Chapter 7 A Fury Too Scathing

• He wants us to kick the scion out?
• The guards stood dumbfounded. Expel the Faradays' scion? Is the manager serious?
• Did we misunderstand something?
• Or did the manager misspeak?
• "Why are you all standing around? Are you guys going to resign or something?" Howard thundered, his presence commanding.
• Good grief. Could someone explain this confusing situation?
• We're still grappling to comprehend the nuances.
• Dear gods, the workplace can be so complicated. Sometimes I want a peaceful life.
• The staff around were all perplexed, sensing unreality in the air. The manager wishes to eject a patron who lavishly spends each year?
• Even Cecilia was now unsettled, struggling to grasp the unfolding events.
• Rex and his girlfriend, in particular, were utterly befuddled.
• "Mr. Faraday, don't blame us. We're just obeying orders!" The chief guard brandished his baton.
• Rex quivered: "I am your deity and the Faradays' scion. My father ... "
• "Your father's rank is irrelevant!" The guard smirked, swinging his baton and knocking out Rex's teeth.
• It left Rex reeling, questioning his fate. Why me? Shouldn't they target the accursed woman?
• "If you don't leave, I will unleash hell on you!" Howard roared imperiously.
• Rex's paramour, which bolstered him, vanished in the blink of an eye.
• "Larry, what in blazes is going on? Why are they being tossed out?" Cecilia queried, her faith in life itself beginning to waver. Logically speaking, shouldn't it be us?
• "Perhaps because you're too fetching?" Larry shrugged nonchalantly, his justification seeming feeble.
• "Stop talking twaddle!" Cecilia shot Larry a pointed glare. She was not a child to be fooled.
• "Today, unaware of your presence, I erred in souring your mood, Ms. Faraday. Permit me to extend my apologies to you!" At that instant, Howard approached Cecilia with a humble smile.
• Cecilia stood stupefied. Apologies to me? What is happening?
• Cecilia comprehended well the immense authority wielded by the manager before her. Every attire emporium beneath the Shoresea Heaven International umbrella bowed to his command. In Shoresea alone, Heaven International's clothing establishments numbered in the thousands, each garment fetching tens of thousands.
• This colossus of the couture realm now showed deference to her.
• Larry stood nearby, quietly amused.
• "Mr. Froste, though aligned with the Faradays, I hold no rank or clout. How could I dare inconvenience you into offering apologies?" Cecilia's heart trembled. She failed to grasp Howard's motives. Involvement in Rex's expulsion had already shaken her, and now this unforeseen turn left her perplexed.
• "Your praise is overly generous. 'Mr. Froste' is a mantle I dare not assume. You may simply address me as Howie from now on!" Howard's metamorphosis appeared complete as he bowed deeply to Cecilia, a stark departure from his role as a commanding figure in the fashion industry.
• This was decidedly abnormal.
• "Is this still Mr. Froste we know?" The surrounding female staff shared in Cecilia's bewilderment.
• Cecilia remained dumbfounded.
• Howard persisted. "Just now, that scoundrel disturbed your tranquility. Consider this card my penance to you, Ms. Faraday!"
• Howard withdrew a card of pure gold from his pocket, declaring in earnest, "This card grants you the privilege to shop, unfettered, at any establishment beneath the canopy of Heaven International, without cost."
• Cecilia stood and struck silently. His humble and unanticipated apology, coupled with this sudden bestowal of a VIP card, seemed like a fantastical offering.
• No reward without merit. Cecilia asserted, her voice measured yet resolute, "I cannot accept this token."
• "Do you truly wish for me to kneel in homage before you?" Howard queried, his posture poised to genuflect without delay.
• Cecilia was confounded by this unexpected spectacle.
• "My love," Larry interjected finally, his voice resonant with consideration. "Given the manager's sincerity, perhaps it's best to accept, albeit reluctantly. Refusal may compel him to make a personal apology."
• Cecilia glanced at Larry, her expression reflecting lingering incredulity. She had no prior acquaintance with Howard, rendering this turn of events surreal.
• "He speaks true," Howard interjected earnestly. "Should you decline, Mr. Keith will not spare me. I trust Ms. Faraday does not wish to witness my unemployment."
• Howard pondered privately why Keith, the formidable titan of Heaven International, held such esteem for Cecilia. Could it be infatuation?
• But she's married.
• Yet Cecilia could not fathom Howard's motivations. Regardless, she couldn't abide seeing him lose his livelihood over this. Reluctantly, she accepted the golden card.
• "And as for this attire?" Cecilia gestured towards Larry's suit.
• "It is yours, gratis, Ms. Faraday," Howard acquiesced, deferential in tone. "Feel free to lay claim to the entirety of this establishment's offerings if you so desire."
• Cecilia remained mute.
• Later, as they departed ...
• "Larry, something about this unsettles me deeply," Cecilia mused aloud. "Mr. Froste mentioned Mr. Keith of Heaven International. How does such a figure take notice of someone like me?"
• Riding her electric scooter, Cecilia remained perplexed. Declining the golden card would mean dire consequences for Howard.
• This situation was nearly unimaginable.
• Keith was a powerful man. He was a legendary businessperson and a former military man. None in Shoresea would dare challenge his authority.
• "Perhaps ... "
• "Forget it. It's not like you'd get it even if I told you." Cecilia's abrupt dismissal of Larry echoed through the room like a bell tolling the end of a fragile peace.
• Despite the strange dance of events involving Howard earlier, she couldn't fathom any connection to Larry.
• She had, after all, unravelled the tapestry of Larry's life long before they exchanged vows.
• Meanwhile, in the inner sanctum of the boutique, Howard conducted his ritual of obeisance over the telephone. "Sir, your command has been executed faithfully."
• "Excellent," the voice responded, its tone as crisp as a winter morning.
• "But ... " Howard hesitated, the weight of unspoken words pressing upon him.
• "What's on your mind?"
• "Sir, forgive my presumption, but why do you hold Cecilia in such esteem, given her modest roots within the Faraday Group?"
• "Do you recall where I hailed from five years ago?" The voice queried, a rhetorical gust of wind.
• "The Northwild Military Zone's Lieutenant Colonel!"
• "Her spouse commanded me. Does that clarify matters?"
• Clang!
• At those words, Howard's device slipped from his grip. Its metallic thud was a counterpoint to the shock gripping him.
• The commanding officer is a lieutenant colonel from Northwild Military Zone. There remained no shadow of doubt as to who that man was.
• Initially, Howard suspected Keith's attentiveness towards Cecilia stemmed from her comeliness, a delicate allure. Now, with Keith's revelation, clarity coursed through him like a lightning bolt.
• News of the prodigious young marshal's advent in Shoresea lingered in Howard's thoughts.
• Yet now, a chill of apprehension traced his spine, a cold perspiration dotting his back.