The male wing of the shopping mall is located at the Northeast of the mall which is two or three shops apart.
The group made their way slowly to the mall. Jessica was hoping to use this opportunity to add some casual clothes of different colours to the set of clothes in Davis wardrobe.
As they drew closer to their location, Davis’s breathing hitched, his grip on Jessica’s hand tightening involuntarily.
Just as he was struggling to steady himself, a store manager approached, he glanced at them one after another and finally his condescending smirk settled on Davis who was sitting on the wheelchair.
"Sir, you cannot go into the store in a wheelchair," the manager stated, his voice dripping with arrogance. "You can wait for your colleagues at the lounge." He concluded, his smile widening.
A heavy silence followed his words. Jessica’s face darkened instantly, her eyes cold. Pamela folded her arms across her chest, glared at the store manager as if he were the filth beneath her shoes.
Ethan was seething with rage, his jaw and fist clenched. He would have hit this man on the face but that will attract more onlookers than the people already gathered and Davis couldn’t cope with their gaze —not yet.
He made a mental note to seek out the manager and teach him a reason to always respect everyone he comes across irrespective of age or size.
Davis remained still, his expression complicated. Though he appeared calm but a storm was raging in his heart. He was preparing himself for stares, glares and whispers, but outright rejection? No, he never planned for it and seeing it happen —It stung.
Jessica let out a cold chuckle, breaking the silence. "Excuse me?" She said, her voice cold.
The manager shifted slightly but kept his smug demeanor. "It’s the store policy. We have limited space inside, and a wheelchair would be... obstructive."
Jessica’s lips curled into a deadly smile, one that made Pamela step back instinctively. "Limited space? Yet you have enough space for people with oversized egos?"
The manager faltered but quickly regained his composure. "Ma’am, I don’t make the rules—"
"But you enforce them," Jessica cut him off sharply. She took a step forward, her presence suddenly intimidating.
"Ma, I am only following orders", the manager said besides—
After one week of taking over the Allen. Group, Desmond had met and instructed the mall managers not to allow anyone on a wheelchair into the mall without his proper consent..
Jessica’s voice broke his reverie "Do you really mean a person in a wheelchair is not qualified to shop here, even when that person has his money on him?" Her voice was deceptively calm, but the sharpness in her tone was breathtaking.
The manager nodded in affirmation. "Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what I mean. Store policy—"Jessica interrupted him coldly
"You don’t need to go into much explanations". She smirked.
But then I want to know is this mall under which group?" she asked with cold smile
"The Allen Group" he answered wondering why she is more akin to questioning him then thinking about how to handle their shopping along with the crippled man.
Jessica let out a cold laugh, her grip tightening on Davis’s wheelchair handles. "You mean to tell me that this store belongs to The Allen Group?"
The manager, still oblivious to the storm brewing in Jessica’s gaze, puffed out his chest. "Yes, it is," he answered with smug confidence.
Jessica’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "And as a store manager, you believe it is right to decide who is and isn’t qualified to shop here?"
The manager’s smirk faltered for a split second before he quickly regained his composure.
"I enforce the policies set in place," he said with a forced smile. "This mall is a prestigious shopping hub. We have a standard to maintain—"
"A standard?" Jessica interrupted, her voice sharp as a blade. "You mean the standard of insulting the customers for their challenges?" She asked in a cold bitting tone.
She retrieved her phone from her handbag sitting on Davis lap and with a click of her finger she dialed Elder Allen’s number, he picked up in a few rings.
"Grandpa, do I have the right to terminate a staff appointment?" She asked.
The manager paled, his legs shaking and his shoulders sagged. "It can’t be happening, he is only following orders. Why had it turned this way."
"Desmond had instructed him not to let anyone in a wheelchair in" how come?" The manager muttered to himself.
"You don’t need my permission for such a minor matter." Elder Allen said, his voice echoing loud through the speaker.
The store manager quickly fell on his knees asking for mercy but Jessica is never merciful when offended.
Jessica’s cold smile deepened as she watched the manager crumble before her.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, tilting her head mockingly. "I don’t need permission for something as minor as this."
The store manager’s heart pounded in his chest. He had thought he was untouchable under Desmond’s orders, yet here he was—seconds away from losing everything.
"Please, ma’am! It was a mistake!" he pleaded, his voice shaking as he fell to his knees.
Pamela scoffed. "A mistake?" She folded her arms. "You were just boasting about ’standards’ a moment ago. Where’s that confidence now?"she smirked. She has long wanted to give this man a good slap but her reasoning had prevailed.
Ethan shook his head in amusement, watching as the once-arrogant manager grovelled on the floor. Jessica crouched slightly, looking him dead in the eyes. "You weren’t just following orders," she said coolly.
"You enjoyed humiliating people like him, people you thought couldn’t fight back."She snarled. How she hates the guts of him.
Davis, who had remained quiet, finally spoke, his voice firm. "And how many others have you treated ?"
The manager’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t answer. Jessica sighed dramatically. "Well, whether it was one person or a hundred, it doesn’t matter anymore." She said with all seriousness.
A manager who can treat people this way and say it is rule is definitely not desiring to grow the group or profit the company but rather is interested in his own benefits.
"Why keep such? It is of no use. Though Davis might have been relegated to the background but in the past and in the future the group has been and will be his sweat.