Chapter 13

"A phone like this is already pretty good!" Jackson interrupted her and looked down as if he was genuinely focused on choosing a phone. Just then, a voice rang out, "Serenity, is that you?" Serenity looked up to see Janice coming toward her with another woman by her side. It was clear that the two were out shopping. As the two drew closer, Serenity realized that the other woman was actually her high school classmate, Amanda. "What a coincidence! Is this your boyfriend?" Janice asked, her eyes scanning over Jackson from head to toe, sizing him up. Before Serenity could answer, Amanda said, "Come now, Janice, don't make such assumptions! I heard from someone that Serenity's boyfriend is a wealthy heir. Look at how this man is dressed. He doesn't seem to be the mentioned boyfriend now, does he?" The man was dressed in cheap clothes, so how could he be the rumored boyfriend? Amanda even raised a brow after she was done speaking, and an obvious hint of disdain and mockery flashed across her somewhat pretty face. "Oh, wait. My apologies, I forgot that boyfriend of yours already has a new girlfriend, and they're about to be engaged! The headlines in the newspaper these days are just filled about the engagement between the Shaw family's son and the Hall family's daughter, you know? Now that's a match made in heaven, even if I say so myself. Ah, by the way, does your new boyfriend know that you're just a simple janitor now?" "Amanda, there's no need to say things that way," Janice said. "It's not like I’ve said anything wrong, right? Didn't you tell me she's working as a sanitation worker in the Sanitation Office?" Amanda replied arrogantly. Back when they were in high school, Serenity had always outshone Amanda. Later, Amanda heard that Serenity had been lucky enough to become the Shaw family's youngest son, Zeke's girlfriend, and she had been extremely jealous. Why did all the good fortune in the world seem to favor Serenity? Luckily, Zeke was going to marry someone else while Serenity was now a sanitation worker despite all her best efforts! Amanda felt relieved at that. Serenity glanced coldly at the two women before her. Since they were deliberately trying to embarrass her, she saw no reason to pay them any attention. It would only fuel their enthusiasm to continue if she rose to their provocation. Therefore, she turned her head and asked, "So Jack, which phone did you like?" "This one," Jackson said as he pointed at it. With that, Serenity called the salesperson over to make her purchase. "We'll have to get you a SIM card and register a number before you can use it. Let's do that tomorrow," Serenity said. "Okay. I'll stop by the service center tomorrow and get one," Jackson replied. The two carried on with their conversation as if Janice and Amanda were invisible. Janice seemed fine with it, but Amanda was furious. She was trying to humiliate Serenity, so why did she feel like she was the one getting offended instead?! As Serenity pulled out her phone to make the payment, Amanda sneered, "What's this? Are you paying for the phone? Using your own money to support a gigolo, then? But as a janitor, you don't have much money, do you? That's why a cheap phone is all you can afford!" As Amanda spoke, she looked at Jackson and studied him. She couldn't help but admit that the man was actually quite good-looking. Even though his bangs covered his forehead and eyes, his delicate and sharp features stood out despite it. She could vaguely make out a pair of beautiful eyes behind the hair that covered them. "There's no need for you to stick to her, hmm? Why not break up with her? If you do, I can buy you a better phone. You're free to pick any from this store," Amanda offered. Her family owned a small company, and although her wealth couldn't compare to the rich, elite families, she had more money than an average person. Jackson pursed his lips and stared at Amanda. Amanda thought she had won the man over, so she continued, "How about it? Break up with her, and we can be friends. I'll take you for a spin in my new BMW, and I can also introduce you to some friends in the entertainment industry. Who knows, with your looks, you might even become a superstar in the future!" The more she spoke, the more excited she became as her hand gestures became more obvious. "I'm not interested in becoming a small-time celebrity. As for your BMW... you should probably watch out for it," Jackson replied casually. His words were like a slap in Amanda's face. "Do you know who I am?! I can make it so that you-" "Oh? What can you do?" Jackson coldly interrupted her. His voice was like ice, and it sent a chill down Amanda's spine. Jackson ignored the woman and turned to Serenity, who had finished paying, and they then walked away with their newly purchased phone. After Serenity and Jackson left, Janice gently pulled Amanda aside and asked, "Are you okay?" Amanda gritted her teeth and hissed, "I'm fine!" The man had utterly intimidated her with just a glare! It made her feel as if he was the dominant and superior one between them and that he could crush her into dust without much effort. What a joke! He was just an unemployed beggar in cheap clothes! After that, Janice took Amanda for a walk, and they grabbed a bite to eat. As they walked toward the parking lot outside, Amanda suddenly received a notification that she had a text message. At the same time, a man in a black suit approached them with a gentle demeanor and asked, "Are you Miss Amanda Zest? We have just transferred one hundred thousand dollars to your account. That's the depreciated value of your car today. You should have received the money by now." Amanda was stunned when she heard that. She pulled out her phone to check, and there was indeed a message to notify her that the mentioned amount had been deposited into her account. Seeing that Amanda had not disagreed, the man turned and gestured with his hand. Immediately, several men in black suits appeared. They had hammers in their hands, and they ruthlessly smashed Amanda's BMW as soon as they had permission. Amanda and Janice were rooted to the spot in terror instantly, and the former screamed, "What are you doing?! P-police! I'll call the police and report you!" "Miss Zest, you already accepted the money, so this car is no longer yours. I can do whatever I want with it, including smashing it to pieces," the man calmly replied. "No, I didn't sell my car! You can't smash my car!" Amanda screamed again as she tried to stop them. However, the men ignored her and continued to wreck the car. In no time at all, the once shiny and beautiful car was now a pile of scrap metal. "You... You...!" Amanda hissed, trembling in anger. She was fuming with rage to the point she almost dropped her phone. "If you would like to call the police, Miss Zest, feel free to do so. We have records of the transaction," the man said after the deed had been done. "Your car was an eyesore to my master, so I kindly request that you buy a car that's more pleasing to the eye in the future to avoid such a thing from happening again." After the had man finished speaking, he left with the group of men. There were many passersby around, and Amanda looked up to see Serenity and Jackson also there, glancing in her direction. A hot wave of anger swept through her, and she felt like she would explode at any minute. Not long ago, she had shown off her beautiful car to them, and now, they had witnessed how the same car had been wrecked.