A well-dressed man stepped out of the car.
He wore a crisp white shirt tucked into black slacks, his slim figure complemented by his polished shoes and slicked-back hair. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his nose, giving him the appearance of a successful professional.
He looked to be in his late twenties.
As soon as the man got out of the car, his eyes locked on James with an unfriendly glare.
"Sofie, who the hell is this guy?"
The man hadn't noticed James's Rolls-Royce, which was still circling for a parking spot.
Jay Johnson was notoriously picky about parkingâhe wouldn't stop unless it was a paid spot.
All Erics saw was his girlfriend laughing and chatting with another man, which made his blood boil.
James, noticing the man's hostile demeanor, smiled politely and asked Sofie,
"Is this your boyfriend?"
Sofie Barnes froze.
She'd gotten so caught up chatting with James that she'd completely forgotten she was waiting for her boyfriend.
She quickly nodded, walked over to Erics, and took his hand, trying to explain,
"Erics, this is James. He might be my future boss. We were just talking about work."
Erics was her latest "top patron"âhe had gifted her $50,000 to $60,000 on her livestream.
Coincidentally, he was local, so they had decided to meet up.
After meeting him in person yesterday, Sofie found him acceptable apart from his short stature.
He had bought her a $30,000 designer bag and showered her with gifts, proving himself to be a generous sugar daddy.
Sofie was eager to keep him around.
"What do you mean 'future boss'? You're quitting streaming?" Erics asked, his tone laced with suspicion.
"James said I have the potential to be a star, and I want to give it a try," Sofie whispered, trying to pacify him.
Erics frowned, convinced his girlfriend was being conned. He snapped,
"And you actually believe him?"
James, realizing this girl already had a boyfriend, felt a twinge of disappointment.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he turned to leave.
"Stop right there! Who said you could walk away?" Erics barked.
His accusatory tone made it sound like James had committed some heinous crime.
Sofie, sensing that Erics was about to cause a scene, tugged on his arm anxiously.
"Erics, don't be like this," she pleaded.
James paused and turned back to him, his voice icy.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Who else?" Erics snapped, shaking off Sofie's hand.
"You're pretending to be a talent scout to scam my girlfriend, and you think you can just walk away? Do I look like a pushover to you?"
James let out a short laugh, finding this man's ignorance amusing.
Clearly, Erics had no idea that his girlfriend had been the one to approach James.
James couldn't help but pity the fool.
With his hands casually in his pockets, he tilted his head and smirked arrogantly.
"So, what do you plan to do about it?"
Erics hadn't expected James to admit it so nonchalantly and was momentarily stunned.
Sofie immediately stepped forward, trying to smooth things over.
"James, I'm sorry. Please, just leave. I'll explain everything to him."
"It's fine," James said calmly. "I'd like to see what he plans to do to me."
If he had been caught hitting on someone else's girlfriend, he would have apologized.
But in this case, he hadn't done anything wrong.
Why should he take this man's abuse?
With Super Physique backing him up, James felt particularly confident.
Erics, seeing James's smug attitude, grew even angrier.
"Do you even know who I am?"
"I don't care who you are," James replied dismissively.
"You've got the nerve to hit on someone else's girlfriend? Do you want me to call some people and make you regret it?"
James chuckled. Turning to Sofie, he asked,
"Why don't you explain whether I was hitting on you or not?"
Caught between the two men, Sofie was in a panic.
She didn't want to offend either of them, so she answered evasively,
"Please don't fight over me, okay?"
Her response was dripping with manipulative charm.
But neither man had any interest in sipping this cheap tea.
James wasn't surprised that Sofie wouldn't clarify the situation.
After all, her boyfriend clearly held a higher priority.
But James wasn't about to put up with this nonsense either. With a faint smile, he said,
"Miss Barnes, I think you meet the qualifications for my company. I can make an exception and give you a chance to showcase your talents."
Sofie's eyes lit up, and she looked at James with excitement.
"Really?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes. But you know, being a celebrity comes with certain expectations. You can't have any scandals. You understand what I mean, right?"
James glanced meaningfully at Erics.
Following his gaze, Sofie saw her boyfriend's furious expressionâhis veins bulging, his teeth clenched.
She immediately understood James's implication.
On one side, there was a young, handsome CEO with a Rolls-Royce who could give her a brighter future.
On the other, there was a "top patron" who had spent $10,000 on her.
Even a child wouldn't struggle with this choice.
Besides, men like James usually meant what they said.
Making up her mind, Sofie was about to speak when Erics beat her to it.
"Sofie, you're seriously falling for this crap?"
"Erics, if you keep being unreasonable, I'm really going to get mad," Sofie retorted.
"Unreasonable? He's clearly scamming you! Are you stupid?" Erics barked, his anger reaching its peak.
Sofie seized on his words, suddenly flipping the script.
"You're calling me stupid? Today you're calling me namesâtomorrow you'll be hitting me. I can't believe you're this kind of person!"
"What the hell? Are you insane?" Erics stared at her in disbelief.
"From now on, I don't want to see you anymore. Leave," Sofie declared firmly.
Erics, finally catching on, glanced at James, who was silently watching the drama unfold.
"You've got some nerve," Erics growled at James.
"Hey, hey, hey," James said, laughing. "She's the one dumping you, not me. Get your facts straight, buddy."
James's smug grin only fueled Erics's rage.
Erics wanted nothing more than to slap James across the face.
If a fight broke out and James retaliated, Erics was confident he could use his connectionsâlegal or otherwiseâto make James's life miserable.
Erics was itching for a confrontation.
Just then, a tall, imposing figure came running toward them.
It was Jay Johnson.
Seeing his boss in the middle of a tense situation, Jay didn't waste a second, rushing over with a stern, menacing expression.
He positioned himself beside James, his cold, predatory gaze fixed on Erics.
From Jay's perspective, the other man was already in a threatening stance.
The thought that he had let his guard down and almost allowed his boss to get attacked made Jay deeply anxious.
How can I ever relax again if something like this happens while I'm away? he thought grimly.
Standing at barely 5'7", Erics was now overwhelmed by fear.
Jay's towering presence, his piercing eyes, and his utter silence were suffocating.
Erics tilted his head back to look up at him, terrified the man might actually kill him.
"Is the car parked?" James asked casually.
"Yes," Jay replied, his gaze never leaving Erics.
"Then let's head up," James said.
Before leaving, he turned to Sofie and added,
"Take care of your personal matters. Don't bring this kind of drama into the workplace."
"Understood, Big Bro James," Sofie said obediently.
James walked away slowly, leaving the argument behind him.
From a distance, he could hear the escalating fight:
"You b****! You see a rich guy and immediately start licking his boots. Disgusting!"
"Everyone has the right to pursue happiness. Don't stand in my way."
"F*** you! If you want to break up, then give me back the money I spent on you!"
"Fine, I'll pay you back. And once I do, you can wait for the police to come after you!"
"Why would the police come after me?!"