As Tris was about to start the car, Carol immediately said, "Hold on a moment, Tris. I know the way, I’ll drive. Let's switch positions."
Tris looked at Carol doubtfully. I smiled and said to Tris, "Let her drive. She’s a good driver.”
When Tris heard my words, he quickly exited the car and swapped positions with Carol.
Before we got to my shop at the building materials market, I saw a crowd of people ahead, blocking the path to the storefront.
Carol exclaimed, "Oh no, we came early, but it’s not the right time. We've walked right into it!"
After speaking, she quickly parked the car and got out in a hurry. She ran to my side, opened the car door, and helped me out.
We hurriedly made our way inside.
Carol shouted anxiously from behind me, "Slow down, Chloe! Oh my goodness!"
From afar, I heard a loud soprano voice roaring, "Eleanor, you slut! How dare you still oppose me? Do you think no one can fight you in this market anymore?"
When I heard that voice, I concluded that it was Andrea, the hysterical woman we had met at the last hotel dinner. I remembered her outburst vividly.
"I advise you to leave immediately. Don't interfere with our operations. If you want to open the market and talk with quality, you can’t mess with me. Useless woman! I'm selling my goods. What does it have to do with you? Why are you always here causing trouble?" I heard Eleanor arguing angrily with her.
By this time, I had reached the outer edge of the crowd. I could see the situation inside very clearly through the gap.
I saw Andrea standing with her hands on her hips, confronting Eleanor. That woman was no longer as refined as before; she now looked more like a market vendor.
"You slut, you dare to say that I'm causing trouble? Just watch me cause troubl. You won't know my power if I don't show you something today."
Andrea's voice was imposing, and she seemed quite powerful. "Come on, what are you all still staring at? Smash it, smash it hard!" I heard her roar in her hoarse voice.
I walked past several burly men. I saw Andrea standing behind them, her arms crossed. She was looking at me angrily. Her gaze suddenly turned cold and full of disdain.
"Huh! Who do you think you are? So, it's you?" There was undisguised contempt in my tone.
Andrea hesitated momentarily, narrowed her eyes, and stepped forward. "Hmph! Looks like you brought reinforcements, Eleanor. So what? I thought it was someone else!"
I looked at Andrea coldly and said, "What's this? You can't compete fairly, so you’re resorting to violence?"
"Don't talk nonsense! You arrived just in time! This slut from your family is maliciously competing with me. I must demand an explanation!" Andrea shook her head and looked at me.
"How is my sales manager maliciously competing with you, Mrs. Andrea?" I looked at Andrea calmly, and the contrast between her arrogance and mine was stark. "We're operating normally. You've brought a group of thugs to cause trouble in front of my shop. Don’t you have any shame? Do you think everyone here is blind?"
I looked at Andrea and began to incite the crowd against her.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Beyond the Divorce