Two days had passed since the purchase of the shop, and Eric was already serving customers behind the counter as if nothing in his life had changed. Lucia Herrera, his newly hired private lawyer, stood beside him observing everything. And the more she observed, the less she understood.
In her entire life, she had heard stories of eccentric millionaires… but she had never imagined witnessing something so absurd:
A man who had literally bought a store using a bag full of pure gold coins was now sincerely smiling as he received 10 cents from a customer who had just bought a soda.
And his smile wasn't forced. It wasn't an act. It was genuine.
Lucia couldn't hold back her incredulity.
"Do you really need to work here? Personally serving customers?"
Eric, still holding the customer's change, replied:
"Let's just say today is a special day… I'm expecting an important visit."
"A visit? Who?"
He didn't even have time to answer.
The shop door opened, and Elena Lin walked in.
The young Chinese woman was visibly nervous — even more than usual. Her eyes searched for Eric urgently.
"What are you doing there? I thought you'd already be ready to receive them!" she said, pointing to the convenience-store uniform.
Before Eric could respond, Lucia cleared her throat softly, drawing attention to herself.
The lawyer offered a polite — though cold — smile and extended her hand.
"Pleasure to meet you."
Her tone made it very clear that the pleasure was rather limited.
Elena looked Lucia up and down.
Her jaw nearly dropped.
A flawlessly made-up blonde in an elegant gray business outfit, perfect skin, blue eyes. She looked like she had stepped out of an expensive office. And she was there… with Eric?
What had he planned? Elena wondered.
Despite her discomfort, the young Chinese woman shook Lucia's hand politely.
"N-Nice to meet you… and you are?"
Lucia adjusted her hair, lifting her chin with slight arrogance.
"I'm Lucia Herrera. Mr. Santos's attorney."
The involuntary smile Eric gave upon hearing Mr. Santos made Elena suddenly furious.
How long had they known each other?
They didn't seem to come from the same world. Lucia clearly came from a wealthy family. Eric, on the other hand, had the face and hands of someone who had worked hard all his life.
(Although, to her annoyance, he was actually handsome — something she would never say aloud.)
Elena looked at her own simple clothes — white shirt and jeans — and felt disarmed, vulnerable, as if she had just lost something.
"I-I'm Elena Lin… his partner."
Lucia blinked, surprised.
"She's the owner of the pawnshop?" she asked Eric.
"You know me?" Elena asked.
"Yes," Lucia replied, removing documents from her folder. "And I almost forgot. These are the papers transferring 51% of your pawnshop to him. I need you to sign."
Eric sighed quietly.
A few hours earlier, he had sent Lucia to find a place to set up her office and to list the shop he had bought from Foster for sale. He wanted liquidity — he needed "clean," formal, legal money… not just gold.
Businesses and real estate would be his future.
But that was a plan for later.
For now, the priority was the loan sharks.
Elena looked at Eric.
It was hard to understand what went through his mind. He had waited until the last moment to force her to sign. If she refused, he could simply abandon her to her fate.
Cruel, but efficient.
Lucia understood almost nothing — she had simply obeyed the order to bring the documents that morning.
After a few moments of hesitation, Elena signed and returned the papers.
"And now?" she asked.
"Now I'll make everything official," Lucia replied, putting the documents away.
Before leaving, she gave Eric a charming wave.
Elena pressed her lips together, clearly bothered.
Lucia smiled discreetly — satisfied.
A small silent war between two women had just begun.
When they were alone, Elena asked:
"Why did you choose this place to receive… that kind of people?"
"Because it's the place I know best," Eric replied, opening the register and stuffing his pockets with coins.
Elena's eyes widened.
"You… you work here?"
"I used to," he said, pocketing the bills as well.
Elena froze.
He was stealing from his own shop!
Or at least, that's what it looked like.
Before she could speak, Eric lifted his gaze.
A group of six men was approaching the glass door.
Among them were the two criminals who had destroyed Elena's store days earlier.
Elena turned pale.
And tense.
And trembling.
He wasn't going to receive them like that, was he?
Wearing that ridiculous convenience-store uniform?!
"Listen," Eric said quietly, "whatever happens… back up everything I say. Even if you don't like it."
Elena could only nod. Her throat was too dry to speak.
"Are you sure your boss won't be furious that you brought this kind of people into his store?" she whispered, almost begging him to give up.
Eric flipped the sign from "OPEN" to "CLOSED."
He lowered all the blinds to keep anyone from seeing inside.
"He won't mind."
"H-How do you know?" Elena murmured, shaking as the men approached.
Eric positioned himself at the door, adjusted his employee cap, and put on an almost goofy smile.
"Because I am the owner," he said calmly.
And before Elena could react, Eric opened the door to receive the group of loan sharks.
The young Chinese woman was left completely speechless.