SUPREME STYLIST: RETURN OF THE HUMILIATED GENIUS

Chapter 0016: Fever war

"I'll pay $10,000."

The entire hall gasped.

A woman at the end of the hall dropped her glass of wine.

A man lounging on a recliner spurted out water from his mouth, choking on the water that was forced into the wrong place.

"What—" Another gasped.

Then the hall Shifted.

The comments came fast and louder like a donating bomb.

"What?! Is he mad?"

"This kid thinks $10,000 is a joke?"

"I have seen poor people making mouths about having money but this is just outrageous!" Another aged woman in a white suit shook her head.

Daniel Caston, the man who had desperately wanted to wound Rowan's pride in front of everything froze in shock like his accomplice. Colour drained from their expression but it didn't last longer.

Laughter rocked from their throat.

Daniel Caston doubled over with laughter, his chest shaking with every cackle, the young woman nearly slipped her heels on the marble as her laughter rang out of sheer amusement that made her lose balance and composure.

"You—" Daniel Caston held his chest, tears breaking from her eyes out of sheer amusement. "— you never told me you're a comedian. $10,000? You think that's a mere paper?"

"He thinks money is water!"

Rowan didn't react. He just stared at them, allowing them to comment, allowing them to talk about being delusional and loud- mouthed.

He tilted his head with a mockery smirk cutting at the corner of his lips.

"Or you simply can't afford the price? You're backing out, Huh?"

Rowan said lazily, but it came at Daniel Caston's face like a slap. His smile vanished like smoke, finger cracked so hard his knuckles turned white as anger resurfaced and he was about to teach Rowan a lesson he's never going to stop regretting once he's done.

His accomplice fueled the challenge into confrontation that sparked Daniel Caston's anger and pride that was wavering under the bold challenge Rowan threw in the air.

"Show him, baby," she ignited, voice rising with anger and sheer will to drag Rowan in mud where she'll walk over him. "show him what you can do and put this insolent kid in his place."

Daniel stared at his phone screen. His pupil constricted, his finger was beginning to shake and every muscle he could force to steady the temor failed to act.

His account balance stared back, mocking. He angled the phone away from his accomplice, the screen light that was earlier glowing like a vindication had become recessed intentionally.

"What are you waiting for, baby," The woman Shrieked. "Put this kid in his place and let's get the heck out of here. He must apologize to me. At my feet after I get my expensive phone."

She was already making calculations; How she'll polish the narration to her colleagues to make an impression, every sugary words to praise about his new man. Sugar daddy. The chunk her snare caught the previous night. Just a night with the foolish old man and she already got him a Samsung galaxy!

The blessing!

Such luck!

Daniel Caston's lips opened then closed. No words. Just air that came out small and wrong. Sweats glistened over his face, feeling everything slipping from him fast but his pride mattered. He wasn't going to allow it to slip after swaggering to everyone.

His lips opened. Trembling against his control.

"$15,000!" The words just came out. Small. Tasting like poison. If everything goes south, all his money would be gone! Gone!

The young woman stepped forward now, determined to humiliate Rowan at her feet not paying attention to Daniel who had already lost his starting composure that was still leaking off madly.

She took Rowan's space, borrowed shampoo and cologne bitting at close range. Her dress shuffled as she shoulder raised high and her words came out like a razor blade to tear Rowan down before finality.

"You can't speak now, Huh?" Her voice carried across with a cruel vindictive laughter that sounded like glass shattering. "You can't speak. $15,000! Can you afford it in your entire life? You have never even touched one cent with your hand in your whole petty life. You insolent thing!"

Spit flew, cologne that probably cost more than her artificial lashes but borrowed hit along with insults, everything tasting like expensive victory.

Roman didn't move. Just the slow smirk that further flared her anger and bitterness.

"Then let him pay." The words came out calm. Eerily Calm that her lips suddenly force-stopped and her throat made a gurging sound like insult forcing back down her throat, burning like raw flesh like coal.

Daniel's weight nearly gave out. Luckily, he was close to the counter, gripping it for balance. His finger shook feverishly.

Rowan gently slid hands in his pocket, smiled so little it revealed nothing but satisfaction.

"You heard me," his voice came again. "Let him get the phone...for you."

The male attendant was already moving to bring the payment machine.

Daniel Caston was shaking at the side, anger, bitterness and the sheer stupidity of knowing he was going to pay more than what the phone actually cost just to humiliate a young man, but he'd been outsmarted and everything made him look like a fool.

He forced his leg to stand upright despite the shaking.

"This is unacceptable! He backed out!" He roared without control, his voice bouncing off glasses and steel. He smiled. A rough broken thing. His gaze landed on Rowan now, taunting. "You coward. You're running. People like you always run. You're not man enough."

Rowan nodded. "You wanted the phone. Go for it, Sir." Rowan wanted to laugh out because his expression deserves the most comedic face of the year, carved from fury and frustration.

"You're wasting time, Sir." The now impatient attendant said.

He pulled out his card with shaking fingers. People that cheered him earlier, that laughter at him when he was performing were now looking at him with the kind of look he couldn't quite place in the chaos tearing him from inside to outside. Sweats rolled from his head despite the continuously cooling room sophisticated with a stable air conditioning system that never bridged.

He gave out the card.

'Payment successful' sounded like execution by sword that immediately bled the heart.

The young woman grinned victoriously, holding the phone like a weapon. "I told you. I told you he's going to afford it...and you're never going to afford something as expensive as this in your entire generation till you di...."

The slap came like a thunderbolt, connecting like a magnet to her face, throwing out the rest of the words from her mouth.

The hall silenced.

She stumbled back two steps and froze, Samsung carton slipping from her grip like a sword clattering to the floor from a fallen enemy. Her face paled and then colour returned in a deep shade of red and finger prints.

"What... what....."

"Shut up! Are you mad!!!" Daniel roared, spit flying. "You caused all of this! You pathetic lazy b*tch!"

Rowan chuckled. Something genuine. And satisfied.

"Enjoy, Mr. Caston."