Chapter Twenty
The anticipation of meeting his new family that evening filled Pervin with an energy he hadn’t felt in years. As he walked through the city’s upscale shopping district, he decided that he wanted to bring gift to show his appreciation for everything they had done for him.
The gleaming facade of Cartwright & Associates Luxury Goods caught his attention. Through the pristine windows, he could see elegant displays of jewelry, watches, and other high–end items that would make perfect gifts.
As Pervis approached the entrance, his reflection in the polished glass reminded him that he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday–wrinkled from his ordeal and hardly appropriate for such an establishment. His shoes, once decent, now showed scuffs and wear that made them look shabby in comparison to his surroundings.
The moment he stepped through the door, a sharp voice cut through the refined atmosphere.
“Excuse me!” An older woman with severely pulled–back gray hair and a pinched expression marched toward him. “This is a luxury establishment, not a homeless shelter,”
Pervis paused, taken aback by the immediate hostility. “I’m sorry?”
“Look at yourself,” the woman sneered, her eyes scanning him from head to toe with obvious disgust.” Those clothes look like you slept in them, and those shoes…” She wrinkled her nose as if detecting a foul odor. “They’re practically falling apart.”
T’d like to purchase some gifts,” Pervis said politely, trying to maintain his composure.
“Gifts?” The woman laughed harshly. “With what money? People like you can’t afford anything in here. The cheapest item costs more than you probably make in a year.”
Other customers in the store had begun to notice the commotion, turning to stare at the scene unfolding
near the entrance.
“Ma’am, I assure you I can pay for whatever I choose to purchase,” Pervis said firmly.
“Can you now?” the woman replied mockingly. “Let me guess–you’re going to pay with food stamps? Or maybe you have some loose change you found in a couch cushion?”
“Mrs. Henderson, perhaps we should-” a younger saleswoman started to interject, but was immediately
cut off.
“Be quiet, Sarah,” Mrs. Henderson snapped. “I’m handling this appropriately.”
She turned back to Pervis, her expression growing even more contemptuous. “Listen here, you vagrant. This store caters to successful people, not whatever gutter you crawled out of. You’re making our legitimate customers uncomfortable.”
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Tam a legitimate customer, Pervis insisted, his patience beginning to wear thin
“Are you?” Mrs Henderson’s voice rose loud enough for the entire store to hear “Because you look more like something I’d scrape off my shoe than someone who belongs in here.”
She gestured dramatically toward his appearance. “Those rags you’re wearing probably came from a dumpster, and you smell like you haven’t seen soap in weeks”
“That’s enough,” Pervis said, his voice hardening
“Is it?” Mrs. Henderson continued relentlessly “Because I think our security should escort you out before you start begging customers for spare change”
She snapped her fingers, and two uniformed guards began approaching from the back of the store “Remove this person from the premises,” she commanded imperiously. “He’s disturbing our clientele “Wait,” Sarah, the young saleswoman, stepped forward again. “Sir, I apologize for this treatment. Mrs. Henderson, this is completely inappropriate”
“Inappropriate?” Mrs. Henderson whirled on the younger woman “What’s inappropriate is letting trash like this wander around where decent people are trying to shop”
“He’s a human being who deserves basic respect,” Sarah protested
“Oh, I see what’s happening here,” Mrs. Henderson said with a nasty smile “Is this vagrant your boyfriend, Sarah? Are you trying to help your little charity case pretend he belongs here?”
“That’s not true at all,” Sarah replied, her face flushing “I’m simply trying to provide proper customer
service”
“Customer service?” Mis Henderson laughed cruelly “He’s not a customer Look at him! He probably can’t afford a candy bar, let alone anything we sell here
“Mrs. Henderson, I’m going to report this behavior to corporate, Sarah said firmly
“Report this?” Mrs. Henderson’s eyes flashed dangerously “I’ll show you what deserves to be reported!”
She raised her hand and slapped Sarah hard across the face, the sound echoing through the store like a gunshot
“That’s for insubordination and for bringing your homeless boyfriend into my store!” Mrs. Henderson
snarled
Sarah staggered backward, her hand flying to her reddening cheek, tears of shock and humiliation springing to her eyes
“You want to file a complaint?” Mrs Henderson continued viciously. Tll make sure you’re fired for violation of company policies”
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+25 BONUS
She raised her hand again, preparing to deliver another blow to the stunned young woman. But before the second slap could land, Pervis’s hand shot out and caught Mrs. Henderson’s wrist in an
iron grip.
“That’s enough,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that made everyone in the store go
silent
Mrs. Henderson tried to pull her wrist free, but Pervis’s grip was unbreakable. “Let go of me! How dare you put your filthy hands on me!”
“I said that’s enough,” Pervis repeated, his voice remaining calm but somehow more threatening than any shout.
With his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the black card Aria had given him earlier.
“This is my card,” he said simply, holding it up for everyone to see.
Mrs. Henderson’s eyes widened as she recognized the significance of the matte black surface and minimal markings. Her face went from red with anger to white with terror in the span of seconds.
“That… that can’t be real,” she whispered, her voice suddenly weak.
DX–Would
“Would you like me to prove it?” Pervis asked mildly.
Mrs. Henderson began to shake uncontrollably as the full implications of what she had done crashed down on her. A black card like that represented not just wealth, but the kind of power that could destroy careers and lives with a single phone call
“Please,” she whimpered, her earlier arrogance completely evaporated “Please forgive me. I didn’t know… I couldn’t have known.”
“Forgive you for what, exactly?” Pervis asked, still holding her wrist firmly. “For calling me trash? For comparing me to something you’d scrape off your shoe? For assaulting this young woman who was simply trying to do her job properly?”
“I’m sorry!” Mrs. Henderson cried, tears now streaming down her face. “I’m so very sorry! Please don’t ruin me! I have a family! I need this job!”
Pervis released her wrist and stepped back, watching as she collapsed to her knees on the marble floor of the elegant store.
“Perhaps,” he said thoughtfully, “you should have considered that before you decided to judge people based on their appearance.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
