I glanced at my phone. It was a message from my boss, Quintus Lowe, inviting me to go fishing and discuss an important case.

"My boss just invited me to go fishing. We're going to talk about a major case. I'm warning you. Stop causing trouble here!" I scolded.

With that, I pried her hands off the car door and shut it.

Sylvia tried to grab the door handle again, but I immediately locked the doors.

I shouted at my assistant, Harlan Warren. "Drive!"

Harlan sat in the driver's seat, looking painfully conflicted as he glanced at Sylvia, who was trembling with rage and slapping the window outside.

He was unsure what to do. "Zachary…"

I snapped impatiently, "Hurry up! Do you not want your performance bonus anymore?"

The car slowly started moving. However, Sylvia suddenly sprang to her feet and spread her arms wide. She stood in front of the car, blocking the hood just as the vehicle began to roll forward.

Harlan slammed the brakes in fright, and I lurched forward from the sudden inertia. I rolled down the window, ready to give her a piece of my mind.

She slapped the hood and screamed hysterically, "Zachary! To save me, Raven ended up in a vegetative state! If not for her, you'd already be mourning the loss of your wife and child!

"She saved our family. You can't just watch her die from not being able to afford treatment! Even if you don't have money, your parents do! Can't you borrow some from them?"

The crowd was moved by her words and stepped in front of the car as well.

A man pointed angrily at me and said, "Look at you. You're dressed all fancy and look like a well-learned chap. How can you treat the officer who saved your wife and kid like this?"

Another person chimed in, "I heard lawyers these days have no conscience, but I didn't expect one to be rotten to this degree."

I rolled the window back up and yelled at Harlan, "Can't you make a U-turn?"

Harlan restarted the engine to turn around and leave the scene.

Seeing this, Sylvia snatched a loudspeaker from a nearby police officer and blocked the car again.

"Zach, I know you hate trouble. You're afraid Raven's family will try to leech off us. If you must, then let's get a divorce and separate our assets. I'll take responsibility for everything related to Raven. I promise I won't drag you down.

"Zach, I'm begging you! I'll kneel if I have to!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed deeply in front of the car.

Furious, I shoved the door open and got out. Then, I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

I was raging. "My boss asked to meet up with me! But because you were in my way and delayed me, someone else went in my place! You just ruined my chance at a promotion and a raise, you useless woman!"

A police officer rushed forward and shouted at me angrily. "How can you hit her? Do you want me to charge you with domestic violence?"

I shot the officer a disdainful glance. Who did he think he was to charge a lawyer? As if.

Sylvia held the officer back. The red handprint looked glaring against her pale face. She told him she was fine and turned back to pleading with me.

"Zach, is your promotion really more important than saving a family? If we get divorced, none of the responsibility will fall on you. I'll take the baby and help the woman who saved me. We're husband and wife. Are you really going to deny my request?"

Seeing that I remained unmoved, she clenched her fists and screamed hysterically, "What do you want, Zachary? You won't relent until I divorce you without anything to my name, huh? Is that what you want?"

Sylvia's words shocked the onlookers, and it caused an uproar in the crowd.

"I can't believe how cold-blooded this guy is. If not for that officer, his wife and unborn child would both be dead already. He doesn't want to be bogged down with a debt of gratitude. So, he wants his own wife to walk away with nothing!"

"And it seems he's a lawyer! Who would dare hire a heartless lawyer like him?"

"Exactly. He even hit his wife out of anger. This poor woman sure is unfortunate to have married a man like him."

Before I could speak, Sylvia placed both hands on her knees and slowly knelt down.

She looked up at me with pleading eyes and begged, "Zach, Raven saved my life! What's wrong with giving her and her family some money? Besides, I only want my half of our assets."

As her voice grew louder, her emotions spiraled out of control.

I let out a cold laugh and instructed Harlan, "Listen, go to the hospital and contact Raven's husband. Persuade him and let him know that if he wants to divorce his vegetative wife, I'm confident I can transfer all his debts to her. I'll even represent him for free."

Harlan froze. The onlookers all stared at me, wide-eyed.

Sylvia looked up at me in disbelief. Her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment.

Everyone present clenched their teeth and glared at me, as though I were some unforgivable sinner.

Sylvia suddenly shot to her feet and grabbed the lapels of my suit jacket.

"Zachary! Even if Raven is in a coma now, she saved me and our child! How can you do this?" she cried out.

I responded, "I'm making use of her final value! Who would dare ask a patient in a vegetative state to pay her debts? This lawsuit will be unprecedented. I'm destined to leave my mark on legal history!"

"You disgust me, Zachary. You aren't the man you used to be. You used to respect my wishes and listen to me!" Sylvia said.

Upon hearing that, I looked at her intently.

What she said was true. Previously, I had obeyed her every word. Everyone in our neighborhood knew I was a henpecked husband.

But now, all I wanted was fame.

"I'm a lawyer. This case will bring me both fame and fortune. Why would I give up this golden opportunity? I'm not a fool," I said.

Then, I glanced at Harlan, who was still standing to one side with a dazed expression.

"Don't just stand there. Go on!" I urged.

Harlan snapped out of it and nodded frantically. He walked over to the car.

Seeing how ruthless I had become, Sylvia trembled with fury. She was usually gentle and demure. But now, she suddenly jumped up and blocked Harlan with frigteningly bloodshot eyes.

She screamed, "Zachary! She's the neighbor you see day in and day out. She's your friend and also the one who saved your wife! She's in a vegetative state now, so her treatment will cost a fortune. What do you expect her family to do?

"Or are you just that reluctant to pay her even a single cent?"

I looked straight at her with my arms crossed and sneered. "Her husband will handle her affairs. He's the one who should support her elderly mother. Which law states that the person who was saved has the obligation to support their savior's family?"

Sylvia countered, "But out of basic humanity, shouldn't you at least give something?"

Her expression remained desperate and pleading, but every word she spoke was intended to guilt-trip me.

Then, she gave me her final ultimatum. "I'll ask you one last time. Will you give me the money or not?"

I didn't hesitate for a moment as I shouted, "None of this is my damn business!"

My words pissed off the crowd around us.

"You imbecile! I'm posting your face online to let everyone judge you! How can scum like you be a lawyer?" someone in the crowd shouted.

He raised his phone, and others quickly followed.

"I've never seen someone with little to no compassion like you! Let's post this online, everyone. The internet will obliterate such scum!"

"Pressure his workplace to have him fired!"

"Yes! Fire him!"

"Do you think you can threaten me?" I scoffed, not worried in the slightest.

Just then, an elderly man with a cane hobbled over to me and spat at my feet.

"You heartless animal! You're a disgrace to humanity!" he bellowed.

"Watch your words, old man. I can have you arrested for insulting me," I said sharply.

He shot back, "I don't care! You're a sorry excuse of a man and a human being. I'll deliver justice with these hands of mine today!"

He swung his cane, ready to strike me.

I leaned my head forward and taunted with a sneer, "Go ahead and try. Are your children rich? Can they afford the compensation?"

"I can't stand heartless men like you! Today, I'll rid society of a scumbag even if I end up in jail!" he shouted, swinging his cane down.

However, Sylvia intercepted him by grabbing his cane and saying, "Calm down, everyone! Let me talk to my husband."

She took a deep breath and looked at me. "Zach, how about this? I'll divorce you and take nothing from our marriage. Then, you take out the money to help Raven and her family.

"If you don't, you can foresee the consequences. Once they post this online, you'll lose your job for sure."

The mention of my job made me waver.

Sylvia turned to the crowd and bowed repeatedly. "Everyone, our goal is to get Officer Weber the treatment she deserves and help her family. Please delete the videos. I'm begging you."

The police officers followed her lead and bowed as well.

Their synchronized gesture left a mark on the entire crowd. Many people's eyes reddened as tears welled up. Even Harlan wiped away his tears.

A middle-aged woman held up her phone and shouted at me, "Hey, scumbag! Look here. I deleted the video I shot."

One after another, the crowd followed suit. They deleted the incriminating videos right in front of me.

"Everyone has deleted their videos. Now, can you transfer the money?" Sylvia asked, looking at me hopefully.

"They deleted the videos, sure. But you haven't signed the voluntary divorce agreement stating that you'll leave with nothing. What if I transfer the money, but you turn around and deny everything?" I pressed her relentlessly.

The old man with the cane snapped. He struck me with his wooden cane at full force.

Blood gushed out immediately. My vision blurred, and I toppled to the ground.

Sylvia screamed, "Zachary!"

But the crowd started applauding and cheering.

"Good hit!"

"Upload the video of this immoral lawyer! Expose him! Ruin him!"

"Yeah! Don't let the scumbag get away with insulting an officer who saved his family!"

People snapped photos and recorded videos. Then, they uploaded everything. In no time, my name spread across the entire internet.

Lying on the ground, I smirked.

Deep inside, I was thinking that the more this blew up, the better it would be.

In the next moment, everything went black as I lost consciousness completely.