"You're an uneducated man, and good for nothing. If I were you, I would let go of Manager Chen as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will take you to the police and get your ass kicked. It will teach you a lesson." When Rain challenged his temper and patience, Edward was fine with it. However, he wanted to strangle Shaun when he did that.
Hah! Don't be ridiculous. You think you can arrest me and put me in jail? Let me remind you that you are not in charge of the police force, in case you have forgotten that." The overconfident Shaun didn't notice that Melissa was rooted in her spot, standing very still. She stared at the man she both loved and hated so much. Although a long time had passed since she last saw Edward, she still found him attractive and charming. Her breath was caught as she was lost in his beauty once again.
"Boss, I..." Manager Chen's voice trailed off. He shot Edward an embarrassed look, regretting coming across such a difficult client.
It's fine. I've got you covered," Edward said in an assuring voice. Since this confrontation had occurred because of him, he wouldn't walk away and leave Manager Chen with this mess. Besides, the manager was a loyal and qualified employee. Edward was determined to protect him.
"Hah! I am just afraid that it's out of your control," Shaun said scornfully. He was arrogant and a bully. Even though he heard Chen address Edward as boss, he didn't give a damn about it. In his eyes, the mall was no match to Kompass Group. However, he did think that Edward was quite handsome. His features were sharp, which lent him an extraordinary charm. Shaun would not mind befriending such a charismatic man.
Melissa knew Edward's true identity. She hated Shaun for provoking him that way. What a fool he was, she thought. Before they came here, she had shown him Edward's background files. However, Shaun seemed to remember nothing including Edward's charming appearance. 'This is like committing suicide,' Melissa thought with fury. At that moment, she knew Shaun couldn't be relied upon to destroy FX International Group. She was so naive to trust him with the task.
"As the CEO of this mall, I'm responsible for dealing with all accidents that occur here. Also, I'm quite capable of solving any difficulties. Any problems?" Edward sneered.
In any case, Edward wouldn't allow this necklace to be bought by somebody else. It was rare that an accessory suited Daisy so well. Besides, in his opinion, the Ice Rain was too good for Melissa. Since she had chosen to keep her true identity from Edward, he too chose to remain ignorant. Edward felt it was convenient for him to buy the necklace for Daisy.
"You're just the owner of a fucking mall. Don't be a fool. Do you have any idea who I am?" Shaun said in a defiant voice. Melissa stared at him in horror and disbelief. 'You damn fool. Edward has already told you that he's the president of this mall. How could you not figure out that he might be a senior figure in FX International Group?' Melissa thought remorsefully. She had truly wasted her time and energy in preparing the files for Shaun.
"You tell me." Edward smirked. Although Edward had been informed of Shaun's identity, he didn't want to show him that he knew. He was looking forward to seeing Shaun make a scene and embarrass himself.
I am Shaun Gao, CEO of Kompass Group from H City. Everyone knows who I am," Shaun said gleefully. He stood upright and raised his head. Whatever he did, he could never look as tall and charismatic as Edward. His short height always came in the way of him trying to impress a stranger.
"I see. So, you're the president of Kompass. Sorry, I didn't recognize you. My bad," Edward said insincerely, his voice cold. As a successful business leader, Edward was trained to stay calm and confident in crisis situations. However, Shaun was too arrogant and ignorant to do that.
"Heh. Are you scared now? Hand over the necklace before you piss me off!" Edward's courteous reply flattered Shaun. A scornful smile appeared around the corners of his mouth. Handsome and charming as Edward was, he was only good at managing a small mall. It was no match to running the entirety of a company like Kompass Group.
"Mr. Gao, I think you would prefer to be considered as a dignified client rather than a hideous robber." Edward taunted Shaun for his inappropriate conduct with an amiable smile on his face. He wouldn't be fooled so easily. The people around him didn't know the scheming brain behind his pleasant smile.
"What do you mean by that? That I'm robbing you of a necklace? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not a villain or a thief. But I am powerful enough to destroy your business within seconds," Shawn answered in a menacing tone. He was clearly acting beyond reason at the moment. Shawn was doomed to face the serious consequences of his actions.
"I believe you. But you're too arrogant if you think you can take this necklace from me," Edward answered sternly. Edward wanted to stop Shaun from fooling around so he would leave immediately. He decided to reveal his true identity.
Are you joking? How can you prevent me from buying this necklace? You think the boss of a small mall can do that? You can't just defy me. Try me if you dare to!" Shaun responded back, snickering. He looked like a lunatic in comparison to Edward, who was composed and dignified.
What if I tell you that I represent FX International Group? Would you still be confident that you could beat me?" Edward asked authoritatively. His proud and intimidating expressions gave Shaun the chills.
"Why? Is this store owned by FX International Group? Are you telling me that you're Edward Mu?" Shaun inquired. He remembered Manager Chen calling him boss. 'Jesus Christ, the man standing in front of me is indeed the president of FX International Group. What have I done? I have been provoking and pissing him off!' Shaun was in shock.
"Yes, that's me. So, what now? Do you still believe that you can destroy this store easily, 'within seconds?'" Edward asked. He could tolerate people bragging about their success. However, he hated those who were conceited and bullied the weak.
"All right, so you are the CEO of FX International. Even so, is this the way you treat your clients? How are you fine with this? Companies are supposed to be honest. If you run low on credit, you will go bankrupt." Even with a guilty conscience, Shaun refused to apologize or surrender. As far as he was concerned, he was on par with Edward's status.
"Don't you worry about us. We will never go bankrupt. As for our credit, just like Manager Chen said, you are the one who failed to keep an appointment with us. Now it's our right to sell this necklace to other clients," Edward pointed out. He hadn't known that Manager Chen had fixed an appointment time with Shaun until he was informed about it a few moments ago. He decided to work out a solution to keep the necklace. Since it was Shaun who failed to keep the appointment, it made things much easier.
"Are you not ashamed to say that as the president of an international company?" Shaun asked. He gritted his teeth, knowing deep down that he was making wrong accusations. However, he couldn't just swallow his pride and walk away like a pathetic, beaten dog.
We didn't do anything wrong as a company. I think you should know that well, since you too run a large company," Edward answered him patiently. He radiated calm confidence. Edward found it ridiculous to even consider Shaun as a worthy and competent opponent.
"Mr. Mu, I'm going to do you a favor and allow you to keep this necklace. Just this once. Melissa, let's get out of here. I must have been mad to go shopping today," Shaun said, sulking. He turned and walked toward the door. He knew that Edward was convincing in his arguments and that in fact, Shaun himself was fighting a losing war. So he chose to give up, even though he was unwilling to submit. He couldn't be seen defying Edward's authority publicly. An ancient proverb says that the man who can recognize the reality of a situation is the paragon of men. Therefore, Shaun chose to walk away so he could avoid the confrontation with Edward, who was perhaps the most powerful man in town.