"Cut the bullshit. Are you going to pay up or not?" Cece questioned. 

Even through the phone, I could feel Commander Bayer's fury surging.

"Oh, I'll pay! In fact, ten million dollars sounds a bit low, don't you think? How about I pay you 100 million dollars instead? Tell me your location! I'll have someone bring the money over right now!" he snapped.

Cece hadn't expected Commander Bayer to have such a fiery temper.

She immediately shot back, "You senile old bastard. Who are you trying to impress by talking out of your ass? 100 million dollars? If you've got the guts to pay up, then I've got the guts to take it! We're at Seacrest Pinnacle. And I want cash!"

After ending the call, Cece turned to Miles with a smug and satisfied look on her face. She was practically begging for praise.

I took in the scene before me. Unable to hold it in anymore, I burst out laughing right then and ther

As soon as the words left Victor's mouth, the crowd erupted into a fervent discussion.

"What? Did I hear that right? Even Seacrest's richest man isn't qualified to know who she is!"

"With just one phone call, she had a bank move 100 million dollars in cash. How many people in this country could pull that off?"

"This is bad… It looks like Ms. Wallace and Mr. Grant really messed with the wrong person today."

Miles grew increasingly pale as the murmurs from the crowd grew louder.

"Mr. Grant, I've fulfilled your secretary's request for 100 million dollars in cash. Now, shall we discuss my compensation?" I asked. 

Cece suddenly waved her phone in front of my face as she mockingly said, "Hey, bitch. I just looked it up. Even the top-of-the-line Vermilion car only costs a little over 300 thousand dollars. It's not worth anything!"

I shook my head while smiling gently. "Mr. Grant, it seem

I didn't give them a single second to think it over. Agreeing on the spot, I declared, "Great! Ten million dollars it is! Not a problem!"

Everyone cast their gazes upon me at that moment.

Some thought I was just putting on a show to save face. Some suspected I was playing dumb to gain the upper hand later. The rest were just here to enjoy the drama.

However, none of that mattered to me. What did matter was that my car had also been damaged.

While it wasn't as bad as the Ferrari, there were some light scratches on the rear bumper. If my car had been an ordinary domestic brand, that one hit from Cece probably would have totaled it.

Changing the topic, I said, "Now that we've already settled the matter of Mr. Grant's car, shouldn't we talk about my car now?"

I couldn't help smirking as I continued in an insinuating tone, "My car's domestically made, so we don't have to go through the hassle of shipping it overseas for repairs."

The crowd burst into laughter as soon as I finished speaking.

Cece's posse of yes-men pointed at me with scorn.

"This woman must be crazy. How much could a domestic car even be worth? At worst, I'll just buy her a new one."

"I can't believe someone would actually drive a locally manufactured car to a marriage meeting in this day and age. What a disgrace."

Sweeping my gaze across the crowd, my tone was cold as I spoke. "Yes, everyone. My car is locally made. However, it's also a limited edition model. While it's still light out, why don't you quickly call up your grandparents and ask them what the brand name 'Vermilion' means?"

However, Cece couldn't care less about my magnanimous warning.

"I don't give a crap what brand your car is. It's still just a cheap, domestic car. What could it possibly be worth?" she replied flippantly.

Continuing in a threatening tone, she said, "Hang on. Don't tell me you're wagging your lips so much because you're thinking of getting out of paying up? Let me warn you, bitch. If you don't cough up that ten million dollars, don't even think about leaving Seacrest alive."

I couldn't believe I had been threatened twice in less than an hour. Since joining the special unit, I had never dreamed something like this would ever happen.

I didn't waste any more words. Right in front of everyone, I pulled out my phone.

"Hello, Commander Bayor. It's me, Evie," I said into the phone.

The person on the other end replied cheerfully, "Evie! What are you calling at this hour for? Have you met the man? Does he meet your standards?"

I cast a smug glance at Cece across from me before I quietly responded, "My marriage prospect is a long story, sir. Right now, I have an urgent situation to report. Someone rammed into the Vermilion you lent me."

"What did you say?" Commander Bayer yelled.

His voice instantly turned furious. His disbelieving tone practically spilled through the phone.

"Are you just pulling a prank on me? That car is a Vermilion! Who would dare hit it?" Commander Bayer questioned.

I answered calmly and unhurriedly, "I wouldn't dare prank you with something like this, sir. The person who hit your car is demanding that I pay ten million dollars in damages to her. She even threatened she wouldn't allow me to leave Seacrest alive if I didn't pay up."

Then, I briefly recounted what had happened. Commander Bayer was so incensed that I heard him throw something across the phone.

"Who is this person?" he questioned in a demanding tone.

Just as I was about to answer, Cece snatched the phone from my hand.

"Hey! So you're this bitch's backup, huh? I'll give you 20 minutes to come up with the money. If you're even a minute late, I'll have someone break one of her fingers," she threatened.

Commander Bayer was stunned for a few seconds. In all his years of living, he had never imagined that someone would dare talk to him like this.

"You're the one who crashed into my car, yet you want Evie to compensate you?" Commander Bayer asked in a dumbfounded tone.

Still not realizing who she was talking to, Cece carelessly continued acting like she owned the place.

"Cut the bullshit. Are you going to pay up or not?" Cece questioned. 

Even through the phone, I could feel Commander Bayer's fury surging.

"Oh, I'll pay! In fact, ten million dollars sounds a bit low, don't you think? How about I pay you 100 million dollars instead? Tell me your location! I'll have someone bring the money over right now!" he snapped.

Cece hadn't expected Commander Bayer to have such a fiery temper.

She immediately shot back, "You senile old bastard. Who are you trying to impress by talking out of your ass? 100 million dollars? If you've got the guts to pay up, then I've got the guts to take it! We're at Seacrest Pinnacle. And I want cash!"

After ending the call, Cece turned to Miles with a smug and satisfied look on her face. She was practically begging for praise.

I took in the scene before me. Unable to hold it in anymore, I burst out laughing right then and there.

"Mr. Grant, you really know how to pick a secretary. She even has the gall to pull a compensatio

Chapter 5