Jerry's POV

The screech of brakes sounded in the distance, and Lily hurriedly got out of the car.

"Cecil, are you okay?"

She threw herself at Cecil and carefully examined him from head to toe, only breathing a sigh of relief when she confirmed he had nothing more than a few scrapes.

When she turned and saw my forehead was covered in blood, there was something almost like disappointment in her eyes.

"Jerry, did you do this on purpose? I grew up with Cecil! How could you be so vicious as to try and kill him with your car?"

I forced myself to endure the searing pain and glared fixedly at her.

"Lily, give me back the car rosary!"

She looked down her nose at me, as if she were staring at a dog.

"You think I'll give it back just because you want me to? Who the heck do you think you are? Do you really think my family hasn't built up something of their own all these years?"

She froze when she saw the car's rosary lying on the ground. A moment later, she let out a scoff.

"You tried to run Cecil over because of a stupid car rosary? If you want it that badly, then you ought to pay a price for it."

She patted my cheek with contemptuous lightness, then turned to look at Cecil with a mocking smile.

"Kneel and apologize to Cecil! If you say 'I was wrong' 100 times, I'll give you the car rosary."

I looked at her and suddenly laughed, tears blurring my vision.

Neither Grandma's keepsake nor my genuine love meant as much to her as the ruthless Cecil.

Years ago, Lily had knelt before me begging for Mrs. Compton's keepsake, so there was no way she could possibly not know how much the car rosary meant to me.

It was simply that now, with her newfound status, she wanted to exact revenge for the humiliation of her past. However, she seemed to have forgotten that the only reason she was where she was today and could throw money around was because of me.

Cecil hid behind her and mouthed silently to me, "You lose."

I clenched my teeth and struggled to my feet, trying to snatch the car rosary from her hand.

She let out a mocking laugh and crouched down in front of me. "You really want it? Fine, you can have it. But first, you'll apologize and sign over 30% of all the companies under your name to Cecil."

I stared at the undisguised greed in her eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.

"Dream on, Lily!"

One of her bodyguards slapped me hard across the face and then pinned me to the ground.

"If you're not willing to hand it over, then get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Otherwise—"

As she spoke, she crushed my car rosary beneath her foot, grinding it down with force.

My pupils constricted violently. The once-smooth charm hanging from the car rosary was now covered in a web of cracks.

I thrashed against her bodyguard and roared at Lily, "If you've got a problem, take it up with me!"

She patted my cheek absentmindedly.

"Kneel and apologize to Cecil! If you still refuse to, then you can just wait and watch this stupid car rosary get crushed to dust under my foot!"

The bodyguards around us burst into jeering laughter.

A chorus of shouts rose one after another. "Hurry up and get on your knees!"

I fixed her with a withering stare, as if she were some fool dancing on the edge of death without even knowing it.

I had spoiled her too much in the past, so much so that she had forgotten her family was nothing more than a lapdog I kept for my own amusement.

"You dare bare your teeth at Ms. Compton? Seems like you really have a death wish."

The bodyguard noticed the hatred in my eyes and forcibly slammed my head hard against the ground.

Cecil took the car rosary and hurled it viciously to the ground. The cracked charm and rosary beads shattered across the pavement, and my heart broke right along with them.

"Oops, my hand slipped. But I don't want your apology anymore either. Why does it make me so happy to see you wishing death would just take you already?"

His mocking laughter only made the hatred burning in my heart blaze more fiercely.

Just then, a fleet of sedans pulled to a stop nearby.

My bodyguards rushed over and helped me to my feet.

I fixed my gaze on Lily's startled face and said firmly, "I want the Compton family completely wiped out from Starworth within three days."