“Most people would have gone out of their way to avoid so much as brushing against Mr. Scott’s car, but she actually dared to crash into it. That took some guts.”

“She’s just unlucky. Of all the people she could have offended, she picked Secretary Ross. That woman was Mr. Scott’s right hand.”

As the murmurs grew louder around us, Secretary Ross looked even more pleased with herself.

“You little bitch, you actually dared to curse at me? You must be tired of living!”

I couldn’t have cared less about her threats. Honestly, I almost wanted to laugh.

“Secretary Ross, was it? I suggest you watch your mouth.”

“If you really push me, not even your boss will be able to handle the consequences.”

“Watch your damn mouth, my ass!”

She spat out a few more curses, then, still not satisfied, rolled up her sleeves and charged at me again.

“What? You Montreal people resort to violence the moment you run out of words, is that it?”

Secretary Ross swung several slaps my way but couldn’t even graze the hem of my clothes.

“You little bitch, try dodging one more time and see what happens!”

“You think I won’t call Mr. Scott right now?”

Even as she kept provoking me again and again, I didn’t fight back. I only kept restraining myself.

Not because I feared her, but because before I left the unit, my superior had warned me over and over. “Your every word and action represents the image of the unit. Once you’re outside, don’t get into conflicts with local personnel.”

Besides, I didn’t know how to fight.

If I ever did strike, it would be fatal.

Seeing me stay silent, Cherry Ross assumed I was frightened. She raised her fist and charged at me again.

At that critical moment, a sharp voice sounded behind us.

“Stop!”

“Cherry, you’re my personal secretary. How can you start attacking people on the street like this?”

Winston Scott trode over briskly, surrounded by bodyguards.

“You must be Cynthia Labelle?”

I studied the man before me and had to admit, my father truly had good taste.

He stood nearly one meter eighty-five, dressed in a tailored suit, handsome but with a calm elegance.

If there was any flaw, it was the way he looked at me, far too cold.

“Mr. Scott, nice to meet you. Please allow me to briefly introduce myself.”

“My surname was Labelle, given name Cynthia. I came from…”

“No need!”

Before I could finish, Winston impatiently raised his hand to cut me off.

“You and I aren’t suitable. Just go back to wherever you came from.”

For a moment, I thought my ears were deceiving me.

I had driven from the unit all the way to Montreal, over ten hours without so much as a sip of water.

And now, the moment we met, without even a proper conversation, he simply told me to leave.

Did he think I was some kind of fool?

That thought instantly sparked my temper.

“You must be Winston, the future son-in-law my father handpicked, right?”

“You won’t even let me finish a sentence before telling me to leave. Isn’t that a little rude?”

The moment I said that Winston’s expression shifted.

“Rude?”

“Miss Labelle, why don’t you turn around and take a good look at the building behind you? Do you really think someone like you is worthy of me?”

As he spoke, he gave me a slow, dismissive once-over.

“I have no idea what my father was thinking, trying to marry me off to some vase like you.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the scene erupted in a chorus of whispers.

“What? This woman is actually Mr. Scott’s fiancée? That’s unbelievable!”

“Someone like her, a bumpkin who’s never seen the world, actually dreaming of marrying up? She should look in the mirror and see if she’s even worthy.”

“President Scott is the publicly recognized dream man of all the women in Montreal. I, Isabella, am the first to oppose this marriage.”

As the chatter around us grew louder, I stood there feeling slightly dumbfounded.

When had I ever said I wanted to marry him?

Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if I did want to marry him, it would still need to be approved by my superiors first.

“Fine, fine, fine, you say I’m a vase, and you’re the rich young master. Happy now?”

“Since Mr. Scott doesn’t fancy me, can I have the wedding gift money back?”

“My mom specifically told me over the phone that if this marriage fell through, I had to remember to collect the money.”

In truth, my mom had never said anything of the sort. I simply couldn’t stand him anymore.

As soon as I finished, Secretary Ross jumped in, her voice shrill.

“You little bitch, who the hell do you think you’re looking down on?”

“President Scott is the youngest billionaire in Montreal’s history. Do you really think he’d care about your petty change?”

Watching this scene, I finally understood the true meaning of the word bootlicker.

“Secretary Ross, I’m only asking to take back what belongs to me. What does that have to do with whether he’s the richest or not?”

Winston’s face turned red at my words.

“It’s just eighty thousand dollars. Fine, I’ll give it back to you.”

He pulled out his phone on the spot and transferred the money over.

“I’m sending you a hundred thousand. The extra is a little travel money from me.”

I curled my lips into a faint smile. “Well, thank you very much, Mr. Scott.”

Just as I turned around, Cherry suddenly shouted at me. “You little bitch, stop right there!”

I paused and slowly turned my head back.

“What now? Secretary Ross, are you trying to invite me to dinner?”

Cherry flashed a sinister grin and leaned in to whisper something in Winston’s ear.

The next second, this so-called youngest billionaire in Montreal flew into a rage.

“Cynthia! You actually dared to crash my car?”

From Cherry’s expression, I could easily guess she must have filled his head with all sorts of nasty things about me.

Using someone else to do your dirty work is a masterclass move.

Judging by Winston’s attitude toward me now, I knew perfectly well that any explanation would be pointless. So I couldn’t be bothered to waste my breath.

“Say it, how much do you want? I’ll pay.”

Winston clearly hadn’t expected me to admit it so directly, and for a moment, surprise flickered in his eyes.

“Pay? You think you can afford it?”

“This Ferrari was a gift from my father on my eighteenth birthday, a coming-of-age present. There are only three in the world and only one in this country.”

“Just one scratch on it is worth your life. What exactly do you think you’ll pay with?”

I raised an eyebrow slightly, the corners of my lips curling into a faint smile.

“Mr. Scott, just name your price. Whether I can afford it or not is my business.”

“Ten million!”

The moment I finished speaking, Cherry jumped in first, her voice shrill.

“The entire front of the car is dented. There’s no way it can be repaired in the US. It has to be shipped back to the original factory in Italy.”

Upon hearing that, the onlookers all gasped in unison.

Even Winston looked somewhat surprised.

“Cherry, this car only cost a little over ten million when it was purchased. Just repairing the bumper couldn’t possibly cost that much, could it?”

Cherry immediately waved her hand dismissively.

“No, no, President, you’re thinking far too simply.”

“This car was your father’s birthday gift to you. The sentimental value alone is immeasurable. I don’t need to explain that, do I?”

“Asking her for ten million is already us showing mercy.”

After hearing her words, Winston seemed to think it over and lowered his head, deep in thought.

“Fine! Ten million it is. No problem.”

I didn’t give them a chance to react and agreed on the spot.

At that moment, every eye locked onto me.

Some thought I was just putting on a show, pretending to be wealthy. Others believed I was playing dumb to bait the tiger. The rest only watched with gloating amusement.

But none of their opinions mattered to me in the least.

What did matter was that my car had been hit, too.

Though it wasn’t damaged as badly as the Ferrari, the rear bumper still bore a few shallow scratches.

If it had been any ordinary domestic car, that impact from Cherry earlier would have totaled it outright.

“Since we’ve already discussed Mr. Scott’s car, shouldn’t we talk about mine now?”

As I spoke, my tone shifted, the corners of my mouth curving up ever so slightly.

“My car is a domestic model, so there’s no need to send it overseas; nothing that complicated.”

The moment I finished, a chorus of mocking laughter rose from the crowd.

Led by Cherry, the bootlickers looked at me with open disdain.

“This woman must be insane. A lousy domestic car, how much could it even be worth? Worst case, I’ll just buy her a new one.”

“Unbelievable! Did someone actually show up to a blind date in a domestic car? How embarrassing.”

I swept my gaze over the crowd, my voice turning cold.

“Everyone, while it is a domestic car, it has a registration number.”

“Before night falls, why don’t you call your grandparents and ask them what the name Lincoln Continental really means?”

“What Lincoln Continental or green flag nonsense, just a worthless domestic car. What could it possibly be worth?”

Cherry showed no regard for my warning at all.

“You little bitch, are you trying to back out now?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you can’t cough up that ten million, don’t even dream of leaving Montreal alive!”

In less than an hour, someone had threatened my life twice.

Since joining the unit, I never imagined anything like this could happen.

I stopped wasting my breath. Instead, I pulled out my phone in front of everyone.

“Hello, Leader? This is Cynthia Labelle.”

A warm chuckle came through the line.

“Cynthia? Why are you calling me at this hour? Did you meet him yet? How’s the guy satisfied?”

I shot a smug glance at Cherry across from me and spoke in a low voice.

“Leader, the marriage matter is a long story. I have an emergency to report.”

“The Lincoln Continental you lent me was hit.”

“What did you just say!?”

The leader on the other end erupted in fury. His shock nearly burst right through the phone.

“Are you sure you’re not joking with me? That’s a Lincoln Continental! Who would even dare to hit it?”

I stayed perfectly calm.

“Leader, I wouldn’t dare joke about something like this.”

“The person who hit your car is demanding ten million in compensation and even threatened that I wouldn’t leave Montreal alive if I didn’t pay.”

I gave him a quick rundown of everything. The leader was so livid he smashed a cup on the spot.

“Who did it?”

Just as I was about to answer, Cherry snatched the phone straight out of my hand.

“Hello? You the little bitch’s backup or something?”

“You’ve got twenty minutes to cough up the money. One minute late, and I’ll have someone break one of her fingers.”

The leader was probably so shocked that someone dared talk to him that way he fell silent for several seconds.

“You’re the one who hit my car, and now you’re demanding compensation from Cynthia?”

Still oblivious to who she had offended, Cherry carried on in her cocky, dismissive tone.

“Cut the crap! Just tell me, are you paying or not?”

Even over the phone, I could feel my superior’s fury pouring out like a wave.

“Pay? Isn’t ten million a bit too little? How about I give you a hundred million instead?”

“Tell me the location. I’ll have someone deliver the money right now!”

Cherry hadn’t expected my superior to have such a fierce temper. She snapped back without missing a beat.

“You old bastard, what kind of bullshit is that? A hundred million?”

“If you dare to give it, I’ll dare to take it. Montreal Tower. I want cash!”

After hanging up, Cherry turned to her boss with a smug look as if she were waiting to be praised.

Seeing this, I couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

“Mr. Scott, you really hired an incredible secretary.”

“She dares to scam a Lincoln Continental. I haven’t met anyone this brazen across the entire country.”

Cherry gave a disdainful snort.

“Damn, I don’t care if it’s a Lincoln Continental or a Rolls-Royce, you’ve got less than ten minutes left!”

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, saying, “Look over there!”

Everyone turned their heads at the sudden commotion.

More than a dozen armored cash trucks rumbled toward us in an imposing convoy.