Aurelia stumbled backward from the force of the slap, her hand flying instinctively to her stinging cheek, shock and confusion flooding her expression. Delphine grabbed her roughly by the arm, shoving her forcefully toward the boutique's glass entrance doors without a moment's hesitation.
"Get out!" Delphine screamed, her voice carrying easily across the stunned store floor and out into the busy street beyond. Aurelia stumbled through the doors and onto the concrete sidewalk, barely catching herself before falling completely, her designer coat scraping roughly against the pavement.
Delphine followed her outside, her fury showing no signs of abating. "Trash belongs on the sidewalk," she continued, pointing an aggressive finger directly at Aurelia while several passing pedestrians slowed their pace, clearly disturbed by the escalating public confrontation unfolding before them.
Aurelia remained crumpled partially on the sidewalk, her composure remarkably intact despite the humiliating assault she had just endured. She said nothing in response, her silence carrying a strange, unsettling calm that seemed entirely disproportionate to the circumstances.
Inside the boutique, three customers stood frozen in horrified silence, the earlier casual atmosphere of their shopping excursion completely shattered by the violence they had just witnessed unfold before them.