Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Giselle's drowsiness vanished as she bolted upright . " What's going on ? " The clinic manager's voice crackled through the phone . " Five vaccinated dogs from our clinic just died , and now the customers are raising hell . It's gotten so bad they're throwing punches ! Y - You need to get here now ! " Giselle's mind went blank , a deafening buzz filling her ears . She hung up , threw herself out of bed , and yanked on the first T - shirt and jeans she could find .

Within minutes , she was speeding toward the downtown veterinary clinic . She gripped the wheel with one hand , phone pressed to her ear as she spoke to the clinic manager , rapidly putting the pieces together . From what she gathered , every dog that had died had been vaccinated at her clinic in the last three days . None had preexisting conditions , and their death was tied to the vaccine . This was massive .

Giselle's heart raced , but she forced herself to stay focused , her mind already working through possible solutions . But the moment she stepped out of the car , the dog owners lunged at her like a pack of wild animals before she could even enter the clinic . One grabbed her hair , another kicked and punched her , while the rest stood by screaming curses or sobbing hysterically . Completely frenzied , the women unleashed their rage on Giselle in a brutal onslaught .

It took several male staff members a great deal of effort to pry the furious customers off Giselle , finally giving her just enough space to breathe . Without their intervention , she might have been beaten to death right there . Two female staff members quickly pulled her up and rushed her inside , guiding her to a seat . Giselle's scalp burned , her lip was split , and her back , waist , and stomach ached from the kicks . Bruises from pinches covered her body .

Every inch of her throbbed with pain and humiliation . But she had to stay calm and endure it . She took the customer's rage without resisting . As a dog owner herself , she understood . To these people , losing a pet was like losing a child . No matter how furious they became , it made sense . " I'm so sorry , everyone . I'm just as heartbroken as you are about what happened . " Giselle forced herself to speak with the steady calm of a business owner , even through her own pain .

" I promise I'll make this right . You'll get every penny of the compensation you're owed- 1 " " Do you think we want your damn money ? " a customer shouted , her voice raw with grief , " Do you think a few lousy dollars can bring our dogs back ? You should drop dead and rot in the ground with them ! " Giselle's target customers had always been high - end clients - wealthy , privileged women who wouldn't bat an eye at the meager compensation she offered . One customer even goaded the others .

" Go ahead . Call the police ! Do it now ! A shoddy clinic like this ought to be shut down for good ! " Giselle lowered her head in apology . " Please , everyone , I promise we'll make this right . This tragedy happened because of my negligence , and I take full responsibility . " To get to the truth , we'll let the police handle the investigation . Once again , I'm truly sorry . This was completely unexpected . We need some time to sort this out properly .