10 minutes have passed, and Gerard closes the program. He already saw that he could take down the YE Trading Company if he had the necessary funds. He needs to earn that fund and find some company worth making a stepping stone for—not too large or too small. It's best to leave YE Trading as a last resort; as they say, the best comes last.
"What can I do in my free time?" Gerard was bored. This easy money is all well and good, but he needs something to entertain him.
At this moment, the front door opened, and the bell above it rang in unison. In response, Gerard stood up and greeted the new customer.
A figure entered the establishment. He was slightly shorter than Gerard, with the visitor standing at 5 feet 4 inches. With his jewelry and clothes, one could have guessed that this man was some rich guy's spoiled son. In other words, a second-generation spoiled brat.
Who in their right mind would walk around in broad daylight like that? Is he some kind of weirdo who likes to be robbed? Even if not, his outfit is baiting others to rob him at a time like this. It's just slightly later than half past 11; what on earth is this man thinking?
Gerard could only smile. In truth, his guts are telling him to drive away this runt to avoid some kind of trouble that is most likely hovering over this boy. He didn't expect to meet an actual prodigal wealthy heir; he assumed this was just a stereotype that commoners had labeled rich people with. He was smacked by reality.
"Good morning. Are you here to use our computer?" Gerard smiled.
The teen didn't look too impressed by him. The brat didn't pay attention to Gerard and ignored him; he looked behind him, and that's when he spoke.
"Is this the store that father wanted to sponsor? This would be a waste of money! Look at the place; it's so old. Look at me; my outfit is sure to be more expensive than all of this combined," the kid retorted.
Gerard almost choked when he heard that line. More expensive? What does this brat even know about the store? The whole property is worth nearly half a million dollars, and looking at the teenager, Gerard could tell it wasn't up to much. Yes, what the boy bought was indeed expensive, but it's nowhere near half the value of this establishment, let alone the whole store. The thing in the boy's mind is pure wishful thinking; he couldn't possibly think that his father's money was also his. What's with the ego?
"The boss instructed me clearly to have a business-related deal be accomplished with this store. You don't need to concern yourself with this one. Your father instructed me to let you have fun while I go finish up my work." It was a female, who looked to be in her 30s.
She stared at Gerard before asking, "Where is the owner of this shop?"
"The owner is in his office upstairs; I don't know if he'll allow you. He didn't say anything about an appointment with someone."
The teen was enraged by what Gerard had said to the woman and said, "What's that attitude huh? Do you not know who we are? With one phone call, you would be jobless, we're giving this store face by going here and this is how you treat us, I'll tell you to father"
What a f**king loudmouth! That was Gerard's only thought at the moment. Don't know who they are? Of course, I didn't know who you all were; you just came in here and started cursing this place.
"Easy Jerome, we came here for a peaceful agreement. Can you tell Mr. Bandit that the Smith Co. personnel are here?" The woman calmed Jerome and asked Gerard
Gerard is still angry with Jerome, but since the old lady has said that they came on peaceful terms and she didn't do anything wrong, he has let it slide this time.
"Wait a minute." Gerard got up and proceeded to walk upstairs, Jerome shrugging on the side.
-On the second floor
Gerard knocked three times before Bandit gave the signal to go inside.
"Is there a problem downstairs?" Bandit asked.
"Some woman said she was from Smith Co. and was here for some kind of deal," Gerard explained.
"Oh, sorry about that, I forgot to tell you earlier. I just thought they wouldn't be coming here today instead of after the Day of the Descent was over. Tell her to come here."
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of company is Smith Co.? Are they supposed to be rich and famous?" Gerard was curious as he didn't know such a company existed.
"Ah, is that your only question? If that is it, I can surely answer you. You see, they might not be that large of a company, but they do have a reputation. They mainly handle electronics, all kinds you can think of, and as far as I know, they also have their actors and many talents, so you can also say they are a talent agency. There isn't an actor or singer there that is THAT talented, so that's why you probably haven't heard of them."
"If that's how successful they are, they must be picky about who they do business with. How did you manage them to make a deal with you, owner? Are you like Karl Cent, who is also WonderMan?"
"What am I, an alien? Do I look like an alien to you? Plus, we still don't know if the deal will follow through."
"If you were not my boss, I would've done a full investigation on you, but you know I'm a gentleman, so I'll trust the man who saved me," Gerard said as an assurance.
"Who saved you? Go back now and tell the representative of Smith Co. to come here for a business talk."
"All right, I'll tell them," Gerard said as he walked towards the door; soon after, he was now on the ground floor.
Gerard mentioned that the lady could go upstairs, and the lady complied before saying, "I don't know how much time this deal will take, so busy yourself; I won't be accompanying you."
After a while, a door closing was heard from upstairs, and Gerard went to his desk; he wouldn't bother with the brat unless he was told. Seeing this, Jerome was upset and said, "Will you not ask me if I am going to use a computer?"
"Oh, sorry, you were still there? Are you going to use a computer?" Gerard said innocently.
"Yes, so hurry it up! I don't have all day; I'm not Captain Light." \
"That would be 5 dollars per hour." Gerard had deaf ears for Jerome's rants and also sextupled the amount needed. Gerard knows that it's an absurd amount; yes, it's not in the double digits yet, but still, for just an hour of computer use, it's overpriced.
"You sound very arrogant, but this store's usage only amounts to five dollars? What a joke, I can easily pay for that," Jerome said boastfully, not knowing he had been duped by Gerard.
Gerard could only think, "Does this guy have dollars for his brain?" I'm sorry for his dad; sooner or later, this son of his will spell his doom.
"I already processed it; your seat is on number 5. Just please don't bother the others; that's the least you can do. Thank you!"
"What bother, do you not know that I'm a law-abiding citizen? If not for you, I will be in a much better mood this day," Jerome said as he walked toward his supposed computer.
Gerard didn't take it seriously and sat back down, minding his own business.
Jerome now reached his seat, and he was shocked by the quality of the computer in his eyes. Not only is the computer case splendidly done, but this also goes for the monitor. It was of high quality and probably not as valuable as his personal computer at home.
This made Jerome curious as to what condition the other computer was in. He was thinking, "They must've given this seat to me because of status, right? That's the only way this can be explained." Jerome is probably suffering the same kind of illness as Gerard; he couldn't put his pride down.
He went to see what the other computer was doing on his right, and he almost cursed. He can't believe it was also a high-end PC. He also went around to see what the other computers were like, and he was shocked.
He thought it must be some kind of joke—how could a low-end PC shop have these kinds of computers?
Jerome didn't notice, but the other customers are annoyed by what he was doing. The others could only think, "What the heck is wrong with this boy, walking around like some kind of freak?"