By the time Officer Liam Hill arrived, the crowd had formed an impenetrable wall.

Jenna Roland stepped forward and recounted every detail of Lydia Lombardi's deliberate provocation. She emphasized the venomous insults hurled at her family and revealed Sophia Valrose's instigation behind the scenes.

Lydia shrieked in protest, "Her clothes are outrageously priced! What's wrong with speaking my mind? Those customers left on their own—how is that my fault?"

Tanya Hill stood as a witness. "Fifty-five for a T-shirt is expensive? If you can't afford it, walk away. But you had to call them rags and spew profanities."

Hannah Kalmien chimed in, "She came here looking for trouble. We all saw it."

The onlookers murmured in agreement.

After hearing the accounts, Officer Hill turned to Lydia and Sophia. "You're causing a public disturbance. You’ll need to come with us."

Lydia paled and shoved Sophia aside. "Why arrest me? That bitch hit me! She pushed me! Officer, why aren’t you arresting her?"

Officer Hill scanned the crowd. "Did anyone see Jenna lay a hand on her?"

Tanya shook her head. "She's lying."

Hannah added, "Officer, people like her deserve punishment."

No one claimed to have witnessed any physical altercation.

Lydia trembled with rage. "You all saw it! Why are you protecting her? You’re in this together!"

Tanya smirked. "We side with justice, not favoritism. Unlike you two, who can’t stand seeing her business thrive."

Jenna felt a surge of gratitude for maintaining good relationships with her neighbors. She resolved to thank them properly later.

In the end, Lydia was taken away for disrupting public order. Sophia slunk off to pack up her stall.

Jenna bought ten bottles of soda and ten packs of cigarettes from the corner store, distributing them to the vendors who had stood up for her.

"Don’t be afraid if this happens again. We’ve got your back," they assured her warmly.

Her heart swelled. Setting up shop here had been the right decision.

Business quickly rebounded after the commotion died down.

During a brief lull, Tanya returned the cigarettes. "No one in my household smokes. You should take these back."

"Tanya, why don’t you open them and share with everyone?" Jenna suggested.

With a cheerful nod, Tanya broke open the packs and passed them around to the nearby stall owners.