The clerk was baffled; he wanted to pinch himself to see if this was happening. Maybe the weather was getting to him; maybe it was a heat stroke!
One holder of such a card was already rare, but now he saw two simultaneously? Wait, didn't this young man standing behind them also have one?
Just as he was racking his brain to devise a solution, the third girl, who had been quiet until now, made her move.
" Keke, I knew this would happen. I have two of them, I should be given priority right?" She showed her obvious black card with a membership card to go along with it. The membership card was given when one shopped for millions at their stores. Paige was sure it held few extra weight compared to the other two!
" Eh? This-, Please wait. I'll go to the store manager!" the clerk's brain was short-circuiting; he needed therapy to overcome such a frightening event.
...
...
" Martha! no, Boss! It's terrible. Few VIP customers just entered the store and showed me the Black cards at the door. We are required to clear and close the store right away!" He said with a panicked voice after entering her office.
" Why all the fuss? Haven't you encountered such a thing few days ago, just follow the procedure." The store manager Martha was very dissatisfied with his wimpy attitude.
"No, Boss, you don't understand. It's three of them out there. All three of them showed me different card! All Black Gold cardholders. Even though they came together, they want to shop separately. How can I decide on my own who to let in first?"
*Hiss* Martha took a breath of cold air hearing it.
"Are you sure they are all legit cardholders? How is that possible?" When did American Express start issuing their cards like cabbages? She refused to believe it!
"But Boss, not only girls, the gentleman who bought the ultra-complex couple watch last time is also with them!" He dropped another bomb!
Okay, now even Martha has become a believer! She was so stunned that she was lost for words. Didn't that make it four cardholders? But that was not the time to think about it.
"Well, you clear the store first and remember to be polite to our customers. I'll go out and have a look in the meantime." She gave instructions and headed out.
Martha quickly strides toward the door to find four people standing at the door. Surprisingly, she was familiar with their names.
Good God! Paige Hydrick, Iblis Hanson, even Maia Hopson? Three of them were surrounding the young man, Samuel Rothschild.
The three top hottest young ladies of prominent families were here. She had to be on her best behavior today!
"Mr. Rothschild, we meet again." Martha greeted him first.
"Hello, Ms. Martha. I am sorry to trouble you again." Samuel was polite, and surely he remembered the lady's name.
"Miss Paige, Miss Iblis, Miss Maia. Welcome to Breguet." She slightly bowed.
Paige said, "You are the store manager? I need you to close the store, but I should be the only one inside."
Iblis, "Why? I asked them first!"
Maia," Leave them to fight. I can shop before they finish right?"
""No, you can't"" the Other two exclaimed.
This...Weren't these three together? So, why were they fighting? That when she realize what was happening.
"Miss, this is the first time I have encountered such a situation. I will first call the customer service of American Express and ask how to solve it? Please wait inside in the meantime."
"Whatever." Three girls said in unison.
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...
...
Martha got through to Amex and narrated the matter to them.
The person who was listening felt like it was a prank call. But seeing that it was a fine line, she decided to listen to the whole thing.
The customer service lady said, "Ma'am, please don't make such a joke. We have only issued less than 500 centurion black gold cards yet. How could there be such a coincidence that three VIPs appeared at the same place at the same time."
"Sorry, not three, but four, Miss Paige, Miss Iblis, Miss Maia and Mr. Samuel."
Customer Service: "...."
There was no answer for a while; after the pause, she continued-
"Wait a minute; I will report to my superior."
The customer service lady reported to her supervisor.
Supervisor: "...."
The supervisor reported to the Operational Manager.
Operational Manager: "...."
The operational Manager had no choice but to call the Head of Amex. The result was nothing; it was the first time such a thing had happened in history.
Samuel, who was witnessing the fiasco, was fed up with it. He knew the girls were jealous because of the pieces he had bought for Liliana and Rosaline. How good were their eyes at pinpointing the make and model of the watches?
It was his fault for not predicting such a situation. He walked inside to get away from the mess.
"I will look around, tell me when you guys are done."
" Oh, Are you planning to help us chose? Or Gifting it to some other girl?" Maia said.
" It doesn't matter. It is none of your concern." He was not playing this game.
" Che, you are only mean to us!" Iblis joined the fray.
" Leave him alone! I would go crazy if I had to live with you too!" Paige surprisingly supported Samuel.
But the problem still stood; it was not going anywhere. Thus, they decided to swallow their pride and shop together. It was a strategic truce, a moment of peace in turbulent times.
...
...
They were unaware of how much their silly fight impacted American Express. At the Express headquarters, they seriously went over this matter. The senior executives held a briefing overnight to study and develop a solution.
The employee had to work overtime for a few days; it was a matter of the company's image who prided themselves on being the best in the industry!
Because of it, they held a small grudge against these wealthy kids. A small excursion made the senior executives of the world's top 500 companies bang their heads for a solution.
That was the power of money; it was undeniable they had to change some policies or, better yet, hold a public hearing to inform their customers about it.
But Samuel was in trouble; what the girls demanded from the store after the peace was another war!