The dial tone kept ringing, but nobody picked up. It was so quiet that the only other sound that could be heard was that of the wind.

Ronald’s smug smile visibly stiffened. At the same time, a nervous look appeared in his eyes.

After what seemed like forever, someone finally picked up.

It was the voice of a woman, "Hello, is this Robin Baker’s father? Sorry, I was in a meeting just now."

"Hello, Miss Emilia. Yes, it’s me. I was just calling to ask if my son is at school right now."

"Of course he’s at school! It’s a weekday after all. He should be in the middle of a P.E. class right now."

Upon hearing this, I quickly approached and leaned in closer to the phone so I could get additional confirmation. "That’s impossible! Please take a look, he should be in the…"

"I see, I see. It’s fine, I won’t be taking any more of your time, hahaha!" Before I could finish, Ronald hung up while laughing sarcastically.

I grew anxious and instinctively reached for his phone, "You have to call her again to check. This is a matter of life and death!"

He dodged before casting me a derisive look. "Why? What are you getting so anxious about?"

Upon realizing that there was no use reasoning with him, I prepared to leave.

Just as I was walking away, I felt a terrible throb of pain in my scalp. He had yanked me so hard by the hair that I teared up from the pain.

"Hold on now, when did I say you could leave? Did you forget what I told you? My son may be fine, but you’re in big trouble!"

My heart dropped. This was bad. It was going to be very difficult to get away from someone as aggressive and unruly as he was.

Just as I was plotting my escape, my phone inside the car rang.

In the tiny window when he was distracted by the phone, I clenched my teeth and stomped as hard as I could on his foot. The moment his grip loosened, I broke free and ran back into the car, where I slammed the doors and locked the windows.

He ran after me and pressed his face against the window.

I was taken aback when I turned to look at him.

He wore a stiff smile while he slowly, rhythmically tapped against the glass. It was as if he were toying with an animal inside an enclosure.

It was impossible to predict the next move of someone who had a tendency for violence like him. It was especially the case when he believed he held the moral high ground over me.

This was something I learned over the years as a medical practitioner.

Meanwhile, my phone was still ringing. There was no time to think. I answered Dr. Gibson’s call.

"Dr. Leigh! Where are you? The child is showing multiple signs of organ failure! You are the only one who can handle something like this! Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for you to come?"

Dr. Gibson's voice, along with the sound of Roland smacking against the window, formed a discordant opera. I felt like my head was going to split open.

Then, I heard the sharp, grating sound of metal against metal. The sharp screech shot into my eardrums.

I looked in the rearview mirror just in time to meet Ronald’s devilish gaze. He brandished his keys at me while taunting me with a smile.

I immediately realized what had happened. He had scratched the word "scammer" onto my new car. The handwriting was crooked. Each letter was carved as deeply as ravines and covered the entire surface of my car.

This was a new car I bought for myself on my 30th birthday. I had to live frugally for a few years just to afford it at all.

There was no time to grieve over it. I immediately dialed the emergency number.

Before the call even connected, I felt an ominous feeling wash over me.

It all happened in an instant. Following a deafening crash, a brick smashed right through the window. The brick grazed across my face and drew a deep gash.

It was immediately followed by Ronald reaching into the car to unlock the door before forcibly pulling me out of it.

He roared with laughter while dragging me to the floor. He even took the car keys out of the ignition so I could not get away from him.

That was when he noticed the amulet I had strapped to the rearview mirror. He proceeded to yank it so hard that the thread broke in an instant.

"Look at this, you have an amulet! Did you get it so you can ward off karmic debt from all the harm you’ve been doing?"

I was appalled. It was an amulet my grandmother had given to me when I was a child, when I nearly died from a fever. She had taken a pilgrimage and climbed thousands of steps to an old church to get it for me.

It was one of the very few memorabilia I had of her.

"Give it back!"

He began to gloat when he noticed how frantic I had become. He fiddled the amulet between his fingers and scowled, "How dare a scammer like you expect to get any kind of divine protection? Keep dreaming!"

With that, he threw the amulet to the ground and stomped on it. "I’ll show you divine retribution."

I felt a terrible throb in my heart. I lunged at him with tears in my eyes.

It was no use. He grabbed me and pinned my hands behind my back, rendering me immobile in an instant. He grabbed me by my chin and forced me to look at him.

"You damned wench. You should be staying at home instead of parading out here! How dare you criticize my driving skills? Who do you think you are?"

I was worn out and dizzy by then. I felt like I was seeing stars.

It looked like a thought suddenly came to him then. He cocked a look at me before reaching for his phone to start a livestream.

"Hello, everyone! I just got my driving license today, and what would you know? I ran into a scammer! She says my son is in the ICU, tried to attack me, and even tried to scam money out of me!

"I’ll suck up my losses, but I’m going to take the chance to get revenge for everyone who has been scammed!

"We’re going to punish her live for every gift you send! A slap is worth $5, a kick is worth $10!

"If you send $50, I’ll have her get on her knees and beg for forgiveness!"

Everyone in the livestream cheered, but nobody sent any gifts. I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that nobody was willing to be the first to step up despite the commotion.

Ironically, it was their posturing that saved me.

As it turned out, I celebrated too soon.

A sinister look appeared in Ronald’s eyes. He proceeded to reach for his other phone, where he sent a gift to himself!

"Wow! Thank you very much for the $10! I’ll put on a good show for you all to see!"

With that, he warmed up his wrist before slapping me hard across the face. My cheeks immediately turned red and swollen. It hurt so much that I gasped from the pain.

The viewers began to react.

"Attaboy! You did not hold back at all!"

"Oh my god! Are you going to get in trouble for this?"

"What are you taking pity on her for? Let’s see if you’ll still feel this way when she scams you!"

After the first demonstration, more viewers began to send gifts out of curiosity.

One, two, three…

It did not take long before gifts came streaming in. It was starting to get out of hand.

Roland grinned from ear to ear. His hands were occupied with slapping me from left to right the entire time.

"Thank you for your support, everyone! I’m not going to hold back and will make sure the scammer gets what’s coming to her!

"Going easy on her would be unfair to the rest of us! I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing this to get revenge for everyone!"

My ears were ringing from the countless barrage of slaps. Blood would not stop trickling out of the corners of my mouth.

Ronald and the audience appeared to have descended into a frenzied, bacchanalian delirium. Driven by a thirst for spectacle, they began brainstorming increasingly cruel methods to inflict suffering upon me.

"She claims she’s a doctor? Let’s see if she can give me medical advice. I had a glass of water this morning, and now my heel hurts. Why is that? I’ll give her fifty cents if she answers correctly."

I was furious and cried out, "That usually means your brain isn't fully developed!"

After a brief pause, the viewer proceeded to send $150. Ronald grinned from ear to ear and proceeded to kick me in the stomach fifteen times.

My stomach churned with pain. I doubled over and felt like I was going to pass out.

"I’m sorry, she has no manners! I’ll make sure she gets on her knees and apologize!"

A chill ran through me. Before I could even react, Ronald kicked me in the shin and forced me to my knees.

Then, he shoved my head down and smiled while he apologized to the viewers. He made it seem as if he was reprimanding a child who had made a mistake.

I was trying to hold on for dear life, but my body was giving way. A wave of despair washed over me. Even breathing took so much effort.

How could I be expected to save someone else when I could barely save myself?

Just as I felt like my pride was going to be squashed entirely, I heard the sound of sirens approaching.

The police I called when I was inside the car had finally arrived.

I breathed a sigh of relief. They came just in time. Maybe Robin could still be rescued.

When the policeman stepped out of the car and noticed the terrible state I was in, he frowned and confronted Ronald. "What are you doing? Step aside!"

Ronald did not expect the police to show up. His initial reaction was that of shock, which then transformed into elation.

"Officer, I’m so glad you’re here! I caught a scammer and was just about to report her to the police! Do you think I’m going to get a cash reward for helping arrest a scammer? I’ve been thinking I’d like to get a new car. A bigger SUV sounds good, hehe."

The officer rolled his eyes at him. "That’s not for me to decide. You’ve been claiming that this lady here is a scammer, but do you have any proof?"

"Yes, yes, I do! This scumbag told me she was a doctor and made something up about my son being in the ICU. She’s making up stories to extort money from me!"

I was enraged by his making such allegations with a straight face and called him out, "You're lying! When did I ever ask you for money?"

Then, I turned to the officer, "Officer, I’m Dr. Candice Leigh, the head surgeon at the city hospital. I was the one who dialed the emergency number."

The officer helped me up before eyeing me up and down, "I’m Officer Nicholas Bernard. Would you show me your identification and explain why you made the call again?"

Ronald panicked faintly when he realized Officer Bernard was not going to arrest me right away, the way he expected it to go down. He assumed Officer Bernard was biased just because I was a woman.

"Officer, you can’t let her fool you just because she has a pretty face! You are a public servant, and you have to uphold justice! I have viewers watching!"

Officer Bernard shot a look at him, then he looked square into the broadcast and stated sternly, "Justice is not mandated by the person who speaks the loudest. I assure you all that we will find out the truth."

Then, he turned to me, "Don't worry. Tell me what happened."

I took a deep breath before starting, "Officer Bernard, I have a very urgent surgery to attend to right now. The patient could die at any moment. Every second we waste here is going to increase the odds of that happening!"

"Look at her! She’s making stories up in front of the police!" Ronald guffawed and turned to the broadcast, "All of you, look at this! She should consider becoming an actor!"

When Officer Bernard shot a glare at him, he quieted down slightly but still would not stop murmuring something to himself.

"Let’s start with your identification so I can get a handle on the situation."

With that, I quickly handed over my ID, which he proceeded to hand over to his colleague to look up information.

After waiting for a moment without any updates, I was beginning to grow anxious. I might have time to spare, but Robin did not!

With that, I suggested, "If you’re worried, you can put me in handcuffs, but you have to take me to the hospital first! I cannot waste any more time!"

Officer Bernard considered my suggestion upon noting how anxious I was.

Ronald stepped forward, thrusting his phone toward me just as the officer seemed ready to agree. "Officer Bernard, we have to follow protocol!" he insisted. "You can't let her manipulative talk sway you.

"Think about the risk if she escapes. It's not just about me being scammed; what if she targets vulnerable children or the elderly next? If that happens, the responsibility will fall squarely on you, Officer Bernard!"

He rested his hands on my shoulder, his eyes darting toward Officer Bernard. It was a calculated move, using the pressure of the live broadcast to sway the officer's decision.

I knew my request bypassed standard procedures. Being caught on camera granting such a favor could jeopardize his entire career.

Officer Bernard paused, uncertainty visible in his expression. Seeing my growing distress, Ronald's arrogance only intensified.

Turning back to his audience, he began to brag once more, "I’m all about following rules! If all of you agree, go ahead and react with an emoji! Let me see your energy!"

"What a Chad streamer! He never breaks the law!"

"Is this cop new? He’s going to be in big trouble if he lets the scammer get away!"

"Scammer girl here thinks she’s in a movie! She might as well ask the officer to carry her to the office rather than just handcuffing her!"

Ronald was grinning like a child on Christmas Day when he saw the number of comments and gifts pouring into the livestream.

My head spun when I looked at my watch. Robin's chances of survival lowered with every second that passed. At this rate, even a miracle would not save the child.

My phone, which Ronald had tossed to the floor, suddenly rang. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Don’t bother coming. Robin has passed." His voice was dry and hoarse. He sounded as if he had aged several decades.

I was frozen with shock. All of the strength drained out of my body, and my legs folded under me.

"Look, officer. There she goes acting again. She’s only pulling this move because she knows she’s not going to get away. Don’t believe her."

I lowered my head to the ground and could no longer find the effort to argue with him. There was no point in doing so anyway, now that Robin was deceased.

Ronald was still cheerily chatting with his viewers when he received a phone call. He answered the phone call irritably.

"What is it? I’m busy! Out with it! Wh- what?! Say that again?!"