Mika jerked her arm free from Curry's grasp, her patience finally snapping. Her expression hardened, and her voice turned cold enough to stop anyone else from pressing further."I don't have time to play around with you. If you're bored, find somewhere to sit and don't bother me. I still have things to do."Without waiting for a response, she took a step away, clearly eager to put some distance between them. She had no interest in arguing, and even less interest in attracting more attention than they already had.If Curry had simply arrived by bus or taken a taxi today, she would not have felt even the slightest embarrassment. That would have been perfectly normal. Plenty of ordinary people relied on public transportation, and there was nothing shameful about living within one's means. In fact, she would have respected the honesty. No one with any sense could blame someone for not being wealthy.But instead, he had chosen to appear in a Rolls-Royce.The luxu

Curry walked toward the main stage with his hands in his pockets, one deliberate step at a time. He stopped beside Callum Domingo first and smiled. "Callum, you are not the star of tonight's show. No need to grandstand up here. Keep that hundred thousand for yourself; it is too little. Nobody is impressed." He said it without raising his voice, yet the lazy contempt in his tone made the words land harder than a shout.His words carried far enough that several donors overheard, and their expressions darkened in unison. Most of them had donated similar amounts, which meant Curry's remark cut at them as well."If you're so capable, why don't you donate something yourself instead of standing there talking big?" one young heir who had just made his contribution sneered."Exactly. You were nowhere to be seen during the donation round, and now you show up to play the hero?" Vanessa Bellamy chimed in from the side, eager to stir the pot."Charitable giving isn't supposed

Curry felt a gnawing unease, as though something was wrong.He quickly called back.After a few rings, Charlotte's voice came through."Curry, Curry..." Charlotte's voice broke through the line in ragged fragments, each syllable shaking with panic.Charlotte's voice was hoarse, choked with tears."What happened?" Curry asked, his voice tightening as he straightened at once."A group of people came to our house. They want to demolish it, and when my mom refused, they started attacking us.""Little bitch, who are you calling!"Before Curry could ask more, a man's cursing voice erupted from the other end, followed by the sound of things being smashed. Then the phone went dead.Curry's heart lurched, sensing this was more serious than it seemed. He immediately hailed a cab and headed straight for Charlotte's place. The broken-off call replayed in his ears the entire way, especially the sound of smashing just before the line went dead.Ch

"So what's it gonna be, sweetheart? You strip yourself, or do I do it for you?""Get your phones out, boys. Start recording."The sheer depravity of Bruno Hale's words sent a visible chill through everyone in the room. This was beyond twisted, and even the men who usually followed his orders without question exchanged uneasy looks."Here, I'll film it for you!"Just then, a young man walked in through the doorway, his posture straight as a spear, his expression completely blank. His eyes held nothing but cold fury, and the moment he appeared, the chaos in the room seemed to pause around him."Who the hell are you? Get out!" Bruno turned his head and swept a dismissive glance over Curry Pitt's ragged clothes, assuming he was just some villager from the neighborhood trying to play hero."I'm running a redevelopment operation here. Don't go looking for trouble," Bruno snarled, jabbing a finger toward the doorway. "See those excavators out front? One more w

Half an hour later, the roar of engines tore through the air outside the gate.A stretched Hummer pulled up at the entrance, flanked by several rugged off-road vehicles. Around a dozen men climbed out, all of them radiating menace. The one at the front was a middle-aged man, short in stature and past forty, wearing glasses that lent him a deceptively scholarly appearance. The others treated him with visible deference, and that deference made him look more dangerous than the men carrying weapons.Curry figured this had to be the Dexter that Bruno Hale had been screaming about."What the hell happened here?" Dexter stepped into the courtyard, took one look at the wreckage strewn across the ground and Bruno beaten into a whimpering heap, and his brow creased sharply."Dexter, save me!" Bruno shrieked, his voice raw and desperate."Shut up. You're giving me a headache." Curry Pitt's palm cracked across Bruno's cheek before the man could draw another breath, and