Two days had passed since Eric bought the store.
And now, he stood behind the counter, serving customers as if nothing in his life had changed.
Lucía Herrera—his newly hired personal lawyer—stood beside him, observing everything.
And the more she observed…
The less she understood.
In her entire life, she had heard stories of eccentric millionaires…
But she had never imagined witnessing something this absurd:
A man who had literally bought a store using a bag full of pure gold coins…
Now smiled sincerely while receiving ten cents in change from a customer buying a soda.
And the smile wasn't forced.
It wasn't an act.
It was real.
Lucía couldn't hold back her disbelief.
"Do you actually need to work here?" she asked. "Serving customers yourself?"
Eric, still holding the coins, replied calmly:
"Let's just say today is a special day… I'm expecting an important visitor."
"A visitor? Who?"
He didn't have time to answer.
The store door opened—
And Elena Lin walked in.
The young woman looked visibly nervous—more than usual.
Her eyes searched for Eric urgently.
"What are you doing there?" she asked, pointing at his convenience store uniform. "I thought you'd be preparing to meet them!"
Before Eric could respond, Lucía cleared her throat softly, drawing attention to herself.
The lawyer offered a polite smile—
Though it carried a noticeable chill.
"Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand.
The tone made it clear that the pleasure was limited.
Elena looked her up and down.
Her jaw nearly dropped.
A perfectly styled blonde woman, wearing an elegant gray business suit. Flawless skin. Blue eyes.
She looked like she had stepped out of a luxury office.
And she was… with Eric?
What exactly is he planning? Elena wondered.
Despite her discomfort, she shook her hand.
"N-Nice to meet you… and you are?"
Lucía adjusted her hair, lifting her chin slightly with a hint of arrogance.
"Lucía Herrera. Mr. Santos' lawyer."
The faint smile that crossed Eric's face when he heard "Mr. Santos" made something inside Elena burn.
How long had they known each other?
They didn't even seem to belong to the same world.
Lucía clearly came from wealth.
Eric, on the other hand, had the face—and the hands—of someone who had worked his entire life.
(And though it irritated her to admit it… he was handsome. Something she would never say out loud.)
Elena glanced down at her own simple clothes—white shirt, jeans—and suddenly felt exposed.
Vulnerable.
As if she had lost something.
"I-I'm Elena Lin… his partner."
Lucía blinked, surprised.
"She's the pawn shop owner?" she asked Eric.
"You know me?" Elena asked.
"Yes," Lucía replied, pulling documents from her folder. "And I almost forgot. These are the papers transferring 51% of your shop to him. I need your signature."
Eric let out a quiet sigh.
Earlier that day, he had sent Lucía to find a location for her office—and to put Foster's store up for sale.
He needed liquidity.
Clean money.
Formal money.
Legal money.
Not just gold.
Businesses and real estate would come later.
But for now—
The priority was the loan sharks.
Elena looked at Eric.
It was impossible to understand what was going on in his mind.
He had waited until the last possible moment to make her sign.
If she refused—
He could simply walk away and leave her to her fate.
Cruel.
But effective.
Lucía didn't understand much—she had simply followed instructions and brought the documents.
After a few seconds of hesitation—
Elena signed.
And handed them back.
"And now?" she asked.
"Now I'll finalize everything," Lucía replied, storing the papers.
Before leaving, she gave Eric a charming wave.
Elena pressed her lips together, clearly irritated.
Lucía smiled slightly—
Satisfied.
A silent war between two women had just begun.
When they were alone, Elena asked:
"Why did you choose this place to meet… people like them?"
"Because it's the place I know best," Eric replied, opening the register and filling his pockets with coins.
Elena's eyes widened.
"Y-you… work here?"
"I used to," he said, stuffing bills into his pocket as well.
Elena froze.
Was he… stealing from his own store?
At least, that's what it looked like.
Before she could speak, Eric lifted his gaze.
A group of six men was approaching the glass door.
Among them—
The same two criminals who had trashed Elena's shop.
Elena went pale.
Her body tensed.
She started trembling.
He wasn't really going to meet them like this…
Wearing that ridiculous uniform?
"Listen," Eric said quietly. "No matter what happens… confirm everything I say. Even if you don't like it."
Elena nodded.
Her throat was too dry to speak.
"Are you sure your boss won't be furious for bringing these people here?" she whispered, almost begging him to stop.
Eric flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.
Pulled down all the blinds, blocking the view from outside.
"He won't care."
"H-how do you know?" Elena asked, trembling as the men got closer.
Eric stepped toward the door.
Adjusted his cap.
Put on an almost foolish smile.
"Because I'm the owner," he said calmly.
And before Elena could react—
Eric opened the door to welcome the group of loan sharks.
Elena stood there—
Completely speechless.