Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

A voice from behind interrupted their heated argument, catching both Winona and Esther by surprise.

"Wait, I have something to say."

It was none other than Pearl, who had been observing the situation closely. She had brought some ice cubes with her and gently applied them to Esther's swollen face. "Miss Jesselton has been receiving numerous acting requests lately, but I don't think she's quite skilled. Maybe I should give her a lesson."

Shocked, Winona asked, "How are you going to teach-"

Before Winona could finish her sentence, Pearl slapped her with incredible force, cutting her off mid-sentence. "This is how you should slap someone," Pearl declared, applying full strength.

Winona, who had inflicted pain on Esther earlier, found herself sprawled on the floor with just one slap from Pearl. She felt intense pain coursing through her entire body, and when she tried to speak, she found her mouth filled with bloody foam, making her words unintelligible.

"How... could you do..."

but you fell to the ground with such a light slap. People might think you were trying to deceive

flabbergasted, especially by Pearl's unexpected

She had long found Winona obnoxious but hadn't been able to teach her a lesson until now. Despite the pain in her cheek, Esther felt it was

never experienced anything like this. She cried profusely and spotted Richard nearby. Shaking and desperate, she

eyes flicked

are you looking at me, Mister Richard? I was just teaching your fiancee how to act," Pearl

cold face and said,

managed to spit out the bloody foam into a cup and, encouraged by Richard's support, straightened up to speak more clearly. "Miss Pearl, I can forgive you if

say

for an apology because you slapped me

you apologize too for slapping my