Unexpected Wealth

Chapter 09 : Humiliating encounter in a luxury store.

At that moment, Quantin turned around and discovered that it was Brad, one of Harvey's friends, who was standing in front of him.

" What is he doing here? " he exclaimed immediately, feeling a mixture of emotions.

Indeed, Brad was one of those who had mistreated Quantin one night, and memories of that evening came back to Quantin's mind.

However, Quantin's heart was beating fast as he tried to think of the best thing to do. The saleswoman who was nearby noticed his hesitation.

" Is everything alright ? " she asked kindly.

Quantin quickly regained his composure.

" Yes, I'm fine," he answered confidently.

Brad, on the other hand, seemed just as surprised to see Quantin in this luxury store.

" Well, well, well, look who I see," he teased.

" What are you doing here, Quantin? " he added.

Quantin replied firmly.

" I came to do some shopping. And you? Are you here to bother me? "

" Shopping ? Am I dreaming or what? " Brad sneered.

" You're so poor that you can't even feed yourself properly, and you want to buy clothes in this store? Are you trying to impress me? "

At these words, Quantin felt anger rising in him and his cheeks flushed. He wanted to defend himself, but he knew it wouldn't solve anything. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to keep calm.

The saleswoman in charge of Brad intervened.

" Sir, please leave our store immediately," she declared.

Her statement surprised Quantin, who widened his eyes.

" What's going on? Don't I have the right to be in this store like any other customer? " he asked with a strange look, looking at the saleswoman.

She burst out laughing and replied.

" I'm not sure we have clothes in your price range."

Quantin immediately replied.

" Don't underestimate me. I'm willing to spend on a good suit."

The saleswoman immediately interrupted him.

" I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you don't understand. Our suits are very expensive. This store is for wealthy customers and you are not one of them."

Quantin became increasingly embarrassed.

" Furthermore, you are very dirty, and I'm afraid you will stain our beautiful suits. Please leave this store right away, or I will call the police," she added.

This humiliation made Quantin very uncomfortable, and Brad laughed heartily at him.

At this point, the saleswoman who was initially serving Quantin felt uncomfortable and decided to intervene as well. She approached her colleague and whispered to her.

" It's not nice to say that to customers."

" And that man you're humiliating is my client," she added.

Her colleague also responded in a whisper.

" I know he's your client and we should respect our clients, but I don't think he can afford anything here."

" In addition, he looks like a beggar or someone who is homeless. His presence in our store is shameful," she added.

" But he's still a client and we must treat him with respect," replied Quantin's saleswoman.

" Look at the faces of the other clients. Don't you see that they're embarrassed in the presence of your dirty client? If our important clients leave because of him, you'll have to report it to the manager," Brad's saleswoman continued.

" I completely agree with you, we may indeed lose a lot of customers because of him," declared the saleswoman of Quantin after taking a minute to think and change her mind about Quantin's presence in the store.

Then, she turned immediately to Quantin.

" Sir ! You must indeed leave this store." She confirms in an arrogant tone.

Quantin looked at her angrily and replied,

" Even you? Yet, you welcomed me well since I arrived in this store and I thought you were very kind."

The saleswoman responded,

" I'm sorry, but your presence may indeed cause problems for us. Besides, you are poor. I ask you to hand over the suits you have chosen and leave immediately."

Brad's saleswoman added with a sneer,

" Or the police will come and kick you out."

Following these different statements from the two saleswomen, Quantin sighed deeply and declared.

" Do not waste your time calling the police. I will certainly leave your store, but before I do, I intend to pay for the five suits I have tried on."

Immediately, Brad burst into laughter.

" Ha...Ha! Do you really think you can afford these suits ? "

Quantin remains calm and smiles slightly.

" Yes, I have the money to buy these suits, and you'll be surprised."

" Why would I be surprised by a crazy person like you? You're crazy for saying you want to pay for five suits in this store," Brad replies.

" Do you know the total amount for these 5 suits? " he continues, still laughing.

Meanwhile, other customers are looking at Quantin and also laughing.

" You'll have to save everything you earn by cleaning the school cafeteria for your entire life before you can afford to buy even one suit in this store," Brad adds.

" That's enough, Brad. Why are you trying to humiliate me? What do you want from me? " Quantin reacts with despair.

" It gives me pleasure. In fact, it's you who refuses to understand that you're so poor and you don't belong here. You're trash. I wish Harvey was here too, he would have humiliated you even more," Brad responds.

" So, do you really think you can afford these suits? You're very stupid if you think so," he continues.

Quantin thinks for a moment before answering.

" I'm not stupid, and I know what I can afford."

Brad mocks him again.

" Maybe you stole your father's credit card? Didn't you? "

The two saleswomen burst into laughter immediately.

" He's certainly here to steal something from us. I can't imagine he can pay for our suits," says Brad's saleswoman.

Quantin feels anger rising in him, but he knew he had to keep his cool.

" Why do you always think the worst of me? I'm just here to have fun. I have money, and I can spend it as I please."

Brad shrugs.

" Well, I don't believe you can afford it, and I'm willing to bet you probably stole some dollar bills, that's why you're here."

Immediately, Quantin takes out his credit card from his pocket and hands it to the saleswoman. She retrieves the card and inserts it into the machine. While everyone watches the machine, Quantin is anxious because it is the first time he is using a credit card.

Suddenly, the machine displays a red result, and Quantin does not understand what it means. Meanwhile, Brad wears a smug smile, while the two saleswomen mock Quantin.

The next minute, security agents surround Quantin, while one of the saleswomen picks up the phone and begins talking to someone on the other end of the line. Quantin cannot hear the conversation, but he feels his heart rate increasing as the seconds pass.