The temperature in the store seemed to drop by several degrees. Mason's presence filled the room like a storm cloud, and suddenly everyone seemed to forget how to breathe properly.
Miss Wen's raised hand froze mid-air, her face pale as she recognized the man who had just entered. Manager Han took an involuntary step backward, her professional smile cracking like thin ice.
"Mr. Liu?" Manager Han whispered, her voice barely audible.
Mason's eyes moved slowly from the scattered money on the floor to Miss Wen's raised hand, then to Sarah's unruly expression. His face remained perfectly calm, but there was something in his dark eyes that made everyone in the room want to disappear.
"I asked a question," Mason said quietly, his voice carrying the kind of authority that made grown men tremble. "What is going on here?"
Miss Wen's hand slowly lowered to her side. She tried to compose herself, but her voice shook slightly when she spoke.
