I lowered my head, trying to focus on the repair.

Megan Ellis, Sophie's friend, said harshly, "Be careful. This is an antique painting. You can't afford to mess it up."

As I worked on the restoration, Megan continued to criticize, "How many genuine antiques have you seen in your life? Probably only fakes. Don't get used to repairing second-rate stuff. You might end up ruining real antiques."

I stayed silent.

Thankfully, the issue wasn't hard to fix. When I finished, I handed the painting over.

Megan grabbed it roughly and, with one yank, tore the antique painting in half.

I stood there stunned.

Sophie's eyes filled with tears. "This is a gift from my grandfather."

Megan yelled, "You must have been jealous and did this on purpose." She then tried to come over the counter to hit me.

I stepped back. The tools on the counter were scattered.

My colleagues rushed out to mediate. "So sorry. She definitely didn't do it on purpose."

But Megan kept shouting at me. "She's a mistress who stole someone else's husband on their wedding night. If we haven't come to see what kind of whore she is, we wouldn't have bothered. Now it's clear. This bitch really has her ways. She ruined a family heirloom. Your store will compensate us until bankruptcy."

The shouting was deafening.

My attempts to explain were drowned out. I could only feel the odd looks from my colleagues.

They tried to mediate but seemed uncomfortable.

The store manager, Vivian Langley, tried to control the situation.

A colleague pulled me away from the chaos.

After a long while, Vivian came in. "I'm sorry. I also have to take responsibility. The lady says if we can fix it, she won't pursue it further, but she wants an apology. Also, you probably can't work here anymore."

Vivian's eyes showed pity.

I forced a pale smile. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Whether or not I was at fault, neither I nor Vivian could afford to cover the cost of a genuine antique. Besides, Vivian was usually quite nice.

I fixed my expression and walked out.

Sophie was sitting on the couch, her eyes red from crying. Megan comforted her and glared at me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I tried to calm my emotions.

Megan shouted, "No sincerity at all. Apologize on your knees." Then she knocked over the coffee on the table.

I dodged the hot coffee but received even more hostile glares.