"I…"
"What's your name? Which corporation do you represent?"
Without waiting for a response, Carla continued to interrogate Shelley rather aggressively. "How can someone with such awful character be allowed to participate in the Aploth Chamber of Commerce?"
Carla turned her head towards Mr. Laco and mocked, "Looks like you can do better at your job, Mr. Laco."
Poor Mr. Laco was at the receiving end of Carla's anger again for no rhyme and reason.
Mr. Laco groaned inwardly. Despite the exasperation he felt, Mr. Laco still kept a polite smile on his face as he rushed towards them to lighten the mood. "Ms. Lierger, this is Ms. Benday of Dorilo Group. For your information, Dorilo Group is one of the leading companies in M Nation…"
"Leading? What was it that I heard her say just a second ago… ah, right. ‘We've been ranked down to top eighty'. Come now, Mr. Laco, quit pulling my leg, Ms. Benday herself said so, " interrupted Carla with a smirk. "Though I know that the top one hundred and one companies can participate in the Aploth Chamber of Commerce, shouldn't there at least be a character test?"
"Um…" Mr. Laco was rendered speechless. He glanced sheepishly at Shelley, then at Zayn standing nearby, begging the latter for help.
Aware that this fiasco was caused by the mention of the Giblo Group, Zayn was ready to step in and intervene. Before he could, however, Shelley had had enough and blurted out in a fit of anger, "Carla Wigston! Can you stop causing problems on purpose?"
Carla narrowed her eyes and stared at Shelley with cold, piercing eyes. "What did you say?"
"Don't think for a second that I'll be afraid of you just because you've changed your surname to become part of the Lierger family, you b_tch!" Blinded by her fury, Shelley bellowed arrogantly. "Carla Wigston was so submissive that she would have willingly licked my shoe if I asked her to! She's nothing but a piece of sh_t in front of me! So who do you think you are to act so high and mighty-"
Slap! Shelley was silenced by a slap across her face, the sound reverberated clearly throughout the room.
Shelley clutched her cheek, now burning red and swollen while gaping at Carla, dumbfounded. "You… you b_tch! How dare you hit me?" she hollered.
Slap! Without hesitation, Carla gave another slap across Shelley's face with a heavy hand.
The blow almost made Shelley lost her balance.
Everyone gasped, taken aback by Carla's actions, including Zayn.
He had never seen this side of Carla before. The Carla he knew would never lay her hands on anyone.
Staring at the stranger in front of him, doubts crept into Zayn's mind. Is this really the Carla I know?
"Ms. Lierger, what… what are you doing? H-how could you hit a person…" Mr. Laco tried to intervene but clammed up instantaneously by a sharp gaze from Carla.
"A light punishment for insulting and humiliating me, " replied Carla with a murderous glare.
Mr. Laco paled, lost for words.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Shelley lunged herself at Carla with raised fists, going mad from anger.
Swift as a flash of lightning, Carla grabbed Shelley by her wrists and twisted her arms with tremendous strength. An ear-splitting crack echoed throughout the room, followed by a terrible scream.
A commotion broke out in the room. Panic filled everyone in the room as they instinctively stumbled backward from Carla, trembling in fear.
Unaffected by the uproar, Carla shoved Shelley lightly. The latter sprawled onto the floor, pathetic and disheveled. Shelley's gaze fixated on both her broken arms, shivering in pain as she forgot how to scream.
"Quick!" Mr. Laco gestured to someone in the room.
Two men hurriedly rushed forward and carried Shelley away.
"You better watch your back, Carla Wigston! I will not let you get away with this!" Shelley thundered, regaining her senses as resentment overpowered the sting on her arms.
"Next time, Mr. Laco, you'd do better than letting rabid dogs indoors!" Carla sent a chilling glare towards Mr. Laco's direction before turning around with an elegant smile. Gone was the furious woman from a second ago. "Apologies, everyone. Did I scare you?" Carla asked tenderly.
The fear of the crowd quickly dissolved to bewilderment at her sudden change in demeanor. After a minute of stunned silence, someone from the crowd quickly shook their head and quipped, "Oh, no, no, no. Not at all!"
"Ms. Lierger you sure are… something else!"
"You've always looked as gentle and as graceful as flowing water. Who would have thought Ms. Lierger would have such good martial arts skills!"
A few merchants smiled timidly in response, no longer daring to inch any closer.
"Don't mess with me and I won't mess with you, " stated Carla casually with a smirk. "But if someone messes with me… I shall deal with them."
Though she said so in a light and composed manner, her piercing gaze still made everyone's hair stood on end.
"Yes… Rightfully so, Ms. Lierger!" responded the crowd frightfully as they tried to keep their voices steady as to not let their panic show.
"What about you, Mr. Giblo? What do you think?" Carla raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to Zayn, everything about her screamed extreme arrogance.
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