When the Loser Became rich heir

CHAPTER 7

Luca’s fingers curled slowly into a fist at his side, his knuckles whitening as the tension in the boutique thickened like suffocating smoke.

The sales assistant, pale and trembling, stepped forward. “M-Ma’am, sir… he’s really a customer. I personally saw Ms. Russo bring him in. She—she’s one of our most important clients.”

Leslie let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her lips curling with venom. “Oh please. That woman probably dragged him in out of pity.” She tilted her head, eyes dripping with disdain. “Or maybe he’s your boyfriend, hm? A poor little rat you smuggled in to steal something?”

Victor snorted loudly. “That makes more sense. Look at him. He screams ‘pickpocket.’ Probably thought he could grab a watch and run before anyone noticed.”

“I’m not—” the assistant tried again, her voice shaking.

“Enough,” Leslie snapped, cutting her off. “Stop embarrassing yourself. You’re defending trash. That makes you trash too.”

The assistant flinched as if slapped.

At that exact moment, the elevator chimed again.

A middle-aged woman strode out, dressed sharply, her heels clicking with authority. Her eyes swept the scene once, cold and calculating.

“The manager is here,” Victor said smugly, folding his arms. “Perfect timing.”

The manager frowned. “What is going on here?”

Before the assistant could speak, Leslie jumped in, her tone dripping with false outrage. “This employee brought her disgusting boyfriend into the VIP lounge. He’s clearly here to steal, and she’s covering for him.”

Victor added, “We’ve been insulted just by having to share space with someone who looks like he crawled out of a sewer.”

The manager’s gaze landed on Luca—his worn jacket, his scuffed shoes—and her expression hardened instantly.

“I see,” she said curtly.

“M-Ma’am, that’s not true!” the assistant pleaded. “He’s a client—Ms. Russo—”

“I don’t care,” the manager cut her off sharply. “Apologize to our VIP customers. Then take your… boyfriend and leave. Now.”

The assistant’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But ma’am—”

“Or I call the police,” the manager said flatly.

Silence slammed into the room.

Luca exhaled slowly, his anger no longer hidden. His eyes darkened, cold and dangerous.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said.

Victor barked out a laugh. “The only mistake here is letting you breathe the same air as us.”

“Look at his face,” Leslie sneered. “He still thinks he belongs here. That’s adorable. Like a stray dog refusing to leave a mansion.”

Luca reached into his pocket.

“Still acting tough?” Victor mocked. “What are you going to pull out? A bus ticket?”

Luca calmly took out the black STAR Bank card.

The sleek, heavy card caught the light.

He held it up, his voice icy. “Do I look like someone who needs to steal?”

For a brief second, there was hesitation.

Then the manager scoffed loudly.

“A fake,” she said without even examining it properly. “You people always think a prop will fool others.”

She snatched the card from his hand.

“Hey—” the assistant gasped.

The manager dropped it deliberately onto the marble floor.

The sharp sound echoed.

“Security!” she called, her voice ringing with authority. “Remove this man immediately.”

Victor grinned, his face full of cruel satisfaction. “Finally. Took you long enough.”

Leslie smirked, crossing her arms. “Back to the streets where you belong, garbage.”

Luca didn’t move.

His eyes slowly lowered to the card on the ground.

Something in his expression shifted.

Cold. Dangerous. Final.

Footsteps echoed again.

Fast. Sharp.

“Stop.”

The single word cut through the chaos like a blade.

Everyone turned.

Caterina strode forward, her heels striking the marble with controlled fury. Behind her, Master Giorgio followed, his elegant face already twisted with anger.

His sharp eyes landed on Luca.

Then on the card on the floor.

Then on the manager.

His expression changed instantly.

From anger…

To shock.

Then horror.

“What is the meaning of this?” Giorgio demanded, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

The manager quickly stepped forward, eager to regain control. “Sir, this man attempted to deceive us with a fake card and disturb our VIP clients. We were just about to have him removed—”

“Silence!” Giorgio roared.

The entire boutique froze.

Even Victor flinched.

Giorgio walked forward slowly… then suddenly stopped in front of Luca.

To everyone’s disbelief—

He bowed deeply.

“I am deeply sorry, sir.”

The words dropped like a bomb.

The manager’s face went blank. “W-What…?”

Leslie’s mouth fell open. “That… that’s impossible…”

Victor’s confidence cracked instantly. “What kind of joke is this?”

Giorgio straightened, his face pale. “This is no joke.”

He turned sharply to the manager, his eyes blazing. “Do you even understand who you just insulted?”

The manager stumbled back. “I—I was only protecting the store—”

“By throwing away his card?” Giorgio snapped. “By calling him a thief?”

Caterina stepped forward, her expression ice-cold.

She bent down, picked up the black card, and carefully dusted it off before handing it back to Luca with both hands.

“I apologize, Mr. Romano,” she said calmly.

Luca took the card, his face unreadable.

Victor swallowed hard but forced a laugh. “Alright, enough acting. Who the hell is this guy supposed to be?”

Leslie scoffed, though her voice wavered. “Yeah. Don’t tell me you’re all scared of some nobody in Payless shoes.”

Caterina turned to them slowly.

Her gaze was sharp enough to cut.

“You really want to know?” she asked.

Victor lifted his chin, trying to regain his arrogance. “Yes. I do.”

Caterina’s lips curved slightly—not in amusement, but in cold finality.

“Fine.”

She gestured lightly toward Luca.

“Because the person you just humiliated…”

Her voice dropped, each word deliberate.

“…is the owner of this store.”

Silence.

Absolute.

Complete.

Victor’s face drained of color. “That’s… that’s not possible…”

Leslie shook her head, her voice cracking. “No. No way. Look at him!”

Caterina didn’t even blink. “You judged his worth based on his clothes. That says more about you than it ever will about him.”

The manager staggered back as if struck. “O-Owner…?”

Her legs nearly gave out.

“I… I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t ask,” Caterina replied coldly.

Victor forced a shaky laugh. “Even if that’s true, you can’t just—”

“I can,” Caterina cut in smoothly. “And I will.”

Her gaze hardened.

“Effective immediately, you are no longer a VIP client.”

Victor froze. “What?!”

“Your membership is revoked.”

Leslie stepped forward angrily. “You can’t do that!”

“And both of you,” Caterina continued, ignoring her, “are permanently blacklisted from this store.”

Victor’s voice rose. “On what grounds?!”

Caterina met his eyes without a hint of emotion.

“On the grounds that you insulted the owner,” she said evenly.

Victor’s mouth opened—

But no words came out.

For the first time, he looked small.

Pathetic.

Luca finally moved.

He stepped forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming.

His gaze locked onto Victor.

“You were saying something earlier,” Luca said quietly.

Victor flinched.

Luca’s voice dropped further.

“About gutters.”

Leslie took a step back, her confidence shattered.

Luca’s eyes swept over both of them.

Cold.

Disgusted.

“Turns out,” he added softly, “you were the ones standing in the dirt all along.”