Chapter 27: If you kneel and beg, I might change my mind.
"Ah!"
The lady jumped from her seat, screaming in horror. Her once-creamed dress was now stained with the drink that spilled on her. Heaven smirked inside, but when she turned around, she dramatically gasped.
"Oh, my god! I'm so, so sorry!" Heaven tilted her arm so the paper bag slid to her elbow. She attempted to wipe the stain from the woman's dress, but then the paper bags caused a mess on the table. Their drinks were spilled and liquid began to pour down on the side.
"Oh, my god!" the other lady jumped away from the table before any of the spilled liquid touched her. The other one also stood up in disbelief at the mess that was happening.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry —"
"Don't touch me!" the lady, who was apparently the mother of the one Heaven's son punched, shoved, and shouted at Heaven. Her eyes were glinting in fury. She looked down at her dress. The stain only looked worse now because Heaven attempted to remove it, but she was only spreading the stain!
"Are you out of your mind?!" the woman screeched in anger. Her voice thundered all over the shop, causing Heaven to jolt in surprise. "Do you know how much this dress is worth?!"
Heaven blinked, maintaining an innocent look. She held her hand closer to her chest, and said, "I said… I'm sorry."
"Look!" The woman angrily pointed at their table, which was now covered with spilled drinks. Everything on the table was wet and mushy, and even their cakes were either soaked or swimming in the tea. "Look at the mess you did! Are you blind or stupid? How can you make such a mess?!"
"Excuse me. What's going on?" a voice sounded behind them before Heaven could say anything. It was the manager of the establishment who approached them.
"What's going on?" the woman whose dress was now stained huffed, and glared daggers at Heaven before facing the manager. "Can't you see? This woman caused a mess on our table! Do you know how much my dress cost?!" she exclaimed.
"It was an accident," Heaven said in an apologetic voice. She pursed her lips and dropped her shoulders. "I didn't mean to cause such a huge mess."
The manager sighed and shook her head before facing the other ladies. "Ma'am, I'm sorry…"
"Sorry!?" The woman's nose flared in anger. "If sorry is the only way to fix any accident, then why do we need the justice system?!"
"But ma'am —" The manager tried to explain, only to be cut off by an angry shout.
"Call the police right now!"
"What?" The manager furrowed her brows. Did she just hear this woman correctly?
"Call the police — no, call my lawyer." The woman looked at one of her friends, signaling her to get her phone. "I won't let this slide."
"Ma'am. Are you hurt anywhere?" the manager nervously asked. "I don't think we should escalate this situation anymore."
"No!" the woman said in a high-pitched voice. She was adamant and continued glaring at Heaven. The woman looked at Heaven from head to toe. Heaven was wearing nothing but a plain shirt and jeans. Just looking at her, she didn't look anything special. Well, she was quite pretty, but her skin was dry.
"I'll make you pay for everything," she coldly warned and huffed, assuming Heaven was nobody important. She was right, though. Right now, Heaven was only Dominic's wife.
"Madam, please listen to the manager. The police aren't needed in this matter — small accidents happen every day. I don't know how much that dress cost, but I will buy you a new one," Heaven pleaded in a quaking voice, but the woman just scowled at her.
"Madam —"
"This dress cost about a thousand yuan. Can you pay for it right now?"
"What?" Heaven gasped, surprised. 'It's that cheap?' she internally asked.
Heaven cleared her throat and pursed her lips. Her reaction was caught by the woman who sneered at her.
"This used to be an exclusive mall for the upper class, but now, anyone can just go here and shop." The woman scoffed in disbelief at the people she had seen come and go inside the mall. She then shifted her attention to the manager, clearly trying to humiliate the people who were not on the same level as hers. "How can you allow such an uneducated person to enter here? People like you are the reason a business' reputation goes down!"
"Ma'am…"
"I'll teach you a thing or two. Do you even know who I am?" she jeered at Heaven.
"No," was Heaven's quick reply.
Her answer must have startled the woman. She was rendered speechless for a moment. She straightened her back, crossing her arms against her chest, and asked, "Are you being sarcastic now?"
"Ma'am." Heaven patiently replied, "I have already apologized. The manager has also apologized, but you keep dragging this on and on, even going on the length to call your lawyer and the police. Did I kill you?" Heaven cocked her head to the side. "I will replace the dress even if I have to use my life savings to buy it. Just please, can we settle this without dragging others?"
The manager gazed at Heaven and secretly smiled at her. As a manager of a known establishment, she had dealt with different customers. Since this branch was located in a luxury mall, most of their customers had money to burn. However, it was rare to see someone so humble to even consider the workers from getting dragged into something petty.
"Please, Ma'am," Heaven pleaded and focused on the woman once more. "Can we talk about this?"
The woman stood her full height and tried to look down at Heaven. The effect was comical. Heaven was a bit taller than the woman, so she had to raise her chin to look up at Heaven. "You want to talk? Then talk to my lawyer. He will be the one to settle things with you."
'Heh… such a prideful person.'
"Alright," Heaven sighed in relief, casting the manager a smile. "Sorry for bothering you."
The manager pressed her lips into a thin line and then nodded. Since the problem wasn't resolved, the manager offered them a wider seat in the corner. Heaven and the woman sat across from each other. The women's lackeys sat at the table near their seats as they waited for the woman's lawyer.
"I've met a lot of people like you, so I know what kind of person you are. People like you are the types I hate the most." The woman broke the silence between her and Heaven. "Did you think if you window-shopped in this mall, you would be like one of us?"
Heaven lowered her head before leaning forward, resting her arms against the edge of the table. "Ma'am, do you really want to go through the legal process?"
"Hah. If you kneel and beg, I might change my mind," the woman leaned back and smirked at Heaven.
"Will that make you feel better?" Heaven tilted her head to the side. "Is bullying a person who you think is weaker than you, will make you feel good about yourself? Ma'am, this is just a small accident and can be resolved if I paid for the ruined dress. However, you'll go as far as calling your lawyer over for something so petty. If you can do that, shouldn't you sue that kid who punched your spoiled son?"