dangerous! Mr. Hargrove! Stop this madness!"

Leonard faced the manager and shrugged. "A re-swipe of my card would solve this misunderstanding."

Hargrove shook his head gravely. "There will be no second attempt, you scoundrel! We have strict protocols for situations like this."

Teddy nodded. "A failed transaction on a suspicious card requires notifying the owner of our establishment and the police. Thanks to these ladies, we have caught a major scam before it happened."

The crowd swung to support the manager's stand. "Detain him, Mr. Hargrove!"

"Break his legs so that he can't run!"

Hargrove whipped out his smartphone and hit the speed dial. "Mr. Aureum? We've got a tricky situation in the Emporium. There's a shameless fraudster trying to steal our premium Reishi Royale stock with a counterfeit card."