The heavy leather door swung open. I slid into the driver’s seat. The tan leather was soft and warm against my back. The smell of the interior was rich, intoxicating. I placed my hands on the steering wheel. It felt solid. Real.
Behind me, Tyler was still staring at the paper. His hands were shaking so badly the envelope crinkled.
“This is a forgery,” Tyler stammered, his voice cracking. He took a step toward the car, his polished oxfords squeaking on the concrete. “You can’t just walk in here with a fake check and sit in a quarter-million-dollar car. I’m calling the police.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket. His thumb hovered over the screen. The showroom went dead silent. The other salesmen stopped talking. They watched from behind their desks, their eyes wide.
“Put the phone away, Tyler,” a new voice said.
The heavy glass doors of the manager’s office swung open. Richard Sterling, the General Manager, walked out. He was wearing a tailored navy suit, his face twisted in annoyance. He checked his Rolex.
“What is the hold-up?” Richard snapped. “I have a real client waiting for a test drive. Why is this car occupied?”
Tyler thrust the envelope at him, his chest puffing out. “She’s trying to steal the car, Richard! Look at this check. It’s obviously fake. She’s dressed like she shops at Goodwill. I was just about to have security remove her.”
Richard snatched the paper. He adjusted his glasses. He looked at the cashier’s check. Then he looked at the handwritten note on the back.
His jaw tightened. The color drained from his face, leaving him pale and sickly under the track lighting.
“Tyler,” Richard whispered. His voice was dangerously quiet. “Do you know who this is?”
“She’s a squatter,” Tyler sneered, though his voice trembled. He pointed at me. “She doesn’t have the funds. I told her to go to the financing department.”
Richard didn’t yell. He just turned the paper around so Tyler could see the signature at the bottom.
“This isn’t just a cashier’s check, you idiot,” Richard said, his voice rising. “It’s the wire transfer confirmation for the full purchase price. Two hundred and eighty thousand dollars. Cleared funds. And the note on the back is from the Regional Director.”
Tyler froze. He looked at the paper, then at the car, then at me. The arrogance was completely gone. He looked like a trapped animal.
“What note?” Tyler choked out.
“The note that says this woman just bought the dealership,” Richard said coldly. “All of it. The inventory, the building, the lot. She is the new owner. And you just told the owner to go to the financing department because she didn’t look rich enough.”
The silence that followed wasn’t just quiet. It was a physical weight. It crushed the air out of the space between us. The hum of the AC seemed to roar in my ears.
Tyler’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked at the other salesmen. They were staring at the floor, refusing to make eye contact.
“You… you can’t be serious,” Tyler stammered, his hands dropping to his sides. “I’ve been the top salesman here for two years. I brought in three million in revenue. You can’t fire me over a misunderstanding.”
“You brought in three million in revenue while treating every person who didn’t wear a Rolex like garbage,” I said from the driver’s seat. My voice was steady. I didn’t look at him. I just looked at the dashboard. “Richard, is he still employed?”
Richard didn’t hesitate. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone. “Security is already on the way. Tyler, hand over your badge and your keys. Now.”
Tyler didn’t argue. He didn’t yell. He unclipped his name tag, dropped it on the hood of the Aston Martin, and handed over his keys. The metallic clatter echoed in the quiet showroom. Two uniformed guards escorted him out. He didn’t look back. He just stared at the floor, his shoulders slumped, entirely defeated.
I adjusted the rearview mirror. I pressed the start button. The engine purred to life, a deep, throaty rumble that vibrated through the seat.
The heavy glass doors clicked shut behind the guards, leaving only the sound of the engine and my steady breathing.