A Lesson At The Mall

I frantically reached into my bag for the emergency inhaler. My fingertips had just touched it when Linda suddenly lunged forward. She snatched my bag away and hurled it to the ground.

Everything spilled out across the floor. The life-saving inhaler rolled away and stopped right at Henry’s feet.

“Trying to fake an illness to get out of paying?” Linda sneered.

Then, she stepped on my bag and crushed the inhaler beneath her heel, grinding it slowly. The sharp cracking sound made my heart shatter.

I stared at her in disbelief as she shouted. “I knew you were all a bunch of scammers! First, you stage an accident, then you pretend to be sick, and now you impersonate the young lady of the Jennings family? Do you think the Jennings family is filled with idiots?”

Beside me, Susie’s cough was growing weaker and weaker. It felt like my heart had been thrown into a shredder, torn into pieces with every second that passed.

“Give me the medicine! My sister has asthma! You’ve worked for the Jennings family for so many years. Don’t you know my sister has asthma?”

I lunged forward as I shouted hoarsely, but Henry grabbed my shoulders and pinned me down.

“Still acting, are you? Sure, you even managed to look that up. Miss Susie does have asthma, that rich-people illness. But who the hell is your sister? Now you’re making her fake an asthma attack just to escape responsibility? Apologize.” Henry’s voice was as cold as ice. “Apologize to Linda, pay one million dollars in compensation, and I’ll give you the inhaler.”

“Are you insane? She’s having an asthma attack!” My tears mixed with anger as they fell onto the back of his hand. “This is a mall under your management! Are you really going to let something happen to us here?”

“Henry, I am Joni Jennings, and you’ll regret treating us like this. How can you face Grandpa after everything he’s done for you?”

At the mention of what Grandpa had done for him, Henry’s eyes widened. For a moment, I thought he might finally hand the inhaler back, but instead, he laughed a sinister laugh.

“What are your lives worth anyway? I'll say this one more time. Stop pretending to be a member of the Jennings family and going around scamming people. I can give you the inhaler, but you have to pay the price for what you did today.”

The surrounding crowd had fallen silent. In Harbor City, everyone knew the Jennings family. If someone from the Jennings family so much as clears their throat, the entire city would suffer for it for three days.

“Henry, stop wasting your breath on her. You want the inhaler? Sure. Kneel and beg me for it. Then, I’ll give this piece of junk back to you.”

Susie’s breathing was getting weaker. Her little face had turned as pale as paper. Looking at her frail state, a chill ran down my spine. I knew I could wait no longer.

“Fine,” I said. “You want one million? I’ll give you ten million.”

Both Henry and Linda froze, clearly not expecting me to give in. They immediately handed me a phone and told me to gather the money.

“It looks like your family will have to sell your house, your car, and even your blood to come up with that much. Take it as a lesson. Next time, don’t mess with people you shouldn’t provoke.”

Even while we waited, Linda kept making things difficult for me.

“Well? Where’s the kneeling? You still have to kneel!”

Linda lifted her chin proudly, waiting to enjoy the sight of me humiliating myself.

I held Susie tightly and slowly shifted my position. However, instead of facing Linda, I turned slightly to the side and nodded toward a man in a black suit who had just rushed over from a distance.

“Felix,” I said, my voice calm again, “pass down the orders. First, freeze all of Henry Jennings’s authority within the Jennings Group. Effective immediately, suspend him pending investigation.

“Second, contact the legal department and file charges against Linda Miranda for intentional assault and extortion. Third, call in a helicopter ambulance and have it arrive at the rooftop helipad as fast as possible to pick us up.”

Felix Hall, my assistant, nodded and immediately began issuing instructions.

Henry’s expression changed drastically.

“Who are you talking to? Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Linda shrieked, “Who are you putting on a show for? Hurry up and kneel for me!”

I ignored them. Lowering my head, I kissed Susie gently on the forehead and whispered, “Susie, don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Susie rubbed against me weakly.

“Joni, I’m okay… Don’t worry about me…”

Just as Henry was about to make a move against me, a group of executives in Jennings Group uniforms rushed over, surrounding an elderly man with graying hair. It was none other than Billy Porter, the highest-ranking executive administrator of the Jennings Group, a man who had long since stepped away from public affairs, and his face was pale.

Looking at the crowd, he barked, “What are all of you standing there for? Arrest those two bastards immediately!”