Chapter 7

'Am I sticking out too much in the crowd? Maybe I should have worn something less casual.'

Derek was looking around and started having second thoughts about his dress code.

'Maybe I'll get a couple of cheap suits just to blend in. I see a mall nearby. I'll go explore there.'

Holding and sipping away on his cappuccino, Derek then proceeded to the shopping mall named The BDT Mall.

Inside, there were several men's clothing shops to choose from. Derek decided to window shop first to have a gauge of the prices in the business district. Needless to say, because the vast majority of the people are wearing business suits at the very least, they do not sell as cheap as Derek may think.

'Wow, the average price of the cheapest suits costs about $5,000. If I wasn't a Quinton, I can forget about coming to the HNW zone.' Derek thought in shock and awe.

'Ok this shop looks decent. I'll go in and have a look.' thought Derek. Before stepping in, he made sure to dispose of his finished cup of cappuccino. The last thing he wanted was to hold something in his hand while trying on clothes, potentially spilling coffee on them.

Unlike his experience at Starb*cks cafe earlier, the reception in the shop was not as warm. No one bothered to greet Derek at the entrance. There were obviously staff available but they deliberately ignored him.

Derek decided to look past the severe lack of service and looked around. He saw a decent looking suit and was about to take it to the fitting room.

"Hey! Don't touch that! What the hell do you think you're doing?!?!?" A loud voice boomed from behind Derek.

Turning around, Derek saw a staff member angrily approach him and slapped his hand away from the suit he was about to take.

"Oww! What was that for?!?!" Derek was instantly enraged.

"Do you know how much that suit costs? What happens if you ruin it? Do you think you can afford to pay for it?!?" the staff scolded Derek.

"So, you think I can't afford that suit? Are you sure about that?" Derek was offended by the staff's insult.

"You're damn right. Does a poorly dressed cheap trash loser like you think you are worthy of touching a suit in this prestigious business district? I don't think so!" scoffed the staff.

"Where's your manager? I can't believe such a person like you are even allowed to work here!"

"He's not here. So, I'm in charge. Now get lost before I call security to drag your sorry ass out!!"

The heated exchange could be heard throughout the whole shop. Customers who were in there witnessed the scene; and they wasted no time making clear whose side they took.....and it wasn't Derek's.

"Son, don't make things difficult for yourself. Leave the store. It's for your own good." said one customer.

"Yeah, the security here in the mall does not play around. They will hurt you badly." said another.

Derek wanted to continue this argument with the rude staff; however, after hearing the other customers, he suddenly thought of something and smirked.

"Remember this moment boy. I'll make you regret it, big time." warned Derek.

"Talk is cheap loser. Now get out and don't even think of coming back to my shop or this mall for that matter." replied the rude staff.

Derek decided not to let this argument ruin his first day in the business district. He turned and left the shop, disgusted and infuriated at the rude staff.

As Derek was about to leave the mall, he heard a voice calling him from his right side.

"Derek? Derek Smith? Is that really you?"

Derek turned and saw a man standing at the entrance of another men's clothing shop. He looked very familiar to Derek.

"Wait a minute.... Nick? Nick Lopez?"

"Oh, my goodness! Derek it really is you! How have you been my man?" Nick was so happy to see his childhood friend.

"I've been good bro! How long has it been since we last met? Good times back when we were kids. Say, do you work here in this shop?"

"Work? I'm the owner bro. Welcome to NL Suits! Please bro, come on in." invited Nick.

Derek went in and spent a few minutes catching up with Nick. They have not seen each other for 15 years. It turns out Nick's family moved to another location closer to the business district and Nick had worked hard and saved enough money to open NL Suits.

Derek took the time to share with Nick the horrible experience he had at the other shop. Nick listened and empathized with Derek.

"I understand bro. Sorry you had to experience that. That shop has had a reputation of chasing out customers who they don't think are worthy. It's really crazy. They sell cheap suits but want to cater to what they think are higher net worth people."

"Good thing you didn't meet the manager. He is just as bad the staff if not worse. No point wasting your breath arguing with such pr***s."

"So, since you're looking for suits, how about you look around my shop? I can give you a discount." Nick offered.

"I appreciate it, Nick. I'll have a look around; and no need for discounts. You have my full support and business now and in the future." replied Derek.

"Thank you, my brother. Look around."

Within a matter of minutes, Derek settled on two suits, one all black ensemble and one navy blue ensemble, along with two matching pairs of shoes. The suits and shoes combined cost $20,000; but in Derek's mind it was money well spent. The value was in the service his friend Nick provided for him.

In addition, when Derek handed Nick his black card to charge, Nick did not even bother to examine the card. Nick saw Derek as more than just a customer. They were childhood friends. They shared a level of trust that will never be broken. There was no question in Nick's mind that Derek's card was the real deal and that Derek can afford the suits.

"Thanks again, Nick. Hey, let's have coffee sometime. The Starb*cks cafe around the corner has excellent service. Not to mention a great cappuccino." Derek said as he carried two shopping bags containing his new suits.

"Will do, my brother. Take care, then." replied Nick.

Before leaving the mall, Derek made sure to walk past the previous men's clothing shop the rude staff was working in.

Normally, Derek is not a showoff; but in this case, he needed to teach that rude staff a lesson.

So when the rude staff saw Derek outside his shop with not one but two bags with the NL Suits logo on the bags, his jaw dropped.

It was the reaction Derek wanted.

"Hey jacka**! Didn't you call me a cheap trash loser earlier? Well...who's the loser now? Next time, don't judge a book by its cover. That is, if you even have a next time! Bye jacka**!"

With a big smile on his face, Derek then walked out of BDT mall, with his bags of suits and shoes in tow.