Bam!
Sofia's fist connected with his face, sending him plummeting to the ground with a bloody nose, landing outside the Prestige Boutique.
Witnessing Sofia's action, Elias's eyes widened in astonishment.
So fierce!
Although Elias knew Sofia to be resilient under pressure, he assumed she was afraid of the man due to his affluent background and status as a client at Celestial Dining. This was why Elias had stepped in, thinking she needed protection. However, after witnessing the scene, he realized that wasn't the case.
Shifting his gaze towards Alex, who was seated upright with his right hand holding him up while his other hand clutched his bloodied, possibly broken nose, and staring at Sofia in fear, Elias couldn't help but feel satisfied.
"MR. ALEX!" exclaimed the woman beside him. Just as she was about to rush towards him, Sofia shot her a fierce glare, causing her to halt in her tracks.
"If you do anything, I promise I'll call the police and make sure you regret it," the woman threatened. Swiftly pulling her phone out of her purse, she displayed it towards Elias and Sofia to show she meant business while stepping back to maintain a safe distance.
Sofia snorted in response. "You should be lucky I didn't hit him where it would hurt the most, or else he wouldn't be able to use it properly," she retorted, cracking her neck and knuckles together. "Go ahead and call the police. I'll show you I'm not someone who can be bullied easily."
Although Sofia didn't want any trouble, she would happily oblige if it came her way. If the police arrived, she could always claim self-defence since she had punched the man, not Elias.
"YOU…" The woman began, but she stuttered, unable to find the words. "You'll regret this," she spat, widening the distance further and furiously operating her smartphone, searching for a contact to call.
Witnessing this, Sofia furrowed her brows, a frown emerging on her face. Although she wasn't afraid of the police being called, she didn't want Elias to get into trouble, especially with all the problems he was currently dealing with. She decided it was best they walked away before things got messier.
Sofia turned to Elias. "I'll ask you one simple question, and I want you to answer me truthfully," she said, her tone serious and her expression stern.
Stunned by her sudden action, Elias swiftly recovered his composure. "What is it?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Sofia took a deep breath and asked, "Did you really pay for the items?" Her voice was tinged with curiosity as she stared at him intently.
A look of realization emerged on Elias's face. He guessed that Sofia still doubted his ability to afford such expensive items, especially after the chaos that was just unfolding.
Locking eyes with Sofia, Elias nodded firmly. "I promise you that I paid for everything with my own money. I wouldn't dare sacrifice our friendship or pull you into a scam or anything like that," he responded, his tone serious.
Elias wanted to clarify that he could now enjoy luxuries he couldn't before so she would feel more at ease accepting the items he had gotten for her.
He couldn't afford to risk getting a refund, not at this point.
Sofia stared intently at Elias for a few seconds before exhaling tiredly and nodding. Although she no longer doubted Elias's words, she felt a strange sensation when he mentioned their friendship. However, she quickly suppressed that feeling, regained her composure, and focused on the matter.
"Since that's the case, we have no reason to stay. Let's go," Sofia said firmly. She took his hand, turned around, and pulled him out of the Prestige Boutique.
"Hey—" Alex began, attempting to grab onto Sofia and Elias to stop them before they left. However, Sofia raised her right leg as if positioning to kick his head, making him halt his actions and shrink back.
It was all a bluff; Sofia quickly lowered her leg, walked out of the Prestige Boutique, and disappeared down the escalator.
The woman quickly rushed towards Alex's position. "Mr Alex!! Mr Alex, are you okay?! Don't worry; I'm calling the police immediately so we can deal with those miscreants," she said anxiously, checking to see if he had sustained any bruises from the fall.
However, Alex shoved her hands away and pushed himself back to his feet.
The store employee arrived at the scene. Dumbfoundedly, she looked at Alex's bloodied lips and the woman's frantic composure beside her before sweeping her gaze around for Elias and Sofia.
Noticing the store employee's arrival, Alex pushed the woman beside him aside and immediately approached her. "Call the security to quickly arrest the scammers before they leave the mall. I'll personally call the police and ensure that they rot in jail," Alex said, looking intently at the woman.
"Umm…" The store employee appeared to speak; however, she didn't, apparently looking tongue-tied.
Alex noticed this and looked at her with an odd gaze, "What is it?" he asked, his lips twisting into a frown as he awaited her response.
"We have confirmed their payment; they settled their bill," the store employee responded.
Initially, she was more worried about Elias and Sofia reporting her and getting her in trouble. However, after seeing that they were already gone, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. The only thing remaining was handling the man before her who had almost put her in that trouble. She would have thrown him out of the store if he wasn't a regular VIP customer.
"They settled their bill," Alex repeated, his expression filled with shock as he stared at the store employee in front of him.
The woman beside him also appeared to grasp the implication of her words. She used her hand to cover her mouth in astonishment, her lips gasping in disbelief.
"How much is the bill?" Alex swiftly asked, his eyes staring intently at the store employee.
The store employee was about to decline, answering Alex's question. However, noticing the intent look in his eyes, she gulped and responded, "$112,995."
Her words were like thunderclaps to Alex's ears. He could not understand how those two, with the kind of work they do, could effortlessly settle such a bill.