The Forgotten Heir's Payback

Chapter 4: Dust on the Shoes

The lobby went quiet as Lucas stepped out of the silver elevator. He wore a fine black suit that fitted him like armor.

His posture was straight, and his eyes were sharp. Butler Thomas walked half a step behind him, followed by six big guards in dark uniforms.

Chloe stared at Lucas, her jaw dropping open. She could not believe her eyes. Just a few hours ago, this man was standing in her kitchen with a dirty apron, washing her mother's dishes. Now he was walking out of a private elevator surrounded by high level guards.

She shook her head fast, pushing the strange thought out of her mind. There was no way Lucas had become a rich man in just a few hours. That was completely impossible.

"Lucas?" Chloe shouted, her voice loud and angry. She pushed past the security guards at the door and took three steps forward. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you got a job as a bouncer or a cleaner at this club!"

Beatrice rushed up right behind her daughter, pointing a finger at Lucas’s face. "I knew it! Look at him pretending to be important! He must have used the last of his little savings to buy that suit so he could guard doors where rich people eat!"

Julian wiped the dirt off his pants and stepped forward, his face red with embarrassment. He looked at Lucas with pure hate. He could not accept being thrown out in front of everyone while his ex-wife’s worthless former husband stood inside looking powerful.

"You pathetic loser," Julian spat out, trying to sound mean. "Is this why you hired those fake cars this morning? Did you get a low level job at this club just to spy on us? You are so desperate it makes me want to throw up."

Lucas did not look angry at all. He stopped right at the glass doorway, standing under the bright lights. He put his hands in his pants pockets and looked at Julian like he was looking at an ant on the floor.

"I do not spy on trash, Julian," Lucas said, his voice deep and calm. "You were thrown out because you do not belong here."

"Shut your mouth!" Julian screamed. He turned his head to look at Manager Vance, who was standing respectfully behind Lucas. "Manager! Fire this man right now! 

He is insulting a high level guest! Do you know who I am? I am Julian Sterling! My father knows the board of directors of this club! If you do not throw this fake worker onto the street right now, I will call the board and have all of you fired by tomorrow morning!"

Manager Vance did not even blink. He kept his hands folded politely behind his back and bowed his head slightly toward Lucas.

"Mr. Sterling," Manager Vance said in a firm, cold voice. "You are talking to the owner of this club. Mr. Lucas Vance bought this entire establishment two hours ago. He owns the building, the land, and every single item inside it."

The word hit the lobby like a heavy bomb.

Chloe felt her legs go weak. She almost fell backwards, but Beatrice caught her by the arm. "What? Owner? No, that is a lie! He was my cook this morning! He does not have a single dollar to his name!"

"He is telling the truth," Butler Thomas stepped forward, holding a black leather binder. He opened it to show the official gold seal of ownership. "The Royal Crown Club belongs to Young Master Lucas. And as the owner, his word is the law here."

Julian’s heart skipped a beat, but his stupid pride would not let him back down. "This is fake! This whole thing is a scam! You bought this place? With what money? You stole from the Vance family!"

Lucas took a step forward, crossing the threshold of the doorway. He looked down at Julian’s fancy leather shoes. They were made of expensive brown snakeskin, imported from overseas.

"You talk too much, Julian," Lucas said quietly. He leaned toward Manager Vance. "What are the dress code rules for people who cause trouble on our property?"

Manager Vance smiled faintly. "Rule number four, sir. Anyone who disrespects the owner or causes a public fight must be stripped of all luxury items worn on club grounds before being removed from the premises."

Lucas nodded slowly. "Starting with his shoes. His dirty shoes are leaving dust on my polished marble floor."

"What?" Julian gasped, taking a step back. "You cannot do that! These shoes cost five thousand dollars! Touch me and I will sue you!"

"Take them off," Lucas ordered softly.

Two tall guards stepped forward instantly. They grabbed Julian by both shoulders, forcing him down into a wooden chair near the door. Julian kicked his legs and screamed like a wild pig, but the guards were too strong. One guard grabbed Julian's right ankle, unlaced the expensive snakeskin shoe, and pulled it off his foot. Then he pulled off the left shoe just as fast.

"My shoes! Give me back my shoes!" Julian yelled, his face bright red.

The guard held the five thousand dollar shoes up for Lucas to see. Lucas did not even look at them. He simply raised his hand and pointed to the dirty trash bin near the street.

The guard tossed the expensive snakeskin shoes straight into the slimy trash bin.

"No!" Beatrice shrieked, covering her mouth in terror.

"Now, throw him out completely," Lucas said.

The guards lifted Julian off the chair by his arms and dragged him out into the cold night air. They dropped him right onto the hard pavement outside the front gate.

Chloe stood there shaking, watching the man she thought was a powerful prince getting thrown out like a common thief. Julian sat on the freezing stone floor in his expensive suit, wearing nothing but thin black socks on his feet. The crowd of rich people standing outside began to take pictures with their phones, laughing out loud at the sight of the barefoot rich heir.

"Lucas, how could you do this?" Chloe cried out, her eyes filling with tears of anger and shame. "He is Julian Sterling! His family is powerful! You are going to ruin everything!"

"I am not ruining anything, Chloe," Lucas said, looking down at her with complete coldness. "I am just showing you the difference between a real king and a fake prince."

Julian scrambled up onto his bare feet, screaming at the top of his lungs from behind the gate. "Lucas! I will kill you! My father will destroy you! Tomorrow morning, my company gets fifty million dollars from Grand Dragon Bank! I will use that money to wipe you off the face of the earth!"

Lucas just smiled softly, stepping back into the warm lobby. "I will be waiting."

Suddenly, a loud ringing sound broke through the noise.

Julian reached into his jacket pocket with shaking hands and pulled out his phone. The screen showed the name: FATHER.

Julian swiped the screen quickly, putting the phone to his ear, trying to sound confident. "Dad! Dad, you need to help me! A loser named Lucas is picking a fight with me at the club—"

"Shut your mouth, you stupid boy!" a loud voice roared from the phone speaker. The voice was so loud that Chloe and Beatrice could hear every single word clearly.

Julian froze. "Dad? What is wrong?"

"What did you do?" his father screamed in deep panic, his voice shaking with fear. "Grand Dragon Financial just called my office ten seconds ago! They stopped everything! The bank has abruptly paused our fifty million dollar loan review!"