Prestige Spending System

Chapter 3

The dirty rainwater dripped from Julian’s chin and landed on the priceless Persian rug with a soft splat.

Inside the ultra-luxurious Aurelius menswear boutique, the silence was thick and heavy. The soft classical music playing from the ceiling speakers only made the quiet room feel more tense. Four tailors in perfect black suits stared at Julian as if a wild animal had just wandered into their pristine store.

Before Julian could take another step, a tall, sharp-featured man marched across the room. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, a silver tie, and a shiny gold name tag that read: Mr. Caldwell, Store Manager.

Mr. Caldwell stopped right in front of Julian. He did not look at Julian's face. He looked down at the muddy puddle forming around Julian’s cheap, wet shoes. His face twisted in absolute disgust.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mr. Caldwell hissed. His voice was low, sharp, and full of poison. "Do you have any idea where you are, you filthy vagrant? This is Aurelius. The rug you are ruining costs more than your miserable life."

Julian stood his ground. He wiped the cold rain from his eyes. He quickly glanced down at the cracked screen of his phone.

[Time Remaining: 56 Minutes, 12 Seconds.]

He did not have time to argue. He had to spend one hundred thousand dollars right now, or his sister would lose her chance at surgery.

"I am here to buy clothes," Julian said simply. His voice was calm, but his heart was beating like a drum.

Mr. Caldwell let out a loud, harsh laugh. The other senior tailors behind him chuckled as well. "Buy clothes? Here?" Mr. Caldwell pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the heavy glass doors. "Get out. Now. If you do not turn around and walk back into the gutter where you belong, I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and vandalism."

Julian ignored the threat. Instead, he looked past the arrogant manager. He looked around the grand, brightly lit store.

In the corner of the room, far away from the senior tailors, stood a young woman. Her name tag read Maya. Unlike the older men, she was not standing around doing nothing. She was struggling to carry a massive, heavy roll of dark blue fabric. She looked exhausted. Dark circles hung under her eyes. Her uniform was clean, but the sleeves were slightly worn out.

Just a moment ago, one of the senior tailors had been yelling at her for folding a shirt incorrectly. She looked like someone who worked incredibly hard, but was constantly stepped on by the people above her.

Julian knew exactly how that felt. He had just lived it two hours ago.

Julian raised his hand and pointed straight at the tired young woman. "Her," Julian said in a loud, clear voice.

Mr. Caldwell stopped laughing. He frowned. "What did you say?"

"I want her to dress me," Julian stated, locking eyes with the arrogant manager. "And I am in a massive hurry. So step aside."

Mr. Caldwell’s face turned bright red with anger. "You must be crazy! Maya is a junior stock girl! She is not qualified to speak to our clients, let alone someone like... like you! I am calling the police right now!"

Mr. Caldwell reached into his pocket for his phone.

Julian did not panic. He simply looked at Maya, who was standing frozen in the corner, holding the heavy fabric roll. She looked terrified of the situation.

"Maya, is it?" Julian called out to her. His voice was gentle, completely different from the cold tone he used with the manager. "I need suits. I need watches. I need the best things you have in this store. If you help me right now, the commission belongs to you."

Maya blinked. She slowly lowered the heavy roll of fabric onto a nearby table. She looked at Mr. Caldwell, who was glaring at her with angry warning eyes, silently telling her not to move.

But Maya looked back at Julian. Despite his wet, muddy clothes and his bruised face, she did not look at him with disgust. She looked at him with basic, simple kindness. She took a deep breath, smoothing down her skirt, and bravely stepped forward.

"Maya! Stay where you are!" Mr. Caldwell barked.

Maya ignored her boss. She walked right up to Julian and gave a small, polite bow. "Good evening, sir. Welcome to Aurelius. I would be honored to assist you. What exactly are you looking for today?"

Julian smiled. It was the first time someone had treated him like a human being all night. "Everything," he said.

He glanced at his phone again.

[Time Remaining: 48 Minutes, 05 Seconds.]

"We need to move fast," Julian instructed. He walked past Mr. Caldwell, intentionally dragging his wet shoes across the pristine rug, making the manager gasp in horror.

Julian walked over to a glass display case filled with heavy, sparkling jewelry. He did not know anything about high-end fashion. He only knew numbers. He needed to hit that $100,000 target.

"That watch," Julian pointed through the glass at a massive, shining silver timepiece.

Maya hurried over, pulling a small ring of keys from her pocket. "Sir, that is the Platinum Chronograph. It features crushed diamonds on the dial. The price is... well, it is sixty thousand dollars." She said the number carefully, trying not to embarrass him if he did not have the money.

"Box it," Julian said without blinking.

Maya’s eyes went wide. "P-pardon?"

"Box it. I will take it," Julian repeated. He turned his head and looked at a display mannequin wearing a dark, elegant three-piece suit. "What about that suit? Will it fit me?"

Maya rushed over, her hands shaking slightly as she looked at Julian's shoulders and height. "Yes, sir. It is a slim cut. It is made from pure Vicuña wool, the rarest wool in the world. It is priced at forty thousand dollars. But sir, usually we need to do measurements—"

"I don't care about measurements right now. Box it. Put it in the total," Julian commanded.

He was at $100,000 exactly. But he wanted to be absolutely sure. He did not want to fail the System's mission over a hidden tax or f*e. He needed to spend more.

"I need accessories," Julian said, walking briskly down the aisle. The senior tailors watched him in absolute shock, whispering to each other, completely convinced that Julian was a crazy person who had escaped from a hospital.

"Those diamond cufflinks," Julian pointed. "And the matching tie clip. Add three of your most expensive silk shirts. Oh, and I will need a new pair of shoes. Leather. The best you have."