Chapter 8

Along the way, Christine didn't say a word. The atmosphere inside the car was thick with tension. After about ten minutes, the car came to a stop in front of a shopping mall.

"There's 100,000 dollars on this card," she said coldly. "Go buy yourself a few outfits and hang out in the mall. I'll call you when it's time to head home. Oh, give me your number," Christine said icily as she tossed a debit card to Damian.

"Thanks, darling," Damian replied with a smile as he took the debit card and exchanged phone numbers with her.

"You know what to say to Grandpa when we get home, right?"

"Of course. I'll say you took me shopping and showed me around, making sure I had a great time," Damian replied with an agreeable smile.

Christine frowned slightly. Seeing him like that, she suddenly felt a little guilty, so she said, "We come from entirely different worlds, Damian, so don't blame me for this. You can get out now."

Just as Damian opened the door and stepped out, a fashionably dressed young woman came walking over, her purse swinging in the air.

"Lacey, over here!" Christine quickly got out and waved.

Lacey Ingram was a little out of breath when she came over. She said, "I was nearby when you messaged me. Where are we going?"

After she spoke, she noticed Damian. Taken aback, she asked, "Is this the country bumpkin you told me about, Christine? He looks tacky, alright."

Pursing her lips scornfully, Lacey crossed her arms and said with a haughty expression, "Hey, you. I'm warning you. A loser like you shouldn't even dream of being with someone like Christine. You'll stay far away from her if you know what's good for you. Or else, I'll get some people to beat you up!"

"That's enough. Just get in," Christine said as she hurriedly pulled Lacey into the car.

As the car pulled away, Lacey brought down the window and shouted, "Get lost, you trashy loser!"

Damian's face darkened slightly. Alden was right. The women from the city were so snobby and materialistic. It seemed like he couldn't keep too low a profile, after all.

Shaking his head, Damian walked into the mall and was immediately stunned.

The place was luxurious beyond imagination. There were far too many styles of clothing available. Even the female sales assistants' long, fair legs were far too dazzling to behold. Damian blushed. He'd never seen such a scene before.

He looked every bit the country bumpkin who had just entered the big city, drawing sneers and mocking looks from all directions.

Eventually, a shirt caught his eye, so he entered the boutique.

"This one seems pretty nice," he remarked.

Just as he was about to take it down to try it on, someone cried out contemptuously, "Keep your hands off that! You won't be able to pay for it if you get it dirty!"

The female sales assistant was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, eyeing Damian with a look of disdain.

Frowning, Damian was just about to speak when someone rushed into the boutique, walked up to the sales assistant, and slapped her across the face.

"How dare you talk to Mr. Luther like that?"

She was stunned. By the time she realized who had hit her, she looked shocked and terrified. "Mr. Webb, I… I…"

"I'll deal with you later!" Franklin said as he shot her a vicious glare before turning around and flashing Damian a fawning smile. "What a coincidence running into you here, Mr. Luther!"

Franklin had come to the mall to see his girlfriend, who worked as a sales assistant, for some light action. He was just about to leave when he spotted Damian.

This was the same Damian who had the security guard at Mistfall Estate ditch their post and run up the mountain to report his arrival. He couldn't pass up on such a marvelous opportunity to suck up to Damian!

Startled, Damian couldn't help but look surprised. Wasn't this the father of the shit-eating Sean? He'd seen Franklin outside Mistfall Estate this morning.

"What a coincidence it is, indeed," Damian replied with a chuckle. What were the odds of running into each other twice in a day?

"Are you looking to buy some clothes, Mr. Luther?" Franklin asked enthusiastically. "This mall belongs to my company, Franklin Group. If anything catches your fancy, just go right ahead and take it!"

Then, he eyed the sales assistant fiercely and snapped, "Are you stupid? Hurry up and bring it over for Mr. Luther to try on."

Nodding, she scrambled to pass the shirt to Damian, the smile on her face looking more like a grimace instead. She couldn't get why Franklin was being that courteous with a country bumpkin.

Damian tried on the shirt and was satisfied with how well it fit him. However, when it was time to pay, Franklin refused to let him.

"It is my honor that you've come here to shop, Mr. Luther. It would be an insult to me if I let you pay for anything!"

Startled at first, Damian soon deduced what was happening. He figured Franklin was grateful that he'd tipped them off about Sean suffering from early-stage liver cancer. One could die if the cancer had been discovered too late, so he'd basically saved Sean's life.

Since that was the case, he didn't have to stand on ceremony with Franklin.

"I'll check out some other boutiques."

"I'll come with you!" Franklin said as he quickly trailed behind Damian.

"Are you a fool? Hold Mr. Luther's bag for him! You really are clueless, aren't you?" he snapped at the sales assistant, who quickly did as instructed, her expression mournful.

Damian browsed multiple boutiques, and with Franklin following him around, no one dared to look down on him. Every sales assistant assumed he was a rich scion disguised as a poor man to gain some life experience. They hovered around him, eagerly introducing the clothes to him.

Throughout the whole time, Franklin kept a fawning smile on his face, acting completely servile.

Damian selected a bunch of clothing items and two pairs of shoes before nodding in satisfaction. "Hang onto the clothes for me. I'll come back to get them when I head home."

"I'll arrange to have them delivered to your house instead," Franklin quickly offered.

Then, he looked at Damian with a hesitant expression.

"Is there something else?"

Rubbing his hands nervously, Franklin flashed a sycophantic smile and said, "My son's 25th birthday is a week from now, and I'd like to invite you to attend the celebration. Would you be willing to honor us with your presence, Mr. Luther?"

Damian nodded without any hesitation, smiling as he replied, "Sure."

Franklin had given him a ton of clothes for free, so he had to at least do this much.

Meanwhile, Franklin was momentarily stunned before his face lit up with delight. "Thank you, Mr. Luther! Thank you very much. I'll send someone over to pick you up."

He hadn't expected Damian to agree so easily. After quickly jotting down Damian's number and watching as Damian left, he clenched his fists in excitement.

He was making excellent progress! Though he didn't get to invite Kane, he got someone close to Kane instead. In a way, it meant he'd made a connection with Kane. What a great start this was!

After leaving the mall, Damian wandered the streets for a few hours. Out of the blue, he spotted a familiar car parked up ahead.

Christine and Lacey were all smiles as they emerged from a store on the side, their arms laden with bags.

As soon as Christine saw Damian, her expression turned dark. "Are you following me?"

"It's just a coincidence, darling," Damian explained.

"Don't call me darling, and I'm warning you not to try and pull any tricks!" she snapped before getting into the car.

Scoffing derisively at Damian, Lacey declared, "You're so shameless!"

As the engine started, Christine brought down the window and said icily, "I'm attending a gathering tonight, so I'm going to be out quite late. You can go wherever you want, but you're not allowed to head home yourself. You must wait for me, you got that? And quit following me around!"

Once she finished speaking, she slammed her foot on the accelerator and drove off. Just then, Damian's phone rang.

"Sir, it's me, Kane. I've arranged for tonight's dinner party to be held at Luxora Hotel. Where are you, sir? I'll come over and pick you up."