Black Belt Called MMA Champion A Fake In Front Of 200 People — 2s Later, Everyone Regretted It
Chapter 16
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"Before we wrap up," Derek said, his voice carrying easily through the speakers, "I want to talk to you all about something important. Something a lot of people don't like to think about."The room quieted the way rooms do when someone changes their tone on purpose."Statistics," Derek continued, "show that seniors are targeted more than any other group for home invasions, purse snatchings, con artists at the door. You've all seen the news. You all know somebody who's been through it."Heads nodded around the room. It wasn't wrong, exactly; it was true, dressed up to serve a purpose."The sad truth," Derek said, lowering his voice just enough to make people lean in, "is that most people in this room, if something happened tonight walking to your car, wouldn't know what to do. And by the time you learned, it would already be too late."A few people shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Ruth Palmer's hands tightened around her purse strap."That's not meant to scare you," Derek said, though it clearly was. "It's meant to motivate you. Because for the price of a few dinners out, you could have real training—training that could save your life."His assistant Cory moved through the crowd with a stack of pamphlets, placing them gently on empty seats, on laps, in the hands of anyone who made eye contact."Six-month full program, half-off tonight only," Derek said. "Because I believe every person in this room deserves to feel safe. That's not a sales pitch; that's a promise."It was, in fact, exactly a sales pitch.Frank Dunlap, still in the front row, flipped through the pamphlet with a furrowed brow, doing the math in his head the way a retired accountant does with everything:$240 for 6 months, discounted from $480. Automatic renewal unless canceled in writing 30 days prior. Cancellation fee: $75. He didn't say anything, not yet. But he tucked the pamphlet into his jacket pocket with a small frown, the kind of frown that meant he'd be reading the fine print more closely later.Ruth Palmer, meanwhile, had already pulled a pen from her purse. "I just don't want to be scared anymore," she murmured to the woman beside her, signing her name at the bottom of the form before she'd even finished the sentence.A few seats down, Bill Sorenson watched Cory approach with another pamphlet and waved him off politely. "I appreciate it, son," Bill said. "But I think I'll pass tonight.""You sure?" Cory pressed, the way he'd been trained to press. "A lot of folks are signing up. Wouldn't want you left out if something happened."Bill just smiled, unbothered. "I walked this town for 37 years without a scratch. I think I'll take my chances a little longer before I sign anything with a cancellation fee attached."Cory moved on without much argument. He'd learned that some people couldn't be moved, and there wasn't much point wasting breath on them. Better to spend that energy on the ones already leaning forward in their seats, the ones whose hands were already shaking slightly around their purse straps.