Edward continued to express his desire to enter the store. He waved a hand and asked, “Why won’t you let us in?”

When Darius heard this, he reached up to dig his ears. Then, he patted Edward on the shoulder and said, “Relax.” There was some strength in his grip because he wanted Edward to know he was watching him.

Sure enough, Edward fell silent and frowned. He tucked his hands in his pockets and turned to look at Darius. “Mr. Reid, their attitude is absolutely unacceptable. Are we still going to buy anything from them?”

Darius met his cold gaze and nodded. “Yes, we don’t have any other choice. Perhaps things are different from what we expect—no one would turn down a new customer, but that’s exactly what this salesperson has done. I’m curious to know why.”

He suddenly leaned to the side and strode forward, reaching the store’s entrance in one step. He put a hand on the door’s handle and pushed it open. The salesperson who had stopped them from entering watched him with wide eyes, and