But this was even more outrageous. She approached Damon, with a portfolio of photo samples in her hand, "Sir, have a look. These are so of the portraits we’ve done for clients in the past; they turned out great. You’re such a handso man, your wife is stunning, and your child looks like a cherub. The photos would certainly be a beautiful keepsake!"
Damon didn’t glance at the portfolio. Instead, he was looking at with an inscrutable expression.
If Damon was still the sharp-witted man I knew, he would easily discern the disbelief in my eyes.
Did he really need to ask? He should have just declined and explained that we were not a married couple, let alone a family.
But it was Leo who spoke up. The boy looked pretty miffed as he told the saleswoman, "Lady, you’re making things up. She’s not my mom, but this man here is my dad!"
Leo shot a glance and pouted, clearly upset.
The saleswoman seed taken aback, probably trying to piece together the situation in her head. But whatever conclusion she ca to did not seem favorable, as she suddenly looked at disdainfully and exchanged a knowing glance with her colleague.
"Oh, we see. Our mistake!" they retracted their family portrait offer and turned to leave.
I didn’t dwell on it and continued walking forward, while Damon and Leo trailed behind .
Given my proximity to the saleswon, I overheard so of their hushed talk.
"Such a woman, really..."
"Exactly, the man is parading his child around, but she doesn’t feel embarrassed?"
"Look at that man, handso and wealthy-looking. She must be a howrecker who was after him!"
They glanced back at and quickly sped up their pace when they noticed my stern gaze.
Did they think they could just insult and leave?
"Hold it!" My voice was cold and clear, loud enough for both of them to hear.
They did stop, but only to shoot a look before continuing on their way, their strides getting quicker. Their studio was just up ahead.
As they were about to enter, I quickened my pace and blocked their path.
Damon, noticing the scene, brought Leo over. "What’s going on?"
"What did you two just say about ? Say it again." I didn’t answer Damon, but turned my fierce gaze on the two saleswon.
"We didn’t say anything!" Their denial was synchronized.
"If you continue to deny what I clearly heard, I’ll have to call the police." I was adamant. It was one thing to be mistaken as Damon’s wife, but being called a howrecker was unacceptable!
The ntion of the police caught them off guard. It seed like a petty thing to involve the authorities in.
Our quarrel at the entrance drew the attention of the studio manager. Understandably, it was bad for business.
"What’s going on here, Isla and Katara?" The manager approached us.
"Mr. Mark, this woman is causing trouble for us!" Isla, one of the saleswon, pointed at . "We just offered them a family portrait and she refused. Then she started following us, accusing us of things!"
"That’s right, Mr. Mark. We have no idea what we did to upset this lady." Katara chid in.
Their disdain for , the "howrecker", was evident.
I understood the general distaste for mistresses, but I wouldn’t tolerate being wrongfully accused. I looked at Mr. Mark. "You’re the manager here, right? Your employees have been slandering . I have only one request: fire them both!"
Hearing my demand, Mr. Mark’s polite deanor changed instantly. "Lady, aren’t you being a bit unreasonable?"
Mr. Mark was a man of average height, slightly overweight. He stepped closer to , creating an intimidating atmosphere.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Damon stepped in front of , his imposing figure much more intimidating than Mr. Mark’s. Seeing Damon step up, Mr. Mark quickly reverted to his formal, polite deanor. "Sir, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding between that lady and our staff. We just want to clarify things. May I ask what your relation to her is?"
As soon as he questioned my relationship with Damon, the two saleswon started exchanging their knowing glances, which only fueled my anger.
"This is my ex-husband. Your employees just called a howrecker. If they do not apologize and resign, I will take legal action." I was stern, with no intention of a peaceful conversation.
"Is that so? They must have misunderstood. How about this. I’ll have them apologize, and if you ever want to take photos here or get remarried, we’ll give you a 20% discount. Is that acceptable?" Mr. Mark seed unperturbed, as if my anger was of no concern to him.
Damon turned to , and I clenched my teeth, my eyes blazing.
"Firstly, they apologize to her. Secondly, you fire them." Damon spoke slowly, his voice calm but assertive.
"Sir, we must be reasonable here." Mr. Mark started to argue.
Damon was not the type to put up with nonsense. He interrupted, "Do you want a reasonable discussion, or do you want to close this place down?"
Mr. Mark paused, apparently not understanding what Damon ant.
Once he caught on, he laughed. "You must not know our studio’s reputation. We’re the biggest studio here, in business for 20 years. Our boss has extensive connections and resources. How could we possibly go out of business?"
People like him always court disaster. He was boasting without knowing who Damon was, and they were clearly in the wrong with no intention to apologize.
If Damon and I were still married, it would be normal for him to step in. But we weren’t, and I wanted to handle my own issues.
"Let’s go." I glanced at the studio’s entrance, rembering its na, and turned to Damon.
"Still mad?" What Damon cared about the most was whether I was still upset.
"Let handle it," I said, shaking my head. Then I turned and walked away. Even though it felt a bit frustrating at the mont, I didn’t want to owe Damon any more favors.
Just as I was leaving, I could still hear that Mr. Mark’s mocking laughter.
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