The Pizza Boy Who Owned the City

Chapter 7

Dan remained completely unmoved by Caroline’s accusations.

He simply glanced at the sales assistant beside him and said calmly, “Please pack this suit for me.”

The sales assistant immediately nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Then she turned to Caroline and the others. Her polite smile faded slightly, and her tone grew noticeably colder.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re here to shop, we’ll be happy to assist you. If not, please don’t disturb our other clients.”

“You…” Caroline was so furious that her chest rose and fell sharply.

She could not understand it.

Just that morning, Dan had still been the broke pizza boy she had abandoned. He had been dirty, poor, and miserable.

But now, only a few hours later, he was standing inside Valmont Couture, calmly trying on a suit that cost more than what most people made in months, or even years.

What made her even angrier was that Dan barely looked at her.

He simply adjusted his cuff in front of the mirror and said casually, “Caroline, this place clearly isn’t for you. If you can’t afford anything here, you should leave before you embarrass yourself.”

Caroline’s face turned pale with anger. Then her gaze shifted toward Ed.

Ed had money. A lot of money. There was no way Ed would be afraid of Dan. The thought made Caroline feel slightly better.

Ed’s expression darkened. Naturally, he could not accept being humiliated by Dan in front of Caroline and Lucas.

He immediately sneered and looked at the sales assistant.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course we can afford this kind of thing. Pack me the same suit he’s buying.”

The sales assistant’s attitude softened at once when she heard that he intended to make a purchase.

“Of course, sir. Are you sure you’d like the same collection as this gentleman?”

“Sure,” Ed said coldly.

Then he glanced at Dan with open provocation.

To Ed, there was no way he could lose to a pizza delivery boy.

If Dan could afford it, then he could afford it too.

“Very well, sir. Please wait a moment.”

The sales assistant turned and left to prepare the order.

Soon, Ed, Caroline, and Lucas were guided to the VIP seating area not far from Dan. Several assistants brought over coffee, sparkling water, and catalogs for them.

Yet none of them felt relaxed. Their minds were full of confusion.

How could Dan suddenly afford to shop at Valmont Couture?

“This guy was completely broke yesterday,” Ed muttered, frowning. “You dumped him because he couldn’t even afford anything decent, didn’t you, Caroline?”

“Maybe he’s just pretending,” Caroline said. “Maybe he borrowed someone’s card or maxed out a credit card.”

But those words only made Ed’s face look even worse. He had brought Caroline here to show off. He wanted Dan to see the unbridgeable gap between them.

But now, Dan was the one receiving VIP treatment.

Even worse, Dan suddenly turned to another sales assistant and said, “Add that black overcoat as well. And those three shirts. The tie, the belt, and the leather shoes too.”

The sales assistant’s eyes lit up. “Of course, sir. Excellent choices.”

Ed’s jaw tightened.

Before he could think it through, he snapped, “Pack the same set for me too.”

The group immediately fell silent.

Lucas lowered his voice and said, “Are you serious? That suit alone costs more than fifteen thousand dollars. With the overcoat, shoes, belt, and shirts… that’s probably close to sixty thousand.”

Ed said nothing.

But it was obvious that he had taken this personally.

Dan was just a pizza boy. Ed was a rich young heir. His pride would not allow him to lose to someone like Dan.

Caroline could tell that Ed was irritated, so she immediately sneered and added, “He really is pathetic. He would rather embarrass himself than admit he’s poor.”

Lucas, however, looked worried.

He could not bear to watch Dan throw away years of savings just to win a moment of pride.

He quietly moved closer to Dan and lowered his voice. “Dan, what’s going on? These clothes are worth at least sixty thousand dollars. Are you sure about this?”

Then he added anxiously, “Don’t tell me you maxed out your credit card just because you’re angry at Caroline.”

In Lucas’s mind, that was the only possible explanation.

Dan had been broke for years. Lucas knew better than anyone how difficult his life had been.

There was no way Dan could suddenly afford Valmont Couture unless he had borrowed money or gone into debt.

Dan looked at the concern on his face and smiled faintly.

“Do you really think any bank would give me a credit limit that high?”

Lucas froze. That was true.

With Dan’s financial situation, no bank would ever approve such a large credit line.

“Then where did the money come from?” Lucas asked nervously.

Dan naturally could not tell him the truth.

If he told Lucas that he had just inherited assets worth trillions, it would only attract unnecessary trouble. He had not even fully processed it himself yet, let alone explain it to others.

So he gave a simple excuse.

“I won a lottery ticket.”

“What?”

Lucas was stunned.

He knew Dan occasionally bought cheap lottery tickets, but he had never imagined Dan would actually win.

“How much did you win?” Lucas quickly asked.

“Not much,” Dan said casually. “A hundred thousand dollars. Enough to buy a few clothes.”

“A hundred thousand?” Lucas was completely shocked.

For a pizza boy like Dan, that was an enormous amount of money. Used carefully, it could completely change his life for the next few years.

But now, he was spending most of it on clothes.

For a moment, Lucas felt guilty.

He knew Dan was not buying these clothes just for himself. He was doing it partly because Caroline and Ed had pushed him too far.

“All right,” Dan said after trying on the clothes. Then he turned to the sales assistant. “Ring it up.”

His words instantly drew the attention of Caroline, Ed, and everyone else.

“What? He’s really going to pay?”

“Where would a pizza boy get that kind of money?”

Caroline and Ed looked at each other in disbelief.

They had all been waiting to see Dan embarrass himself.

But now, he had actually asked the staff to ring up the order.

Caroline laughed coldly. “Just wait. I guarantee his card won’t go through. He’s only pretending to be calm.”

They stared at Dan with mocking eyes, waiting for the moment his act collapsed.

The sales assistant carefully carried the payment terminal over and said respectfully, “Sir, your total comes to sixty thousand dollars.”

Dan took out the Zenith black card and handed it over without the slightest hesitation.

The moment the sales assistant saw the card, her expression changed.

She had worked at Valmont Couture for years and had served countless wealthy clients. Naturally, she could tell that this was no ordinary card.

Her hands became even more careful as she took it.

Caroline noticed the change in the assistant’s expression, and unease suddenly rose in her heart.

Ed also frowned.

A few seconds later—

Beep.

“Approved.”

The payment went through.

The sales assistant immediately bowed and returned the card to Dan with both hands.

“Thank you, sir. Your payment has been approved. As a valued client, you are also eligible for our private tailoring service and complimentary delivery.”

Approved?

Sixty thousand dollars had been paid just like that?

Ed and Caroline shot up from their seats in shock.

“How is that possible? He really paid?”

“A pizza boy spent sixty thousand dollars on clothes?”

No one could believe what they had just seen.

Caroline could not accept it.

The man she had dumped that very morning, the man she had called poor and useless, had just spent sixty thousand dollars without even blinking.

That was impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

She suddenly stood up and pointed at Dan, her voice sharp with anger.

“This isn’t real! Dan, you’re just a poor pizza boy. How could you possibly have that kind of money?”

Her eyes fell on the black card in his hand, and her expression twisted.

“That card must be stolen! Call the police!”

Ed’s face darkened as he took out his phone.

He could not allow Dan to win.

Not like this.

If Dan had really paid sixty thousand dollars in front of everyone, then Ed’s entire image would collapse.

So there was only one explanation he was willing to accept.

Dan’s money was not legitimate.

“Dan,” Ed said coldly, holding up his phone, “you’d better explain where that card came from. Otherwise, I’m calling the police right now.”

Dan looked at them calmly.

There was no panic on his face.

Only a faint trace of mockery.

“You people really are interesting,” he said. “When I’m poor, you mock me for being poor. When I have money, you accuse me of stealing.”

He slowly put the Zenith black card back into his wallet.

“Tell me, Caroline. In your eyes, am I only allowed to be looked down on?”

Caroline froze.

For a moment, she could not answer.

The boutique was deathly silent.

Everyone was watching.