The Setup: How Disaster Was Inevitable
It started, as most catastrophes do, with bored rich teenagers and an absurd idea.
Solene wanted content. Zephyr wanted thrill. Caspian just wanted to do something dumb.
And thus, the Shopping Cart Grand Prix was born—a high-speed race inside one of the world's most exclusive luxury boutiques.
Each competitor would grab a shopping cart, shove in as many outrageously expensive items as possible, and race to the finish line—an antique carpet worth half a million dollars.
The winner? Whoever crossed the carpet first without crashing.
(Spoiler: They crashed.)
The Actual Disaster: A Breakdown of Absolute Chaos
Five things happened in rapid succession:
Caspian misjudged a turn. His cart flew into a crystal display, worth $80,000. Shattered glass rained down like confetti. Solene tripped—directly into a clothing rack. She brought down a row of couture gowns, one of which was hand-stitched with diamonds. Zephyr tried to drift his cart (why?), slamming into an imported vase collection. One of them was **ancient, one-of-a-kind, and insured at over $100,000. An extremely confused parrot, previously decorative, was freed in the chaos. The bird immediately started dive-bombing customers. Security arrived, horrified, as absolute destruction unfolded before their eyes.
Total damages: Over $200,000.
Total credibility lost: All of it.
Jonathan Sterling Finds Out
When Jonathan sees his children's faces plastered across international headlines, he doesn't yell.
He doesn't scream.
He simply stares at the news article in stunned silence, then takes a deep breath.
And that's when his assistant hears him mutter something terrifying:
"They will learn."
The Sterling heirs are about to face their reckoning.