Chapter 12 Young Master Sterling

The boutique doors slid open.

Everyone turned.

The sound of shoes on marble echoed through the store like a countdown. The kind of sound that made people stop mid-sentence, or even mid-gesture, and mid-breath.

Six men in perfectly tailored black suits walked in first. They immediately split into two rigid lines, scanning the high-end store with disciplined, military precision.

Behind them walked a distinguished middle-aged man in an immaculate charcoal suit. He didn't wear flashy jewelry or boastful brands. He didn't look merely wealthy. He looked like natural power.

The boutique owner gasped, all the color draining from his face as he hurried forward, nearly tripping over his own shoes. He bowed so low his nose almost touched his knees. "Mr. Harrington... Executive Director of Sterling Global. What an absolute honor."

Damien heard the title and grinned, straightening his lapels. He assumed the owner had panicked over the Centurion card and called in the heavy artillery.

"Perfect timing, Harrington," Damien said, stepping right into the executive's way and pointing a manicured finger directly at Ethan. "This man has been pretending to be part of the Sterling family. He’s using a suspicious Centurion card, trying to manipulate everyone here. You should call the police and have him locked up immediately."

Kim quickly moved to Damien’s side, crossing her arms. "I knew something wasn't right,” she announced loudly. “The whole thing is obviously a scam. I mean, look at him. Look at how he's dressed. Look at his bruises. Does that look like a Sterling to you?"

A few wealthy customers staying near the registers nodded in agreement. Someone in the back whispered, "I knew this couldn't be real."

Another person in the back pulled out a phone, discreetly recording the confrontation. Everyone waited for the legendary Executive Director to order Ethan's arrest.

Mr. Harrington didn’t even look at Damien.

He walked straight past the billionaire’s son, the customers and the boutique owner. He stopped directly in front of Ethan, his calm, measured expression changed into one of deep respect.

Without hesitation, Harrington bowed deeply.

"My deepest apologies, Young Master," Harrington said, his voice echoing in the dead silence of the room. "I arrived later than Chairman Sterling instructed."

The boutique stopped breathing. Even the air conditioning seemed to whiz quieter.

Then, Damien burst into laughter.

It wasn't a nervous chuckle. It was a loud, genuine, belly-deep laugh of pure disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." Damien circled Ethan, shaking his head. "So Ethan hired another actor? What did you promise him, Cole? Clean his house forever without payment? Or steal for him?"

"This is getting embarrassing," Kim sneered, though her voice shook slightly as she looked at the men in the black suits.

Damien pointed at Harrington, still grinning. "You people are committed, I'll give you that. You almost fooled me. But do you honestly expect me to believe Victor Sterling sent his Executive Director for him? I've seen street con artists try harder."

Harrington slowly raised his head. His expression remained perfectly, dangerously calm. "I represent Chairman Victor Sterling. I do not participate in jokes."

Damien snorted, stepping entirely into Harrington's personal space. "Representative? So what? You are still not Chairman Victor, my father knows him directly,” Then he turns and glance at Ethan before slowly turning to face the executive. “Ethan is still a nobody."

Harrington gave him one final opportunity. "Mr. Cross. I advise you to stop speaking."

"Or what?" Damien smirked, leaning in closer. "You're going to fire me too? You should be careful. Do you know whom my father is? your little title means nothing to me. And this loser…"

Slap!

The slap echoed like a gunshot.

Damien stumbled violently sideways, slamming into a glass display table. Ties and cufflinks clattered to the floor. His cheek instantly turned into a violent, burning red. He stared up from the floor, his eyes went wide in shock. Everyone gasps. 

Every employee immediately lowered their head. The same employees who had dismissed Ethan moments ago now found the floor suddenly fascinating.

Mr. Harrington calmly adjusted his platinum cufflinks, not a single hair out of place.

"You have now insulted the future master of the Sterling family," Harrington said, his voice entirely composed. "Consider that slap an act of mercy. If Chairman Sterling had been standing here instead... your consequences would have been far greater." He flicked his eyes to the bodyguards. "Remove him."

Two men in black suits lunged forward, grabbing Damien by the arms and hauling him entirely off his feet.

"Get your hands off me!" Damien thrashed wildly, his expensive suit tearing at the shoulder as they dragged him backward toward the exit. "This isn't over! My father knows people! Ethan, you're fooling all of them, but I'll expose you! I'll prove you're a fraud!"

His screams echoed down the street as the guards threw him out, the glass doors sliding shut behind him. Kim stood frozen near the register, her face became pale as a ghost, before she turned and sprinted out the doors to follow Damien.

Ethan stood completely stunned. His heart hammered in his chest. Nobody in his entire life had ever defended him like that. He looked at the executive, with his voice barely a whisper. "You... you didn’t have to do this."

Mr. Harrington smiled respectfully. "I do, young master. It is my duty." He turned his gaze to the paralyzed boutique owner. "Lock the doors. The boutique is now closed to the public."

The owner scrambled to the front, flipping the lock with trembling hands. "Yes, Mr. Harrington! Of course!"

Every tailor, stylist, and employee who had ignored Ethan just minutes ago now rushed forward. They carried bolts of exclusive Italian fabrics, limited-edition jackets, and ties. They bowed, their hands shaking as they competed for the chance to simply hold a mirror for him.

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw tight as the staff swarmed him. He felt entirely out of place.

Mr. Harrington stepped close, speaking quietly so only Ethan could hear. "Do not apologize for receiving the respect that should have been yours all along, Young Master."

Before Ethan could reply, Mr. Harrington’s phone vibrated in his breast pocket. He answered it immediately, listening in silence. His calm expression tightened into seriousness. He lowered the phone, turned toward Ethan, and bowed once more. His posture becomes even more respectful.

“Young Master…”

He pauses.

“The Chairman has decided to proceed.”

Ethan frowned, pushing a tailor's measuring tape away from his chest. “Proceed with what?”

Mr. Harrington looked at him for a long moment and smiled faintly before answering.

“Tomorrow night…”

“…the entire country will know who you are.”