Pascal, who had already spotted Pearl all this while, stepped forward, to stop her from coming close to Amelia.
"Ma'am, I would advise you to move along and shop elsewhere." Pascal gestured forward, his narrowed gaze glaring pointedly at Pearl.
"Or else what, Mr bulldog." Pearl sneered, knowing that Pascal wouldn't dare to touch her in a public place.
"This shopping mall is not owned by your boss. It is a public place and I can go wherever the f*ck I want. I need to pick some tomatoes and you are obstructing my path. So if you don't mind me asking politely, get the f*ck out of my way."
Pascal's muscles stiffened, his hands slowly balling into a fist. "Ma'am, I won't..."
"Pascal, let her be," Amelia called out softly cutting him off. "I'm sure she's in desperate need of those tomatoes. I am almost done here."
"Exactly Pascal, shoo..." Pearl snickered, demonstrating with her hand. "Except you want to help me hold my basket."
Pascal gritted his teeth as he moved backwards, his dangerous gaze focused on Pearl.
"Such scary bullies. I don't know how you tolerate them, Amelia."
Amelia resumed picking her vegetables totally ignoring Pearl.
"So what happened Amelia? I never knew you to be the type who does grocery shopping. Did your husband compel you to come down here and shop for groceries like a maid?"
"I can imagine the prize you have to pay to be with a man who gloats over your family's misfortune. It's such a pity."
Pearl felt a bit frustrated at Amelia's silent treatment. She was desperate to get a reaction from her that would confirm the accusations. However, Amelia continued to ignore her as though she were a mad woman blabbing.
Not ready to give up on an opportunity to ruin Amelia's image in public, Pearl persisted. She picked up a ball of tomatoes and started scrutinising it like a health inspector while monitoring Amelia from the corner of her eyes.
"I can't believe you will choose such an arrogant and ruthless man for a husband when there are a thousand good men out there. To think you would ever break your father's heart in such a cruel manner. Tsk tak tsk.
"At least if not for anything, you saw the way he treated us at your father's birthday party? You should know by now that he doesn't feel anything for you. Now look at you doing something you detest. Tell me, how does it feel like falling from grace to grass."
Amelia chuckled lightly. She wasn't going to allow Pearl to get into her head and mess up her thoughts. But she was intrigued by Pearl's last statement as her mind flashed across the edited video she watched the previous night.
"I wouldn't know what it feels like falling from grace to grass, my dear Pearl." Amelia sluggishly turned to look at her, wearing an aloof expression. "But with your loads of experience over the past few days, I'm guessing that I'm about to find out."
"What stupid experience are you talking about?" Pearl's hand clenched around the ball of tomatoes she was holding, almost squeezing the juice out of it. "My life is perfect and I love it."
"Really!" Amelia drawled, sizing Pearl from head to toe before turning away and laughing lightly.
"You can laugh all you want but I'm not the one who has turned her back on her family for some stranger."
Amelia totally ignored her again and continued what she was doing.
Thankfully they were a few people at the vegetable aisles and most of them we are not familiar faces.
"I feel so sorry for your Amelia." Pearl changed tactics, playing on the emotions and gaining more support from the few people watching them.
"I know what it feels like to be dumped by a man who claimed to love you for years. But that shouldn't push you into throwing yourself cheaply on someone who can barely stand you. He doesn't love you. He's just using you. Now see what you've become. Today you are grocery shopping. Who knows what he will do to you tomorrow? Maybe he'll force you to clean the toilet and bathrooms with your bare hands. Wake up from your delusion before it's too late." Pearl shook her head in sympathy while grinning inwardly as she observed a strained vein pop up on Amelia's forehead as she turned to face her.
"Are you done?" Amelia checked her wrist watch suppressing the rage swirling inside of her. "Because I do not have the time to waste on a hopeless loser. Now if you excuse me, I have a few more items to pick so that I can go home and cook for my husband."
Amelia turned around to walk away but Pearl decided to make a spectacle that would draw more attention to herself. She rushed over to Amelia knowing one of Amelia's guards would try to stop her.
"Don't walk out on me young woman. I'm still a your aunt and I demand you respect...ahh..." Pearl threw herself backwards, hoping to land on her butt and claim that Amelia's tugs pushed her.
But to her surprise and disappointment, a pair of hands caught her from behind.
"Watch it lady, you can seriously hurt yourself while trying to put up an act." Tina rebuked sternly in a sweet voice earning her a clapping ovation from the onlookers gathered.
"Tina!" Amelia was shocked. She didn't know where Tina popped out from or was she stalking her?
"Ma'am, let's go." Pascal gestured forward, visibly enraged by Pearl's antics.
Amelia spared Tina one last disgusted glance and walked away leaving Tina to deal with Pearl and claim the part of a heroine.
Other grocery shoppers returned to their respective businesses, ignoring the troublesome woman.
"Get your hands off me." Pearl turned on Tina, angry that she had ruined her plans.
"Hey, watch it." Tina moved backwards, avoiding Pearl's vicious attack.
"What is going on here?" One of the mall security men who had been alerted to the disturbance at aisle one came forward.
"This woman is being a nuisance and disturbing other customers," Tina reported while staring at Amelia's disappearing figure.
"She's telling the truth. You can check your CCTV camera for yourself." Remy came from behind Tina, giving her the signal to go after her target.
"Exactly officer, check your CCTV and you'll see I'm telling the truth. Now if you excuse me." Tina abruptly left in the direction she had seen Amelia take.