While Saul and I were still arguing, shouting suddenly erupted from inside my car.

A nine-year-old boy darted out and ran to Saul, holding up a pendant in his hand.

A second later, my daughter, Charis Baldwin, climbed out of the car. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red and swollen. She looked like she was trying not to cry.

"Daddy, he started digging through our car as soon as he got in. He stole our family photo pendant!"

Before I could respond, Saul exploded.

"So that's it. No wonder you showed up here today. You hit my car and act fearless because you're trying to steal my wife!"

He clutched the pendant in one hand and swung his fist at my face with the other.

I blocked him easily, my voice going cold. "You know exactly who the outsider is."

He bared his teeth and lunged again, but I locked him down without much effort. I didn't spend decades in the boxing gym for nothing.

With a quick shift of weight, I sent him stumbling. He hit the ground, then instantly changed his tone.

"Everyone, come look! Is this what the world's come to? First, he crashes into my car, and now, he's trying to steal my wife in broad daylight!"

The louder he shouted, the bigger the crowd grew. People started pointing at Charis and me.

"I felt bad for him earlier, thought he was getting bullied by a rich guy. Turns out he's the one with bad intentions."

"How disgusting! And he's got a kid watching him act like this!"

I pulled Charis into my arms, pressing her face against my chest so she wouldn't hear any more of it. My heart pounded hard enough to hurt. This was unbelievable.

I took out my phone and showed the crowd our marriage certificate and wedding photos.

"Take a good look. I'm Hazel Bishop's legal husband. He's the one interfering in our marriage. And Hazel's not innocent, either!"

Someone leaned closer.

"That's her. I've seen her on the business channel. She's the General Manager of Milton Group."

"Did we get this wrong?"

The crowd's attention shifted back to Saul, this time with doubt.

A flash of something ugly crossed his eyes. He pulled out his own phone.

"Don't be fooled. He obviously photoshopped those! My wife and I just celebrated our tenth anniversary. I've got a video of it!"

The clip played.

He and Hazel were on a beach, holding hands, kissing, and feeding each other food. The photos were so intimate and brazen that the people around us actually flushed.

My head rang.

A month ago, when my mother was dying, Hazel told me she had a major overseas deal she couldn't miss. I begged her to stay, but she left anyway.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails cut into my palm.

So that was it. She had left me to be with him.

The fury of betrayal surged through me, raging out of control.

The crowd flipped instantly.

"He's right. Photos can be fake. Video doesn't lie."

"I bet that marriage certificate is photoshopped. He probably knew Ms. Bishop would be here today and planned the whole thing."

Saul's son, Alex Matthews, bent down, grabbed a rock, and hurled it at us.

"Stay away from my mom! Stop stealing her! And don't mess with my dad, or I'll kill you!"

I scooped Charis up and dodged.

When I looked up, I caught Saul's eye. He wasn't scared; he was smug. He even flipped the bird at me subtly.

I laughed. Not because it was funny, but because something inside me had snapped into place.

I wasn't going to stand there and argue anymore.

I moved fast. I buckled Charis into the car, shut the door, and started the engine. The roar cut through the noise.

Then, I hit the gas and drove straight toward Saul and Alex.

The crowd gasped. "What the hell…"

"Ahh!!"

Someone screamed.

I slammed the brakes with barely a foot of space left between my bumper and them.

Through the windshield, I saw Saul's face drain of color. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the pavement.

I smiled at him through the glass.

Scared already?

Then how was he going to handle what would come next?

At that moment, a black car sped toward us.

I glanced at the license plate.

Hazel was here.

The moment Hazel stepped out of the car, she rushed straight to Saul and Alex.

Alex ran to her first, his face scrunched up as he complained, "Mom, someone tried to run Dad and me over!"

Saul wrapped an arm around Hazel and shot me an accusing look. "This is all your fault. I don't know what kind of creep you attracted, but he's trying to kill us just to take our place!"

Hazel's expression softened immediately, and she comforted him.

"Don't say nonsense. You and Alex are the only ones I care about. Who bullied you? I'll handle it. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen."

From inside my car, I watched the devoted couple through the window, my chest turning cold.

I pushed the door open and stepped out.

"Hey, Hazel," I said evenly. "They were talking about me. I did that."

Her angry expression froze. The color drained from her face for a split second.

Saul quickly pulled her closer and pointed at me. "It's him! Hazel, you have to stand up for Alex and me. Blacklist him from every industry!"

I stepped forward, locking eyes with her. "Don't you have anything to explain?"

Hazel's lips parted, but no words came out.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Ms. Bishop, this guy claimed he's your husband earlier and even showed a marriage certificate! You can't let people like that ruin your reputation!"

Another voice joined in. "He seriously thinks he has a shot with Ms. Bishop? Just look at how in love she and Mr. Matthews are. The moment she arrived, all her attention was on Mr. Matthews. Like he ever stood a chance. Homewreckers like him are disgusting!"

"Ms. Bishop's got power. Handling a nobody like him is easy. Someone who tries to break up a family deserves consequences!"

The crowd's voices overlapped, louder and louder.

Hazel clenched her jaw.

Saul handed her the family photo pendant. Without hesitation, she threw it to the ground and crushed it under her heel.

She kept grinding until the photo was nothing but torn fragments.

My chest tightened.

Then she spoke quietly, almost professionally.

"Sir, using someone else's image without permission is illegal. I don't know you. Stop spreading false claims about me before my husband and others get the wrong idea."

She paused before continuing.

"As for today, you harassed my husband. I won't let this go. I want you to apologize to him right here, in front of everyone."

A cold smile tugged at my lips.

The woman, who stood where she was today only because of everything I'd given her, was now fiercely protecting her affair partner.

Fine. I would give them exactly what they wanted.

Before I could speak, Charis suddenly jumped out of the car. Her eyes landed on the shattered photo beneath Hazel's shoe.

"Mommy… That was our family picture," she said, voice shaking. "It was my favorite. Why did you ruin it?"

Alex glared at her viciously. "Who are you calling Mommy?"

The crowd looked at us with open disdain.

"Like father, like daughter. Ms. Bishop already said she doesn't know them, and that kid still called her Mommy. She's got no shame at all!"

Charis's eyes were filled with tears, but she refused to back down. "But she is my mommy. Mommy, look at me!"

Hazel finally looked at Charis. Her expression turned cold and distant.

"I don't know you," she said flatly. "Little girl, don't let your father teach you bad habits. Don't call strangers Mommy."

I pulled Charis into my arms and gently patted her back, calming her shaking shoulders.

Then, I looked around the crowd. A few middle-aged women were already livestreaming with their phones raised high.

I smiled faintly and raised my voice. "Everyone here can be my witness. Ms. Bishop just said she doesn't know my daughter or me. Correct?"

The crowd looked confused but nodded anyway.

"This guy's lost it. He was forcing Ms. Bishop to admit she's his wife earlier."

"Yeah, he's definitely crazy."

I kept my gaze fixed on Hazel. "Then I hope you stand by your words. You'd better remember everything you just said."

Hazel let out a cold snort.

Beside her, Saul looked completely triumphant, soaking up the crowd's approval.

The ridicule around me grew louder.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?"

"Maybe he thinks pretending to be crazy will help him avoid responsibility. Everyone in Harborview knows Milton Group's legal team doesn't lose cases."

"Come on, everyone, look here. This is the most shameless homewrecker you'll ever see!"

Mockery rolled through the crowd like waves.

Suddenly, police sirens cut through the noise.

Several patrol cars pulled up.

Officers stepped out and called loudly, "We received a call about a stolen supercar worth ten million dollars. Who made the call?"