"I never knew you were around; I would have welcomed you to my office personally." The woman was trembling where she stood.
Everyone in the office was lost about what was happening, including Michael. He didn't know the woman from anywhere; how did she recognize him then?
Moreover, she didn't just recognize him; she was addressing him with the utmost respect.
Juliana couldn't raise her head to look Michael in the eyes. Then, she pleaded with a stutter, "Mr. Quinn, I... apologize for being so... careless. Please do not be offended by the mess that happened earlier."
Michael wasn't comfortable with the fact that such an elderly woman was bowing to him. Then he played along, "It's fine, Mrs. Thomas."
Juliana let out a sigh of relief and returned to her height. "Thank you so much for your kindness, sir. I will be so glad to attend to you in my office."
"Okay, then," Michael responded, turning to leave.
"Where do you think you're going?" Austin jumped in front of him instantly, blocking his way.
Michael's anger began to boil. If it weren't prohibited, he would have knocked the disgusting thing out of his way.
"What are you trying to do, Austin?" Juliana asked with rage.
Austin grinned stupidly, "Mrs. Thomas, I can see that you have mistaken this wastrel for someone important. If I weren't here, he would have enjoyed the honor of someone else to the fullest."
Juliana felt disgusted and yelled at him, "What nonsense are you saying?! Get lost and stop disturbing our honorable client!"
Austin wasn't moved by the yell. Instead, he began to blab, "I know you will appreciate me when I expose his secret. This hopeless person in front of me is a broke and worthless man."
He pointed a finger close to Michael's nose as he continued, "He works as a waiter in a restaurant where he gets paid a penny monthly. A church rat eats a better diet than he does. Do you see that you mistook him for someone else?"
Austin was grinning from ear to ear, feeling satisfied for exposing Michael's identity to the manager.
Meanwhile, Juliana's patience had already worn thin. She nodded her head with a blank facial expression.
"Hurry up and confess who you are to Mrs. Thomas. You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing the honor of someone else."
The moment these words fell from Austin's mouth, Mrs. Thomas delivered a striking slap across his face.
Whoosh! Whack!
Another wave of surprise swept through the room. Caroline's jaw dropped, wondering why the manager was against Austin.
She felt everything the man said was the truth. With just a glance at Michael, one could tell he was a penniless man.
"Mrs. Thomas, I'm only concerned about you. Why do you have to slap me?" Austin's face was burning, looking red and swollen.
"Watch what you say to Mr. Quinn!" Juliana warned angrily.
Austin nearly cried. He was more pained that the woman was still not convinced. He wondered how he could make Mrs. Thomas understand that this loser wasn't even worth breathing the same air they did.
"You silly thing, I know this pretense will not last long!" Austin shouted through gritted teeth, wanting to kick Michael.
Strike! Slap!
Mrs. Thomas slapped Austin harder across the face. Then she ordered security to throw him out of the bank.
....
In Juliana's office, Michael was offered a seat on a brown leather couch, and he was served expensive tea.
Even though he had no idea why he was given all this VIP treatment, he took his time to enjoy every part of it.
After a little while, Juliana expressed her mind, "As the top VIP customer of Silvana City Bank, we're so honored to have you here, sir."
Michael nodded and then said, "It's okay, but your staff needs to improve their professionalism."
Juliana's face showed her disappointment regarding Caroline's unprofessional behavior. "We are so sorry, sir. I promise to take the necessary steps with the staff in question."
Michael nodded and then explained, "I wanted to check the available balance on my account."
"Very well, sir," the woman said and began typing on her laptop. Michael expected her to ask for his information before she turned the laptop screen towards him.
"Here it is, sir."
Michael leaned forward in his seat to look at the screen. His eyes fell on his picture in the right-hand corner of the screen.
Then he understood how the woman recognized him. He looked downward on the screen and froze upon seeing the unbelievable figures.
Account Holder Profile
Name: Michael Quinn
Account Number: XXX XXX 5633
Account Type: Ultra-Platinum, Diamond Account
Available Balance: $99,999,900,000,000
Account Status: Active
His eyes squinted in disbelief, and he felt a chill run through his mind.
In the middle of the befuddlement, he asked Juliana, "Mrs. Thomas, how much is this?"
The woman cleared her throat and replied,
"Ninety-nine trillion, nine hundred ninety-nine billion."
Micheal was utterly stunned and felt dizzy at the thought of owning such a large amount. However, he was able to maintain his composure.