"Here is some water," Jade whispered, helping Evelyn set glasses down in front of the group.
Tanya, her face still sporting a bandage from the boutique brawl, glared at Evelyn with pure venom. Tail sat there with his "gentle gentleman" mask back on, which made Evelyn's skin crawl.
"What are you looking at, you bitch?" Tanya snapped, seeing Evelyn's eyes flicker toward Tail. All of Tanya's high-society "upbringing" had vanished, replaced by raw bitterness.
"I'm looking at the bitch who's speaking," Evelyn replied calmly.
The store manager hurried over, giving Evelyn a warning look. "Manager, please have someone else handle this. I have other work to do," Evelyn requested.
"Our new staff is busy. May I help you instead?" the manager asked the group with a professional smile.
Tanya didn't even look up from the fashion magazine on her lap. Her voice was cold and domineering.
"No. Just her. Evelyn, go get me the new arrivals in my size. Now."
The store manager, sensing the brewing storm, stepped in to help Evelyn gather options, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Do you know these people, Evelyn?" she whispered. Though Evelyn had only been there a few days, her sales record and personality were top-tier; the manager viewed her as a top employee.
"Manager, I think they're here to cause trouble," Evelyn replied quietly, keeping her eyes on the group. "I'll try to bear with them as long as they don't cross the line."
"Give them these high-end pieces then," the manager said, piling several elegant dresses into Evelyn's arms.
Evelyn approached the group with a practiced, professional smile. "Hello. These are our latest arrivals. Would you like to try them on?"
Tail Watson leaned back lazily on the sofa, not even deigning to look at the fabric. "Are you intentionally trying to insult my fiancée and her friends with such old-fashioned rags?"
Evelyn took a sharp breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Mad dogs were meant to be ignored. "Mr. Watson, these are silk imports. Which part of these garments strikes you as old-fashioned?"
"If my fiancé says they're old-fashioned, then,they are," Tanya sneered, clinging to Tail's arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.
Evelyn pivoted, handed the clothes to Jade, and brought out a different selection in bolder tones.
"I hate purple. Change it," Tanya said with a theatrical sigh, pointing a manicured finger at a violet gown.
"I don't do green. Try again," Marcy added, not even looking up from her phone.
Only Juliet seemed to actually look at the clothes, her mouth opening as if to protest the bullying, but she quickly went silent under the weight of the group's gaze.
"Are you going to try them or not?" Evelyn snapped, her patience snapping as she began rehanging the clothes. "Because I'm not playing this game anymore."
"Ex-fucking-cuse me?" Tanya stood up, her voice screeching. "Manager! Come here and see the disgusting attitude of your employee!"
The store manager rushed over to appease them, but Tanya wouldn't be silenced. "I want the supervisor! I want her fired for her insolence!"
The manager, unable to de-escalate, had no choice but to call for the regional floor supervisor,
"Tail, Tanya... if the four of you are here to find trouble, just leave," Evelyn said, standing her ground. "If you actually want to buy clothes, let someone else serve you."
"Trouble? Who do you think you are?" Tanya looked at Evelyn with pure contempt, her hand going to the bandage on her face. "I'm going to make sure you never work in this city again."
"They're clearly provoking her! Why are you blaming Evelyn?" Jade cried out, grabbing Evelyn's hand to offer support.
Tanya ignored Jade entirely. "Evelyn, weren't you so high and mighty? The great heiress of the Meyers family, and now you're a common sales girl. What happened to that 'pretentious' energy?"
"Tanya, who exactly are you calling a Pretentious?" Evelyn's hand flew up to slap her, but Tail intercepted her wrist mid-air. He threw her aside with a merciless shove. Evelyn staggered, nearly hitting the floor before Jade caught her.
Just at that moment, the Supervisor arrived in time to see the commotion. Seeing Tail Watson, a man of clear wealth, she immediately switched to a fawning apology. "Mr. Watson, I am so sorry! "This employee, what is your name?" Ignoring the name tag on her chest. "Evelyn" Eve replied calmly, and she went in to chastise. "Evelyn, what is wrong with you? Apologize to the customer this instant!"
"Apologize? To them?" Evelyn stared at the supervisor in disbelief. "They came here to harass me!"
Tanya stepped forward, a smirk dancing on her lips. "Evelyn, I really don't know where you get your confidence. Is this 'attitude' the reason why Tail chose me over you?"
Evelyn let out a sharp, mocking laugh that made the group stiffen. "A dog that can be led away by anyone isn't an animal worth keeping," she said, looking Tail directly in the eye.
"He's just a piece of trash. If Miss Banks likes collecting garbage, she's welcome to take him."
"Evelyn! How dare you!"
"How dare I? Should I talk about how you crawled into his bed while we were engaged? Or how you—"
SLAP!
A crisp sound echoed through the boutique. The world went silent. Evelyn's head was jerked to the side, her cheek blooming a violent red. Tanya laughed triumphantly as Tail lowered his hand.
Evelyn slowly straightened her hair, her face becoming an expressionless mask.
She pulled out her phone. In this moment, there was only one person she could turn to.
Thorn International
Michael was walking into a boardroom meeting with the top executives of the company when his phone buzzed. Seeing the ID, his cold features softened by a fraction of a millimeter.
"Speak."
"Husband..."
The soft, trembling address made Michael stop in his tracks. He dropped his folder on the floor, the sound echoing like a gunshot. He pulled the phone away to confirm the number. It really is her.
"Husband... your wife was bitten by a pack of dogs at the mall," Evelyn's voice shifted from cold disdain to a heartbreaking, aggrieved whimper. "I don't want to live anymore... waaaah!"
Tanya and Tail stared at her, stunned by the lightning-fast change in her persona. She was acting like a world-class victim.
"Which Mall?" Michael asked, ignoring the confused stares of his executives. He sat at the head of the table, and Dominic scrambled to pick up the dropped folder.
"The Island."
"Okay!"
The line went dead, and Evelyn's heart sank for a second. Did he just hang up on me?
The Supervisor seeing Tail's approving nod, stepped toward Evelyn. "Evelyn Meyers, you're causing a scene during work hours. Do you even want this job anymore?"
The sting on Evelyn's cheek was nothing compared to the cold fury radiating from her eyes. Tail Watson stood over her, his hand still vibrating from the slap, while Tanya Banks smirked like a queen who had finally reclaimed her throne.
"Evelyn Meyers, you're finished," Supervisor Yuan spat, pointing a trembling finger at the door. "You're fired! Security, throw this trash out!"
The mall security moved in, but they stopped dead as the boutique's glass doors were pushed open.
A man in a sharp, gray suit marched in. Behind him were six men in dark suits, their presence turning the air cold.
"What is going on here?" The man's voice wasn't loud, but it hit like a physical blow.
The room went silent. Tail frowned, his arrogance flickering. "Who are you? This is a private matter."
Dominic didn't even look at him. He walked straight to Evelyn, saw the red mark on her face, and his expression turned lethal. He pulled out an encrypted tablet and tapped a single command.
"Supervisor Stacy Von?" Dominic asked, his eyes locking onto the terrified woman.
"Y-yes?"
"As of thirty seconds ago, Thorn International has completed a hostile takeover of the Islands Mall's parent company. This entire building, every brick, every lightbulb, and every contract, now belongs to Mr. Thorn." "You are dismissed. Not just from this store, but you are blacklisted from every Thorn affiliated property globally. Pack your desk in three minutes or be removed by force."
Colour drained off the Supervisor's face. She looked to Tail for help, but Tail was staring at the six bodyguards closing in on him.
"And you," The man turned to Tail, his voice dripping with icy professional disdain.
"Mr. Watson, isn't it?
Mr. Thorn found your 'gentle' touch quite interesting. He's already instructed our legal team to freeze your family's credit lines pending a 'compliance audit.' Oh, and the police are waiting downstairs to discuss the assault on a Thorn family member."
Tanya's eyes bulged. "A Thorne? She's a Meyers! She's a nobody!"
"She is the mistress of the Thorn estate," The man corrected, his voice booming now. "And you are currently trespassing on her property. Get them out of here."
The bodyguards didn't ask twice. They grabbed Tail and Tanya by the arms, dragging them out of the boutique as they screamed in protest. The high-society crowd outside watched in shock as the "golden couple" of the city was hauled away like common thieves. "Find her a silk Compress" He spoke to the manager, and she scrambled away.
The man turned back to Evelyn, his demeanor instantly shifting to one of deep respect.
"Madam, please forgive the delay. The President was in a board meeting, or he would have leveled this building himself," He said, bowing low. "He has sent a car for you. He will meet you at home." The manager returned with the Compress and Evelyn took it, the cold soothing her burning skin. She looked at the empty store, then at the terrified staff who were now bowing to her.
"Tell Michael I'm going home. But tell him I expect the 'dogs' to be dealt with permanently."
"Consider it done, Mrs Thorn."
Evelyn grabbed her bag, squeezed Jade's hand, and walked out of the store, not as a fired employee, but as the woman who had just conquered the mall.
The Watson Residence
Tail returned home, his face sunken. He immediately called his father, Joseph Watson.
"Dad, who exactly is the owner of The Island now?"
"It's Michael Thorn," his father snapped, nearly fainting.
Tanya, Tail, and their friends looked at each other, their faces ashen. Who did not know Michael Thorn the Business God?
"Dad... we're in trouble." Tail rasped. "If Tanya doesn't withdraw the prosecution against Evelyn, we're all going to jail, Michael Thorn is going to fuck us over."
"Withdraw it!" his father roared. "Withdraw it immediately!"