Chapter 14: Connection

The doorman stepped in front of Leon and raised his hand.

"Servants and workers wait outside for their bosses," he said. "Please step aside."

Leon sighed. He knew exactly what this was about. It was the way he was dressed, a loose old shirt that was now stretched tight over his arms. They had not stopped the assistant walking beside him, and they had not stopped Kate. They had only stopped him.

’Not this hassle again. Must it be like this everywhere I go?’

Before he could say a word, a second doorman walked over and tried to shove him back by the chest. Kate’s hand shot out and caught the man’s wrist before it touched him.

"If you dare lay a finger on him, you will lose your job right here," she said coldly, her eyes locked on the man.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He staggered back, pulled his hand away, and bowed his head fast. "I’m sorry, Miss Kate. Please, go in."

The two men stepped aside, and the three of them walked in.

"Thanks," Leon said quietly.

"Don’t thank me yet." Kate kept her eyes ahead as she walked. "In as much as I hate what just happened, and I hate that everyone keeps trying to look down on you, some of it is on you."

"On me?"

"The way you look. Most people judge you the moment they see you, and that is the problem with humanity. No matter how much we hate it, it is how things work." She finally turned to look at him. "If you want to become someone who is respected, you need to look even better than you do now."

She looked him up and down and then cleared her throat.

"Your, uh, your physical attributes are already good. Really good. I just... you just need the clothes to... to match."

She turned her face away fast and walked ahead.

The assistant glanced at Leon, then at the back of her boss’s head, and said nothing.

Inside the store, they did not even allow him to touch a single piece of clothing. Kate and her assistant went through the racks like a pair of people on a mission. Within minutes, they had shoved a pile into Leon’s hands and pointed him toward the changing room. They sat down on the lounge chairs outside it, and the assistant crossed her legs and rested her tablet on her knee.

"Go," Kate said.

Leon sighed and headed in.

The first outfit was a bright orange jacket with a shirt covered in huge silver prints, and pants that shimmered when the light touched them. He looked at himself in the mirror for a long moment.

’Who picked this?’

He stepped out. Kate pressed her lips together, and the assistant’s eyes dropped straight to her tablet while her shoulders shook.

"Next," Kate said, her voice a bit strained.

The second one was a pair of baggy jeans with a fitted black shirt that showed off his arms and chest. He came out and the two of them looked at him. Kate tilted her head slowly, and the assistant nodded once.

"That’s clean," the assistant said.

"Keep it in the pile," Kate added.

The third was a loose baggy shirt that hung down past his waist, paired with another set of baggy pants. Leon looked like he was swimming inside it. When he walked out, the two of them shook their heads at the same time.

"No," Kate said.

"Absolutely not," the assistant said.

"I thought you picked it," Leon said.

"I picked it to make sure," Kate replied, flipping her hand. "Next."

The fourth was a white fitted shirt under a grey jacket, with dark jeans and clean boots. It was simple, but it fit him perfectly. They both nodded again, and Kate leaned back in her seat with a small smile.

The fifth was a suit.

It was black, with a crisp white shirt and a dark tie. He buttoned the jacket, fixed the collar, and walked out slowly.

For a few seconds, neither of them said a thing. Kate’s lips had parted slightly, and the assistant’s pen had stopped moving on her tablet.

"Well," Kate finally managed, and cleared her throat. "That one is definitely coming with us."

Leon rubbed the back of his neck. Standing there while the two of them looked him over, he felt like a piece of meat on display. He thought about it for a bit, then shoved the thought aside and went back in to try the next set.

When they were done, they had chosen everything they wanted and headed for the counter. Leon pulled out his phone to pay, but Kate grabbed his hand and stopped it halfway.

"Put that away."

She took out a diamond card and handed it to the woman behind the counter. The woman looked at Leon strangely, a young man letting a woman pay for him, and her expression said it clearly. But then her eyes fell on the card, and she froze.

"D... diamond?" She looked up at Kate, then at the card again, and quickly bowed. She was a new worker and had not known that Kate was a VIP customer here.

"Right away, Miss Kate."

After they were done, Leon hurled the bags of clothes into the back of the SUV, and they all got in.

Kate leaned back in her seat with a glass of champagne in her hand. "That was fun."

"For you, maybe," Leon replied.

The assistant sat on the other side, tapping away at her tablet screen while the driver pulled out toward the X-Force store for PCs.

Leon watched the buildings pass by, and then he turned to her.

"Can I ask you something? Why did you pay for me? Why are you helping me this much?"

Kate looked at him for a few seconds, swirling her glass. Then she replied.

"I don’t want to lie to you. I have a thing for knowing what sort of people to connect with, and I have a feeling you will be a good person to connect with."

"So this is a..."

"All of this is to build a good relationship," she said simply.

Leon blinked, and then he let out a laugh. "You are pretty straightforward. I like that."

The assistant looked at the two of them with a completely blank face, then went back to her tablet.

Not long after, the SUV slowed down and the car pulled up in front of the X-Force store.