"An accident?" Olivia looked at her angrily. "My dress is ruined!"
"Olivia, it's okay." Madison stepped closer and gently placed a hand on Olivia's arm. "Calm down. She didn't do it on purpose."
"But, Aunt…" Olivia's voice softened. She looked at Madison with wounded eyes. "This was the dress Jason gave me."
The moment she mentioned Jason again, Madison's expression changed. She knew how important Jason was to Olivia and seeing her niece upset made her feel sympathetic.
Sophie immediately seized the opportunity. She turned toward Lily. "How could you do this to my daughter?"
Her voice was sharp. "Is this how you people treat your customers?"
Lily's eyes widened. "But you were the one who—"
Before she could finish, Sophie immediately cut her off. "Me what?"
Lily froze.
Sophie stared at her. There was something cold in her eyes.
A warning. Lily's mouth slowly closed.
Sophie pointed toward the entrance. "I want to see the manager right now."
A nearby store assistant immediately approached. She had been helping the women choose gowns and had noticed the commotion. "We're extremely sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am."
She spoke respectfully. "Why don't you come with me? I'll help you clean the stain and see if we can do something about the dress."
Olivia looked down at herself again. "This better be fixed."
"Of course, ma'am." The assistant gently gestured for Olivia to follow her.
Olivia reluctantly walked away.
As she passed Lily, she gave the young employee an irritated look.
Lily remained standing there, visibly shaken. She looked once more at Sophie.
Their eyes met.
Sophie gave her another warning look. Lily immediately lowered her gaze. She knew exactly what had happened and she knew Sophie had done it deliberately.
But Lily was new. She had no idea who Sophie was and she certainly didn't have the courage to accuse a wealthy customer on her first day.
She could only remain silent.
Olivia followed the assistant toward the changing area. Once inside, she stood in front of the large mirror. The stain was even more noticeable under the bright lights.
Her beautiful dress had been ruined.
Her anger grew. But then another thought crossed her mind.
Jason gave me this dress.
Her expression changed. Jason cared about appearances. He always wanted things around him to look perfect and Olivia knew he wouldn't be pleased if he saw her looking like this.
She touched the stained fabric.
I can't let Jason see me like this.
She had no idea how ironic that thought was. Because Jason would soon be walking into the very same store.
And he wasn't coming because of the damaged dress. He had been informed that Anne was at Angel by Anne.
The moment Jason heard that information, he couldn't stay away. No matter how much he told himself that he was only there because of the investigation…
His feet had already carried him toward Anne.
A short while later, Olivia returned to the main area. She had cleaned the stain as much as possible, but a faint mark remained.
Her expression was clearly upset.
Sophie immediately approached her. "Are you all right, darling?"
Olivia nodded slightly. But she deliberately maintained a sad expression. Sophie turned toward the store assistant.
"I want you to call the manager right now." Her voice was filled with anger.
"We don't want anything else." The assistant quickly nodded. "Of course, ma'am."
Just as she turned to make the call, a woman in professional attire hurried over after hearing the commotion.
"I'm the manager of the store."
She looked between Sophie and Olivia. "Is there a problem, ma'am?"
Sophie immediately crossed her arms. "Why don't you ask your employees over here?"
Her tone was arrogant. "Is this how you treat your customers?"
The manager remained professional. She turned toward the store assistant. "What happened?"
The assistant quickly explained the situation.
The manager listened carefully.
As she looked around, she noticed several customers beginning to leave. The commotion had disturbed the peaceful atmosphere of the store.
She sighed quietly. "We're very sorry for the inconvenience caused, ma'am."
She tried to keep her voice calm.
"There are many customers here, so why don't we go to the private room and discuss the matter there?"
But Sophie immediately raised her voice. "Why do you want to talk in the private room?"
The manager was taken aback.
Sophie continued loudly. "Everyone should know how customers are treated in this store!"
Her voice echoed across the showroom.
Several customers stopped walking.
Some turned around.
Others whispered among themselves, trying to figure out what had happened.
Sophie looked around as though she wanted everyone to hear her. Then suddenly, her expression changed. "I know all of this is because of Anne."
The manager looked surprised. "Because of Miss Anne?"
Sophie nodded angrily. "She must have told you to behave like this with us."
A few employees exchanged uncomfortable looks.
The manager didn't know how to respond.
But Sophie continued before she could say anything. "Why does she keep bullying my daughter all the time?"
Her voice became emotional. "She used to bully her for being an illegitimate child, and even now she's still bullying her."
The words spread through the store. Several customers exchanged uncomfortable glances. Some looked toward Olivia.
Others looked toward the private office where Anne had gone earlier.
Sophie wasn't finished.
She turned toward Madison. "Look at how poorly your daughter is treating her sister."
Madison's expression became conflicted.
"And now, because of her, Olivia's engagement shopping has been ruined."
Olivia immediately lowered her eyes. She looked hurt. Almost as if she was trying desperately not to cry.
"It's okay, Mom." Her voice was soft. "Please don't blame my sister."
She paused. "She must be sad."
Madison looked at her.
Olivia then turned toward her. "Aunt Madison, please don't blame Sister for anything."
Her eyes appeared slightly watery. "If you do, I'll feel sad."
Madison's heart softened. "Olivia…"
She looked at her niece with sympathy. A small amount of regret entered her eyes.
Deep down, Madison knew that Anne didn't seem particularly close to Olivia. Anne rarely showed much affection toward her.
And perhaps, Madison thought, Olivia really did feel hurt by that.
But what Madison didn't realize was that Olivia was carefully choosing every word. She wasn't defending Anne because she wanted to protect her. She was making herself look like the victim.
And once again, she was making Anne look like the cruel sister. Eva Sees Through Them. While everyone else focused on Olivia's sadness, Eva remained silent.