Chapter 303 A Rough Start
Ethan jumped back, startled, and lost his balance, falling to the ground and crying.
Charlotte rushed over to help him up, asking, "Are you okay?"
Ethan just kept crying.
A while later, Olivia hurried over.
Seeing him in tears, she pushed Charlotte aside and demanded, "Ethan, what happened? Who hurt you? Tell me!"
Ethan pointed to the Golden Retriever in the cage, sobbing, "The dog bit me! I'm scared!"
Olivia's face darkened. She took off her sunglasses, glared at Charlotte, and snapped, "Are you blind? My son got bitten by your store's dog, and you didn't even notice?"
Charlotte quickly explained, "Ma'am, you misunderstood. Ethan got scared by the dog and fell; he wasn't bitten."
Olivia checked Ethan and saw no bite marks, sighing in relief.
But she still scolded Charlotte, "Regardless, your dog scared my son. You owe us fifty thousand dollars!"
"Fifty thousand dollars?" Charlotte was shocked. That seemed way too much for just a scare and a fall.
She tried to reason, "Ma'am, isn't that a bit excessive? Plus, Ethan scared the dog by trying to hit it, and then..."
Olivia cut her off, frowning, "Are you blaming Ethan? He's the best-behaved kid ever! Your dog must be vicious! I've seen heartless store owners like you before! Do you want me to report you?"
Charlotte felt both anxious and angry. She was just helping out at the store; if it was affected because of this, she'd feel guilty forever.
Just then, Lily arrived and got the story from Charlotte. She nodded to Charlotte, signaling it was okay.
Lily turned to Olivia and suggested, "How about we take Ethan to the hospital for a check-up? If he's hurt, we'll take responsibility. What do you say?"
Olivia shook her head impatiently. "Do you think I have time to waste? Just going to the hospital would cost me more than you can imagine! Fifty thousand dollars, or I'll shut your store down!"
She raised her voice, drawing attention from customers and passersby.
Lily frowned. First, Michael caused a scene at noon, and now this. What a rough start for the business!
From the moment Olivia walked in, Lily had been unhappy with her attitude.
That condescending attitude, like everyone owed her something!
But Lily maintained polite and said, "Ma'am, we are responsible for Ethan getting scared, but the compensation should be reasonable. Don't you think fifty thousand is a bit much?"
Olivia cut her off. "Unreasonable? My son got scared by your dog! What if he has psychological trauma? Fifty thousand, even half a million, would be justified!"
The onlookers started chiming in. "The pet store's dog scaring a customer is wrong; you should pay! If my kid got scared, I'd want compensation too!"
"Not necessarily. Golden Retrievers are usually gentle."
"Maybe this one isn't purebred."
"Doesn't the store have cameras? Check the footage and see what really happened."
Lily's eyes lit up. "Ma'am, let's check the surveillance footage. It will show what happened. What do you think?"
Olivia hesitated. She knew how mischievous Ethan could be. But with everyone watching, she couldn't refuse. "Fine, let's watch it."
Lily brought over the laptop and played the footage.
The video showed Ethan scaring the dog, hitting it with a stick, and kicking the cage.
Lily sighed in relief. The footage cleared the pet store.
The crowd started talking. "So it was Ethan causing trouble. He deserved to be scared!"
"The lady even tried to stop him, but he didn't listen. Too naughty!"
"If I were the store owner, I'd ask the parents for money! The dog must be terrified!"
Olivia's face darkened. She snapped at the crowd, "Shut up! Mind your own business!"
The crowd went silent.
Olivia turned to Lily, "So what if we watched the footage? The dog still scared Ethan! The fifty thousand dollars still stands!"
Lily lost her patience. "Ma'am, isn't this too much? You saw the video; it was Ethan's fault. I'm willing to take responsibility, but fifty thousand is too much!"
Olivia's eyes flashed with mockery. "Believe it or not, if you don't pay, I'll make sure your pet store closes by tonight."
Ethan spat on the ground and added, "I'm calling my dad to kill all the animals in your store!"
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