The Unexpected General

Chapter 8

Lea remembered everything she had done to secure this job. It was a good career—this store was known for its high salary and generous bonuses.

If she got fired because of this incident, it would have a huge impact on her life. And from the way Calvin spoke, she could tell his threat was dead serious.

It terrified her.

Lea didn’t want to lose her job or create more trouble. She quickly clasped her hands together. “P-please, sir… forgive me,” she stammered.

Her body trembled, and she shook her head, eyes pleading. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t tell my manager.”

She couldn’t hold back her tears. Seeing no reaction from Calvin, Lea's gaze shifted to Claire, hoping for some mercy—hoping the woman would listen to her.

“Please… I don’t want to be fired.”

This time, she clasped her hands together even tighter, her face full of desperation.

“Miss, please forgive me.” Lea clung to hope. If she lost this job, her life would fall apart.

But when she realized her pleas were ignored, a surge of frustration rose within her. Her hands curled into fists, her palms cold and damp with sweat.

Yet, she dared not show any outward reaction. She knew—this was a serious threat to her.

“Sir… please give me a chance.”

Calvin and Claire remained silent. They didn’t respond in any way other than their cold stares, which only deepened Lea’s fear.

The woman regretted her actions. This time, she slapped her own face. “I’m such a fool. I should never have made this mistake.” Lea continued to sob. “I should have known better than to underestimate you. I sincerely apologize.”

Lea ignored the gazes of her other colleagues. She was even willing to do anything to stay here. She didn’t want to lose her source of income.

Claire couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Seeing the woman’s remorse and desperate apology, Claire’s resolve softened. She reached out and held Lea’s hand, stopping her. “Enough of this.”

Lea froze. A sliver of hope flickered within her.

Claire looked at Lea and let out a sigh. “Alright, I forgive you,” she said in a gentle voice. “But I don’t want you to repeat this mistake again.”

Lea nodded without hesitation. Then, as if to emphasize her sincerity, she nodded again, more quickly. “Yes, of course! I won’t do it again. Miss, I truly regret it.”

This time, Claire turned to Calvin. His expression remained hard, and she could tell that anger still had a strong grip on him.

Claire tried to calm him down. She touched Calvin gently. She had a soft heart and didn’t want this issue to drag on any further. “Calvin, let it go. Besides, she already regrets it.”

Calvin looked at Claire. Seeing her actions, he knew she was a humble person. After everything Lea had done to Claire, Calvin raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

Claire nodded. “Yes. There’s nothing more to dwell on.”

Calvin let out a sigh. “Fine.”

He gave Lea a sharp, pressing gaze. For a moment, her courage completely crumbled. “This time, I’ll forgive you.” His piercing eyes locked onto the woman, who could only lower her head. “But if you do it again, I guarantee you’ll truly find yourself in trouble.”

There was no denying that his threat sent strong tremors through Lea’s body. She looked like a helpless dog, only able to nod repeatedly. The pressure was overwhelming.

Once the issue was settled, Claire quickly pulled Calvin out of the store. They walked together, but Claire could see that his expression remained cold.

She tried to lighten the mood, but her mind was still filled with questions. The woman turned to Calvin with a serious look. “Tell me, how on earth did you end up shopping that much?”

Claire looked at the pile of shopping bags and sighed. “I only needed a few clothes. This is way too much.” She felt uncomfortable.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was burdening and troubling Calvin. This had cost a lot of money. There was a chance that he had spent everything he had—or worse, that he had used someone else’s money.

Calvin glanced at her. “It’s not a problem,” he said, showing her some of the shopping bags in his hands. “You can enjoy all of this without worry. It’s just a small thing.” He tried to reassure her.

Claire didn’t agree. She shook her head. “This isn’t a small thing. It’s huge.”

She studied Calvin carefully. As her father had said, if Calvin was just an ordinary soldier, it would be difficult for him to afford this much.

With hesitation, Claire spoke. “I never expected you to be able to buy all of this.”

Calvin couldn’t tell Claire that all of this was his own money. In reality, he possessed wealth beyond measure. So, he deliberately lied. “A friend of mine gave me all of this.”

“Your friend?” Claire frowned. It was hard to believe, but she thought it was possible that Calvin had a generous close friend who was willing to give him such a large sum of money.

Calvin simply nodded, saying nothing more. Then, they continued walking toward the car.

Just as Calvin was about to open the car door, a woman’s scream rang out.

“Help! Stop that man!”

“He’s a thief!”

“Help me… someone, please stop that man!”

The loud scream immediately drew everyone’s attention, including Calvin and Claire. They turned toward the source of the voice.

From the same direction, a flamboyantly dressed man was speeding toward them on a bicycle.

With his sharp eyes, Calvin instantly realized that the man was about to crash into Claire. Reacting swiftly, he grabbed Claire’s arm and pulled her into his embrace. At the same time, with his other hand, he caught the bicycle, causing the thief to fall and tumble to the ground.

The man glared at Calvin with fury. “Bastard!”

Pain shot through his body. His hand had slammed against a rock, and his head had taken a hit as well.

The agony engulfed him in rage, but he had no time for revenge. He needed to escape.

Just as the thief was about to get up and flee, Calvin seized his wrist in a firm grip.

“Hey, you! Let me go!” The thief yelled, struggling to break free.

He tried to shake off Calvin’s grip but failed. The hold was unbelievably strong, as if it was about to crush his bones. “Let go!”

Calvin ignored his cries. He tightened his grip even more, making the thief wince in pain. He could barely move.

“Damn it,” the thief cursed.

The bastard who had captured him was a threat. Quickly, the thief pulled out a small knife and stabbed toward Calvin.

Unexpectedly, Calvin caught the blade with his bare hand, gripping it tightly. The thief was stunned by Calvin’s reaction—there wasn’t even a flinch of pain on his face.

Calvin’s gaze was sharp and unwavering. He didn’t loosen his grip on the knife.

“Let go, damn it!” the thief shouted, trying to yank the knife away to cut Calvin’s hand. But he couldn’t move it at all.

Calvin ignored his screams. Instead, he applied pressure to specific points on the thief’s body, instantly rendering him unconscious.

The woman who had been chasing the thief finally reached them. Her breath was ragged, relief washing over her face as she saw that the thief had been caught. She looked at Calvin, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “Thank you for helping me.”

She bowed slightly and picked up her fallen bag, clutching it tightly to her chest—there was something important inside.

Then, she took something out of her bag and handed it to Calvin. “This is my business card. I hope we can meet again after this.”

As Calvin took the card, Claire glanced at it as well. But the moment she read the name written on it, her eyes widened in shock.

Claire turned to the woman with a serious expression. “Wait, are you a member of the Petter family?”