“I didn’t take anything,” she said quietly, keeping her eyes down.
One of the suited men stepped in front of her path with a smirk.
“Relax,” he said. “Nobody said you stole anything.”
Adrian chuckled loudly so people nearby could hear.
“Looks like today we’re doing charity,” he joked to his friends.
Then he pointed at the car.
“I’ll give you $100 million if you can fix my car.”
The men burst out laughing.
Phones came up to record.
Someone even whistled like it was a circus act.
But Nia didn’t laugh.
The number meant nothing to her.
It was just another way to make her feel small.
“I can’t,” she said quietly.
The man holding the camera leaned closer.
“Say that again.”
“I can’t,” she repeated.
Nia tried to step away, but the group shifted slightly, trapping her inside a loose circle of watching strangers.
Adrian tilted his head.
“Then walk away,” he said casually. “But imagine how that’ll look on video.”
Nia’s hands started shaking.
She knew how quickly one misunderstanding could ruin everything—especially for someone like her.
Finally, she spoke again.
“If I look at it,” she said softly, “you stop talking.”
The men blinked in surprise.
“No jokes. No filming in my face. If you talk, I stop.”