Chapter 4 - WHEN THE SUITCASE OPENEDThe latches clicked.
A security officer moved closer.
I opened the suitcase slowly.
The old hinges groaned.
Inside were stacks of hundred-dollar bills secured by bank bands.
Each bundle was arranged tightly from one side of the suitcase to the other.
The nearest guests stopped speaking.
A woman lowered her champagne glass.
A photographer raised his camera.
Richard’s face changed.
Not completely.
Arrogance rarely disappears in one moment.
First came disbelief.
Then calculation.
Then a smile.
“Mr. Cole,” he said, suddenly warmer, “perhaps we began on the wrong foot.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
He waited.
“We began on the foot you chose.”
The smile weakened.
Olivia stared at the suitcase.
Then she looked at me.
She did not reach for the money.
She did not ask whether it was real.
She immediately turned toward the security officer.
“Please establish a protective perimeter.”
The officer nodded.
Olivia addressed me calmly.
“Mr. Cole, for your safety and ours, the suitcase should be moved to our compliance room. The showroom cannot accept or count large sums publicly.”
“Agreed.”
“May I ask whether the funds were withdrawn from a domestic bank?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have withdrawal records and proof of source?”
“In the inner pocket.”
She nodded.
“Thank you.”
Richard stepped forward.
“I can handle this personally.”
Olivia looked at him.
“You asked me to assist another client.”
“The circumstances have changed.”
I closed the suitcase.
“No, they haven’t.”
Richard’s gaze moved toward me.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I asked Olivia for assistance. She provided it.”
“As sales director, I supervise every major transaction.”
“Then supervise.”
I stood.
“She will handle the sale.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“Mr. Cole, a vehicle of this value involves confidential negotiations.”
“I know.”
“My experience may be more appropriate.”
“Your experience concluded I could not afford one wheel.”
Several guests reacted quietly.
Richard glanced around.
He understood that the conversation was no longer private.
“I made an unfortunate joke.”
“No.”
I lifted the suitcase.
The damaged wheel struck the floor again.
Click.
“You made a judgment.”
Click.
“Then you expressed it loudly enough to entertain strangers.”
Click.
I stopped beside Olivia.
“I’d like to buy this car.”
She remained composed.
“Subject to verification, I would be pleased to prepare an offer.”
“Please prepare the contract.”
Richard’s face became pale.
He leaned toward Olivia.
“Do not promise him anything until we confirm the cash is legitimate.”
Olivia’s expression did not change.
“That is why I said subject to verification.”
I looked at Richard.
“She listened when I spoke.”
The security officer escorted us toward the private compliance suite.
As the doors opened, I heard Richard call after us.
“Mr. Cole, the suitcase contains only a fraction of the price.”
I turned.
“I know.”
May you like
“How do you intend to pay the rest?”
“By transferring it from the account your company has been trying to access for three weeks.”
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