Zenith's New Master: The Lost Sterling heir Returns

CHAPTER 5

"They refused to sell me the Celestial Essence Stone," Ethan said calmly, gesturing at the manager and clerk. "They claimed my card was fake, insulted me repeatedly, and tried to throw me out."

Sophia's expression turned glacial. Without warning, her hand whipped across Harrison's face.

The manager's head snapped to the side, a red handprint blooming on his cheek.

"Miss Winters! Please!" Harrison scrambled on his knees, clutching his face. "I understand—your servant was running an errand for you and I made a terrible mistake! I didn't realize he was working for someone as esteemed as yourself! Please, I'll process the purchase immediately—"

Another slap, harder this time.

"Servant?" Sophia's voice was ice. "You think—"

CRACK. A third slap sent Harrison sprawling across the marble floor.

"Miss Winters, please forgive me!" Harrison prostrated himself completely, his forehead pressed against the cold tile. "I'll make this right! Your assistant will get the crystal, I swear! I'll personally handle everything—"

The doors burst open with such force they slammed against the walls.

An elderly man in an impeccable three-piece suit strode in, his silver hair perfectly groomed, his movements sharp and purposeful despite his age. His keen eyes immediately found Sophia, and recognition flashed across his weathered face.

"Miss Winters!" He rushed forward with surprising speed. "I was informed you were here—is there a problem? Has something happened?"

This was Edmund Gray, owner of Luminous Treasures and a dozen other luxury establishments across the city. A man who'd built his empire over forty years through shrewd business sense and an uncompromising commitment to excellence.

"Mr. Gray," Sophia said coldly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Your manager and clerk have severely offended me tonight."

Gray's face went pale, the color draining so quickly he seemed to age ten years in an instant. He turned to Harrison, who was still prostrate on the floor, then to the trembling clerk who looked ready to faint. "What happened? Explain. Now."

"They judged a customer by appearance," Sophia said, each word deliberate and damning. "Refused a legitimate sale, accused him of fraud, mocked him relentlessly, and attempted to have him thrown out of your establishment."

"They WHAT?" Gray's voice thundered through the showroom, reverberating off the crystal chandeliers. He grabbed Harrison by the collar, yanking him up with strength that belied his age. "You refused a sale? You insulted someone that Miss Winters herself vouches for? In MY store?"

"I didn't know! He looked like—like he couldn't afford—" Harrison stammered, his face now pale beneath the angry red marks.

"I don't care what he looked like!" Gray released him with such disgust that Harrison stumbled backward. "Appearance means nothing! A true professional sees the person, not the clothes! This is the most basic principle of luxury retail!" He turned to the clerk. "And you went along with this? You chose to participate in this humiliation?"

The clerk's lips trembled. "Mrs. Chen and Miss Chen were so insistent, and the card looked—"

"The CARD?" Gray snatched it from where it lay on the counter. His hands froze as he examined it closely. The weight. The finish. The Sterling family crest embossed in crimson. His face went even paler. "This is... this is a Sterling Black Card. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"You're both fired," Gray said flatly, his voice now terrifyingly calm. "Effective immediately. Security will escort you out. You will never work in luxury retail in this city again. I will personally ensure that."

"Mr. Gray, please—I have a family—" the clerk started, tears streaming down her face.

"You should have thought of that before you chose cruelty over professionalism. OUT!" Gray pointed at the door with a shaking finger. "You've embarrassed my establishment, insulted a Sterling, and offended one of the most powerful people in this city. Consider yourselves fortunate I'm not pressing charges for the damage you've done to my reputation."

He turned his attention to Margaret and Claire, who'd been watching in stunned silence, their earlier confidence completely evaporated. "And you two—you instigated this entire situation. You're banned from all Gray Luxury Group establishments. Permanently."

"Banned?" Margaret's voice came out as a squeak. "We're valued customers! We spend hundreds of thousands here every year!"

"I don't care if you spent millions," Gray said with cold finality. "You participated in harassing someone under Miss Winters' protection. You encouraged my employees to violate every principle my stores stand for. Leave. Now. Before I have you arrested for trespassing."

Security appeared as if summoned—four large men in crisp uniforms moving with military precision. Two of them flanked the sobbing clerk and the shell-shocked Harrison, escorting them firmly toward the exit. Two more approached the Chen women with professional courtesy that couldn't hide the underlying threat.

"This is outrageous!" Claire shrieked, her voice shrill with disbelief and wounded pride. "Do you know who we are? My father has connections throughout this city! When he hears about this—"

"Your father," Gray interrupted icily, "will hear that his family harassed the Sterling heir and insulted Sophia Winters. I wonder how that conversation will go for you." He gestured to security. "Remove them."

"Don't touch me!" Margaret jerked away from the guard's approach, maintaining the last shred of her dignity. She grabbed Claire's arm, pulling her toward the door with sharp, angry movements. But not before shooting a venomous look back at Ethan and Sophia—a look filled with hatred, humiliation, and something else. Fear.

The doors closed behind them with a decisive click.

Outside on the sidewalk, Margaret's hands shook as she fumbled with her phone. The night air was cold, matching the ice spreading through her chest. Claire paced furiously beside her, her designer heels clicking sharply against the pavement.

"That little rat," Claire hissed, her pretty face twisted with rage. "How did he manage to find himself a rich woman? She has to be his sugar mummy! There's no other explanation!"

"Obviously," Margaret said bitterly, her voice tight with barely controlled fury. "An orphan like him has nothing else to offer. No family, no connections, no prospects. He must have latched onto her like the parasite he is—probably spun some sob story about his pathetic life and she fell for it." She found Lily's number and dialed with trembling fingers.

Lily answered on the second ring, her voice sleepy. "Mother? It's late—what's wrong?"

"Lily, you won't believe what just happened," Margaret said, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Your ex-boyfriend? Ethan? He's not only alive, he's found himself a new woman to leech off of. A rich one."

"What are you talking about?" Lily's voice sharpened, the sleepiness vanishing instantly.

Margaret quickly recounted the events—the gemstone store, the fifty-million-dollar crystal, Sophia Winters appearing like some avenging angel, the humiliation of being thrown out and banned. "He brought her in to save face after trying to use a fake black card. She's clearly wealthy—the General Manager of Zenith Global Industries—and he's clearly using her the exact same way he used you. Maybe worse."

There was silence on the other end. Long enough that Margaret checked to see if the call had dropped.

"Lily?"

"Ethan is... alive?" Lily's voice sounded strange, strained. "And he's with Sophia Winters? You're absolutely certain it was her?"

"Yes! We saw her ourselves. The store owner practically worshiped her. And that pathetic orphan stood there like he belonged with her. Can you imagine? He traded you—beautiful, young, from a good family—for an older sugar mummy. It's absolutely pathetic. Disgusting."

"How did he..." Lily's voice trailed off. "After what Damien did to him, he should be..."

"Dead?" Margaret finished coldly. "Yes, well, apparently the little cockroach survived. And now he's managed to trick another woman into supporting his worthless existence."

"That's... I need to go," Lily said abruptly. "I need to tell Damien. He'll want to know about this."

"Lily, wait—" But the line was already dead.

Margaret stared at her phone, frowning. "That was odd."

"Who cares?" Claire snapped, still pacing like a caged animal. "We just got humiliated and banned from an entire luxury group because of that worthless orphan! Do you understand what this means? Everyone will know. This will spread through our entire social circle by tomorrow!"

Margaret's expression hardened, her shock giving way to cold calculation. "Then we make sure our version spreads first. That Ethan is a con artist who seduced a wealthy older woman. That he's dangerous. That he tried to defraud a luxury store and we were the ones who exposed him."

"Will anyone believe that after we got thrown out?"

"They will if we tell it right," Margaret said grimly. "We're the victims here. We need to make sure everyone knows it.”