I couldn't believe what Kylo had just said. For a moment, I thought I misheard.

My voice shook as I told him to repeat himself.

"I don't know what tricks your mother used, but mine actually listened to her. She even threatened me with the family's future and forced me to marry a woman like you."

Kylo glanced at the cake on the ground, then at the cream smeared on Nora's bag. His voice dropped lower. "Nora's bag is a global limited-edition worth millions. You'll pay full price for the damage. As for that slap, I'll make sure you get it back tenfold."

I clenched my jaw and spat at his feet. "Kylo Winston, I'm calling off this engagement."

Not only that, but I would also make him kneel before Mom and apologize in person.

The murmurs from the crowd clearly reached my ears. Kylo's face flushed dark red, humiliation twisting his expression.

"So she's the rumored fiancee? She actually dumped him?"

"Guess money can't buy everything. He still got rejected."

His eyes went cold as he tried to suppress his rage.

Nora gestured to one of her assistants, who brought over a small pig. The animal trotted forward, snorting as it licked the cream off the ground.

"See that? That's the difference between us. What you treasure is pig feed to us."

This was too much.

Rage shot through me. My fingers trembled as I dialed Kylo's mother's number. "Diane, I heard your family has two daughters-in-law now?"

There was a brief pause before Diane Longford responded, her tone sharp.

"Who is this? How dare you meddle in Winston family business? So what if there are two? That just proves how desirable my son is. What does it have to do with you?"

The call ended abruptly. Nora's lips curved into a faint, smug smile.

Perfect. So Diane had known about their improper relationship all along. She deliberately used her friendship with Mom as leverage and begged her to arrange Kylo and my engagement.

What a calculated scheme.

Mom's birthday banquet was starting soon. Panic rose in my chest as I rushed to find another gift for her. I barely made it out of the bakery before Kylo grabbed my wrist and slammed me against the glass wall.

"You think you can just walk away after causing trouble? Not a chance."

His grip tightened around my wrist. Pain shot through my arm as I frowned, trying to reason with him. "You can't afford to offend the Lane family. Let go. The three great families of Silverlake are the Winstons, the Cullens, and the Lanes. Surely you know that."

Kylo froze, as if processing the information. I thought he finally understood. But Nora let out a light scoff beside him.

"Stop flattering yourself. Everyone knows the third great family of Silverlake is supremely powerful and has remained hidden for years. How could they possibly be related to you?"

A sly glint flashed in her eyes as she continued fanning the flames. "Kylo, she's the one who said she'd destroy the entire Winston family just now."

He released my wrist immediately. When he looked at me again, his gaze was filled with disgust.

"That depends on whether you actually have the ability. Someone grab her and throw her out on the street."

Traffic rushed past me from both directions. I screamed and dodged vehicles, nearly scraping my leg.

A truck suddenly swerved around the corner. The driver shouted in alarm when he saw me and jerked the wheel, crashing into the landscaped median.

My heart pounded. I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Kylo Winston! Do you have no regard for human life? With all these people around, if someone gets hurt, are you prepared to deal with the consequences?"

He raised an eyebrow and casually pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, tossing them into the street. The crowd that had been watching the spectacle forgot all about the danger. They dove into traffic, scrambling for the cash.

"See that? You're just like them to me. Worthless."

He pulled Nora close and kissed her provocatively right in front of me, a vicious glint in his eyes. "Nora, anyone who provokes you will pay the price. Now, anyone who slaps her gets a reward."

No.

Greed lit up their eyes. They all turned toward me at once, cracking their knuckles as they advanced toward me.

Slaps rained down on me one after another. My vision blurred, and blood filled my mouth.

"You'll regret this, Kylo! You're going to destroy the Winston family yourself!"

I turned my head and spat out blood, then grabbed Nora's raised wrist and twisted it hard in the opposite direction.

A sharp crack echoed. She screamed in pain.

Her dislocated wrist hung limp in the air. Kylo strode over to her side, his eyes red with disbelief that I'd actually fought back.

My watch buzzed with a call from Mom. I answered on speaker, and her voice sounded urgent. "Eleanor, you said you had a surprise for me today. Why aren't you here yet?"

Tears stung my eyes. My voice came out choked as I gave her the bakery's address.

"Mom, please come quickly. Kylo and his mistress are hurting me."

Mom went silent on the other end, then asked in disbelief. "Kylo Winston? He's your fiance. Why would he hurt you with someone else?"

Before I could explain, Kylo snatched my watch and smashed it on the ground. "I don't care what tricks you used. Your daughter will never set foot in our family."

He shouted for his security guards and ordered them to bring over two large buckets of cream. They smeared it all over my face until I could barely breathe.

Survival instinct kicked in. I fought back, grabbing one of the buckets and dumping it over Kylo's head. Before I could run, the guards shoved me hard. I hit the ground, nearly losing consciousness.

"Wait!"

The crowd parted. An elderly figure appeared, leaning on a cane.

It was James Winston, Kylo's grandfather.

Diane stood beside him. "I got a call from Eleanor's mother saying you were hurting her. Where is she? What have you done with her?"

Diane's sharp gaze swept across the crowd. When she saw me, her eyes widened in shock.

All the color drained from her face. Her voice trembled.

"Who... who did this to her?"

Nora thought she was about to be praised. She eagerly stepped forward.

Then a slap rang out.

"Do you have any idea who she is? Even if our two families joined forces, we couldn't match a fraction of her family's power."

Kylo couldn't bear seeing his beloved get hit. His gaze turned murderous.

"Just look at her cheap outfit. She's probably some streetwalker. Mom, don't let her fool you."

Mr. Winston Senior's fury erupted. He raised his cane and brought it down hard on Kylo's back.

"That is the eldest daughter of the Lane family, the most powerful family in Silverlake!"

Mr. Winston Senior walked toward me with trembling steps, wiping sweat off his brow. "Ms. Lane, please don't be angry with my grandson. He was blind and foolish. I'll discipline him properly when we get home."

Did he think a few empty words could make up for what they did to me?

"An eye for an eye. That's the Lane family motto."

The two Winston elders were so frightened that they hardly dared to breathe. The fact that the Lane family was the most powerful in Silverlake was a secret almost no one knew. It seemed the time had come to make it public.

"Diane, don't believe a word she says. She's a fraud. There's no such thing as the Lane family. In all of Silverlake, your family is the one that matters.

"She kept saying today was her mother's birthday and got into a fight with me over some cheap cake. If she really was the heiress of the Lane family, wouldn't they have sent people to pick her up already?"

With every word Nora spoke, Diane's face grew paler. "You said today is her mother's birthday? And you deliberately destroyed her cake?"

Nora lifted her chin proudly, completely unconcerned.

"It's over. Everything is over."

Diane and Mr. Winston Senior exchanged horrified glances, each seeing the panic in the other's eyes.

Diane tried to apologize again, but I pulled my hand away coldly and stepped back. Just then, the roar of engines echoed from beyond the crowd.

50 red stretch limousines lined up in formation, their custom plates unmistakable. The sight alone was enough to inspire fear.

In all of Silverlake, there was probably no one else who possessed this kind of power.

"That kind of display doesn't match the Winstons' or Cullens' style at all. Could it be that the legendary, most powerful family in Silverlake really is the Lane family they mentioned?"

"Then they really screwed up, didn't they?"

Kylo's chest tightened. He looked at his mother's ashen face, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

When he looked at me again, doubt flickered in his eyes. But it was already too late.

The passenger door of the central vehicle slowly opened. High heels clicked sharply against the pavement, each step deliberate and commanding.

A woman emerged in a perfectly tailored suit, her short hair sharp and professional.

Someone in the crowd muttered, "Crap. The Lane family's here."