Chapter 5

The call disconnected. Bianca froze for a beat, then burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that even the selfie stick in her hand shook. "Oh god, I can't," she said between laughs. "My stomach hurts." She shoved the camera back toward my face, her tone exaggerated and theatrical. "Did you guys hear that? '20 minutes.' 'Bring our men over.' Wow, the lines were so smooth. If I didn't know better, I'd think we were filming a mafia movie." Julian finally relaxed, mockery filling his eyes. "Vivian, you really know how to put on a show. That old man, did you hire him? You went all out for this little act." He couldn't even be bothered to look at me anymore. Instead, he waved lazily at the group of his buddies who were enjoying the spectacle. "Alright, boys, don't just stand there. Turn the music back on and keep the party going! "20 minutes, huh? I'd love to see whether an army is going to drop from the sky, or whether this crazy bitch ends up grovelling for forgiveness." The room erupted in laughter. I said nothing and simply slipped my phone back into my pocket. Then I pulled over a chair and sat down. Bianca didn't like how calm I looked. She turned back to her camera and continued to stir up her audience. "Guys, you have to help me out. Today is my wedding day, my happy occasion, and yet this is what I have to deal with…" As she spoke, she tilted the camera toward the floor. "This was my husband's antique crystal vase, worth five million dollars. She smashed it! "We asked her to compensate us, but not only did she refuse, she even called someone to silence us! Does the law mean nothing anymore?" I glanced at her phone screen. The livestream comments exploded instantly. "This is insane. Call the police and arrest her!" "Look at how poor she is. She's probably jealous out of her mind." "Scum like her are a cancer to society. Doxx her!" "Poor Bianca. Her wedding is ruined like this." As the insults poured in endlessly, a flicker of satisfaction and triumph flashed in Bianca's eyes. She turned her back to the camera, raised an eyebrow at me, and silently mouthed, "You're finished." "Enough of this pointless crap," Mr. Graham snorted from the side. He grabbed a tablecloth and wrapped it messily around his still-bleeding hand. Lust openly burned across his greasy face. "20 minutes is too long. I'm not waiting." He stepped toward me, slow and deliberate. "Stop playing innocent, sweetheart. That move just now was spicy. I like it. Since you don't want to pay with money, use your body instead." Julian leaned against the wall, watching coldly. He even whistled in amusement. "Mr. Graham, go easy. Don't kill her yet. I'm still counting on her to pay me that five million." "Relax. Relax. I know what I’m doing." Mr. Graham grinned lewdly and lunged at me. The moment he started speaking earlier, my hand had already slipped into the side pocket of my tracksuit. I stood and sidestepped in one swift motion, using his momentum to circle to his flank. I then raised a small red bottle straight at his eyes, slamming down on the nozzle. It was a bottle of high-concentration pepper spray. After years of traveling alone, I had developed the habit of carrying it. Still, I hadn't expected to use it in my own home. A sharp red mist sprayed directly into Mr. Graham's face, and a shrill scream tore through the room. "My eyes! I'm going blind! You bitch! I'll kill you!" He clutched his face and rolled wildly across the floor. The turn of events was so sudden that everyone froze. The pungent stench of pepper filled the living room. Those standing nearby began coughing violently. "Vivian, are you insane?" Bianca screamed, nearly dropping her phone. Julian's expression changed completely. He grabbed a solid wooden chair and charged straight at me. "You've got some nerve causing trouble in my house!" The guards nearby closed in, too. Julian barked, "Hit her! If she dies, I'll handle the consequences!" I tightened my grip on the spray bottle and backed into a corner, locking my eyes on Julian as he rushed forward. One bottle wasn't much, but it would be enough to take a few of these scum down with me. Just as Julian raised the chair, the ground began to vibrate faintly. Buzzing sounds soon turned into a massive roar from outside the windows. Everyone jumped. Julian froze and looked up instinctively. "What was that? An earthquake?" Through the floor-to-ceiling window, I saw the pink balloons near the front gate explode and scatter in all directions. Over a dozen helicopters hovered over the estate, whipping the air into violent currents as they descended. On the wall, the clock's minute hand hit the final mark. 20 minutes. Not a second late.