Jason stood at the epicenter of the luxury automotive exhibition like a magnetic force drawing everything into his orbit. Sales representatives, curious onlookers, and industry professionals formed concentric circles around him.
Jared froze the instant he spotted Jason across the gleaming showroom floor. His confident stride faltered, and he stood motionless for three full seconds, his mind struggling to process the impossible scene unfolding before him.
His pulse quickened as he recalled their earlier interaction, how he'd almost let his tongue run wild before instinctively pulling back at the last moment. Dear God, if he had actually mouthed off to someone with this level of influence, he would have been kicking a steel wall with his bare feet.
Then his gaze shifted to the distinguished gentleman standing beside Jason, chatting and laughing with him like they were longtime friends. Jared nearly choked on his own saliva.
Was that... Director William?
THE Jonathan William? The man wasn't merely a high-profile automotive executive—he was a legitimate power broker who sat on the boards of multiple industry associations, held major investments in car manufacturers, luxury dealerships, and cutting-edge technology firms. Industry rumors suggested his personal net worth easily exceeded nine figures, with business connections that stretched across sectors like an intricate spider web.
And he was personally entertaining Jason with obvious respect and genuine warmth?
Impossible. Even if someone dropped several million on premium vehicles, someone of Jonathan's stature wouldn't invest this much personal attention unless there were deeper reasons.
Which could only mean one thing: Jason's background was far more significant than anyone in this building had dared to imagine.
Jared felt cold sweat gathering at the base of his neck. He personally hadn't crossed Jason—but earlier, that absolute moron Liam had run his mouth at Quinn, the stunning woman clearly connected to Jason. Would Jason hold a grudge over such disrespect?
On second thought, this mess belonged entirely to Liam. Not his circus, not his monkeys.
Pulling out his phone with urgent fingers, Jared quickly dialed Liam on WhatsApp.
"Hey Jared, what's going on?" Liam sounded utterly confused by the unexpected call.
"Get your ass to the Rolls-Royce section. Right now." Jared's voice carried sharp, unmistakable urgency that cut through any casual pleasantries.
"Wait, what happened? Did something—"
"Just get here immediately," Jared snapped, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation. "Otherwise, I can't save your career from what's coming."
He ended the call and hurried toward Jason with determined steps.
Jonathan William noticed his approach and waved him over with a welcoming smile. "Jared, perfect timing. Please help Mr. Jason finalize his paperwork efficiently."
Jared nodded with professional deference. "Already handled, Director. Everything should be processed within minutes."
He turned to Jason with carefully respectful demeanor. "We encountered each other briefly earlier, Mr. Jason. I could tell immediately that you weren't an ordinary customer. Seems my instincts were absolutely correct."
He deliberately avoided mentioning Quinn or Liam's. Especially with Jonathan William personally overseeing the situation.
Jared studied Jason's expression carefully, searching for any trace of lingering anger. Nothing. Jason's face remained perfectly composed, unreadable as carved marble.
Jonathan chuckled with genuine amusement. "So you two have already met. I suppose my personal intervention today wasn't entirely necessary after all."
Jason smiled with practiced grace. "Not at all, Director William. Your attention is genuinely appreciated."
Truthfully, Jason felt somewhat puzzled by the entire situation. He'd simply purchased two luxury vehicles. Why was someone of Jonathan William's caliber being so extraordinarily accommodating? Still, he accepted the VIP treatment with the same natural composure he'd maintained throughout his recent transformation.
Across the showroom, Grace and Alice observed the proceedings with growing amazement. Neither had received personal recognition from Jonathan William, but witnessing his deferential treatment of Jason made the power dynamics crystal clear: this man possessed serious influence in circles they could barely imagine.
Grace: Favorability +5 Alice: Favorability +5
At that moment, Liam finally arrived, his face pale with confusion and mounting dread. He didn't understand the specific details yet, but Jared's panicked urgency had been sufficient to terrify him completely.
The moment he entered the Rolls-Royce section, Liam froze mid-stride when he saw Jason standing there—being personally attended to by Director Jonathan William himself with obvious respect.
When he glanced desperately toward Jared, he received a frantic, meaningful look that needed no verbal translation.
Liam had survived years in this cutthroat industry by developing razor-sharp instincts for reading power dynamics. It took exactly one second for the blood to drain completely from his Liam as cold realization washed over him like arctic water.
Right then and there, Liam regretted every word he'd spoken. Why had he been stupid enough to provoke Quinn earlier?
Most of the promotional models at events like this were ordinary college students—no significant background, no powerful connections, no ability to cause real problems. As long as you had money and maintained basic politeness, winning their favor wasn't particularly challenging.
But Quinn clearly wasn't just another hired model. She wasn't even here for the modeling contract in the first place—and Liam had foolishly chosen to antagonize her?
And now it turned out she had someone like Jason watching her back?
Liam rushed forward, realizing that Director William might have been indirectly dragged into this mess through his own stupidity. He had no choice but to assume the role of humble, apologetic servant.
He personally brought refreshments, offered napkins, even held doors open for Jason—anything to demonstrate contrition and smooth over potential hard feelings.
Jason didn't acknowledge the earlier incident directly. He didn't need to. Even the slightest indication of displeasure could destroy careers in this interconnected industry.
The fact that Liam had shown blatant disrespect to Quinn—while she has a relationship with Jason—could be sufficient to end him professionally.
Jason continued chatting casually with Director William, showing no sign of recognizing either Liam or his associate.
Eventually, Jonathan excused himself gracefully. As director of the entire exposition, he had countless responsibilities demanding his attention throughout the day.
The moment Jonathan departed, Liam stepped forward with obvious desperation, practically bowing in supplication.
"Mr. Jason," Liam stammered, his voice cracking with nervous tension, "I had absolutely no idea Quinn was connected to you. My behavior earlier was completely inappropriate. Please don't hold my ignorance against me—I wasn't thinking clearly."
His colleague quickly followed suit, adopting an equally contrite tone. "I was caught up in the moment as well. I shouldn't have supported his rudeness."
He subtly shifted primary blame onto Liam while portraying himself as the lesser of two fools.
Jason's expression remained perfectly neutral. "The person you should be apologizing to isn't me."
Liam grasped the implication instantly. "Of course. Quinn deserves the biggest apology. I'll go to her immediately and make things right."
His associate nodded with eager agreement. "Same here. My behavior was inexcusable. I'll apologize to Quinn personally."
A sincere apology represented the best possible outcome they could hope for under the circumstances. They understood better than to let foolish pride interfere when their entire careers hung in the balance.
The two men hurried toward Quinn's promotional booth with urgent steps.
But halfway there, Liam grabbed his colleague's arm with sudden inspiration. "Wait. Are we really just going to offer verbal apologies and call it sufficient?"
His partner shot him a skeptical look. "What are you planning now? You created this disaster without bothering to research Jason's background first. If he wanted to destroy us professionally, he could have done it already. He's offering us a chance to make amends—don't be stupid enough to waste this opportunity."
Liam shook his head quickly. "No, that's not what I meant at all. Just apologizing with empty words feels inadequate. There's a premium booth location that just opened up, right? What if we arrange for Quinn to be moved there? Show we're genuinely serious about making things right?"
His colleague paused thoughtfully, his expression gradually softening. "Actually, that's a legitimately good idea. Demonstrates real sincerity beyond mere words. We have authority to approve relocations like that ourselves—just inform the director afterward. He won't object."
Moving Quinn to superior accommodations didn't require elaborate justification or secret favoritism. Especially since Director William had personally greeted Jason with obvious respect—he would clearly want to maintain positive relationships in that direction.
His colleague quickly sent a detailed text to Director William, explaining the situation and mentioning that Quinn had been instrumental in securing Jason's VIP access to the event.
As expected, the director approved the change immediately, even praising their initiative in handling the delicate situation professionally.
With official authorization secured, Liam and his partner wasted no time arranging the premium booth before approaching Quinn with their carefully prepared apologies.
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