The dumbfounded assistant manager felt like he had seen his saviour after he heard the questioning voice. He could not believe someone would dare hurt Ms Powell in Lake City, let alone a small nobody like the poor customer.
"Mr Marshall! There is a big problem. You have to help us." He called out with anxiety.
If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have sent the troublesome customer away. He could have said the item was not in stock. In his mind, he still did not think that he was wrong in not selling Leila the phone.
A good day could not begin with a low-value sale in his mind.
However, he knew that there would be trouble now. If Mr Marshall blamed their shop, he would complain to the owner. It would be best if he took out his anger on the audacious girl who dared to beat people up in the shop.
With this in mind, the assistant manager decided to attack first.
"Mr Marshall, Ms Powell wanted to look at the new stock from Phoenix Technologies, and this woman attacked her, damaging valuable property. The loss to the shop is too much. I am just a small employee, so you have to stand up for us."
For a moment, it looked like the almost middle-aged man was willing to squeeze out a few crocodile tears.
Leila snorted, but she let go of the woman who was struggling against her tight hold. As soon as she let go, Ms Powell rushed and threw herself into her boyfriend's arms like a little weak bird.
"Zain, that poor woman is crazy. I said a few words to her out of kindness, but she turned out to be totally insane and beat me up. Let us call the police." Ms Powell was not scared with Zain on her side.
Zain Marshall was not overly attached to Scarlet Powell, but she was a good choice, now that he was looking to settle down. At least, his parents seemed to think so. Therefore, he could not let her be humiliated.
Even if she was entitled and often unreasonable, she was still linked to him. If word got out that he did not stand up for her, it would also not look good for him. It would be like he was the one who was beaten up.
"There is no need to call the police. It will be better if we deal with her ourselves." The implication was clear that he was not going to be kind to Leila.
Scarlet was immediately happy, even though she still had a nasty bump on her forehead. If possible, she wanted to cut up the woman's face in revenge. From the moment she saw her, she hated her on sight.
Leila turned with a sardonic smile. "Oh, can you explain to me exactly how you plan to deal with me?"
Zain Marshal froze as soon as he saw the face of the person he wanted to seek revenge against. His blood chilled at the small smirk playing on her lips because he knew he had messed up.
He had met her twice, but he knew one could not be deceived by her doll-like appearance. The woman was not a person someone like himself would dare trouble. Even people more powerful than him feared her.
Unfortunately, Scarlet did not know the danger she faced, despite being beaten.
"Are you afraid now?" She laughed cruelly. "You might not know anything about the upper class as a poor fool, but I will let you know now. Since you messed with the Powell and Marshall families, your life is over."
"Is that so, Mr Marshall?" Leila asked.
Zain felt the cold gaze from Leila pierce his heart.
"Of course not." He spoke up quickly, disentangling himself from Scarlet. "What I meant earlier was that we can handle the incident without involving the police. It is Saturday, so we should not waste public resources."
Zain did not dare call her name because he did not know why she was in Lake City. Some big shots liked to keep a low profile, so it was better not to expose her and end up dropping a stone on his own feet.
"Zain…" Scarlet started with anger.
"Were you telling the truth earlier? Did she attack you out of nowhere?" Zain asked coldly.
"Why do you care?" Scarlet retorted in anger at the question. She did not feel like it mattered. Zain was supposed to stand on her side regardless of the truth.
Zain's eyes turned to the assistant manager and asked him what happened.
As a customer service person, the man knew how to read the room most of the time. He could sense that Zain was not going to blindly stand on Scarlet's side. However, he could not throw Scarlet under the bus because she was the young miss of the Powell family.
Therefore, he could only choose a little self-harm.
"Mr Marshall, the conflict between the two ladies was mostly a result of my negligence. I did not serve the young lady immediately and made her wait. When I prioritised Ms Powell, her temper flared a little, causing this accident." He explained.
Zain Marshall knew that this could not be the entire truth. "I will request to see the surveillance footage so that we can determine who is responsible for compensating for the damage."
The assistant manager felt a cold sweat covering his back. "You saw that the young lady was holding Ms Powell on the shattered counter when you entered. Therefore, she should be the one responsible, but the insurance will cover the damage."
He hoped that Zain Marshall would not pursue this matter further. Otherwise, he would lose his job. Even if he managed to keep it, his position would be snatched away. He would be an ordinary employee.
"It looks like I will have to go above you to get results," Zain said coldly.
Scarlet had held her anger long enough. "Why are you being like this? Have you fallen for the little b!tch? You see an innocent face, but she is probably a dirty person without morals. Moreover, she is a low-class person."
"Shut up!" Zain was a man who was gentle towards women, but he had a strong sense of self-preservation.
Scarlet was dumbstruck.
"What happened here?" A new person entered from the door behind the counter.
"Manager!" The assistant manager was not prepared to see the tall austere woman.
No one spoke up because they did not know how to explain the situation. However, Leila had had enough of the drama after the stressful night and the horrible morning. She just wanted to leave.
"I want to buy a phone." She said before sharing the brand and model number.
The manager put aside the issue of the damaged store and got a box from the secure cabinets behind the counter. She scanned the item, and Leila paid with her card. Then, she picked up the phone and started walking from the store.
"You cannot leave yet," Scarlet shouted, trying to grab her arm, but she did not even come close to her. Zain held her back tightly. Leila merely looked at the two of them flatly, but she did not intend to stay.
"I will deal with this matter satisfactorily," Zain promised even though Leila was already at the door.
Leila did not respond.