Chapter 6

Sheila stepped forward and said in a cajoling tone, "Please don't be upset anymore, Ms. Schubert. Love has always been an incomprehensible, unexplainable thing. Miguel didn't hold you accountable for marrying another man right after divorcing him yesterday, did he? Why, then, can't you just give us your blessing and move on?" Jilliana had not known about Zayne, so the moment she heard Sheila's words, she exploded with rage. "You even dared to cheat on my son? You cunning slut! I already knew just from looking at your face that you were the unruly sort, but it seems I still heavily underestimated you!" As she poked, she pushed Sheila out of the way, rushed at Enrica, and slapped her hard. For a moment, Enrica was unable to react. She reflexively lifted her hand to cover her stinging face. With one hand on her hip, Jilliana pointed an accusing finger at Enrica and scolded her, "I could tell from the start that you were just a jinx! You disgraceful thing! In what way has Miguel ever let you down when you're the one who's done such an utterly heartless thing!" Every word out of her mouth was harsher than the last, and her voice was so sharp and high-pitched that it shattered the eardrums of everyone who was listening. Enrica felt like laughing. With how self-righteous Jilliana was acting, someone unaware of the situation would think that Enrica had done something to ruin their entire family. Miguel simply stood aside and watched them. Although Sheila half-heartedly tugged on Jilliana's arm and tried to persuade her to stand down, she quickly returned to being a "feeble maiden" at a loss for what to do. Jilliana came from an ordinary background. She had been a delinquent back in school, so she was incredibly good at swearing and cursing. After marrying into the Zucker family, she relied on her status to strut around while pretending to be an upper-class lady. It was then that she slowly started to change her previous habits. However, whatever she still retained from her delinquent days was more than enough to deal with Enrica. Enrica had been a good child. In the first 20 years or so of her life, she had been generous, kind, and polite. Her circle of friends also consisted of equally well-educated people. If she had not met Enna and Jilliana three and two years ago respectively, she would never have known that people like them existed in the world. They could not be reasoned with and presented illogical arguments. They barraged people with insults and stubbornly pushed their own unreasonable points, preventing others from getting a single word in. Jilliana found herself getting angry just looking at Enrica. She hated people like Enrica more than anyone else as she felt that they always pretended to be innocent, as if they had been greatly wronged. She really wanted to rip that face to shreds! Enrica staggered out of the way of Jilliana's continued assault. She did not dare strike back, fearing that if she angered Jilliana, she would get Charles in trouble and would no longer be able to live a decent life in Evernorth in the future. However, as she continued to dodge, Jilliana unexpectedly stumbled and suddenly fell to the ground. Sheila hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, and she could not resist blaming Enrica for it as she did so. "Mrs. Zucker is your elder, Ms. Schubert! How could you lash out against her?" Miguel strode over as well with a stormy expression on his face. He grabbed Enrica by the arm and dragged her aside. "Have you had enough of causing trouble?" he snapped. Faced with his thoughtless accusations, Enrica could not stop her eyes from tearing up due to embarrassment. Miguel noticed this, and his voice grew even colder. "Spare me your pitiful act and apologize to my mother!" Enrica desperately held back her sobs. "I didn't do anything, Miguel. Can you please be reasonable? She was the one who hit me, and I didn't even fight back!" Miguel's expression darkened. "I never knew that you were such a vicious woman! Since you're not willing to apologize, don't blame me for holding you legally accountable!" Enrica's entire body shuddered uncontrollably. She could not win against the Zucker family. If they really did take this to court, putting aside the fact that it would take a lot of time and effort, it would probably end badly for her. Just as she was debating whether or not to give in and accept the blame, a deep voice sounded from behind her. "If you wish to take legal action, that's fine. I also require an explanation for why my wife was harmed for no reason." Enrica looked back at the newcomer in surprise. "Mr. Ful—Zayne? Why are you here?" Zayne showing up in a residential area known for housing Evernorth's wealthiest was not what confused her the most but the fact that he was dressed in a noble, dignified manner. He was wearing a neatly pressed silver-gray suit, and there was a black luxury wristwatch around his wrist. Overall, he looked extraordinary. When Zayne looked at her, he suppressed his anger and explained, "I came to visit a client." Then, he glanced imperceptibly at the man following him, who considered the meaningful look in Zayne's eyes for a moment before asking tentatively, "Shall we sign the contract tomorrow then, Zayne?" His voice shook as he addressed Zayne by name. Zayne nodded. "Alright." Joy flashed in the man's eyes, and he said with forced calm, "I'll take my leave first, so feel free to busy yourself with your own work." He even seemed slightly panicked as he left the scene. Miguel shot a condescending look at Zayne. "That's Mr. King from Lesmouth Mining, isn't it? I'm pretty close with him. Just one word from me and all your efforts trying to secure that sale will fall through. If I were you, I'd get down on my knees and beg for mercy right now." He sneered disdainfully. He could easily destroy Zayne's life with a snap of his fingers. Was this man the best Enrica could find after leaving him? Zayne stood calmly where he was, seemingly not taking Miguel's threat seriously at all. "Unfortunately, you're not me," he said in a low and unyielding voice. Miguel's expression darkened. Enrica, on the other hand, was feeling a little panicked. She really did not want to implicate Zayne, so she said quickly, "I'll apologize, so let's just—" Before she could finish speaking, Zayne clamped a hand down on her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was strong and steady, showing his complete readiness to defend her. "It's not your fault, so why do you have to apologize?" he asked. Enrica was stunned. For the past two years, she had grown used to being treated as inferior by the Zuckers and having to apologize to everyone. This was the first time someone had said those words to her. However, the people standing across from them were from the Zucker family, who wielded great power in Evernorth. How was she going to survive in this city if she did not give in to them? Miguel sneered, "Remember that you asked for this, Enrica! See you in court! I'm not going to go easy on you!" In response, Zayne said indifferently, "You don't have to. We'll get the compensation we're due." As soon as the words left his mouth, he walked up to Jilliana and slapped her back on Enrica's behalf. His movements were smooth, and he did not appear to have used much force, but his slap caused Jilliana's face to become redder and more swollen than Enrica's. Holding a hand to her face, Jilliana glared at him in anger and disbelief. "How dare you hit me?" The Zuckers were all stunned by Zayne's sudden slap. How dare a mere insurance salesman—a commoner they could trample under their feet like an ant—lay a hand on a member of the Zucker family? Zayne did not seem to notice their anger. He took his time wiping his right hand on a silk handkerchief before explaining good-naturedly, "I can't allow someone to slap my wife without consequences, can I?" "You! Fulcher, was it? It looks to me like you're tired of living!" roared Miguel. Zayne's behavior was akin to stepping on the Zuckers' faces and grinding them into the dirt. Miguel glared coldly at him before suddenly reaching out and punching viciously toward him. Enrica's breath caught. Miguel frequented the gym all year round, so he had a muscular body. If Zayne took a direct hit from him, she feared that his skull would break. Her heart was practically about to leap out of her chest, but she did not have the time to stop all this from happening and could only clench her hands helplessly. However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Zayne casually caught Miguel by the wrist. He did not seem to be exerting much force, but Miguel's face paled instantly, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He looked as if he was experiencing excruciating pain. Zayne lifted his gaze and looked at Miguel as if he were an insignificant clown. "You'll regret it, Mr. Zucker, in every way you can imagine." Miguel's breathing turned erratic due to the pain he was in, and he felt as if his wrist was going to break. He actually felt intimidated by a mere insurance salesman. He wanted to say something harsh toward Zayne, but his words were caught in his throat. He was actually feeling scared!