Daniel hesitated.
The blonde associate cut in.
“Sir, this is not a department store. We can’t remove every six-figure piece because someone wants to try it on.”
There it was.
Not quite insulting.
Not yet.
But close enough that Daniel looked uncomfortable.
Marcus turned to her.
“What’s your name?”
Her chin lifted.
“Claire.”
“Claire.”
He repeated it once.
“What does the watch cost?”
Her tone flattened.
“One hundred eighty-four thousand dollars before tax.”
Marcus nodded.
“Fine.”
He reached into his jacket and removed a matte-black card.
No visible bank name on the front.
No raised numbers.
He placed it on the counter.
“I’ll buy it.”
For the first time, Claire lost her professional composure.
She stared at the card.
Then at him.
“You’ll buy it.”
“Yes.”
“You haven't even tried it on.”
“I came to see the finishing. I can see enough from here.”
Daniel looked increasingly alarmed.
“Sir, perhaps we should—”
Claire picked up the card between two gloved fingers.
Her expression changed into something close to amusement.
“This isn't how purchasing an allocation piece works.”
Marcus kept his voice calm.
“How does purchasing work?”
“You establish a relationship.”
“With whom?”
“With the boutique.”
“I’m attempting to.”
Claire set the card down.
Not gently.
“You don't walk in off the street, point at one of our rarest pieces, and buy your way into a relationship.”
Marcus almost smiled.
“That seems like an unusual position for a retailer.”
Daniel whispered:
“Claire.”
She ignored him.
Perhaps she had decided Marcus was wasting their time.
Perhaps she believed he was testing limits because he wanted attention.
Perhaps she had encountered enough people photographing luxury merchandise for social media that skepticism had become habit.
Marcus could have understood all of that.
What he could not understand was why every off-ramp she had been offered only made her more determined to make him feel small.
He looked at the card.
“Run it.”
Claire gave a short laugh.
It was quiet enough to remain deniable.
Marcus heard.
So did Daniel.
“Excuse me?”
Claire pushed the card across the glass toward him.
It slid almost to the edge.
“That watch costs more than you look worth.”
For two seconds, nobody spoke.
Daniel’s face went white.
A woman examining jewelry nearby turned fully around.
The security guard beside the walnut column looked toward the counter.
Marcus did not touch the card.
He slowly removed his sunglasses.
Claire’s expression faltered.
His eyes were not angry.
That unsettled her more than anger probably would have.
“Run the name on the card.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“I’m not wasting a fraud alert because you want to prove something.”
Marcus stared.
Daniel said:
“Claire, that’s enough.”
She snapped toward him.
“Stay out of it.”
That was when the security guard approached.
His name tag read DARREN COLE.
He was forty, broad through the chest, with close-cropped light-brown hair.
“Problem?”
Claire gestured toward Marcus.
“This gentleman is refusing to understand that certain inventory is not available to him.”
Marcus looked at Darren.
“I asked to purchase a watch.”