Chapter 37: The chaos at the shop (Part – 1)

Words : 1246 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 37: The chaos at the shop (Part – 1) "A membership card?" Tania let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "This must be fake." Both salesgirls gasped in unison, their faces filled with disbelief. "Fake?" one of them exclaimed. Tania crossed her arms, tilting her chin smugly. "I know you two very well—one is just a lowly secretary, and the other works at a hotel reception. How could either of you possibly own a membership card here?" She shot the salesgirls a pointed look. "Call security and throw them out of the store." The tension in the boutique thickened. Just as one of the salesgirls reached for the store phone to call the guards, a deep, commanding voice rang through the room. "Who dares to lay a hand on my wife?" Heads turned toward the entrance. A tall, striking man strode forward, radiating power and confidence. The sheer intensity in his gaze sent a ripple of nervousness in the air. Anne’s heart leaped at the sight of him. A wave of relief washed over her, and she found herself smiling unconsciously. "Augustine," she whispered. Beside her, Audrey’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She nudged Anne sharply with her elbow and asked in a hushed squeal, "Is he your husband?" Anne nodded, her eyes locked on him as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them. Audrey blinked rapidly, still dazed. "Wow... He is so good-looking," she murmured, practically drooling as she watched Augustine. Augustine strode straight to Anne, his eyes scanning her face with concern. "Are you okay?" Anne nodded, though the surprise and excitement in her expression were evident. "You... here? How?" He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged casually. "I was just looking around and happened to see you." Anne was unconvinced. "Looking around?" She studied him, tilting her head. "You must be following me." A chuckle escaped Augustine as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost sheepish. "I actually—" Before he could finish, Tania’s sharp voice cut through the moment. "Another loser has arrived." She sneered, rolling her eyes. "You two make me sick to my stomach. Where are the guards? Kick them out of here." The warmth in Augustine’s expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, piercing glare. He turned to Tania. "Come again?" He took a step forward, towering over her. "You—want to throw me out of here!" Tania instinctively took a step back, her heart sinking at the intensity of his gaze. But she quickly masked her brief moment of fear with an arrogant smirk. "Stop acting like you own this place. You and your wife don’t belong here. Go to another store where you can actually afford something." Augustine’s lips curled into a sneer. His gaze darkened, sharp as a blade. "What if I do own this place?" he challenged. "Do you even know who the owner is?" Tania faltered, her smirk wavering. For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered in her eyes. Then, as if regaining her confidence, she burst into laughter. "Hah! Owner?" she scoffed, struggling to suppress her amusement. "You’re nothing but a stray dog the Beaumont family picked up. Without their scraps, you’d be long gone. You are nothing on your own." The words hit like a slap. Augustine rolled his fingers into balls. A slow, menacing smile crept onto Tania’s lips. "I heard you worked at a bar while you were abroad," she sneered sarcastically. "Juggling two or three different jobs just to survive. And now you’re back, unemployed, even the Beaumont family doesn’t want you anymore—yet you have the audacity to stand in front of me and claim you own this high-end store. Who exactly are you trying to fool?" The salesgirls exchanged glances, their expressions shifting into ones of disdain. Their eyes traveled over Augustine’s plain white shirt and grey pants—simple, unremarkable, and certainly not the attire of someone who belonged in a place like this. The way he carried himself exuded confidence, but Tania’s words painted him as nothing more than a struggling nobody. That was enough for them to believe her. "Hah!" The red-haired salesgirl scoffed, laughing mockingly. "The owner of this shop is one of the richest men in the world. Not a lowly loser like you." Augustine let out a low chuckle. His sharp gaze locked onto the salesgirl in an air of quiet menace. "Are you sure about that?" he asked smoothly. The other salesgirl quickly tugged at her colleague’s sleeve, whispering urgently, "Stop it. Don’t make a bigger scene. We don’t know who he really is." "Enough of this nonsense," Tania snapped, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Where are the guards? Get these pretenders out of my sight!" Augustine stood still, unfazed, his lips curving into a smirk. The guards stormed in. "Take them out of here!" Tania ordered. "They’re causing trouble." As the guards stepped forward, prepared to escort Augustine and Anne out, a firm voice cut through the tense air. "What is going on here?" The manager strode in, his sharp gaze scanning the scene. Immediately, the salesgirls rushed to explain, painting Augustine as a troublemaker. "This man is disturbing our valued customer," the arrogant red-haired salesgirl said, her nose high in the air. "We had no choice but to call security." The manager’s eyes landed on Augustine, his expression twisting into a sneer. He gave him a slow, disdainful look, his lips curling in mockery. "So, you’re pretending to be the boss? Do you have any idea how rich and powerful the real owner is? He lives abroad, runs multiple businesses—his wealth is beyond imagination. And you..." His gaze flicked over Augustine’s modest clothing with clear disgust. "You couldn’t even afford a single shirt here." Anne’s blood boiled. She would not stand by and watch her husband be humiliated. "Who said we couldn’t afford anything?" she shot back. Striding confidently to the nearest display, she plucked a royal blue shirt from the rack, pairing it with an emerald tie. She thrust them toward the salesgirl nearby. "I’ll take these," she declared, pulling out her bank card. "Here. Process the payment." "I’ll pay," Augustine cut in. Anne turned to him, shaking her head in defiance. "No. I’ll buy it for you. It’s a gift from me." A wave of warmth spread through Augustine’s chest. Even amidst all the tension, her determination to stand by him touched him deeply. But he wouldn’t let her spend a dime—not when he was right there. "You being with me is the greatest gift I could ever ask for. These—let me take care of them." Before Anne could protest, he smoothly pulled out a sleek black card from his wallet and handed it to the manager. "Swipe it from here," he instructed. The moment the manager’s gaze fell on the card, his breath hitched. His fingers trembled. A chill ran down his spine. ’How could he have this card?’ his mind screamed. ’This is...’ Before he could process the weight of his realization, his phone vibrated violently in his pocket. Ring-Ring... His stomach twisted in knots as he pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. His blood ran cold. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "H-Hello?" His voice cracked as he answered. A deep, authoritative voice thundered through the speaker. "You foolish man." The fury in the voice made the manager’s knees nearly buckle. "You dared to humiliate the boss and his wife? Are you courting death?"

Chapter 37: The chaos at the shop (Part – 1)

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