I knew they were ignorant, but I didn’t expect them to be this stupid.

I almost laughed, but kept my face expressionless as I explained:

“This isn’t a modified car. It’s a Pagani—worth twenty million.”

“Dollars.”

For a moment, the crowd went silent.

Then came an explosion of laughter.

“Pagani? More like Panini! Did you get the name wrong? Too much fast food must’ve fried your brain!”

“Ethan Carter, wake up. You and Sophia Reed haven’t been in the same world for years. Spending so much effort on this car—are you still trying to win her back?”

“One Hermès bag of hers is worth more than that piece of junk!”

Seeing Sophia’s smug, arrogant gaze, I shot back coldly:

“Win her back? I have no interest in a woman obsessed with vanity.”

“And I despise a woman who’s crawled into the beds of ten different sugar daddies.”

“Only the blind Carter family would treat her like treasure. Rotten roots, rotten branches—no wonder you’re all blind together.”

“Since I’m not welcome here, I won’t attend the wedding. Goodbye.”

I turned to leave, but Sophia lunged forward, slapping me hard across the face.

“You bastard! What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Who had sugar daddies?!”

“You couldn’t have me, so now you slander me? You’ve gone insane with jealousy!”

“You claim you don’t want me, yet here you are, driving a pathetic car just to show off!”

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and sneered.

“What’s wrong? Should I tell everyone how you used to get into that Maybach waiting outside the school gates?”

“The hotel check-in records were sent straight to my phone.”

“Did you really think I didn’t know?”

“I left you your dignity—it’s you who’s shameless. Let go, or I’ll call security.”

Her composure cracked instantly, her face flushed red with rage.

“You’re lying! Who got into a Maybach?!”

“You came here just to ruin my wedding, didn’t you? I must have been blind to ever love you! Get out—leave right now!”

She raised her hand to hit me again.

I held up my phone.

“I still have the evidence.”

“Try hitting me again, and I guarantee by tonight the entire internet will know just how colorful your past really is.”

I turned toward my car, but Sophia grabbed my sleeve and yanked hard.

“Stop! What evidence? Tell me now!”

“Let me go!”

In the struggle, a loud rip split the air—her wedding dress tore at the hem.

Sophia’s face twisted in fury.

“Ethan, I’ll kill you! This gown was a custom luxury design—cost over a million dollars to ship from overseas!”

“You’re just trying to ruin everything for me!”

I spread my hands.

“You grabbed me first. Not my problem.”

“And a million? Crawl into a few more beds and you’ll get it back easily enough.”

Her eyes went bloodshot as she screamed at the onlookers.

“What are you standing there for? Can’t you see this bastard humiliating me?”

“Beat him!”

“Smash his damn car—I want to see how he pretends after that!”

I rushed in front of the Pagani, blocking it with my body.

“Touch it, and I swear the entire Carter family couldn’t afford the price you’ll pay.”

Sophia lost all reason, shrieking like a madwoman:

“It’s just a broken Tesla, what are you even showing off for?!”

“The Carters’ money could buy your worthless life a hundred times over!”

Several of the classmates surged forward.

“Ethan, you’ve lost your mind! That dress was specially chosen by Daniel Carter for Sophia!”

“Figures—poor men are always trouble. Date one once, and he sticks to you like a leech you can never scrape off!”

“Ethan, you’re just bitter Sophia dumped you for a rich heir. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself for being useless! Now that you’ve offended the Carter family, don’t even think about surviving in New York City!”

“Guys, we have to stand up for Sophia! Get him!”

I tried to break free, but two men hoisted me off the ground, holding me immobile.

One smashed a bottle against my car window, another dragged a brick along the paint, grinding it mercilessly.

In the blink of an eye, my Pagani—one of only ten in the world—was reduced to a heap of twisted metal.

Rage made my entire body tremble.

“Sophia, you’re insane! Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“This is a crime! Do you want to go to prison?”

She slipped off her high heels and whipped them across my face.

The flesh split open instantly, blood pouring down.

“Crime? In New York City, the Carter family is the law!”

“You tried and failed to seduce me again, and now you’re furious. But tell me—when my husband arrives, do you think he’ll arrest you or me?”

“Ethan Carter, you were trash five years ago, and now, five years later, you’re still trash beneath my heel. You’ll never rise above it in this lifetime!”

She glanced at the others.

“Let him go.”

“If you kneel right now and kowtow in apology, I might let bygones be bygones and offer you a driver’s position. That way, you’ll get to see me every day.”

“If not… you’ll regret it.”

I spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered.

“Apologize? In your dreams.”

“Sophia, I swear you’ll pay a heavy price for this day. I promise you.”

A sharp crack rang out as she slapped me again, even harder this time, pushing me over the edge of fury.

“Still mouthing off at death’s door? Just wait until my husband comes—you’ll see who really pays the price!”

“This gown cost two million. If you don’t pay every last cent, you won’t walk out of here alive!”

If I hadn’t sworn never to strike a woman, she would already be incapable of speaking.

I let out a cold laugh.

“Fine. Just let me go. Two million? I’ll pay.”

“In fact, I’ll pay ten times that.”

The crowd howled with laughter.

“Listen to him! His words stink worse than athlete’s foot! Ten times two million? Does he even realize how much that is? In cash, it could bury him alive!”

“Sophia, he’s lost his mind ever since you dumped him. He’s nothing but a deranged pauper now!”

“Lucky you didn’t marry him back then. Otherwise, how would you be enjoying your life now?”

I pulled out my phone and recorded a voice message to my assistant.

“Withdraw two hundred million. In cash.”

“I don’t know if it’s enough to bury me—but it’s definitely enough to bury them.”

Then I dialed 911.

“Hello? Police? I want to report a violent assault. There’s a mob attacking me. The location is—”

Before I could finish, Sophia snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it on the ground.

“You dare call the cops?!”

“Call them, I’ll show you!”

“Hold him down—beat him until he can’t stand!”

A rain of fists crashed onto me. My face swelled so badly it was unrecognizable.

Finally, someone hesitated.

“Sophia, this… this doesn’t look good. He’s barely breathing.”

She waved dismissively.

“What’s there to fear? If something happens, my husband will handle it!”

She called Daniel Carter, her voice dripping with false panic.

“Honey, my poor ex lost his mind—he came to the hotel to crash the wedding! He even tore my gown to shreds!”

“But don’t worry, my classmates have him under control. He’s just been roughed up a little.”

“You know I only love you, darling. Besides you, I’ll never marry anyone else in this lifetime!”

“Please hurry—I’m so scared!”

Hanging up, she looked down at me with a cruel smirk, pressing her bare foot against my head.

“Ethan, you ruined my wedding and shredded my gown. If you admit fault now, I might even give you a discount on the compensation.”