Chapter 6: Ceraville Residence

After leaving the hospital, Shane Yale didn't go far. He headed straight to the sales office of Ceraville Residence down the road. The Yales-a family of four-were still crammed into a ten-odd-square-meter place in an urban village. It was tiny and damp. Before, they had no choice. Now that they had money, they had to move out as soon as possible. Mia Looske didn't object. She and her two children followed Shane into the sales hall. Ceraville Residence was a well-known upscale community in Skynos, selling garden apartments and villas. It wasn't a busy hour. Four or five sales reps were idly chatting. They glanced up when the three walked in, then went right back to their conversation as if nothing had happened. The reason was obvious: the three of them were dressed too plainly to look like luxury-home buyers. Just then, a delighted voice came from the side. "Shane? Is that you?" Shane blinked and turned. Not far away stood a sales rep in her early twenties. A fitted business suit hugged a graceful figure; her ear-length bob made her look crisp and polished. The sales office was already full of pretty faces, but she stood out. "You're Nicole Lapwood?" He recognized her at once-his classmate from middle school. She'd been stunning even then, the campus belle. They'd been close back in school, but they hadn't kept in touch for years. He hadn't expected to run into her here. "It really is you! Long time no see!" Nicole beamed and ushered the three to seats. "Shane, what brings you here?" "Looking for a place." "Great. What type are you thinking? I'll walk you through it." As a former classmate, Nicole knew the Yale family's situation and didn't think he could afford anything here. But that didn't matter. Window-shopping was normal, and she was in sales-she could at least show him around. "Do you have anything move-in ready? Renovated so we can take the keys today?" Shane wanted his family out of the rental today, so turn-key was the priority. "Our only move-in-ready units are the villas," Nicole said. "And they're fully, luxuriously finished." "Can you take us to see one?" "Of course." More convinced he just wanted to see how the other half lived, Nicole led the three to the villa section. About twenty minutes later, they came back out. Mia's face was still full of shock; in all her years, she hadn't seen a house that beautiful. Cassandra practically bounced on her toes, clearly besotted. Back at the sales office, Nicole settled them again and brought tea. Shane nodded, satisfied. "How much is that villa?" "There's a promotion this week," Nicole said. "Pay in full and it's $2,188,000, and we throw in a full set of appliances and daily necessities." "I see." Shane did the math. He had a little over $2.2 million on him; after clearing the old debts, he could just buy the place. Luxurious finish, plus appliances and supplies-perfect for moving in today. Before he could speak, a harsh voice cut in. "Nicole Lapwood, what do you think you're doing?" Everyone turned. A middle-aged man with a heavy jowl strode over, an employee badge on his chest: Sales Manager Graham Mabre. His expression was stormy. He flicked a glance at Shane's group before fixing on Nicole. "Handling personal business on company time and using resources at will. I'm announcing this right now: you're fired." The outburst made everyone jump. Nicole hurried to explain. "Manager Mabre, you've misunderstood. My classmate is here to see a house, not for personal business." A cruel light slid through Graham's eyes. A few days ago he had tried to prey on Nicole and got shot down-and slapped for good measure. Greedy, lecherous, and petty, he'd been itching for payback. Today was his chance. "I say it's personal business, so it is. What are you arguing for? Pack up and get out." Watching his old classmate about to lose her job because of him, Shane stepped forward. "Manager Mabre, we really are here to buy a house." He figured a clear explanation would settle it. Worst case, he would buy that villa on the spot. Graham curled his lip, dripping disdain. "You people will say anything. Go take a piss and look at your reflections. With your shabby outfits, the clothes on all three of you don't add up to a hundred bucks. You're not even qualified to step into our sales office. Get out." He jabbed a finger toward the doors. "Security! What are you paid for? Keep those doors tight. Don't let every stray cat and mangy dog wander in!" Cassandra bristled. "Do you have any sense? We're here to buy a house!" "Sense? In this sales office, I'm sense." Graham swept his arm. "What are you all standing around for? Throw all four of them out." Shane's face went cold. This wasn't some misunderstanding. The man was clearly taking revenge on Nicole and using his family as a prop to humiliate. Graham basked in it, mouth quirking with scorn. "Kid, what are you staring at? Not convinced? Angry? So what? I'm the general manager here. What I say goes. If you've got the guts, fire me. Too bad you're a nobody. You don't have that kind of pull. I love that look-hating me and not being able to do a damn thing…" He reveled in the feeling of stepping on someone. He burst into a loud laugh. Bang! The sales office doors slammed open, and a figure stumbled in from outside. Heads snapped around. The man was a wreck-blood smeared his face and hair, bruises mottled him head to toe, and his left arm dangled uselessly, clearly broken. "Who are you? Who let you-" Graham's words died. He stared, eyes bugging. "B-boss!" The newcomer was Ceraville Residence's owner, Simon Scurr-only now he looked utterly battered. Who knew how he'd even made it here? Every car he flagged sputtered out; every bike he tried blew a tire; on foot, he kept tripping. In the span of a short walk, he ran into one mishap after another, even breaking his arm tumbling down the steps. His gaze swept the hall and locked onto Shane. Relief lit his face-like he'd found a savior-and he lunged forward. He had barely taken a few steps when a sharp snap echoed overhead. The crystal chandelier suddenly tore loose and hurtled down. It looked grand hanging there, all glitter and shine, but falling it was lethal-hundreds of pounds dropping from the ceiling. Anyone under it wouldn't live. It happened too fast. Everyone froze, eyes wide. Despair washed over Simon. Was he really going to die here? Shane appeared behind him and kicked him three or four meters clear. Simon hit the floor with a heavy thud-awkward and painful-but alive. Boom! The chandelier smashed into the marble floor where he had stood, exploding it into jagged chunks. Shards and dust sprayed across the hall. Even without looking back, Simon felt the force of it. He gasped for breath. He'd snatched his life back by a hair. His eyes dropped to the Rolex on his wrist. The hands sat at exactly noon. In that instant, he had no doubt left about Shane's warning. Awe flooded him. He struggled up and sank to his knees. "Master, please save me!"