Chapter 5 - The Fall of the Velvet Wall
The room fell into a dead, suffocating silence. The gathering crowd of shoppers gasped softly, several covering their mouths as they looked from the dirty boy to the legendary founder of the Vance Luxury Group.
Victoria felt the blood drain entirely from her face, leaving her skin as pale as the marble floor beneath her feet. Her hands trembled violently as she gripped her beige quilted handbag, her mind racing through the horrific realization of what she had just done. She had physically assaulted, publicly humiliated, and threatened the sole heir to the largest jewelry empire in the hemisphere.
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"Sir... I... I didn't know..." Victoria stammered, stepping forward, her knees wobbling so badly she nearly lost her balance. Her voice was a pitiful, raspy whisper, the arrogant manager vanished entirely, replaced by a terrified employee facing total ruin. "He... he was dressed in dirty clothes... he didn't look like... I was only trying to protect your inventory..."
"You were protecting your own arrogance," Mr. Vance interrupted coldly, taking a half-step toward her. His tall frame towered over her, his eyes burning with absolute contempt. "I sent my grandson on a test today—to walk through his future properties in disguise, to see how his staff treats the vulnerable. You failed that test within ten seconds."
