Richest Man: It All Started With My Rebate System-Chapter 27: Spending Spree

Steven left the showroom and drove toward the Galleria.

As he drove, his mind drifted to the bike and the licence question. The Superleggera was sitting in a showroom waiting for delivery, and he had no legal right to ride it on a public road yet.

The money had solved the acquisition problem completely. The licence was the part money couldn’t shortcut, at least not directly.

He wasn’t worried about it. He would book the test, do what was required, and get it done. It was a process, not an obstacle.

The Galleria announced itself before he arrived. The surrounding streets thickened with traffic and the buildings grew denser, and then the structure itself came into view — vast, glass-fronted, taking up more of the skyline than he had expected even knowing what it was.

He found parking without much difficulty and stepped out.

He stood for a moment and looked at it.

The Galleria was the largest shopping mall in Texas and one of the most significant luxury retail destinations in the country. Designer stores, restaurants, entertainment, and an ice rink sitting in the middle of it all like an architectural flex. It was the kind of place that had always existed at the edge of his awareness.

This was place where Steven would had never thought of even daring to step into in his life before, because just thinking about it would had reduced his account by half.

He smiled quietly to himself, checked his balance once more, $2,794,572.74, and walked to the entrance.

The doors opened automatically and he stepped through.

The interior was exactly what the exterior had promised. Wide, bright, and filled with a busy, and leisurely energy.

People moved through the corridors with shopping bags and unhurried steps. The lighting was warm and the air was cool. Below, through the railings of the upper level, he could see the ice rink.

Steven looked around, got his bearings, and took the escalator up to the level where the designer stores were concentrated.

He stepped off and walked slowly, reading the storefronts as he went. Versace. Prada. Saint Laurent. Louis Vuitton. Each one with its own window arrangement, its own particular way of presenting itself to the corridor.

He walked past all of them without stopping, not from disinterest but because nothing had caught him yet in a way that made him want to go in first.

He kept walking, observing each storefront, trying to arrive at a decision, but the options kept multiplying and nothing settled 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

After several minutes of walking and no clearer instinct than when he had started, he stopped deliberating and made a choice the simplest way available to him. He picked the next store he was standing in front of and walked in.

It was Burberry

The window display was clean and considered. Classic silhouettes in muted tones, arranged without clutter. He looked at it for a moment, then pushed the door open and walked in.

He was greeted immediately.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to Burberry. Is there something specific I can help you with today, or would you prefer to browse?"

"I need to stock a wardrobe," Steven said. "I’ve recently moved into a new place and I’m starting from scratch. Casual, smart casual, outerwear. I’ll also need casual footwear. I’m not in a rush, so walk me through what you have."

The sales associate, a composed young woman with a precise manner, nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. Let’s start with outerwear and work inward from there."

What followed was unhurried and thorough.

She walked him through the outerwear section first, pulling pieces from the rail and presenting them with brief, clear explanations — construction, fabric, occasion, how each piece sat within a broader wardrobe.

Steven asked questions when something wasn’t clear and made decisions without deliberating excessively. He wasn’t shopping the way he used to, holding things up against a mental price ceiling and working backward. He was looking at quality, fit, and whether he would actually wear it.

The Burberry Heritage Trench in honey. A quilted jacket in dark navy. A wool overcoat in camel that the associate had pulled without him asking, correctly reading what he was gravitating toward.

He kept all three.

From outerwear she moved him through knitwear, shirts, and trousers. Merino wool crewnecks in neutral tones. Oxford shirts in white and pale blue. Tailored trousers in charcoal and dark brown. He added a pair of clean, minimal chinos and two lightweight cotton pieces for warmer days.

By the time they reached accessories, the pile that had accumulated was significant.

He added a scarf in the classic Burberry check, a leather card holder, and a belt. The associate showed him two options on the belt. He took both without being asked to justify it, which produced the faintest, most professional version of a smile from her.

"Footwear?" she asked.

"Casual," he said. "Trainers, something for everyday use. Clean, not too loud."

She walked him to the footwear display. He selected two pairs, one in white leather and one in a dark suede, both clean-lined and understated.

"For formal footwear," she said, with the easy confidence of someone who had covered this question before, "we’d recommend Berluti or John Lobb for what you’re describing. There’s a Berluti store two floors down. They’ll have exactly what you need."

"Good to know," Steven said.

At the counter, the associate compiled everything and began processing the order. The total came to $11,400.

Steven handed over his card without looking at the number twice.

[You spent $11,400. A 7x rebate was triggered.]

[You received $79,800. The money has been transferred to your account.]

He glanced at the notification and allowed himself a quiet moment of satisfaction before turning back to the counter.

"I’d like everything delivered," he said. "I’ll give you the address. I don’t want to carry it through the mall."

"Of course. Standard or expedited?"

"Standard is fine."

She took his address, confirmed the details, and presented him with the receipt. He folded it once and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you," he said, and walked out.

***

He found John Lobb without difficulty, following the directions the Burberry associate had given him.

The store was quieter than the others he had visited that morning.

A senior associate approached with an unhurried ease.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to John Lobb. Is there something I can help you with today?"

"Good morning," Steven said. "I’m looking for formal shoes. Oxfords, Derbies, something that works well with suits. I want to see what you have."

"Of course. Do you have a preference on leather or colour? Or would you prefer I walk you through what we’d recommend for building a formal foundation?"

"Walk me through it," Steven said.

The associate nodded and began.

He covered the essentials without condescension, explaining the difference between a cap-toe Oxford and a plain-toe, the occasions each served best, how a burnished calf Derby sat differently in a formal context compared to a business one.

He talked about last shapes and how they affected fit over time, about the leather grades John Lobb used and what distinguished them from the broader market.

Steven listened carefully. He had no deep knowledge of formal footwear and no reason to pretend otherwise. But he was paying attention, and the associate could tell, which made the conversation more direct and useful than it might otherwise have been.

He was shown six pairs across the visit. He handled each one, turned them over, looked at the construction, and listened to what the associate said about them.

He settled on two.

The first was the City II in black calf leather. A cap-toe Oxford, clean and unornamented, the kind of shoe that belonged in every serious wardrobe and worked without effort across almost every formal occasion. The associate had described it as a foundation piece, and Steven understood exactly what he meant.

The second was the William in dark oak antique calf. A Derby with a slightly softer silhouette than the Oxford, finished with a hand-burnished patina that gave it a depth the plain leather couldn’t match. It was the kind of shoe that rewarded a second look.

Both were the kind of shoes that did their job without announcing it, which was exactly what he was looking for.

"I’ll take both," he said.

"Will you be taking them with you today, or would you prefer delivery?"

"Delivery," Steven said, and gave the address for the second time that morning.

The associate completed the order without unnecessary conversation, presenting the total when everything had been processed.

"That comes to $2,850."

Steven handed over his card. The transaction cleared immediately.

[You spent $2,850. A 6x rebate was triggered.]

[You received $17,100. The money has been transferred to your account.]

He glanced at the notification briefly, then pocketed his card.

"Thank you," Steven said.

"Thank you, Mr. Craig. Your order will be with you within the standard window. We’ll send confirmation to the contact details on file."

Steven nodded once and walked out.

He stepped back into the corridor and checked his mental list, and watches were next.

***

He found the Cartier store further along the same level, its entrance framed in the brand’s signature deep red and gold.

He walked inn and a senior associate approached with a composed, warm manner.

"Good afternoon. How can I assist you today?"

"Wristwatches," Steven said. "I want to see your best."

She led him to the central display and began walking him through the collection. The Santos, the Ballon Bleu, the Ronde Must. Each one presented with context — the history, the movement, the specific qualities that set it apart from the others.

Steven listened carefully. He had worn one watch in his life and had owned it for less than a week. His frame of reference was limited. But he trusted his eye, and his eye kept returning to one piece.

The Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication. Platinum case, hand-wound movement, perpetual calendar with moon phase display.

"This one," he said.

The associate looked at him for a fraction of a second longer than usual, then smiled.

"An excellent choice. The Grande Complication is one of our most significant pieces. The price is $178,000."

"I’ll take it," Steven said.

He paid, gave the delivery address for the third time, and left the store with nothing in his hands.

[You spent $178,000. A 8x rebate was triggered.]

[You received $1,424,000. The money has been transferred to your account.]

***

Inside the elevator, on his way down, he decided to check his account balance.

$4,030,972.74.

He saw that he had crossed four million. The figure brought a high smile to his face. Now, he has enough money to purchase the restaurant.

"Nice."

The elevator’s doors opened and he stepped out, heading for Tom Ford.