Chereads / THE REVENGE OF ELVIS / Chapter 13 - CAN'T PAY

Chapter 13 - CAN'T PAY

"Hey, Miss. There's a thief who sneaked in here. I'll advise you to kick him out of here before he sneaks out with any item here. That's him over there," Leslie said, pointing at Elvis who was still standing beside the shelves and checking the dresses.

The saleswoman paused and looked at Leslie, wondering what fact Leslie had to justify her claims. 

Almost immediately, Roy walked up to them. "Miss, it'll be safe to get that poor hopeless fellow out of here. He has no job and even when he did, he couldn't earn up to $300 in a month, and how come he is checking clothes that cost thousands of dollars!"

Roy and Leslie's words caught the attention of the boutique's saleswoman, Victoria.

She was an elegant woman in her forties, with an air of sophistication that matched the boutique's ambience. When she heard the disparaging comments about Elvis being a pauper, her curiosity was piqued. She walked up to where Elvis was.

Meanwhile, Elvis continued to browse through the racks of dresses, unaware of the attention he had garnered. He was focused on finding a special suit and trousers for the skill exhibition.

He was going to grace the occasion as the owner of The Grand Empire, and he wanted to appear at his very best. Aside from that, he needed to change his clothes. So he was looking out for other good dresses. 

As Victoria observed Elvis from a distance, her keen eye caught the details of his attire—a pair of faded jeans and a simple, well-worn shirt. In her mind, these clothes confirmed what Roy and Leslie had implied—he couldn't possibly afford the dresses in the boutique.

Victoria was about to speak when she suddenly heard Elvis mutter something under his breath; his face was brightened with a smile. He had just found a designer suit that radiated elegance and sophistication so he picked up the suit and carefully examined it with his fingers tracing the fine fabric.

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his lips and he found his way towards the counter to pay for the suit and other dresses, oblivious of the saleswoman, Roy, and Leslie watching him. 

With surprise etched on their faces, Roy and Leslie followed Elvis from behind. " This b*stard is trying to play foolish games?" Leslie murmured. 

"What do you think you're doing idiot? Do you know how much that suit in your hands cost? Have you gone nuts? You have so much guts to step into an expensive boutique to pick up a dress for yourself. Oh, I see... maybe, you think they sell $100 worth of clothes here... Can't you see that no one here belongs to your class?" Roy mocked.

"Look, you have no business with where I go or what I do. Therefore, mind your business!" Elvis snapped as he faced the attendant to pay for the suit he had selected.

"$100,000,000" The attendant informed. Without hesitation, Elvis brought out his platinum card which was given to him by the bank. 

On seeing this, Roy and Leslie looked at each other's faces. The attendant herself was not expecting Elvis to be able to pay for the suit. He looked poor and miserable in his shabby clothes.

  The saleswoman watched from the rare, ready-to-call security on Elvis at any given opportunity. She believed Roy and Leslie's remark about him, and his appearance did not tell the contrary.

"Don't fall for his trap. This guy is a liar. He has nothing in his account. Trust me, he's my ex. He's so poor and miserable. Call the Security to kick him out of here!" Leslie growled in anger. 

By this time, Elvis had begun to search his pocket for his wallet, but it was nowhere to be found. The bank he opened an account with the other day had given him a platinum card, and he had kept it safe in his wallet, taking it with him wherever he went. But now, the wallet was nowhere to be found. When Leslie and Roy saw Elvis searching his pocket abruptly, they shared a mischievous look and burst into laughter.

"You see, I said it, he is a thief. He doesn't have the money to pay for even the cheapest things here, yet see what he went ahead to pick those things. I told you to shoo him out, but you wouldn't listen to me," Leslie said to the saleswoman before turning to face Donald, "Hey, fool, don't pretend you can afford all of that, alright? Why shame yourself to this extent? I swear I won't return to you, no matter what you do. So stop the show, okay?"

Roy who has also watched the whole scene without blinking eyes was already laughing his head off.

"The best you can ma'am is to call the security guards and get this idiot out of your shop. What if he robs the shop?" Roy choked and laughed with tears in his eyes.

With the turnout of things, the saleswoman was now convinced that Elvis was indeed poor and could not afford to pay for the goods, so she decided to take steps against him.

"Sir, if you can't pay for the clothes you picked up, please kindly leave the shop before I call security," the saleswoman said, pretending to be polite, yet she secretly signalled the messenger at the doorstep to call for the security men outside.

Almost immediately, Roy heard his phone ring. It was his close friend, Jackson, so he quickly answered the phone call. "Hello, Roy. Please can you come over immediately? There's something that needs your urgent attention."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked in surprise. "It's something I can't tell you over the phone. Just come over quickly."

Roy ended the call, looking shocked; he had never heard his friend talk in that manner. He could sense that something was wrong. He faced Leslie. "Leslie, I have to go now." 

"What's the matter?" Leslie asked, but Roy couldn't answer. He looked at Elvis, eying him before walking out of the boutique. "Then, I'll have to go with you," Leslie said as she followed Roy from behind.

Before the security guards would come in. A tall, fair woman with long hair emerged from one of the inner rooms in the boutique. She was the manager of the boutique and had been informed over the phone about the drama that was taking place in the boutique. Her name was Rose Green.

She asked the attendant by her side, "Please, who is that man trying to play games here?" 

"That is him, the one wearing a blue shirt with numerous patches," the attendant said, pointing at Elvis who was still standing before the counter.

"Hey, Victoria you're kidding me, right? Who allowed this poor ragged thing to come in here in the first place? Are you blind? Can't you see how poor and miserable he looks?" Rose growled, looking at Elvis from head to toe.

Rose believed that she could accurately read people after years of working experience. She could notice at a glance what kind of person the buyer was, and predict their purchasing power. 

"Madam, you don't need to insult me. After all, you don't even know me." Elvis blurted out. 

"Keep quiet, you fool! Why did you come in here when you know that you cannot afford a $200 dress, talk more about the wears in this place. We don't do business with the mentally retarded. You can't afford anything here, so get out of our store!" While Rose was still speaking, she noticed two security guards waiting at the entrance.

"Good! The security men are here..." Rose smirked. 

Almost immediately, they heard the voice of a customer standing before the counter. "Hello, I picked up this wallet near that stand over there." The customer said, pointing towards the stand where Elvis had picked up the clothes in his hands.

The saleswoman collected the wallet and checked it. Then she brought out a card from the wallet. "Who bares the name, Elvis Klein?"