"There, there, dear. Don't cry. You didn't do anything wrong."
Another woman brushed dirt off Heena's clothes. "Are you hurt badly? Should we call the physician?"
Heena shook her head, playing her role perfectly. "N-no, I'm fine. Thank you, Aunties. I just... I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was only worried about the Mistress..."
"Of course you were, dear. You're a good girl."
The crowd's anger toward Maya was palpable now.
"Mistress, you should apologize to this girl!"
"Yes! Apologize!"
"She works so hard and you treat her like garbage!"
Maya was trapped. Her face was burning with humiliation and rage, but she was completely outmaneuvered.
If she refused to apologize, she'd look even worse—a heartless mistress with no compassion.
If she tried to explain about the fish, she'd look petty and ridiculous—crying over fish while mistreating a human being.
