Aaron stood in the doorway, his jaw clenched as he watched Jane laugh at something Sarah had said. The casual familiarity between them made his blood boil. How dare she waltz back into his life as if nothing had happened?
Jane looked up and caught his eye, her smile never faltering. "Aaron! I was just telling Sarah about the time in chemistry class when you accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals and nearly set off the fire alarm."
"How amusing," Aaron said flatly.
Sarah excused herself to take a phone call about the Crimson Valley project, leaving Aaron and Jane alone in the living room. The moment Sarah was out of earshot, Aaron's expression turned cold.
"What are you doing back here, Jane?"
"I came to see you," she said, standing up and moving closer to him. "And Sarah, of course. She's lovely."
"I made it clear at the reunion that I never wanted to see you again."
Jane's smile faded slightly, replaced by an expression of practiced remorse. "I know, and I understand why you feel that way. But Aaron, I want to rekindle our relationship. Our friendship, I mean. I know I messed up all those years ago."
"You had many chances to make things right," Aaron said coldly. "You chose not to take any of them."
"I was stupid back then," Jane pleaded. "I was blinded by Chad's lies, by the promise of popularity and acceptance. I've seen the error of my ways now. I've grown up."
Aaron studied her face, seeing the desperation beneath her carefully maintained facade. He rolled his eyes, recognizing her manipulation for what it was—but an idea formed in his mind.
"Fine," he said, surprising her. "I'll give you one opportunity. But if you mess up even once, I don't want to see you again. Ever."
Jane's face lit up with triumph. "Thank you, Aaron. You won't regret this, I promise."
Aaron knew he couldn't trust Jane—not after everything she'd done. But this test would reveal whether she was telling the truth or simply trying to get close to him for ulterior motives. He had ways of finding out what people really wanted, and Jane would soon reveal her true intentions.
A few days later, Sarah approached Aaron in his office with something in her hand. She looked uncomfortable, almost embarrassed.
"Aaron, I've been thinking," she began. "About what I said in the car the other night. I was harsh."
"You were honest," Aaron replied without looking up from his documents.
"Yes, well..." Sarah placed a bank card on his desk. "There's fifty thousand dollars on this card. I want you to go buy yourself a decent car. Something you can be proud of driving."
Aaron stared at the card, feeling a complex mixture of emotions. Here was his wife, offering him what she considered generous charity, completely unaware that he could buy the entire dealership without checking his bank balance.
"Thank you," he said simply, pocketing the card.
"The dealership downtown has some good options in that price range," Sarah continued. "You should check it out."
Aaron decided to visit a high-end dealership instead—not the one Sarah had suggested, but one that catered to significantly wealthier clientele. He wanted to see how he'd be treated when people assumed he couldn't afford their products.
The showroom was impressive, filled with luxury vehicles under spotlights that made them gleam like jewelry. Aaron walked among the cars, admiring their lines and features, occasionally pausing to examine a particularly interesting model.
He tried to catch the attention of several sales representatives, but they all seemed to look right through him. His casual clothes and unassuming demeanor apparently screamed "window shopper" rather than "serious buyer."
Aaron was examining a sleek Mercedes when the atmosphere in the showroom suddenly shifted. A portly man in an expensive suit entered, accompanied by a woman dripping in designer clothing and jewelry. Immediately, every sales representative in the building seemed to gain energy.
The same rep Aaron had tried to flag down moments earlier practically sprinted to the couple, his smile wide and ingratiating.
"Welcome, welcome! I'm Derek, and I'll be helping you today. What can I show you?"
The fat man gestured dismissively at various vehicles. "That one. The AMG GT. I'll take it."
"Excellent choice, sir! Let me get the paperwork started—"
"Excuse me," Aaron interrupted. "I was here first, and I wanted to purchase that car."
Derek turned to Aaron with barely concealed contempt. "Sir, I seriously doubt you could afford this vehicle. It's three hundred thousand dollars."
"I have the money," Aaron said calmly.
"Sure you do," Derek scoffed. "Look, buddy, stop wasting everyone's time and leave. This is a serious dealership for serious buyers."
The fat man and his companion laughed, clearly entertained by Aaron's humiliation. The other sales reps joined in the mockery, making jokes about "dreamers" and "window shoppers."
Aaron turned to leave, his face carefully neutral despite his anger. As he headed toward the exit, he accidentally bumped into a woman who was mopping the showroom floor near the entrance.
"I'm so sorry," the woman said quickly, moving her mop bucket aside.
Aaron noticed she was wearing a sales rep name tag partially covered by her cleaning apron.
"Are you a sales representative?" he asked.
The woman looked surprised. "Yes, I am. I'm Lisa Chen. I'm just... they make me clean when there aren't any customers who want to work with me."
"Would you like to sell me a car?"
Lisa's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Completely."
Lisa quickly set aside her cleaning supplies, straightening her blazer with trembling hands. "Yes! Yes, of course! Which car were you interested in?"
Aaron scanned the showroom, deliberately avoiding the Mercedes that Derek had dismissed him over. Instead, his eyes landed on a stunning Bugatti Chiron positioned in the center of the floor like a crown jewel.
"That one," he said, pointing.
Everyone watching—and by now, everyone was watching—gasped. The Bugatti was the dealership's showcase piece, priced at three million dollars.
"The... the Bugatti?" Lisa stammered.
"Yes. And I'll also take that Lamborghini Aventador, the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Bentley Continental, the Aston Martin DBS, the Porsche 911 Turbo, and the Ferrari 812."
The showroom fell completely silent. Even the fat man stopped mid-conversation to stare.
Derek recovered first, letting out a harsh laugh. "Oh, this is rich. You're delusional, buddy. Those cars together cost over ten million dollars."
"Then I suppose I should also take that McLaren 720S and the Range Rover SVAutobiography to round out the collection," Aaron added calmly.
The other sales reps joined Derek in mocking Aaron, their laughter echoing through the showroom.
"Sir," Lisa said quietly, clearly uncomfortable, "are you certain you want to proceed with this?"
Aaron pulled out his black card—the one connected to his Eternal Bank accounts—and handed it to her. "Run it."
Lisa's hands shook as she took the card to the payment terminal. The laughter in the showroom began to die down as people realized Aaron wasn't backing down.
The terminal beeped. Transaction approved.
The color drained from Derek's face. The fat man's mouth fell open. The other sales reps stood frozen in shock as the reality of what just happened sank in.
"How much commission will you receive from this sale?" Aaron asked Lisa.
"Um... about twenty thousand dollars," she said, still looking dazed.
"That's not nearly enough."
Aaron turned and began walking through the showroom systematically, pointing at vehicles. "I'll take that one. And that one. That Maserati. Both of those Porsches. The Audi R8. All three of those Mercedes. The Jaguar F-Type. That Tesla Roadster..."
With each car he selected, the other sales reps looked like they were being physically stabbed. They watched their commissions evaporate before their eyes, all going to the woman they'd relegated to janitorial duty.
The dealership manager burst out of his office, alerted by his staff about the unprecedented sale taking place.
"Mr...?" the manager began, extending his hand eagerly.
"Turner. Aaron Turner."
"Mr. Turner! I'm Henry Walsh, the general manager. I want to personally thank you for your business today. This is extraordinary!"
By the time Aaron was finished, he had purchased vehicles totaling eighty million dollars. Lisa's commission came to eight million dollars—more money than she'd probably imagined earning in her entire career.
"I want every dollar of commission to go to Lisa," Aaron instructed the manager. "Not split among the sales team. All of it goes to her."
"Of course, Mr. Turner. Whatever you wish."
"I'll also need these vehicles kept here until I decide where to have them delivered. For now, I'll take..." Aaron surveyed his purchases and selected a modest-looking Audi A6, the least expensive car he'd bought at two hundred thousand dollars. "That one."
As Aaron drove away in his new Audi, he left behind a showroom full of stunned people. Lisa was crying tears of joy. Derek looked like he wanted to throw himself off a bridge. The fat man and his companion had left quietly, their own purchase suddenly seeming insignificant.
When Aaron pulled into the driveway of The King's Castle, Sarah was getting out of her own car. She stopped dead when she saw the sleek Audi.
"Aaron? Is that... did you buy that?"
"Yes. You said to get a decent car."
Sarah walked around the vehicle, her eyes widening as she recognized the model. "Aaron, this is an Audi A6. This costs at least two hundred thousand dollars."
Aaron froze. He'd deliberately chosen the cheapest car from his purchases, forgetting that "cheapest" in the context of an eighty-million-dollar shopping spree was still far beyond what Sarah thought he could afford.
"How much money did I give you?" Sarah asked slowly.
"Fifty thousand."
"Then how exactly did you get two hundred thousand dollars to buy this car?"
Aaron realized his mistake too late. His careful charade was crumbling, and he had no good explanation that wouldn't lead to more dangerous questions.