Aurora Bennett had been standing inside the large LA car showroom for the last six hours without making any sale.
Today was not a lucky day for her.
She clenched her numb toes inside her knock-off red-bottom shoes.
Her mind was still fixating on the numbers, over and over again.
She needed five thousand dollars to complete her brother’s tuition fee, whose deadline was just two weeks away.
She had done anything she could already.
Took out advance payments, maxed out her credit loans, and even sold some of her old stuff.
But she was still short on the money.
The five hundred dollar commission she got from every car sale was the only thing she relied on, and she hadn’t made any today.
Her brother Jude’s face appeared in her mind.
He was an easygoing boy who cared about his family and deserved a chance at education.
He and her granny were the only people that still believed in her, and she couldn’t afford to let him down.
Aurora adjusted her thrifted cream-colored blazer and straightened her spine.
Her eyes scanned around the showroom.
She needed a sale before she retired for the day.
Just then, the large glass doors were pushed open, and Aurora’s head whipped towards the entrance like she always did when a customer walked through.
But something felt slightly different this time.
The air in the room went heavy as the man stepped forward.
He was taller than average.
His broad shoulders filled the dark expensive suit perfectly, and his dark raven hair was perfectly gelled up away from his face.
He looked like he had sculpted his own face with a perfectly sharp jaw and intense eyes that made Aurora want to duck away from his gaze.
His eyes scanned the showroom lazily, lacking any interest for someone who came to purchase a car.
Behind him was another man who was slightly shorter and wore a neat navy blazer.
He had a tablet in his arm and wore clear glasses that made her presume him to be the other man’s secretary or assistant.
The tall man stopped right in the center of the showroom.
Rachel, the other sales assistant, who had been on the phone for the past hour neglecting her work, instantly rushed forward after she had smoothed her tight top and reapplied her lipstick.
Marcus, the new assistant who had just started last week, was so nervous that he tripped over his own feet.
Aurora just stayed where she was standing.
The aura exhaling from the man made her hesitate to approach him.
Before any of them could say anything, Linda, the sales manager, was instantly by his side.
Aurora didn’t even know when she came out from her office at the back.
She had on a smile so wide her face must have hurt.
“Mr. Black,” she greeted.
“What an honor! We have been told that you might stop by. May I offer you any refreshments? Water, Wine, or Sparkling water?”
The man she had just referred to as Mr. Black didn’t even blink to acknowledge her.
His eyes continued scanning around the showroom, passing over all the expensive cars on display before they finally landed on Aurora, who looked like a fish out of water.
Something that looked like disdain flashed through his eyes before it was gone, and Aurora wondered if she had imagined it from how much he was frowning.
“I’m fine,” he dismissed Linda.
His deep voice vibrated through the showroom.
“Just looking.”
Linda’s wide smile didn’t falter.
“Of course, Mr. Black. If you need anything—”
“I don’t…” He cut her off before he walked away, his assistant following him closely behind.
Aurora grimaced at the sight.
Her grandmother had always told her that some men were raised to believe that the world revolved around them, and she could bet her life’s worth that this man was one of them.
The secretary’s mouth moved as he murmured something to Mr. Black, but she couldn’t hear him until they walked in her direction.
“Don’t start, Jax,” he said.
The words lightly drifted into Aurora’s ears.
“I’m not in the mood.”
“I’m just saying,” the assistant replied.
His tone is very casual for the normal boss-assistant relationship.
“We have been in here less than twenty seconds, and everyone looks like they are on the brink of constipation. You aren’t even looking at the cars.”
Mr. Black shrugged.
“I’m just gauging them, Jax. If they can’t even handle that, then maybe we should go and look somewhere else.”
Aurora fought the urge to roll her eyes.
She already knew the kind of man he was from the way he spoke, just like all the other wealthy men who walked through the showroom doors, men who treated her and her employees like they were part of the decoration.
For a moment, she thought of bailing for the staff room and taking a break to let Rachel or Linda handle him, but instead, she found herself stepping forward in his direction.
“Good afternoon, sir,” she greeted, her voice steady.
“I’m Aurora, and I’ll be happy to walk you through our current selection. Be free to ask if you are interested in something specific.”
Mr. Black turned to look at her.
His frown deepened like she was a fly who landed on his suit.
His eyes looked lazy, not opened all the way, but that didn’t make him look any less handsome.
Though the way he looked at her made her want to disappear.
“Not really. These models are all quite outdated,” he stated before he looked away from her like she wasn’t worth his gaze.
Aurora wiped her palms on her pantsuit before she forced a tight smile.
“I must disagree with that, Mr. Black. Every single car on display is a state-of-the-art model. We even have pieces that have not been mass-produced yet, if you would like to take a look…”
His eyes returned back to Aurora, who stood her ground without even blinking that tight, fake smile that stared back at him.
He cocked his head at her like he was thinking.
“Show me what you’ve got then,” he prompted.
“Of course,” Aurora led them towards the center of the showroom, where their exclusive flagship car model sat on the display platform that was slowly rotating the vehicle.
A sleek, dark, metallic finish made the car shine like a black diamond.
“This is a limited edition Mercedes V8 twin turbo that has 620 horsepower, going from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. It is one of the only five that are available in California.”
“It’s okay,” he hummed, walking towards the car, running a hand over the sleek hood of the car.
“What’s the price?”
“2.6 million, sir.”
Aurora’s voice almost shook as she quoted the price.
She wondered what it would be like if she possessed the wealth to be able to buy a car of this price.
“Let’s see if it’s as exclusive as you say.”
His hands went to the door and smoothly unbuckled it before he slid inside, making Aurora’s eyes go slightly wide.
His eyes scanned around the interior of the car as he gripped the steering wheel firmly.
“Do you expect me to buy it?” He turned towards her.
His dark blue irises are even more striking under the overhead lights.
His eyes dropped to her name tag.
“Miss Bennett, this is what you have been waiting for all day, isn’t it? For someone rich enough to walk in, while you come looking innocent and pretend like you’re interested in helping me, when all you really want is for me to swipe my card and get you that nice, fat commission?”
Aurora bit her lips, her cheeks going bright pink without breaking his stare.
“Mr. Black, I am only standing here because it’s my job to assist customers. But if you don’t need any assistance, you are welcome to order me to leave.”
“Quite touchy for a salesperson,” he murmured.
“I wonder how many men have walked through these doors and bought a car because you batted your eyelashes at them? said the same words you just said to me.”
“If you mean a sale, then there have been quite a few, but that’s why I work here, Mr. Black.” She stated like it was a fact.
“You don’t have to try too hard, Miss Bennett.” He suddenly stepped outside of the car, standing a few inches from her, making her take two shaky steps back.
“I’ve already seen this performance before; you’d dress well, smile even when it’s not necessary, and make the wealthy man feel special, wouldn’t you?
Aurora’s heart pumped faster against her chest.
She sucked a small breath to steady her voice.
“Mr. Black, I don’t know what kind of experience you have had with salespeople, but I can assure you that we are not all the same.”
“Cassian,” his assistant, Jax, interrupted.
“That’s enough.”
The way he spoke made Aurora believe that he wasn’t just his assistant but also a close friend.
Cassian Black completely ignored him, his gaze still on Aurora, waiting for an answer to his degrading question.
Instead, she just reached out and picked an insurance brochure from the table beside her.
It consisted of an insurance for the car as well as other expensive additions, which would only add to her commission.
She pushed it in his direction.
“Mr. Black,” she said calmly, “the only way to prove yourself right is to buy the car.
The insurance package as well.
Put your money where your mouth is and prove that you are as wealthy as you talk.”
Cassian’s expression dropped for a second, a flash of surprise going through his eyes.
He didn’t expect this response.
He stared at her for a long moment, while Jax stared between the two of them.
In the background, Linda and Rachel were also both frozen, holding their breaths to hear Cassian’s reply.
He finally let out a short laugh that didn’t sound genuine.
“Fine.”
Aurora blinked like she misheard him.
He pulled a sleek black card from the pocket of his jacket, confirming his statement.
“I will take the car and the insurance.”
“Everything you just said. I will need to complete the paperwork,” she said slowly like she expected him to cancel it then, but he didn’t.
He just turned to his assistant, telling him to handle it, before he turned away, walking towards the reception.
Aurora turned back to Jax, who looked apologetic.
“Alright, I will have the paperwork ready in 10 minutes.”
Twenty minutes later, and the deal was finally done.
Aurora’s eyes met Cassian Black’s just as he finished signing the final form before Jaxson swiped the black card and the payment came in, securing her a $1000 bonus plus the insurance he got.
But the way he looked at her was as if he had thrown a bone at a dog, but Aurora pushed that thought away.
She needed the money.
It doesn’t matter if Cassian called her a dog or a gold digger.
This was her job.
She smiled as she took the papers from him.
“Thank you for your purchase, sir.”