Actually evil eye from envy is real in Islam and is mentioned both in the Quran and in authentic hadith. You can read more about it here:
Islamic Cure for Evil Eye - IslamonLine.net - Ask The Scholar
BTW Im not justifying the woman’s behavior or saying she was correct to treat her friend Automne like that. Protecting yourself from evil eye does mean you should shut out your friends or answer rudely to people or keep all information private all the time. It also doesnt mean getting taweezes from peers and making potions and pinning blue beads to your baby or tying black string. Islam recognizes evil eye and also teaches us the correct ways to protect ourselves from its effects