Lilian was sprawled on the ground, a bodyguard's grip leaving bloody marks on her pale face. She looked up at me with a sneer.

"Oh, Nancy, being Ms. Yates must feel so stifling, huh? Everyone is walking all over you, and here you are, still playing the graceful lady?"

I fixed my gaze on Alora's face and let out a laugh, my eyes glinting with an icy fury.

In a flash, I headbutted her right on the nose.

She let out a sharp cry, her face twisting in agony as she clutched at her bleeding, freshly done nose job.

I whipped out a baton from my bag and swung it hard, landing a blow right between the legs of the bodyguard behind me.

Spinning around, I zapped another guard on the knee with my stun baton.

Before Alora could even catch her breath, I had her by the collar.

With a solid bang, I slammed her against the fire hose reel on the wall.

"Think you can just take my stuff?"

I slapped her hard across the face, once, twice, leaving her reeling, her surgically altered face warping under the impact.

"You lowlife, you dare to hit me?!"

Alora's face was a twisted mess of purple and red as she tried to fight back.

I kicked her in the gut and slapped her again for good measure. "Yeah, I'm hitting you!"

I pinned her hands behind her back with one hand and yanked her hair with the other, pulling her head back.

The Collins Group bodyguards rushed over, ready to jump me, but they held back, cursing, because I had Alora in my grip.

"You think you can hit Ms. Warren and get away with it? You're just itching to die!"

Lilian managed to break free from the bodyguards, grabbed a can of pepper spray, and aimed it at the two bodyguards.

"Hit her harder!" she yelled out to me in support. "Show her who's in charge in Riverton City!

"You think you can mess with me? I'll make you regret it big time!"

Alora's screams pierced the air as her hair was yanked, her hands flailing wildly while trying to grab me.

"Finish her off! A cool seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to whoever takes her down first!"

Out of nowhere, the Collins family's bodyguards swarmed me like a pack of wolves.

Just like that, I was being choked from behind, my hair in someone's iron grip.

Amid the mayhem, a cowardly kick landed on my waist.

I lost my grip on Alora, and the bodyguards slammed me to the ground in no time.

Alora strutted over, her high heels becoming weapons as they came crashing down on my back, again and again.

"Think you've got nine lives? Today, you'll meet the Grim Reaper himself!"

A hot rush of blood surged to my chest, and I coughed up blood. I was about to fight back when police sirens cut through the chaos.

"Freeze!"

Two cops stepped out, their commanding presence quieting the storm.

The taller cop, seeing Alora's blood-stained face, looked shocked.

"Ms. Alora? What on earth happened?"

The shorter cop practically tripped over himself to offer Alora a chair.

Sitting with a smug look, Alora pointed straight at Lilian and me. "Mr. Lewis! They stole my stuff and beat up people! Look at my bodyguards, all beaten up by them!

"Take them in, now!"

The tall cop did not hesitate, ignoring our injuries, and whipped out his handcuffs.

"Causing trouble in Riverton City and attacking Mrs. Collins? You're coming with us to the station!"

Lilian's frown deepened, a storm brewing in her eyes.

"Is there no justice anymore? They're the ones who threw the first punch!"

Lilian brushed the blood from her lip and shouted about injustice.

"That's a lie!" Alora snapped back, trying to look like the victim.

"I had this medieval chalice reserved way before. I was just being nice, letting them have a look. Next thing I know, they're claiming it's theirs. They even pretended to be my husband's wife, saying they're from the Stewart family in Riverton City."

The tall cop surveyed the mess from the scuffle and pointed straight at us, no questions asked.

"Out here in the open, in Riverton City, trying to snatch Ms. Alora's medieval chalice and causing a scene–it's obviously your fault!

"Who in Riverton City doesn't know the Collins family? You messed with the wife of Mr. Collins, and that's like a slap to the Collins family's face!"

The other cop, shorter in stature, was already whipping out handcuffs, ready to slap them on.

"Tonight, you're going to jail to learn your lesson!

"And lest you forget: for the ruckus you caused, plus Ms. Alora's medical bills and the trauma you caused her, you're footing the bill.

"Now, kneel and apologize to Ms. Alora! Maybe then we can talk about lightening your sentence!"

"What are you saying?" I laughed, but it was a laugh filled with fury. "She's the one who tried to steal and then started a fight in public, and you're misusing your authority?

"When did the Riverton City cops start doing the dirty work for crooks?!"

The short cop's face twisted in anger, and his stun baton crackled ominously.

"You're asking for it!

"Ms. Alora was nice enough to show you the medieval chalice, and this is how you thank her? By attacking people? Seriously, you guys have no appreciation for kindness!"

Lilian stepped in front of me, putting herself between me and danger, and let out a mocking laugh: "Let's see if your backward sense of justice is stronger than the actual law."

"This is outrageous!" The towering cop whipped out a pair of handcuffs and lunged at me. "You're about to find out what happens in Riverton City to those who cross the Collins family!"

I dodged to the side, and he went ballistic, yanking out a stun baton and thrusting it at my stomach. "Ingrate!"

The shock zapped through me, and I let out a muffled groan, dropping to my knees, my teeth chattering from the pain.

"Nancy!" Lilian was by my side in a heartbeat, holding me up, then turned to glare at the cop. "You think you can just attack Ms. Yates?!"

"The Yates family?" The cop sneered and pulled out his stun baton again, "Here in Riverton City, the Collins rule the skies!" He pressed the stun baton hard against Lilian's shoulder.

"Ugh..." Lilian shook with pain but kept a firm grip on my hand. "You're nothing but pawns of the Collins family... And you'll regret this..."

"Regret?" The cop tilted Lilian's chin up with his baton. "Save your talk of regret for the prison guards once you're behind bars!"

He turned to Alora with a sycophantic smile. "Mrs. Collins, shall we send them off now? I can promise to pair them with the meanest cellmates for a little 'education'..."

Alora, casually playing with the medieval chalice, leaned back triumphantly with her legs crossed.

"Take your time. Let's give them a little reminder of who runs this place first," she said with a smirk.

The cops did not need to be told twice. They grabbed me and Lilian, their hands flying at our faces like they were swatting flies.

"That'll teach you to talk back!"

The taller cop turned to Alora, his face all sweet and slimy.

"Mrs. Collins, I heard your little boy's first birthday is coming up. Where's the party at? My partner and I will make sure to bring a gift he'll never forget."

The shorter one was quick to suck up, too. "Mrs. Collins, you'll see, the present we've got will be a hit with the kiddo.

"And who knows, maybe Mr. Collins will put in a good word for us with the big shots, help us climb the ladder a bit."

Alora twirled a strand of her hair and giggled. "Everything's being taken care of. I'll be sure to mention you to my husband."

Eric has a kid?

That bombshell left me reeling.

I had been overseas for a year, working on a project, yet on my very first day back in Riverton City, I found out Eric had a one-year-old boy.

I was boiling with anger.

Eric and I had been married for a year, and we had agreed to start a family as soon as I got back.

I tried to get up, but the short cop was on me in a flash, cuffing me to a trash can. A jolt from his stun gun hit me under the chin, and my head felt like it was on fire. The can tipped, spilling trash all over me.

Alora came over, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

She slipped on a glove and grabbed my face, her nails digging in and leaving a trail of blood.

Then, out of nowhere, the street was filled with the sound of cars slamming on their brakes.

Eric hurried down the stairs, his eyes quickly taking in the mess before he rushed to Alora's side. He gently touched her shoulder, his voice dripping with concern.

"Alora, what's going on? Who did this to you?"

Tears streamed down Alora's face as she looked up at him, her voice quivering.

"Eric, you have to help me. These two have lost their minds, claiming they're your wife and they started throwing punches, even at the cops."

The shorter cop came scurrying over, practically tripping over himself to show respect.

"Mr. Collins, you're right on time! These two were causing a ruckus, robbing and beating people up in the street, and they even had the nerve to insult you and your wife. We were about to haul them off for a serious talking-to!"

Eric gave me a look like I was something he scraped off his shoe.

"Nancy, can't believe it's only been a year, and you're acting like a street thug?"

He shot a glance at Lilian.

"Guess it's true what they say about birds of a feather. Causing trouble in the middle of the day like this–do you think the Collins family is a joke?"

I dabbed at the blood trickling from my lip.

"Eric, Alora's claiming she's your wife and grabbed my things in front of everyone. So tell me, what's your story?"

Eric's face was an icy mask as he turned to the towering cop. "Mr. Lewis, why don't you give us the rundown of today's excitement?"

The tall cop gave me a wary look before adopting a tone of someone who was all about the law.

"Mr. Collins, I hate to say it, but it might just rile you up.

"These two ladies saw your wife step out of the antique shop with a medieval chalice in hand and just had to take a look, saying they wanted to learn something new."

He jabbed a finger in my direction, his words almost drowned by his own spit.

"Mrs. Collins was being her usual generous self, letting them have a peek. Next thing you know, this one's claiming it's hers and won't hand it back."

The shorter cop nodded vigorously, eager to back up his partner.

"That's right, that's right! We've got it all figured out, and the antique shop owner will back us up!

"When Mrs. Collins refused to back down, that woman suddenly slapped her twice. She called Mrs. Collins a loose woman, said she was being shameless and ungrateful, and warned her not to blame anyone else when she stopped holding back. She even said Mrs. Collins wasn't worthy of you at all, and sneered that the Collins family had no class.

"Unable to hold back, Mrs. Collins said they could insult her all they liked, but they had no right to drag you or the Collins family through the mud. The woman immediately turned to her friends and ordered them to beat Mrs. Collins."

"That's nonsense!" Lilian was so mad that her heart was racing. "She started this..."

"Shut your mouth!" the short cop snapped. "What right do you have to talk? If you hadn't egged them on, saying Mrs. Collins was beneath you and fair game for bullying, would things have gotten this out of hand?"

Alora grabbed Eric's hand, tears pouring down her face.

"Eric, maybe she just really liked that chalice, but that's no excuse to just snatch it...

"She lost it when I wouldn't let her take it home, even threatened to take down the Collins family and demanded an apology from you..."

Eric's face turned stormy.

"Nancy, I can't believe you've sunk this low.

"You want that medieval chalice? Buy it yourself. It's bought by someone else, and you resort to violence and theft?"

I tried to speak up, but he cut me off, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"It looks like all you've picked up on your year away is petty thievery!

"Not giving it up, so you hit people; not giving it up, so you steal! How can you be so shameless?"

"I didn't..."

"Enough! Are you still trying to defend yourself? The cops have laid it all out!"

Eric glared at me with revulsion.

"You're just lazy and greedy! You see something you want, and instead of going for it, you just take it by force. What was I thinking when I married you?"

Alora gave Eric's sleeve a gentle tug, trying to play peacemaker. "Come on, Eric, let's not stay mad, okay? Maybe she just got mixed up for a second..."

"Mixed up? You're just too nice, Alora. She's showing her true colors!"

Eric glared at the cop standing by. "Mr. Lewis, we can't let her off easy. She needs to pay up and face the music!

"I'm dying to see how she'll wriggle out of this one!"

Hearing the certainty in his voice, a knot formed in my stomach.

So that was it, I thought. In their eyes, I was the bad guy, the one who could not win fair and square, so I had resorted to throwing punches.

Eric's icy stare sent a chill down my spine, but I could not help it. I laughed.

"Alright, you want money? Name your price."

Eric scoffed, his eyes dripping with disdain.

"1.5 million dollars. Think you can cough that up? You could sell everything you own and still fall short. Just don't stoop to thievery when you can't pay."

"Don't bother with her! 1.5 million, huh?" said Lilian, already pulling out her phone.

I nudged Lilian. "Shoot a text to my dad, will you? Tell him my phone's busted."

The room erupted with laughter.

Alora's face was a picture of scorn, and the cops joined in the mockery.

"Seen people fake it before, but this is next level!

"1.5 million? As if you two could fetch that much in a million years!"