Another said, “He just threw official documents.” And then the officer stepped forward again, angrily kicked the door of Lucien's car, snarling. “This vehicle is still under investigation, and I don’t care who you are.” Now, Lucien's eyes held no patience, not anger, not fear, just a still crystalline awareness. “You’ll regret that,” Lucien said barely above a whisper.
But the words echoed in the ears of everyone watching. “I’m not afraid of threats from men in shiny uniforms,” the officer growled. Lucien tilted his head slightly, his voice even and mechanical. “You think that? Because you’ve never truly seen me.”
The car now sat in silence like a witness that had been insulted. Documents lay scattered across the concrete, swirling in the wind like living proof of arrogance unraveling. Before the officer could take another step, Lucien, without urgency or anger, simply reached slowly into the inner pocket of his now creased blazer. The crowd held its breath. The young employee stepped back half a pace.
Even the younger officer hesitated. Lucien's hand revealed a small object, a black leather business card holder with hand-stitched edges. No decoration, nothing excessive. He pulled out a single card and placed it on the hood of the car directly in front of the angry officer. “You should read it carefully,” Lucien said, his gaze no longer a request.
It was a silent command. The card caught the midday sun like a pane of reinforced glass exposing the truth. The card had a matte-black background and sharp, unmistakable gold lettering. It read: “Lucien R. Darnell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Darnell Automotive Group, Internal Line for Executive Policy Affairs.”
The air froze. The officer looked at the card, then at Lucien, then back again. His tongue moved, but no words came. That was when the ripple effect began. A young man nearby whispered, “That’s CEO Darnell.”
A woman gasped, covering her mouth, nearly in tears. “He owns the entire showroom chain.” Eyes that had once held doubt now brimmed with shock. Livestream phones lit up with running captions.
“Lucien Darnell just confirmed his identity. Police just detained the CEO of the company that made their cars.” Lucien did not need to confirm anything, but this time he did. “This coupe,” he said, pointing toward the vehicle, “was designed by me and my engineering team; the entire drivetrain was approved under a budget signed by my company, and the VIN is registered directly in our executive operations database because the model has not yet entered mass production.” Then he turned to the officer who had just kicked the car door.