I Am The Richest Man Alive

Chapter Three - Scammed.

Justin clutched the bag tightly to his chest like his life was kept in it. He took to his heels with every step limping in outright fear and a mist of thrill. 

Justin ran until the loan shark's lair was no longer in sight and he was somewhere on the streets of LA. At this point, Justin couldn't help but allow a smile to swerve on his arid lips like a fourteen-year-old who'd just gotten a birthday present. 

Justin had his eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the street in a voyage to find a Walgreens outlet. After all, it's Nelson Drogonuv's party, a multitude of well-to-do folks will be trooping to the nearest ticket outlets to get a ticket before it's sold out.  

Justin arrived at a supposed Walgreens store. He was a bit confounded because it appeared to be a coffee shop. But when his eyes settled on the Walgreens logo, situated outside - close to the sidewalk, he heaved a sigh and walked through the entrance. "Maybe they're affiliated with Walgreens," he muttered under his breath. 

Amidst the protracted mix of occupied and vacant tables and seats, Justin caught a sight of the reception on the left side. He hastened his steps towards the counter.

He abruptly brushed shoulders with a random man. His bag fell out of his grip. The man leaned over to reach for the bag, but Justin had it in his hands already. 

"Sorry," Justin muttered. He didn't wait for the man's response before proceeding. 

"Hey!" The man called. 

Reluctantly, Justin turned back to meet the man still standing at the same spot with a funny look on his face. Justin ambled closer too - trying to figure out why a random man who almost broke his arm would call him back. 

"What are you here for?" The man asked, his eyes stuck on the bag Justin clasped to his chest.

Justin held on to the bag a little bit more and glanced through the shop and then back to the man. 

"I'm here to get tickets for Nelson Drogonuv's party." Justin declared. 

The man furrowed his eyebrows, further revealing the depth of his brown eyes and again - the surprise that was hushed up beneath it. The man scoffed. He scanned Justin like he was some laboratory specimen. 

Justin's face went dim at the man's sneering reaction. "I need to go." He yelped, about to turn around and leave. But the man grabbed his shoulder. 

"Wait. Do you know how much each of these tickets cost?" 

"Yeah. Twenty-five thousand dollars," Justin retorted sharply. "And I'm paying for four people." He added. 

"Great!" The man exclaimed. "I'm in charge of the ticket sales, it's a good thing you came now. It's almost sold out." 

Justin rumbled his eyes with relief. "Thank goodness. Can I still get four?" Justin asked. 

"Yeah! You've got the money there?" 

"Bet. There you go" Justin said, handing the bag to the man. 

The man opened the bag, his eyeballs dilated in shock and he swiftly concealed that wonder with a smile.

"Alright. Have a seat, while I get you the tickets." The man made a beeline for Justin to sit and he exited the shop. Justin sat on one of the seats nearby as he dug his fingers into his palms expectantly. 

Two hours went by, and the man didn't show up. Justin's instincts swung into action and he became restless. He rose from his seat, pacing all around the shop, even if everyone seated was beginning to stare at him in suspicion. Justin had his eyes fixed on the exit, hoping the man would walk straight back in. 

It never happened, after all, it was all a thought. 

"Sir, can I help you?" A voice cracked into Justin's stream of thoughts. He dabbed a smudge of sweat off his face and turned to the receptionist. 

"I'm here to get the tickets to Nelson Drogonuv's party, but," 

"Sure, you're in the right place, Sir. How many tickets do you want to pay for?" The receptionist said. 

"I thought that guy was in charge. He took money from me." Justin said, pointing a finger to the exit. 

The receptionist had a subtle smirk on her face "Nobody else is incharge, Sir." She declared. "You have been scammed."