Chapter 15

Despite her reluctance, Sarah didn't dare to disobey Jacob. She bit her lip and put the call on speaker. "Mr. Zent," Jacob said. Brian was prepared for what was to come upon hearing Jacob's voice. He stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Hello, Mr. Blake. How can I be of service?" "What's going on?" Jacob's terse voice sent shivers down everyone's spine. Brian stammered, darting his eyes between the women. He finally opted to summarize the reason for the dispute. "There seems to be a disagreement. Both parties want the other chased out. However, Ms. Powel holds a black card membership, which grants her the right to revoke Ms. Blake's VIP privileges." Angered by Brian's explanation, Kellie promptly grabbed the phone. "Jacob, you need to defend me! This ex-wife of yours is unbelievable. I merely joked with her, and she started to insult me. Who does she think she is? "The Blake family gave her everything she owned. I can't let this slide! They're claiming that Sue Powel has a black card, but you have one, too, right? And yours must be a higher tier. Get them both thrown out!" Sue stepped back and whispered to Nicole, "Just a heads up. I can't guarantee that my card is a higher tier than Jacob's." Nicole raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "It's all right. Who cares if he's a higher tier? I'll definitely not get thrown out of this place today." With a feigned sweetness, Sarah interjected, "Jacob, it seems like Nicole is unhappy with me, and she's taking it out on Kellie. We're just here to buy a car. There's no need for such hostility, right?" Sarah paused, then continued, "Speaking of finances, isn't your divorce settlement with Nicole still pending? I couldn't help but notice that she was eyeing a rather expensive car." Sarah subtly hinted to Jacob that Nicole might have acquired the funds for the luxury car without his assets. Where would the money come from then? She could have stolen Jacob's money or received it from dubious sources. Nicole scoffed at Sarah's insinuation. The cars she had her eye on weren't even that extravagant; they were priced between 300 and 500 thousand dollars. As a CEO, wouldn't Jacob be embarrassed by his wife opting for such modest options? Before Nicole could launch a counter-attack, Jacob spoke in a calm and collected voice. "I gave her the money. Is there a problem?" After a brief silence, Jacob continued, "The divorce settlement hasn't been finalized. It's only right for my wife to spend my money." Sarah turned pale, and her lips trembled as she stammered out a feeble defense, "Jacob, I-I never meant—" However, Jacob cut her off with a harsh tone. "Mr. Zent, transfer my black card to my wife, Nicole Barnes. I'll rent the store for a day. She can choose whatever catches her eye." Nicole raised an eyebrow and exchanged a knowing glance with Sue. With a triumphant smile, she addressed the room with a sweet voice. "Thank you for the black card, my soon-to-be ex-husband, after next Wednesday!" Jacob sputtered and cleared his throat. "Sarah, if you ever dare to call me for no good reason again, consider your place in my contact list permanently revoked." Without waiting for a response, Jacob hung up the call. Sarah's face drained of color as she turned to Kellie. "What are we going to do?" she whispered. Nicole crossed her arms and smiled at Sarah. "What are you going to do? Get out of here immediately." Despite being subjected to Kellie and Sarah's verbal abuse, Brian, who was acting on Nicole's order, remained composed. He politely escorted them out with the security guards. Only Nicole, Sue, and the flustered salesperson remained in the store. He stuttered while attempting to explain to Nicole. "I-I'm terribly sorry. It was all a misunderstanding!" Nicole crossed her arms and cast a cold gaze at the salesperson. He tried to claim that his poor attitude toward them earlier was due to his depressive symptoms. Next, he lamented his poor working conditions and pleaded that he couldn't afford to lose this job because he had a family to support. The salesperson wailed. "I really can't afford to be fired!" He then collapsed to the ground and clutched Nicole's legs. "Are you done with your exaggerated act?" Nicole asked as she glared at the pathetic salesperson. "Before your manager headed downstairs, Sue had already asked him to retrieve the footage of what happened. Instead of wallowing in self-pity here, you'd better go home and work on improving your professional skills. Otherwise, you might find yourself sweeping the streets for a living." Nicole then stepped over the salesperson and approached the still-intimidated Brian. He quickly displayed professionalism by asking, "Ms. Barnes, would you like to view the cars? I can introduce each one to you individually." "No need. Just two of the G model cars will do. Charge them to Jacob's account," Nicole replied while glancing at the text message she had just received on her phone. Frowning unconsciously, Nicole began typing as she asked, "Where do I sign the contract?" As they exited the store, Nicole stretched lazily. "All right, everything is done. All that's left is to deal with Jacob tomorrow." Sue stood beside Nicole with a worried expression. "Hold on. Why do I feel your ex-husband treats you quite differently? According to you, he defends you at family gatherings, comes to your aid, and now he's allowing you to spend from his black card. "As the saying goes, a man puts his money where his heart lies. Don't you think he might have feelings for you?" Nicole rolled her eyes and got into the passenger seat. "Come on, not every man is like Jacob. To him, these two G car models probably aren't much different from buying a couple of used cars at a flea market." Sue chuckled and shook her head with a hint of resignation as she started the car. Before pressing the accelerator, she said, "I have a feeling that your marriage won't end as simply as you think." The car roared ahead, kicking up dust in its wake. Sunlight transformed the dust particles into shimmering specks that danced on the top floors of the skyscrapers. Jacob's gaze lingered on the message on his phone. "Tell your family to stop bothering me." Lost in thought, he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Come in." Jacob flipped his phone onto the desk. When he looked up, he saw Simon enter with a troubled expression. "Mr. Blake, the studio has sent over the liaison officer's personal information." Jacob nodded and replied, "You can handle it." Simon hesitated before speaking again, struggling to find the right words. "It might be better if you personally review the information of the liaison officer."