SUPREME STYLIST: RETURN OF THE HUMILIATED GENIUS

Chapter 0015: Apologize to her.

His voice was loud enough to make heads turn. Laughter. Low at first then it rose.

Rowan turned to look at the man. He stared at him with a furrowed brow that suggested unfamiliarity.

"Do I know you from somewhere, Sir?"

"I'm just a man giving you advice for safety or your own pocket, kid," he said, his smile Sharp, all displaying warmth that's meant to scorch. He pulled out his phone and waved it. Same model. Just a different casing colour. "I got this here. $2500 about a few months ago. The price inflated with just an additional $500. "

"And—" Rowan chipped in with a firm voice that suggested he wasn't interested in any of the lectures that he didn't ask for and the man was delivering.

"And?" The man let out a sharp disbelieving laughter, eating up Rowan's space with an intimidating presence and cologne that reeks of arrogance and insult.

"Do you think you can afford it? $3k?" He laughed sharply. No humour. Just Mockery and reeks of cheap beer. "I could have called you a kid with Rich Dad and Mum but it doesn't look you belong in that category."

"How do I look?"

"Someone that can't afford what he wants." The response came fast. "This is no Toy shoppe. You better walk out fast before you blame the company for racketeering."

"I want that phone, baby." The young woman snapped her manicured finger at the phone, hooking her arm around the man's waist with a pouty expression. " Will you buy it for me, baby? Pleaseee."

The man let out a deep laughter that came from his throat. "Whatever you want dear. You get it right away."

"I already take it." Rowan clipped.

"You already..." The girl rolled her eyes on him, estimating his presence and rounding it off to zero in cold disdain. "...what makes you think a place like this is for you people like you? Do you even have the money? Guys like you don't even have a real job that could pay bills except slaving for rich men's Pocket."

The staff attendant stiffened at the side, unsure if silence and hesitation would help the situation or intervention.

"And this— is your job? Real job?" Rowan said with flatly.

"What?"

"Hooking up with men before you can afford a daily bread. And what is all this confrontation about? To show you've upgraded because your daddy's mate decided to get you a phone you paid for with your body?"

Gasps. Louder.

Murmurs.

Rowan already turned his back on them.

The girl's jaw dropped. Her face went from shock to pale. "You...how dare you speak to me like that!" Manicured finger dug against her palm as anger ate her up inside. She turned to the man who'd frozen at the side, his face draining of colours then reinforced with blood and anger. "...you're going to stand and watch him insult me like this??"

"Hey kid...." The man tapped Rowan's back, wearing a new expression that expressed anger. "you'd better apologize to her now. You just insulted me. I can forgive you because kids your age are just learning about respecting elders. But I won't spare you for insulting my woman. Go on your knee and apologize. Now!"

Attention converged likewise murmuring voices. The tension builds up. Staff attendants stared, watching the entire exchange with growing curiosity and confusion— if they should intervene. The one attending to Rowan stepped between them.

"We can settle this amicably without having to cause any misunderstanding. " He turned to the man and his girl and gestured at Rowan. "He took interest in the phone first and..."

"But he's yet to buy it." The man sneered, his voice loud in triumph. "Do you even know who I am? I bought this phone here. I am a regular customer and I don't go for average products. I'm buying the phone for my baby and I'm making the transfer right away!"

He faced Rowan.

"Then you'll apologize to my woman for your choice of words. You insulted her!"

He was already pulling out his phone and cursing under his breath about: 'kids of this generation and arrogance.'

"No, you're not. I already made my choice. I'm paying for it."

The man paused, finger froze on the screen blazing with the bank app that was meant to completely burn down Rowan's pride. As a respected businessman in the city, even though he was just recovering from a huge debt he couldn't pay after he hit the deadline, making him temporarily lose ownership of his business to the bank because it was used as Collateral, he won't allow a small kid to challenge him and go away with it. It would be a slap to his face and a stain on his pride especially in the presence of the woman at his side.

His jaw set, tightening. "I'll pay $4000 for the phone. Right away." His was intentionally loud.

The hall gasped. Comments came in whispers that flooded his ambition and eagerness to see Rowan cornered and wounded.

"$1k extra for a phone that is originally $3k? He's rich!"

"This is getting more exciting," Another person commented, swirling glass wine. "It's about time someone put these poor things exactly where they belong."

Rowan chuckled. He was slightly surprised the man was desperate enough to elevate the price just to prove a point.

"Apologize to her now!" He snapped. His smirk came Sharper, feeding off Rowan's silence that he interpreted as hesitation or defeat and the surrounding murmuring that fueled his desperation. "Maybe I'll overlook your disobedience and give you one phone that you can't afford in your entire life."

Rowan simply turned to the Staff attendant who had been silent all along without knowing how to step into the exchange again to resolve the rising misunderstanding.

"Is this acceptable?" He asked.

"Y— yes, sir." He said. "It's part of the company's policy on customer's purchase. Anyone who pays the highest price for a product will have access to it regardless of who bargained for it first."

"Be a good boy now and apologize. Maybe I can convince my baby to get you something as a gift for being obedient." The girl chipped in, her anger melted and replaced a sharp satisfactory mockery smile.

A Slow smile formed on Rowan's lips. There is just one way to show an arrogant man who thinks he's more significant than everyone else, thinks he deserves everything his eyes want just because he could afford it— to show them there is always someone bigger than them that could break their pride and make their account balance look like a digital insult.

"Alright then—" He said, voice steady like a needle passing through honey.

"I'll pay $10,000!!!"