From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Trapped In A Corner

"The Stern family?" Abby repeated, narrowing her eyes. "And I’m from the IDGF family."

Donto raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by the name, until one of his friends stifled a laugh. Cindy, on the other hand, had pieced it together immediately.

"Oh, the Stern family? That Stern family? Wow!" Cindy gasped, clasping her hands together as her eyes practically sparkled.

Just moments ago, she’d felt like Abby had crushed her dreams, saying guys like that didn’t exist. But now? Now one was standing right in front of her, breathing, speaking, offering designer bags like they were no big deal.

Thanks to her deep dives into fashion blogs and the Borbes rich lists, she knew exactly who the Sterns were.

"Wait, so you really do have that kind of money?" Cindy asked, already pulling the bag from the shelf. "And you’re saying you’ll buy this for me? Just like that?"

"Of course I don’t mind," Donto said smoothly, leaning casually against the wall, his tight shirt stretching just enough to flex his muscles.

Abby watched him with a deadpan stare. Seriously, could this guy have picked a tighter shirt?

"I wasn’t expecting anything in return," Donto added with a wink. "But if you wanted to leave me your number... I wouldn’t be mad about it."

His friends, still lounging on the nearby couches, let out a few chuckles.

"Unbelievable. Every time," one of them said. "As soon as they hear who he is, they’re practically throwing their numbers at him."

"His superpower isn’t strength or speed," the other added with a smirk. "It’s his bank account and that last name."

"Cindy, seriously, let’s go," Abby said, tugging her friend gently by the arm. "You’re the one who told me that guys like this never end up with regular people. They date celebrities, influencers, other millionaires. Do you really think someone hanging out in the girls’ section of a luxury shop, hitting on random people, is doing this for love? Come on, snap out of it."

Cindy blinked, glancing around. Now that Abby mentioned it... yeah. The section they were in was filled with handbags, heels, and chic dresses. It made no sense for a guy like him to be browsing here, unless he was shopping for someone else.

And now that she really thought about it, he’d been standing there for a while. Watching. Waiting. He hadn’t just randomly bumped into her.

"Do you people have to get involved?" Donto finally said, a little irritation slipping into his voice. And this time, his eyes were locked directly on Abby.

"Oh, I get it now," Donto said, his voice laced with smugness. "You’re upset because I hit on your friend instead of you. No need to drag her away just to show how jealous you are."

And just like that, the scowl shifted from Abby’s face to Cindy’s.

"Excuse me?" Cindy snapped. "My friend isn’t jealous! Who do you think you are, acting like everyone automatically likes you?"

For a second, it actually looked like she was going to slap him right across the face. Abby knew this would happen, drama always followed guys like this.

But it was one of the things she loved about Cindy. No matter what, she always had Abby’s back. She was the kind of friend who’d throw hands before letting anyone disrespect her.

"Wow, turns out you’re both walking red flags," Donto muttered, shaking his head. "Glad I didn’t waste my money on you. Might as well have set it on fire."

The two girls turned to leave, brushing past the sneering group. But just before crossing the threshold, Abby paused, her frustration boiling over.

She spun on her heel and looked Donto dead in the eye.

"Right, right. Big proud man, huh? Flashing Daddy’s money around to impress a bunch of students. Buying things with cash you didn’t even earn. Try learning how to handle rejection... jerk."

And with that, she turned back around, walking off with Cindy by her side.

"Haha!" Cindy burst out laughing as the two of them continued walking down the street. "That was so good! But the thing about the Stern family, it’s not even their dads, they’re all just leeching off their grandpa’s money." Cindy made sure to say the last part loud enough for the guys to hear, her voice carrying as they strolled away, still laughing.

Behind them, the boys weren’t taking it nearly as well.

"Oh man," one of Donto’s friends chuckled. "That’s gotta be the biggest rejection I’ve ever seen."

"Yeah, and he was so sure he had it in the bag!" the other added, snorting.

But while they laughed, Donto’s jaw clenched. His face was turning red, not from embarrassment, but rage.

"Those damn ugly bitches," Donto hissed. "And I was actually trying to be nice. I offer to buy them something and I’m the one who gets humiliated?"

"If you scream, shout, or try to run, then you’ll be dealing with this. And trust me, it’s a lot worse than whatever we’ve got planned for you."