Grover panicked. "Did my son offend you, Mrs. Houston?"


    "Why don''t we go inside and talk?" Debra suggested.


    Grover nodded eagerly and ushered Debra and her entourage into the house.


    Following behind Debra, Grover exined anxiously, "Ivan is young and ignorant. If he has offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive him."


    "It''s not a big deal," Debra said casually. "He just cut my brake lines, punctured my gas tank, threw a lighter into it, and almost blew me up. That''s all."


    "What?" Grover stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.


    That was a near-fatal offense.


    "Get that brat down here," he barked, his voice shaking with anger and fear.


    The maid hurried upstairs to fetch Ivan. Momentster, he reluctantly came out, fidgeting at the sight of Debra.


    "Get over here." Grover dragged him to stand in front of Debra.


    Debra rested her chin on her hand. "The car he messed with doesn''t belong to me; it belongs to Mr. Lowe. He has a bit of a cleanliness obsession and doesn''t like his things tampered with. You get what I''m saying?"


    "I understand," Grover interjected. "We will pay for it."


    "That car is a limited edition, no longer avable for purchase." Debra paused. "It''s worth eight figures. I believe you can afford that."


    Grover winced at the amount but knew better than to offend Drake. Money was nothingpared to their lives.


    Debra pulled a card from her bag and handed it to him. "This is my ount number. Please transfer the funds within three days."


    "Of course." Grover took the card, then turned to re at Ivan. "Look what you''ve done. Apologize to Mrs. Houston right now."


    wife, and the president of the


    Debra was Drake''s friend, Ma


    McKinney Group. She was not someone they could afford


    offend.


    Ivan stepped forward and muttered, "I''m sorry, Mrs. Houston. It was my fault."


    "It''s fine. Kids make mistakes," Debra said with a smile. "How old are you, Ivan?" "I''m 17," he replied.


    "17. You''re young and bold," Debra observed, looking around the room. "Where did you learn those tricks?"


    "From movies."


    love


    "I see." Debra nodded. "Learning from movies and executing it s perfectly. Mr. Trennery, your son is quite talented. His future is limitless."


    "That''s an exaggeration," Grover said with a dryugh.


    Debra turned her gaze back to Iv?n. "I heard you dropped out of school and caused quite a stir at thepany. Finding a job might be tough for you. Why don''t youe work for me? Interested?"


    Ivan looked up, surprised.