The manager and major shareholder, Leon, quickly approached and said, "You two, I am the general manager here. My surname is Leon. Are you interested in test driving the G-Class? We offer the G350 for test drives."
Seeing their immediate supervisor arrive, Phillipa and Deewa both fell silent.
Noting his politeness, Luis immediately smiled and said, "This salesperson introduced the vehicle very well. We are interested in purchasing this G500, but we have little interest in the G350."
Recognizing a genuine high-value client, Leon smiled eagerly and said, "You have excellent taste, sir. However, itâs unfortunate that we donât have a G500 available for test drives here. This particular unit was reserved by another client who, due to unforeseen circumstances, will be picking it up at a later date."
"Manager, donât let them fool you. They look all respectable but act so pretentious, looking down on the G350 as if they actually have that kind of money," Deewa couldnât hold back any longer and snorted, adding, "Just look at how theyâre dressed. They donât look like wealthy people at all."
Luis stated directly, "Iâll add ten thousand dollars. Ask that client if they would be willing to part with it."
"This..."
The managerâs eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Deewa was the first to become anxious. "Manager, I was the one who secured this deal, and the client has already paid a deposit."
Seeing the situation turning favorable, Phillipa immediately fanned the flames, saying, "Manager, why donât you inquire? We arenât very familiar with this client anyway. Instances where a deposit is paid but the buyer canât afford the final payment arenât unheard of. Itâs only five thousand dollars, so whatâs the big deal? The real concern is that some people might get scammed..." As she spoke, she cast a sidelong, insinuating glance at Deewa.
Clenching her teeth, Deewa retorted, "Stop talking nonsense. I was the one who handled this client, and they paid with real money."
"Whether itâs a deposit or payment for services is hard to say," Phillipa continued her steady verbal assault, implying pointedly, "After all, itâs unclear whether the interest lies in the car or the person. Itâs a bit odd for a client to invite you to dinner and give you little gifts before even purchasing the car, donât you think?"
Her words were no longer subtle but a direct insinuation that Deewa had secured the order by accompanying the client to dinner and sleeping with him.
The reason such part-time roles within certain circles often overlapâlike car models and real estate agentsâis twofold. First, the commissions are substantial.
Second, enduring a bit of unwanted attention, or even submitting to certain unspoken arrangements, can yield far more money than conventional work, without significantly damaging oneâs reputation.
Most importantly, it provides opportunities to meet wealthy individuals. Therefore, within these circles, such behavior isnât considered particularly strange or shameful.
Deewa snorted dismissively, annoyed, and said, "Cut the crap. Tiger Real Estate is a leading enterprise in Bathek City. Are you worried their heir would renege on a deal?"
"True, spending five thousand dollars just for some intimacy before backing out does seem rather expensive," Phillipa remarked, her eloquence utterly overwhelming.
Deewaâs expression had turned extremely grim; it seemed verbal sparring was her definite weakness.
"Twenty thousand dollars!"
Seeing his sister-in-law, Nancy, watching with keen interest and chuckling gleefully, Luis naturally wanted to add to the amusement.
Ten thousand dollars wasnât a huge sum for Leon, but it was essentially free money and an opportunity to connect with a wealthy, influential client.
"This..."
Leon was also tempted and said, "Then let me ask."
Deewa immediately grew frantic. "Manager, how can you do this? The client has already paid a deposit. Donât you believe in honoring contracts?"
"Contractual spirit"âthis phrase struck a nerve again. Leonâs face darkened, but he coughed and adopted a serious tone, stating, "Deewa, in business, we must speak business. If he ordered the car but indefinitely delays picking it up, are we supposed to wait forever? How long would that take?"
Hearing this, Phillipa gained confidence and straightened her posture, declaring, "Exactly. The car has been here for a week. Even if heâs traveling abroad, he should have returned by now. Iâll communicate with Mr. directly. At most, weâll compensate him double the deposit as per the contractâten thousand dollars for the five thousand deposit. That should resolve any complaints."
While such situations sometimes lead to messy disputes or instances of larger entities taking advantage, if the other party truly was the heir of Tiger Real Estate, he intended to settle the matter with money to avoid trouble.
An extra ten thousand dollars in net profitâany fool could do that math.
"Call him. Iâll speak with him," Leon stated, his mind made up.
Seeing his resolve, Deewa gritted her teeth and said, "I wonât make the call. If you want to, do it yourself. I canât bear the humiliation."
"Fine. Phillipa, go fetch the clientâs file."
Phillipa hurried off eagerly and promptly returned with the order details.
Leon dialed the phone number listed, but it was switched off. Frowning, he asked, "You claimed he was unavailable. Has his phone been off this whole time? Is he deceiving us?"
"I donât know whatâs going on. I havenât been able to reach him for days, and he hasnât replied on Whatsapp either," Deewa explained hastily.
Leon sneered and asked, "Davidâthat is indeed Dominicâs sonâs name, correct?"
Hearing it was David, Luisâs eyes widened. He thought to himself, That kid has some pull, buying a G-Class right after coming of age. Well, his father is wealthy, I suppose.
But first, that guy made advances toward his sister-in-law, and now heâs chasing a mature woman like Deewa. His tastes are certainly eclectic.
"You... you know him?" Deewa asked, sounding somewhat intimidated.
Luis also sensed something amiss. This guyâs surname is Leonâcould he be related to that Bella?
As for David being unreachable, that was normalâthe kid was in detention, so contacting him would be impossible.
"Fairly well. Iâll just make a call and ask," Leon said before dialing another number.
Once connected, he spoke warmly, "Brother-in-law, itâs Leon. How is your health holding up?"
"Already discharged from the hospital. Iâm fine, not dead yet," Dominic replied dismissively. "Youâre a busy man. What brings this sudden call?"
Leon promptly explained, "Itâs like this. I was reviewing our storeâs accounts and noticed David placed an order for a G-Class here. The car arrived about a week ago, but we havenât been able to reach him since."
"Oh, that matter. After he got his license, I promised to buy him a car as a coming-of-age gift," Dominic said lightly. "Heâs been occupied lately. Iâll come collect the vehicle in due time. Surely my word still counts for something?"
"Please, donât say such things. Thatâs too formal," Leon replied, not daring to overstep. "With your name, Dominic, you could drive away any car from here, let alone a G-Class worth over two hundred thousand dollars."
It had to be acknowledged that a local magnate of such caliber was indeed formidable. Merely hearing Dominicâs name on the phone was enough.
Not only did Deewaâs expression shift, silencing any protest, but even Phillipa and Nancy held their breath, not daring to exhale too loudly. A personâs reputation carried weightâin Bathek City, those three syllables commanded respect, and few would dare act recklessly.