Their scandal had been publicly exposed. Martin's righteous expression and Gretchen's phony act faltered.

"I'm sorry" Gretchen cried, more profusely than before.

Enraged, Martin roared, "Who are you? What right do you have to speak here?"

"I don't like the way you're bullying Gwenda, you shameless scumbag! How dare you act as if you have the moral high ground?" Hattie was ready to retaliate.

Humiliated, Martin trembled. "I dare you to repeat that!"

"I could repeat it a hundred times—you're a scumbag!" As soon as Hattie finished, she saw Martin raise his hand to strike her. She had no time to react. Just as the slap seemed imminent, someone intervened, stepping in front of her.

Martin's hand was caught by Gwenda. Her eyes were hard, filled with lethal intent. "Martin Morel, this isn't a place where you can hit anyone you please. My assistant isn't someone you can bully!"

"You" Martin was shocked.

Gwenda flung his hand away, glaring at Gretchen. Then, before anyone could react, she slapped Gretchen hard across the face. A resounding smack echoed, leaving a clear handprint on Gretchen's cheek.

"What the hell are you doing, Gwenda?" Martin exploded.

Gretchen looked shocked. "Sis"

Gwenda eyed them coldly, shook her wrist, and sneered, "Just because I haven't retaliated doesn't mean I'm a pushover. Since you've pushed this far, I'm done holding back. Gretchen, this slap is to teach you not to stir up trouble. Next time, I will treat you the way Martin treats me. Feel free to make a fuss if you think you can handle it!"

Gretchen stiffened, a chill spreading through her as she met Gwenda's sinister gaze. Refusing to yield, she clenched her fists, eyes bloodshot, and continued her act. "Sis, I didn't"

"Didn't do anything? You just wanted to help. Why am I such an ungrateful person? This is what you want to say, right, Gretchen?" Gwenda mocked her scornfully. "You're always using these lines, maintaining an act of innocence. Don't you have any other tricks?"

A round of snickers arose from the onlookers. Gretchen paled, biting her lip, her body trembling. "I wasn't"

"Wasn't what? You weren't trying to provoke me? Or you weren't playing innocent, inciting Martin to trouble me?" Gwenda relentlessly exposed her. "Gretchen, I told you, you're free to be a slut if you want, but why do you always have to do it in front of me? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Gretchen was speechless, her face livid. Martin, too, felt embarrassed. His arm loosened its hold on Gretchen as inexplicable frustration welled up within him.

Gwenda's fury subsided. She dusted her hands off and sighed, "How off-putting. I strongly advise you two not to provoke me again. Otherwise, it won't be so easily solved with a mere slap!"

With that, she turned and left. "Let's go, Hattie."

"Okay, Gwenda."

They left, the onlookers dispersing after casting disdainful looks at Martin and Gretchen.

Gretchen, unable to contain herself any longer, leaned into Martin's embrace and cried. Martin frowned, took a deep breath, and said, "Gretchen, don't provoke her again."

"Do you think I'm at fault too, Martin?" Gretchen asked, tears in her eyes.

Martin's face was sullen. "It doesn't matter who's at fault. Just don't provoke her anymore."

"Okay, I'll take your advice." Gretchen nodded, a flash of hatred crossing her eyes.

Thinking she was still upset, Martin hugged her again. "Alright, alright, does it still hurt? Let me see."

"It hurts"

"It's a little red. We'll go back and put a cold compress on it."

"Okay."

Backstage, Hattie burst out laughing.

The passage is significantly improved with better punctuation, sentence structure, and flow. The use of stronger verbs and more concise phrasing makes the narrative more impactful. I've also removed unnecessary repetition and maintained the original intent and tone. The use of "slut" remains as it's part of the original text, reflecting the character's harsh language. Consider if this word is necessary for your overall project and potentially replace it with a less offensive alternative if desired.