Chapter 11: The New Recruit and the Ghost of the Red Rose
Ethan and Elena walked through the expansive, dimly lit underground garage of the Golden Dragon Hotel. The air was cool, smelling of expensive wax and exhaust. They stopped in front of a silver, five-year-old sedan. It was clean, but compared to the rows of armored Rolls-Royces and custom Maybachs surrounding it, it looked like a child's toy.
Ethan ran his eyes over the car, a small frown tugging at his lips. With Elena's previous salary as a high-level manager, she could have easily afforded something more modern. "Elena, why this car?" he asked, his voice curious. "I know the Golden Dragon pays well. You've been the backbone of the lobby for years. You should probably be using something worth your status."
Elena laughed softly, a hint of shyness in her eyes as she unlocked the doors. "My younger brother is in medical school overseas, Ethan. Between his tuition and my parents' health insurance, a fancy car was a luxury I couldn't justify. Besides, I don't have too many places to visit, so this serves its purpose. It gets me from point A to point B."
Ethan nodded, but internally, he made a firm mental note. A King's General Manager cannot be seen in a five-year-old sedan. He decided then and there; once they reached the 4S shop, Elena wouldn't just be his driver—she would be leaving with a gift that matched her new status. Although he wasn't intimately familiar with cars, he knew the high-end names that commanded respect: Ferrari, Bugatti, and the like.
As they pulled out of the garage and into the afternoon traffic, Ethan's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a notification from a group chat he had long ignored.
[New Message]: Reminder! Julian Vance's 20th Birthday Bash is TONIGHT at the Red Rose Bar! All scholarship students are 'required' to attend to serve the drinks. Don't be late, McCain!
A cold, sharp smile played on Ethan's face. He knew exactly why Julian had chosen the Red Rose Bar. It was the very place where Ethan worked part-time as a waiter to pay for his books. Julian wanted to celebrate his birthday by watching Ethan crawl, making him serve expensive champagne to the very people who bullied him at school.
Yesterday, I would have had to endure it, Ethan thought, his grip tightening on his phone. But tonight, the Red Rose belongs to a different gardener. He briefly considered showing them the full extent of his wealth, but then he shook the thought away. They are mere children; they aren't worth my time. With a small, dangerous smile, he looked forward to the birthday tonight.
They arrived at the Aurelius 4S Luxury Center, a gleaming palace of glass and chrome. Ethan stepped out of the car, adjusting his worn-out hoodie. "Go ahead and park, Elena. I'll head inside and start looking."
Elena nodded, feeling a bit nervous. She knew how the world treated people who didn't "look" the part, but she also knew that Ethan's fingerprint could probably buy the entire building. With that confidence, she headed toward the garage to park so she could hurry back to his side.
As Ethan walked through the heavy glass doors, the scent of Italian leather and premium gasoline hit him. Five senior sales representatives stood in a cluster near the reception desk, their eyes instantly darting to Ethan's scuffed sneakers and faded jeans. Disdain flickered across their faces like a synchronized wave.
"Look at this one," one man whispered, adjusting his expensive silk tie. "Probably took the bus here just to take selfies with the engines."
"I'm not wasting my commission breath on a dreamer," another replied, turning her back to check her nails.
To avoid a scene, the head salesman beckoned to a young girl standing near the back. Her name tag read Sarah, and her uniform was slightly too big for her. She was a new recruit, barely three days into the job. "Sarah," the head salesman smirked. "Go practice your pitch on the 'gentleman' over there. Consider it a training exercise. You can't mess up a sale that doesn't exist."
Sarah bit her lip, sensing the mockery, but she nodded politely and walked toward Ethan. "Good afternoon, sir! Welcome to Aurelius. My name is Sarah. Is there a specific model I can show you today?"
Ethan saw the interaction and the snickers from the staff. He decided to play along, but he was already preparing the face-slap. "If you sell a car, who gets the commission?"
Sarah, shocked and nervous, replied, "I... I'll get to keep the commission if I end up making a sale, sir. But I just started and I'm still focused on not making a mistake."
Ethan smiled but said nothing more. "I'm looking for something... reliable. What do you have in the mid-range?"
Sarah smiled, leading him toward the entry-level section. "Of course, sir. Right here we have the Audi A6 Premium. It features a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine... priced at about 5.5 million. Or, the BMW 5 Series over here starts at 6.2 million. It has a very comfortable interior."
Ethan walked past them without stopping, his eyes fixed on the raised platforms in the center of the room. "Those are nice. But what about those?"
Sarah hesitated. "Sir, those are the high-performance tiers. That Mercedes-AMG GT over there is over 15 million. It has a handcrafted V8 engine..."
Ethan kept walking until he stood in front of two masterpieces: a Ferrari F8 Tributo in a stunning Giallo Modena yellow, and a Ferrari 812 Superfast in classic Rosso Corsa red.
The senior salespeople started laughing openly now. "He's standing by the Ferraris! Someone call security before he gets grease on the paint!"
Sarah hurried to catch up, her heart racing. "Sir, the F8 Tributo is a masterpiece... it's valued at 28 million."
Ethan looked at the yellow F8. He thought of Elena's silver sedan and her hard work. Then he looked at the red 812 Superfast. "The yellow one," Ethan said. "It's elegant. It fits a woman of high status."
The staff erupted in snickers. "A woman of status? He's buying a Ferrari for an imaginary girlfriend!"
Ethan ignored them and turned to the stunned Sarah. "And the red one. The 812 Superfast. I'll take that for myself. It has a bit more... presence."
Sarah's voice trembled. "Sir... that's... that's nearly 70 million dollars for both. I... I have to ask... how would you like to pay?"
At that moment, the doors opened and Elena walked in. She had touched up her lipstick and smoothed her hair, looking every bit the General Manager of a 40-billion-dollar hotel. The senior salesmen immediately stood up straight, preparing to rush toward her.
But Elena walked straight to Ethan's side and bowed slightly. "The car is parked, Ethan. Have you found what you're looking for?"
Ethan pulled Elena closer to him. She gave a small smile but made no attempt to leave his grasp. "I've found two," Ethan said. "Process the payment, Sarah. I'll pay with my fingerprint. And make sure the commission goes entirely to you."
The silence in the showroom was so heavy it felt as if the glass might shatter. The senior salespeople looked from Ethan's worn-out clothes to the beautiful woman bowing to him, and their faces turned a shade of white that matched the floor.
[DING!]
[Transaction Initiated: $68,000,000.00]
[Lavish Points calculated...]