Chapter 8

Grace had underestimated the acceleration of the electric scooter. The moment she twisted the throttle, it lurched forward and crashed straight into someone's car. She tumbled to the ground and scraped her knee. The sharp sting made her frown. The car's owner stormed out furiously. "Do you even know how to ride? Are you in a hurry to die or something? Damn my luck. This is a new car I just picked up from the dealership, for goodness sake! You better pay for the damages." Grace glanced at the car emblem and realized it was a Maserati. Just great. There was no way her ten thousand dollars would cover this. A crowd quickly gathered, eager to see who had the misfortune of crashing into a luxury car. The man grabbed her sleeve. "Pay up, woman, or I'm calling the police!" Grace adjusted her stance to alleviate the pain in her leg. "Is ten thousand dollars enough?" The man thought he was hearing things, and his face immediately flushed with anger. "Do you take me for a beggar or something?" Meanwhile, the traffic light at Ethan's intersection had turned green. His gaze flicked back to the scene, and the air around him turned colder as his gaze darkened. Just as Tim was about to step on the gas pedal, Ethan spoke up. "Go settle it." Tim's grip on the steering wheel tightened immediately. He had the urge to say something but finally decided against it and got out of the car. The temperature outside was high, and Grace's forehead was already covered in sweat. She was just about to figure out who to call for help when she noticed a young man approaching. The young man spoke in a professional tone. "Call the traffic police first. How much is it? I'll cover it." The Maserati's owner was about to explode in rage again, but when he noticed that Tim had stepped out of a limited edition luxury car that was worth tens of millions, his heart skipped a beat. There was no second car like this in Druville, and he couldn't afford to offend the owner. Not wanting to wait for the police, he quickly said, "A hundred thousand dollars. You can just transfer it." Tim transferred the money and turned to leave, but Grace stopped him. She wore casual sportswear today, emphasizing her shapely legs and waist. A tiny beauty mark on the tip of her nose added a touch of warmth to her otherwise cool and striking features. "Um… I don't have the money to pay you back right now." She glanced at the nearby car, feeling that someone else was in there. Tim waved her off. "Forget it." His face was a picture of impatience, clearly uninterested in talking to her any longer. But Grace walked toward the car anyway. "Can I get your contact information? I'll make sure to pay you back as soon as I have the money." A look of mockery flashed across Tim's eyes. She really was committed to this clueless act, huh? She even claimed she'd pay back once she had money! As if a daughter of the Lambert family wouldn't even have a hundred thousand dollars to spare! He couldn't be bothered to play along. With a smirk, he said, "Ms. Lambert, people get sick of your overacting. I told you to forget it. Just stay away from us. Everything about you is just screams of a scam and misfortune. Please don't bring your bad luck onto us." Grace was taken aback. She had no memory of this person, no idea who he was. But if he hated her so much, why did he even help her? She lowered her eyes for a moment, then smiled as she thought of something. "If you dislike me so much, that's all the more reason I need to pay you back. Give me your contact info. If you won't, I'll go ask the person inside the car. I'll get your contact information one way or another." Tim wasn't about to let her meet Ethan just like that, so he scribbled down a string of numbers in annoyance. Grace carefully saved it and offered an elegant bow. "Thank you." Tim was stunned. This woman had been rude and indifferent to everyone in the past, never bothering with basic courtesy. Had she really changed? Just as that thought crossed his mind, he scoffed, dismissing it. It was probably just another ploy to get Yancey's attention. Everyone in Druville knew what kind of person Grace was—she was completely insufferable.