Chapter 392

Vivian straightened at the counter, her emerald eyes flashing with sudden interest. "Audrey?"

The slapped salesgirl clutched her burning cheek, shock and pain warring across her face. She threw a desperate look at her colleague who'd brought Audrey in - now frozen by the entrance like a deer in headlights.

"What in the world just happened?" the other associate breathed, completely unprepared for the storm she'd unwittingly summoned.

The assistant by the door hesitated, confusion and alarm flickering across her features before scurrying to Audrey's side. "Miss Winslow, there must be some mistake—"

Before she could imply Vivian was the troublemaker, Audrey's gaze had already landed on her friend. After shooting Dominic a glacial look, she marched toward Vivian. When she reached her, her voice warmed instantly. "Darling Vivian! Fancy seeing you here of all places!"

The sales staff turned to statues. Even the slapped one bit her tongue, suddenly terrified. If Vivian moved in Audrey's circles, she was either a hidden powerhouse or dangerously well-connected. Not someone to mess with.

The humiliated assistant, cheek still throbbing, tried to shrink into the background. Meanwhile Dominic, oblivious to the undercurrents, mistook Audrey's fury for mere dramatics. He stepped forward with placating hands.

"Sweetheart, didn't you say to meet by the theater?"

"Meet you? With the movie halfway through?" She scoffed without glancing his way. "Or were you too... preoccupied here with some distraction?"

Dominic looked genuinely wounded by the accusation. "Love, you've got it all wrong! I was just helping Vivian—she was being harassed. Tell her, Viv!"

He turned pleading eyes to Vivian, who nodded confirmation. "He's actually telling the truth this time."

Audrey's expression softened instantly. "Someone was bothering you?"

Vivian's frosty gaze slid to the red-cheeked salesgirl. "Apparently I'm not worthy to look at a pen."

Audrey's hands flew to her hips. "I see I was too gentle earlier. Had I known you were insulting my friend, I'd have struck you twice as hard!"

Dominic gaped. Vivian rated higher than him? His flirting only deserved one slap?

Realizing he was nearly collateral damage, Dominic snapped at the nearest uninvolved clerk. "Get your manager. Now."

The slapped salesgirl suddenly remembered she had Serena's number. Frantically, she fumbled for her phone.

Just as the call connected, Adrian strode in like an avenging angel, the usually cocky store manager scrambling behind him. "I was transferring inventory—had no idea about this mess! Mrs. Blackwood will receive our deepest apologies."

The salesgirl's hopeful expression at Adrian's entrance made her forget the active call. Her only thought: use Serena as a shield.