THE UNEXPECTED DOMINANCE OF RICHARD PAYTON

Chapter 6 - The Shopping And The Date

By the time Richard could not give an answer to the manager, the entire shop had gathered around him, customers and workers alike. He looked around to look for Hailey but she was nowhere to be found. 

The manager looked impatiently at him. "Sir, if you can't provide your mode of payment, I'll have to call the cops to pick you. You have no proof that you didn't come here to steal" he warned.

Richard felt both furious and uncertain at the same time. Where the hell was Hailey? All was this the climax of the whole set-up?

"Please take him outside and wait for the cops" the manager finally ordered the security who were around.

They all rushed to grab Richard. 

"Don't you dare lay your hand on him" Hailey thundered from the stairs in a commanding tone that forced everyone to stop and look towards her. 

Her appearance immediately demanded that all obedience and attention be directed to her. Looking dazzling as always, she has changed into a radiating dress that made all the customers subconsciously stare and gasp in amazement.

"M... Ms... Ms Payton, is that you?" The manager stammered on seeing her.

However, she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. Her expression was fierce and furious.

"You have some nerve even thinking of laying your filthy hands on my fiancé" she fired at the manager.

Both Richard and the manager had their eyes widened on hearing her.

Richard was utterly bewildered. He definitely wasn't expecting that line.

The manager was horrified. What had he done? He had disgraced the most powerful man's potential son-in-law! This was a crime that was never to be committed. With just a call, he would be fired from her job.

He immediately went on his knees. 

"Please, Ms Payton, I beg of you. Forgive me. I had no idea who he was. I swear, I could never think of disrespecting you or your fiancé in this manner" he begged profusely, tears coming to his eyes.

Hailey scoffed.

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to" she rolled her eyes.

The manager immediately turned around to Richard. "Please, Sir, forgive me. I didn't know you were with her. I wouldn't have treated you like that" he begged.

Richard simply looked at him blankly. "So if she wasn't here, you would have thrown me out and had me arrested for theft? Is that his you treat first time customers?" He asked in the most calm yet menacing voice.

He was feeling powerful. So powerful that it even surprised him.

Fear immediately surfaced in the manager's eyes. He realized he wasn't dealing a random person. This man was truly someone who could end not only his career but even the business of his boss. All because of those stupid employees.

He fell down and grovelled in front of him.

"Please, Sir, words can't properly express how sorry I am. Just say whatever you want, anything at all and I will immediately do it for you" he begged.

Richard smiled. "Hmm, interesting." 

Then he turned to Samuel's friends who were standing in a corner with their mouths agape. They couldn't believe whet they just witnessed and heard. Richard? The loser husband of Rachel? Was the fiancé to the most powerful man's daughter? This was definitely a dream.

"I want these two young men to give my legs some proper cleaning, treatment and massage while I'm waiting for my clothes to be arranged" Richard pointed at them with a stoic expression.

"What?" The first one blurted in disbelief.

"Are you insane? Do you want to lose your job? Go and prepare a room for you to give him some VIP pedicure" the manager ordered.

"Is there anything else you may want, Sir?" The manager turned back to Richard.

Richard gave him a smile. "That will be all... For now" he said and followed the security who guided him to the pedicure room.

Hailey on the other hand couldn't stop blushing as she witnessed everything. 

"He looks so hot when he's giving orders" she said to herself.

In the pedicure room, Richard sat comfortably as Tony and Andrew attended to his feet. At the same time, he also had his head and shoulders massaged by a beautiful lady the Manager had sent.

"It's an extra package to show our sincerest apologies, Sir" the manager had said.

Of course, who was he to say no to a beautiful lady massaging him? He closed his eyes and smiled at the turnout of his life in just a day. Images of his former life at the Chryslers popped up in his mind but the sensual massage from the beautiful lady calmly and steadily erased them.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Sir?" The lady asked in a rather soothing voice.

Richard impulsively smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Sir" she added.

Meanwhile Tony and Andrew had a hard time attending to his feet as the massaging lady always had Richard change his position. They had to constantly hurry to adjust to his new position.

Soon, the entire massage and pedicure session was completed and Richard changed into one of the new suits he had purchased. As soon as he stepped out, all eyes immediately turned to him. 

"Oh, my God, he looks like a model" 

"I think I've seen him on one of those Forbes magazines before" 

"And he's single too! No ring on his finger" 

On hearing this, Hailey gently walked to him and interlocked her arm in his, immediately discouraging any potential snatchers.

"You look as stunning as you should, Richie" she complimented him.

Richard smiled graciously. "Thank you" he replied and they walked together, hand in hand out of the clothing store.

"Is he actually her fiancé?" 

"They look good together"

"I swear, I've seen that man on the news before"

"Wasn't it as someone else's fiancé?" 

Hailey and Richard got into the SUV waiting for them and instantly headed for The Regal Echelons.

As they stepped in, they were the center of all attention. All eyes, cameras and phones were on them as they walked graciously past the several tables on which other distinguished people sat.

"Where are we headed?" Richard asked. They were passing each and every empty table.

"Don't worry, I've already booked a reservation on the VIP floor" Hailey smiled, pleased with herself. 

"And take note that I'll be getting a refund from you for the reservation. Also, all the bills from today's date will be paid by you. We had a deal, remember?" She asked.

Of course, he remembered. Her weird deal. Only that he didn't have any money yet. She had been the one who paid for the clothes he got from the clothing store.

"You know I still don't have any money yet. You were the one who paid for my clothes, not so?" He reminded her.

She laughed heartily. 

"Consider the clothes a welcoming gift from me to you. It's like a 'welcome to the family' present. As for money, you must be joking. You're more than bouyant enough to buy a private island in Florida" she replied.

He stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean? I don't even have an account to my name" he persisted.

"Shh. Don't say that aloud. I guess you haven't checked the phone I gave you" she gestured and walked ahead of him, swaying her hips gingerly.

Richard immediately retrieved the phone she had given him earlier and opened it. He saw a banking app similar to the one he had seen on Hailey's phone earlier. He opened it and was instantly shocked by what he saw.

'Richars Payton' was the name at the top of the account. And there was a sum of One Billion Dollars inside of it. 

"Wait a minute..." He called after Hailey, rushing to her. "This isn't real, is it?" He asked for confirmation.

She scoffed. "You can send all your money to me to confirm if it's real or not" she joked and continued walking. 

Richard paused for a moment. This was really happening. He had already begun going by the name of Richard Payton, meaning he was now an official member of the powerful family. Also, he had been credited obviously by the man of the house, Marshall Payton a sum of One Billion Dollars as a 'starting sum'. That's what it said on the description of the deposit.

"I'm fucking rich! I'm a fucking Payton!" He laughed to himself. Then a thought entered his head. Slowly, a mischievous smirk outlined on his lips.

- - - - -

Meanwhile, Rachel was coming downstairs, ready to leave the house for her office when one of the maids rushed to her with an envelope tagged 'URGENT'. Believing it was from one of her clients, she opened it immediately and retrieved its contents. There was a ticket, an invitation card and a note. 

The note read:

"Please, honor me with your presence at The Regal Echelons this evening, Mrs Chrysler" 

Her hands immediately shook. She looked at the ticket and the invitation card and she knew these were authentic. She had seen other wealthy and fortunate ladies post them on social media.

This was the place she had desired to go the most. It was restricted to and reserved for only the top of the top. Not every rich man or woman got into The Regal Echelons. And here she was being invited. Her excitement immediately took over. She hurried back upstairs and changed into a very attractive and expensive looking gown.

"Where are you going looking dazzling like that?" Grace, her mother called from upstairs.

"I have a date with someone important. I can't afford to miss this. It might be a politician or one of the top families in California" she replied, hurrying out before her mother could even ask another question.

"Take me to The Regal Echelons immediately" she said to her driver immediately she got in the back of her car.

In minutes, she had arrived at the location. As expected, and as she had heard, the security was tight and thorough. She was propel searched and scrutinised before she was granted passage. 

The ticket and invitation card were the only things that let her even step foot in the parking lot. She showed them to any and every person that asked at different intervals as she made her way to the VIP section.

"Wow, this place is heavenly. Who could afford this place that I don't personally know?" She couldn't help but wonder to herself as she walked, amazed at the beauty the place.

"I haven't gotten into any business with any influential person in California recently. Or is it Francis trying to impress me?" Her smile immediately faded. 

While she was still deliberating, she heard her name.

"Rachel Chrysler" the call was gentle and refined but she could never mistake that voice. Not in a million years, not even in her dream. 

All her body and senses went numb to her control, she simply found herself turning both body and neck to confirm the owner of the voice. 

And as much as she wanted to disbelief the voice, the man standing before her looked like a completely different person than she knew.

"Rich... Richard... What are you doing here?"