Is this destiny?

Loyal customers of Blanc get special cards that give them various perks and discounts. There are Golden, Platinum, and Black cards that customers can get based on the amount of money they spend and their status (aka balance on their bank accounts).

The Golden card is the most common, and it requires customers to spend $50k a year on Blanc merchandise while providing exclusive access to new designs and a 2% discount on future purchases.

The Platinum card is for customers who spent more than $100k a year, and it provides the same perks as the Golden card with a higher discount that reaches 5%.

The Black card is offered to customers who spent on Blanc jewelry more than $500k within one year and other than 10% discount, it gives them a chance to meet with a designer and get custom pieces made (the design is free, they still need to pay for the end product).

The Black card also includes special invitations to the events hosted by Blanc company where Blanc customers and partners get to mingle with other important people while indulging in activities and treats available only for the richest.

And then there is the White card. That one can't be given based on purchases or status but is exclusively given by the owners.

Aiden showing the White card means that he personally knows the owners and that they are close. The rumor is that there are only a handful of White cards given.

Manager Qin looked at the card weakly and wondered if this is the end of him. And then he got an idea… "How do I know that this is genuine?"

Aiden snorted. "Why don't you try it out? The real thing will unlock every piece of equipment owned by Blanc."

Bryn and Kaia held their breaths as manager Qin walked to the counter with a glass display full of shiny rings and he waved the card above the sensors.

Manager Qin lost ten years of his life when the display opened with a soft pop sound.

"Uhm… Mister….", Manager Qin stuttered while beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"Call your manager and tell him what happened here.", Aiden said sternly.

"Uhm… what should I say?", Manager Qin asked weakly.

Aiden looked at Manager Qin like he said something silly. "You were about to call security on us, so… I'm sure you had a reason for that. And I hope for your sake that the reason is more solid than hearsay from the employee who ignored my wife while trying to seduce me and when she failed, she called me hillbilly who is here to steal. Tell your manager what happened. Or is it possible that you accused us of stealing without any evidence?"

Kaia tugged Manager Qin's sleeve. "What is that card, Uncle?"

"Be quiet!", Manager Qin hissed back while thinking about how to get out of this situation.

Kaia spoke in a whisper, but Sarah and Aiden heard her.

'Well, that solved the mystery about the relationship between those two…', Sarah thought. She didn't want to waste more time on this. Sarah got her phone and dialed Oni.

"Oni, sweetie, we have a situation in our Blanc store in Fairfield.", Sarah said as soon as Oni picked up her call. "I know you are attending lunch at the Long mansion… No need to interrupt, you can deal with this task when you return. I'm calling to inform you that we are shutting down the store in Fairfield. We will need new staff… Yes, all of them… Oh, replacements can be here by tomorrow? That is great." Sarah was pleased to hear that they have trained members of the Army of Chaos in the area who can handle the store until regular employees arrive. "It would be a pity if we lose business for more than necessary… Sure, enjoy your lunch and when you are done, work with Michael to notify our new staff about the situation..."

By the time Sarah ended her call, Bryn was sobbing.

Aiden looked blankly at Manager Qin who was non-responsive. He stood up and took the White card from Manager Qin's hand.

"Are you going to call your manager, or should I?", Aiden asked while tucking the White card into the safety of his wallet.

Kaia was the first one to recover from what they overheard from Sarah's phone call. She pointed her index finger at Sarah angrily. "Who do you think you are? You can't close this store or fire us. I will call security!"

Aiden waved his hand, to get her to stop talking. "Yes, please, call security, and while at it, call the mall manager also. If I need to listen to your voice for another minute, my brain cells will start deteriorating."

Kaia grumbled something, but she started talking into her phone.

Aiden sat next to Sarah and he didn't want to talk to those three. One was crying, the other one was psychotic, and the third one was non-responsive. Aiden took a mental note to set up strict guidelines on types of people who can work in their stores because this is ridiculous.

Aiden saw that Sarah was upset and he was upset also. And he was also concerned that this will lead to the two of them putting disguises and going to visit other stores as customers in order to weed out bad employees. Well, he does not mind dressing up and roleplaying with Sarah, but when it's for fun, and exposing employees with an inflated sense of importance is not fun, especially not because Sarah is pregnant, and she should rest. Ah, it seems that they always have trouble that needs resolving.

Aiden moved his fingers in the air and pulled information on the manager of the mall. He wanted to know with whom he is about to talk.

The mall manager entered the store and glanced around. Before anyone could say anything, Aiden stood up and approached the man.

"Manager Lampart…", Aiden called as he shook the man's hand.

"I am Aiden White, the owner of Blanc…", Aiden said while showing his ID to the manager and then he gestured toward Sarah. "That lovely lady sitting on the sofa is my wife, Sarah White. We called you here to inform you that effective immediately, this store will be closed until we replace existing employees. We hope to complete that task by tomorrow, forty-eight hours at most. Until that is finalized, we expect that you can keep Blanc locked and secured..."

By the time Aiden ended talking, two security guards appeared.

Manager Lampart instructed to guards to watch the doors so that no one comes in, and he spoke to Aiden politely: "I will need to confirm this with my contact for Blanc." He was not sure if Aiden was who he claimed, but he didn't dare to be rude because having Blanc store within his mall was the highlight of his career.

"Please do…", Aiden said and made a call to the manager in the Blanc HQ who is in charge of the employees working in flagship stores. He needed to inform him that three people lost their jobs.

Bryn, Kaia, and manager Qin listened to Aiden and manager Lampart as they made their phone calls and all three of them felt the heaviness of the current situation.

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