Compensation for Damages

"All right, Carl, stop talking. I know him. It's Mr. Rudd", a familiar voice said. "Mr. Rudd, do you recognize me? I'm Ronald Banks, the manager of Palace Garden."

When he looked up and saw his acquaintance, George was less frightened. "Oh, it's you? What a coincidence." When he had eaten at Palace Garden, last, this manager had helped him out quite a bit. He was a good person. George's mood lightened.

"Mr. Rudd, are you all right? Are you injured? How about I take you to the hospital so you can get checked out?" Ronald asked in concern.

George quickly refused. "No need, no need. I'm fine. But how about you guys?"

"Well, we are fine too," Ronald said. He pointed to the Chevy and asked, "Is this your car?"

George shook his head and said in embarrassment, "It's a new car from the dealership. I was test driving it. I don't know what happened just now. The brake suddenly stopped working. I'm so sorry."

"It's nothing serious. So don't worry about it," Ronald said.

"But Mr. Banks, look at the broken taillights. Even the bumper has a huge dent in it," Carl protested. But when he saw Ronald's expression, he went silent.

This manager was quite impressive. Just a glance from him was enough to restrain Carl. But no matter what, it was not right to crash into someone's car and not compensate them. "I'll pay for the damages. How much do you think it'll be?" George asked awkwardly.

Ronald shook his head and his expression suddenly became serious. "Mr. Rudd, who let you test drive this car? The brakes are obviously not working properly."

George wasn't an idiot. He understood right away what Ronald was saying. Someone was trying to harm him. No wonder that salesman was so enthusiastic about getting George in this car. "I'll go back down and return the car. I'm not going to buy it," George said a bit depressed. Now that the car was wrecked, even if he didn't buy it, he would still lose a lot of money paying for the damages. And it seemed like the salesman was up to something.

"Mr. Banks, if you don't leave soon, you'll be late for your meeting with Mr. Thomas," Carl reminded him.

"How about this, Mr. Rudd, tell me which dealership you got the car from. If you need anything, I can send someone to help you." Ronald frowned.

He really wanted to take care of George's affairs personally, but he could not keep Mr. Thomas waiting for their meeting.

George looked at Ronald. He felt that this man paid too much attention to his business. He was even more suspicious of the fact that Ronald knew him and that he had something to do with the Rudd family. Finally, George said, "It's the dealership across the road. The car salesman's name is Henry Little"

"I'll remember that," Ronald said. Then he thought of something. He rolled down the window and held something out to George. "Here's my card, Mr. Rudd, if you need anything, please call me."

"Thank you, Mr. Banks, you should get to your meeting. I'll take care of myself," George said after some thought. As a member of the Rudd Family, if he couldn't even handle this little accident, then what good was he? He started up the car, took out his phone and called Flora to tell her about the accident. George drove back to the dealership and the moment he got out of the car, he was surrounded by a bunch of people.

"You idiot!" Henry screamed at him. "What have you done to this beautiful Chevy? Look at the state of it." He dragged George to the front of the car and pointed to the worst of the damage. "How on earth am I going to sell this car after you've destroyed it like this? You'd better buy it. If you don't, you'll regret it."

George looked at Henry who glared back viciously. The group of people behind him exchanged glances, and George was scared out of his wits. He had intended to expose Henry's conspiracy, but after some thought, he decided not to. Henry would never admit what he had done. And if George accused him, he would definitely get beaten up and still have to buy the car even if he didn't want to. George wasn't willing to be beaten up over an issue of money. He needed his body to be healthy so that he was free to do other things. It would be worth it to spend a little money to stave off disaster. But that did not mean that George had to swallow his anger.

At the moment, Henry had the advantage of numbers. George knew that a wise man did not fight when the odds were against him. But if Henry wanted to frame him, he would definitely take revenge eventually. It was never too late for revenge.

"Whether you buy it or not, you can't blame me for being rude," Henry said.

George laughed coldly and cursed the salesman in his heart. But out loud, he said, "Mr. Little, can I pay you for the damages? I can't really afford to buy the car."

Henry was silent for a while. Then he said, "Well, right, this is a new model. It's not cheap to build. Not only did you smash the front of the car, but you also trampled the brakes."

George did not dare to accuse Henry out loud. He could only helplessly agree. "How much do I owe you for it?"

"I've calculated it." Henry pretended to circle the car and said coldly, "15,000 and not a single cent less."

George was shocked. He had not expected the manager to ask for so much. "I might as well buy the whole car then," he said.

"Sure, if you think repairing is too expensive, then buy it," Henry said with a straight face.

George chuckled, it seemed that the salesman was determined to keep an eye on him. "I'll give you 15,000 then," George agreed straightforwardly.

This confused Henry. He examined George for a long time. "You agreed so quickly. You're not intending to cheat me, are you?" He continued. "You should know that I'm backed by some powerful people. Have you heard of the Williams Family? We've been around for a hundred years. Don't even think about calling the police or trying to take your own revenge. It's completely useless." Then he signalled his eyes for the others to carry George inside the building.

"The Williams Family?" George thought with a sneer. "The Rudd family is even more powerful and I'm their heir."