The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1451

The crowd was in an uproar, their accusations flying like daggers at Arabella.

"You know, when a big mess like this pops up, the least the Ar-Bl-Clear Group could do is apologize," one woman huffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "We must've been silly to buy your products!"

"Not even a hint of sorry, not a flicker of remorse when you saw our faces looking like a bad pizza," another chimed in, her arms folded across her chest.

"Looks to me like it's not just your products that are rotten. Ar-Bl-Clear's got some serious internal issues!"

"We want compensation!"

"A public apology, all over social media!"

"Ar-Bl-Clear Group, get out of Dawnstar!"

Through the chaos, Arabella stood her ground, allowing their cries to wash over her. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed the hand of a woman with curly hair.

"What do you think you're doing?" the curly-haired woman snapped back, yanking her hand away. "Are you gonna hit me in front of all these cameras and reporters?"

"You claim you bought our skin-lightening cream on December 15th and only realized there was a problem after a month. But the inflammation on your face has been there for over six months."

"What are you implying?" the woman faltered, then quickly retorted, "And you can tell how long just by looking? What are you, some kind of clairvoyant? Anyway, we're here for a payout from the Ar-Bl-Clear Group, and we want that press conference apology to consumers! Or else, I swear, I'll end it right here!"

In a shocking move, the woman pulled a small knife from her clothing and pressed it to her own throat.

"My face is ruined and the doctors say it's hopeless. I don't even want to live anymore!"

Just then, a car approached, its arrival turning every head in the direction of the familiar license plate.

"Is that Romeo's ride?"