Tiffany Whitmore: "What is all that?"
Nobody answered immediately.
The administrative assistant approached Marcus and placed the folder on the counter. He glanced at the label, then looked at Natalie with an expression that suggested he was only now beginning to understand that the afternoon had taken a very different direction from the one he had expected.
Marcus Ellis: "Ms. Brooks, these are the materials you requested?"
Natalie Brooks: "Yes. Thank you."
Tiffany let out a short laugh.
Tiffany: "Of course. More documents. More drama. Is this some kind of performance?"
Natalie did not acknowledge the remark. She opened the folder carefully, checked the first page, and confirmed that the required signatures were present. Her movements were unhurried, almost routine. She had handled documents like these in offices where a missing signature could delay an entire transaction and a careless assumption could cost a company far more than money.
The boutique was not the place she had expected to review them, but the circumstances had changed.
She closed the folder and turned toward Marcus.
Natalie: "Before we proceed, I need to know whether the store's regional director has been informed about what happened."
Marcus: "Not yet. I was waiting for the initial report."
Natalie: "Please contact the regional office. Tell them there has been a physical incident involving a customer, that police officers are present, and that the relevant footage is being preserved. Do not leave anything out."
Marcus looked at her for a moment.
There was nothing aggressive in her voice, but the instruction carried a degree of certainty that made him hesitate. Natalie was not asking him to make an informal complaint disappear or to offer a convenient explanation. She was asking for a complete report to be sent through the appropriate channels.
Marcus: "I can do that."
Tiffany Whitmore: "You cannot be serious, Marcus."
Marcus turned toward her.
Tiffany: "Why are you taking instructions from her? You are the store manager. You should be handling this situation, not allowing her to dictate what happens next."
Marcus: "I am handling the situation, Ms. Whitmore."
Tiffany: "Then act like it."
Officer Reed glanced toward Tiffany, then returned his attention to the conversation. He had dealt with people who attempted to dominate a room through volume, status, or threats. The technique was familiar, and it rarely changed the facts that needed to be established.
Officer Reed: "We need everyone to remain calm. The store can contact its management team while we continue documenting the incident."
Tiffany: "I have already told you that this is a misunderstanding."
Officer Reed: "We have recorded your account. We also have statements from other witnesses."
Tiffany's expression tightened.
She had hoped the arrival of the documents would distract everyone from the slap. Instead, Natalie appeared to be organizing the next steps with the same calm precision she had shown throughout the encounter.
Tiffany could not decide whether to confront her or demand an explanation from Marcus.
In the end, she chose the person she believed was most likely to give her an answer.
Tiffany: "Who exactly are you, Ms. Brooks?"
Natalie looked up from the folder.
Natalie: "You already know my name."
Tiffany: "That is not what I asked. What are you doing here? Why are people bringing documents for you? Why is the manager listening to you?"
Natalie: "I arranged a meeting with the appropriate representatives of Bellgrave House."
Tiffany: "For what purpose?"
Natalie: "That is a matter for the meeting."
Tiffany laughed again, but this time the sound lacked confidence.
Tiffany: "You expect me to believe that you have some kind of official business here?"
Natalie: "You do not have to believe anything. The relevant people can verify the arrangements."
Tiffany: "How convenient."
Natalie returned her attention to the folder.
The refusal to argue infuriated Tiffany. She wanted an explanation that she could challenge, a detail she could use to prove that Natalie was pretending to be someone important. Instead, the woman in the charcoal-gray suit seemed entirely comfortable allowing the uncertainty to remain.
Tiffany had spent much of her life using questions as weapons. She asked them in a tone that suggested the person answering was already guilty of something. She interrupted explanations before they could be completed, then treated the interruption as proof that the other person had no credible answer.
It had worked often enough to become a habit.
Natalie was not following the pattern.
Officer Turner approached Marcus and asked whether there were any other witnesses who might have seen the beginning of the confrontation. Marcus said he would check with the staff and the security supervisor. The officer then requested confirmation that the footage would remain secure until the appropriate people could review it.
Marcus agreed.
Tiffany watched every exchange with growing impatience.
Tiffany: "This is becoming absurd. I came here to resolve a private matter, and now I am being treated as though I have committed some terrible crime."
Officer Turner: "No one has made a final determination. We are gathering information."