The Son-in-Law They Threw Away

Chapter 9: Feeling Undervalued

“How is it, sir? Are you interested in the car?” the saleswoman asked with a bright smile.

The older man stared at the white Bugatti and felt his stomach drop. He only had about nine hundred twenty thousand euros left in his account. Eight million was impossible.

“Leona, let’s look at another car,” he said quickly. “That one over there looks better.”

Leona clicked her tongue in anger. She followed him, but when she walked past Killian she stopped and glared hard.

“What are you looking at, you hooligan?”

She spat on the floor right next to his shoes.

Killian’s hands closed into tight fists. Heat rose fast in his chest. He wanted to hit back, but he forced himself to stay still. Hitting a woman in the middle of a showroom would only make everything worse.

The older man saw Killian’s fists and stepped forward with a proud, mean smile.

“What kind of man are you? You only dare to get angry at women. If you want to hit someone, come and fight me.”

Killian turned his head slowly. He looked at the man for one long second. Then his hand moved.

Pluck!

The slap landed hard across the man’s face. The sound was sharp and loud in the quiet showroom.

“Teach your woman not to spit at people,” Killian said in a low, cold voice.

The man’s face turned red with shock and pure anger. No one in the city had dared to hit him before. He was the heir of the Maverick family, a rich family that many people in Birmingham feared.

“How dare you!” he shouted.

Killian pointed one finger at him. “We can settle this outside later. My name is Killian. I will not run away. Wait for me if you have the guts.”

The people around them went silent. No one expected a man in old clothes to slap the Maverick heir right in the middle of the showroom.

The head manager heard the noise and hurried down the stairs. When she saw what had happened her eyes went wide. A poorly dressed man had just hit one of their most important customers.

“Stop!” she shouted. She ran straight to the Maverick man. “Mr Maverick, I am very sorry about this. I will deal with that bastard right now.”

She called the security guards. Five strong men came running at once.

“Arrest him! Break his hand for daring to hit Mr Maverick!” she ordered in a loud voice.

The guards moved forward. Killian raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“Wait. I came here to buy a car. Your workers have been rude to me from the first minute.”

The manager laughed in his face. “Buy a car? A riff-raff like you? You probably cannot even buy a cheap electric bike.”

Killian reached into his pocket, pulled out the silver-grey titanium card, and threw it toward her. The card hit her chest lightly and fell to the floor with a soft sound.

“Swipe it,” Killian said coldly. “I want that white car in the glass room. I need a car today. Hurry up and do the transaction.”

The manager bent down and picked up the card with shaking fingers. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the special design on it.

Robert, who was still standing nearby, laughed loudly. “You think holding a fancy card makes you rich? Anyone can buy a fake one online. This man is just a kicked-out son-in-law. His ex-wife’s family threw him out like trash. He used to eat leftover food in their house. How can a man like that have real money?”

The saleswoman joined in with a proud voice. “Yes, Miss Jessica. He has been dreaming about expensive cars, but look at his clothes. He belongs on the street, not in here.”

Before the manager could decide what to do, the director of the showroom walked in with two bodyguards. His name was Hugo. His voice was loud and full of anger.

“What is going on here?”

Robert spoke quickly. “Mr Hugo, it is good you came. This useless man is the exiled son-in-law of the Smith family. He is dreaming of buying a car in your showroom. Please teach him a lesson so he never comes back again.”

Hugo looked at Killian with cold eyes. He saw only old clothes and a tired face. Still, he tried to keep a professional look.

“Is it true you want to buy a car in my showroom?” he asked in a high, proud tone.

“Yes,” Killian answered. “I want that white car. But your workers and your manager treated me like dirt. Is this how you serve customers here?”

Hugo raised one eyebrow. “Do you even have the money for that car? It is the newest model this year. The price is very high. Can a man like you really afford it?”

“I can buy that car,” Killian said. “I can even buy your whole showroom if I want to.”

People around them laughed and shook their heads. “Crazy!” someone whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Killian was tired of the insults. He looked straight at Hugo.

“Let us make a bet. If I buy that car right now, what will you do?”

Robert laughed again. “Who do you think you are?”

Hugo raised a hand to silence Robert. He was more interested in the challenge than in listening to Robert.

“All right,” Hugo said. “If you really buy that car today, I will kneel at your feet and call you an honourable man. But if you are lying, I will break your hand myself.”

Killian turned to the saleswoman. “What about you?”

She lifted her chin high. “I am not afraid. If you buy it, I will bow at your feet and accept getting fired. But if you lose, you will pay for your big mouth.”

Killian looked at the manager. “And you?”

The manager’s face was already pale. She had seen the titanium card up close. “I… I do not dare to bet, sir.”

“Fine,” Killian said. “Bring the card reader now. I will show all of you what I can do.”

Hugo’s face changed the moment he heard the words “titanium card.” He grabbed the card from the manager’s hand. His fingers started to shake. He knew exactly what that card meant. Only a very small number of people in the whole country carried one.

“Damn it,” he thought. “If this is real, I am finished.”

“Hurry up!” Killian said. “Why are you all so slow?”

A male worker ran over with the card reader. Hugo took the machine with both hands. He slid the silver-grey card through it.

A clear “Ting” sound rang out across the showroom.

The screen lit up green. The transaction was successful.

Hugo’s body froze. The card reader almost slipped from his fingers. The worker caught it just in time.

The whole showroom went completely silent. Robert’s mouth hung open. The saleswoman’s face turned white. The Maverick man held his slapped cheek and stared in pure shock. No one moved. No one spoke.

Killian looked at all of them with calm, cold eyes.

“The car is mine,” he said. “Now get on your knees. A bet is a bet.”

Outside the big glass windows, the black car with tinted windows that had stopped earlier was still waiting. The driver’s door opened slowly.