Chapter 3 - Freezing Ethan’s Corporate Credit Lines
Ethan walked into an upscale downtown café just off Westheimer Road, eager to treat Chloe to an expensive breakfast.
He placed his platinum corporate card onto the polished counter, flashing a confident smile at the young barista.
“Put everything on this card, including a couple of those imported pastries for my fiancée,” Ethan instructed smoothly.
The barista swiped the card through the terminal, but the machine emitted a harsh, piercing red rejection beep.
“I’m sorry, sir, but your card has been declined by the issuer,” the barista said, handing the black plastic back.
Ethan frowned, assuming it was a temporary banking glitch caused by overnight maintenance on the server network.
“Try it again, please. There is a multi-million-dollar credit limit backed by Sterling Crest on that account,” Ethan insisted.
The barista swiped it a second time, but the screen flashed the exact same chilling notification: Account Frozen.
Annoyed and embarrassed in front of the morning crowd, Ethan pulled out his smartphone to call the corporate concierge.
“Hello, this is Ethan Harper. My business card was just declined, and I need this security hold removed immediately.”
A crisp, emotionless voice answered from the corporate helpline on the other end of the line.
May you like
“Mr. Harper, your corporate lines have been permanently severed under direct orders from the Office of the President.”
Ethan’s breath hitched in his throat as a cold bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
