Stolen?
The word struck the shop owner like a thunderbolt.
Suddenly, he recalled the recent news about a wealthy businessman whose house had been burgled. Among the stolen items was a VIP card from the Chamber of City. Could it be that John had the same card? His mind raced, and a new thought occurred to him.
The shop owner turned to his wife and said, "I remember the Chamber of City's announcement about a reward of one hundred thousand dollars for information regarding this card. The businessman also promised an additional one million dollars if someone helped catch the thief."
One million dollars?
The couple's eyes widened with greed. That was more money than they could ever dream of. They immediately saw an opportunity. If they could somehow link this man to the stolen VIP card, their lives would change forever.
"Wife, call the customer service of Chamber of City. I'll handle the situation here," the shop owner said eagerly.
Without hesitation, they put their plan into motion.
The shop owner returned to John and continued to act polite, pretending to work on removing the rust from the bike. He tried to remain calm, though inside he was bubbling with excitement. He could hardly wait to cash in on the reward.
John, however, saw through their charade but decided not to interrupt their little scheme. He remained silent, curious to see what would happen next.
Less than fifteen minutes later, a sleek black car pulled up outside the shop. A well-dressed man in a suit stepped out, accompanied by two plainclothes policemen. The couple immediately rushed toward them.
"That's him!" they exclaimed, pointing at John with glee.
The man in the suit nodded with understanding, then walked up to John, introducing himself. "Hello, sir, I'm President Lawrance of the Chamber of City, New York Branch. May I ask you a few questions?"
The two plainclothes policemen flanked John on either side, creating an intimidating presence. John didn't flinch. He merely raised an eyebrow and replied calmly, "Go ahead."
President Lawrance addressed him directly, "Sir, we've been informed that you have a VIP card from the Chamber of City, is that correct?"
John nodded. "Yes, that's correct."
"If you don't mind, could you show us your VIP card?"
Without hesitation, John handed over the black card. Lawrance took it and inspected it carefully, nodding after a moment. "Yes, this is the most prestigious VIP card of the Chamber of City. There are fewer than twenty of these in all of New York."
President Lawrance then asked, "Could I have your name, please?"
"John Lopez."
The name seemed to trigger something in Lawrance. He quickly opened his laptop and searched "John Lopez," but came up with no results. His expression shifted, and he subtly signaled to the two plainclothes officers.
The officers immediately displayed their badges and said, "We are with the New York Public Security Bureau. We have reason to believe you may be involved in a burglary case that occurred half a month ago. Please come with us for further investigation."
John's eyes widened in realization. They thought he was the thief!
He couldn't believe how much trouble a simple black card could cause. The husband and wife of the bicycle shop seemed elated. They were convinced they had caught the thief and that the reward was within their grasp.
John, however, remained composed. "I'm happy to cooperate, officers, but I'm afraid I can't today," he said calmly. "I have an appointment with the Remar family, and I won't be able to make it to the precinct right now."
The officers didn't take kindly to this response. Their faces darkened, and one of them shouted, "How dare you resist arrest?"
In a split second, both officers drew their pistols, their hands firm on the grips, ready to escalate the situation.
John smiled slightly, then shook his head. "It's not about resisting arrest. The truth is, you've got the wrong person. This black card wasn't stolen; it was given to me by someone else."
"Given to you?" The officers exchanged puzzled glances.
The shop owner's wife couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. "Who would give you such a valuable VIP card? That's a joke!"
John, not missing a beat, shot her a look and said dryly, "I wonder what the Duke of Southern River would think about you calling him a 'joke'?"
The wife's laugh died instantly, her face going pale as she stared at John. The rest of the group looked at him in stunned silence.
"Duke of Southern River?" President Lawrance murmured, blinking in confusion. "Are you telling us that you know the Duke?"
John's gaze was steady, his voice unwavering. "Yes. The Duke of Southern River gave me this card."
The others exchanged dubious glances. They didn't believe him—how could they? But seeing the solemnity in John's face, President Lawrance decided to call the Duke himself, just to be certain.
He quickly accessed the Chamber of City's database and found the Duke's contact details. He hesitated for a moment, then dialed the number.
"Hello, Mr. Glenn? This is President Lawrance from the Chamber of City. Can I confirm if you still possess your VIP card?"
"I gave it away," came the Duke's voice on the other end of the line. "Why?"
"Did you give it to a man named John Lopez?"
"That's right. Wait… what's going on? Did you offend Mr. Lopez?" the Duke's voice grew loud and furious. "If you've done anything to upset him, I swear I'll pull all my deposits from the Chamber of City! Don't you dare mess with Mr. Lopez!"
Lawrance's heart sank. The tremor in the Duke's voice was unmistakable. This was no ordinary man standing before him. If he had offended John, it would be disastrous for the Chamber of City.
The Duke's voice boomed through the phone. "If you so much as touch Mr. Lopez, I'll ruin everything the Chamber of City has worked for. Do you understand?"
President Lawrance's face went white as the realization struck him. This wasn't just any ordinary VIP card holder. John Lopez was someone of immense importance.
He hurriedly turned to John, his tone apologetic. "Mr. Lopez, I'm so sorry. This is all a misunderstanding. Please, don't be upset. I'll make sure everything is cleared up immediately."
John's lips curled into a faint smile. He had let the situation play out, curious to see how it would unfold. Now that it was clear they had all misunderstood, he simply nodded.
"It's fine. Just make sure this doesn't happen again."
With a final apologetic bow, President Lawrance and the two plainclothes officers left the shop. The shop owner and his wife stood stunned, their dreams of a reward dashed in an instant.
As they watched John walk away, they could only wonder about the true identity of the man they had tried to set up.