"No... no, Mr. Vance, please!" Gemma shrieked, all the color draining from her face as panic consumed her. She dropped to her knees on the floor, crawling toward Zuri and reaching out a shaking hand to grab the hem of Zuri's oversized hoodie. "Ms. Vance, please! We're so sorry! We didn't know who you were! If we lose this job, our lives are ruined... please, have mercy, give us a second chance, we'll do anything—"
Harper collapsed beside her, sobbing hysterically and begging for forgiveness, their expensive makeup streaming down their faces in streaks of absolute humiliation as the boutique's customers stared in stunned silence.