Chapter 2
"Who's bullying my daughter?" a man's voice thundered.
Then, Tiana's parents, Peter and Demi, got out of the taxi. Peter locked his eyes on me, stormed over, and threw a punch at me.
I didn't expect it at all, but thankfully, the cop was quick to step in and stop him.
Tiana rushed over, complaining, "Dad, Mom, they're a bunch of scammers. They're accusing me of hitting her car and trying to extort 2 grand from me."
Peter and Demi glanced at my car parked by the curb. It looked old-fashioned, with no big screen inside, just a bunch of mechanical gauges.
Demi sneered, "You bitch! Are you crazy for money or something? This junker isn't even worth 2 grand.
"You dare try to scam my daughter? Do you even know who we are? Can you handle the consequences?"
As she spoke, she reached out, trying to grab my hair, but the cop shoved her away.
The cop barked, "No fighting. If you've got something to say, let's talk this out."
Demi stumbled back, her eyes darting around. Then, she hauled herself onto the hood, putting on a dramatic show: crying and stomping around like she was in a soap opera.
She screamed, "Help! The cops are beating me!"
Everything happened so fast that there was no way to stop her.
Seeing Demi's wild antics freaked us out, so Tiana decided to join the show and climbed onto the hood, too.
Tiana yelled, "Let me show you what happens when you mess with me. I'm gonna stomp this car to pieces!"
She went even harder than Demi, every jump leaving a fresh dent in the hood.
Peter said, "That's right, smash her car. I already gave your sister a heads-up before we came. With your brother-in-law in our corner, we're untouchable.
"Rolling into Waterdale with out-of-town plates and thinking you run the place? Time for a reality check."
With the chaos unfolding, the crowd started cheering and egging them on.
Just yelling wasn't enough for Peter. He snatched up a brick from the curb and got in on the action.
The three of them went berserk on my car, smashing it like maniacs.
The traffic cops and the insurance guy shielded me, quickly radioing for backup.
By the time the cops showed up, my car was a total wreck.
The cops confirmed the two traffic officers were legit, but Peter was still strutting around like he ran the show.
He said, "Tiana, they think you're an easy target just 'cause you're young.
"Today, your mom and I are standing up for you."
"That's enough!" the cop snapped, not putting up with his attitude. He said, "You just vandalized someone else's property."
"So what?" Tiana shot back, with a face just begging for a slap. She added, "Worst case, I'll buy her a new one.
"I didn't want to make things hard for my family before, but you really think I'm short on cash?"
I stared at my wrecked car, my face darkening. I said, "You might not even be able to cover the cost."
Peter burst out laughing. He said, "Don't kid yourself. This piece of junk? I could buy you ten more just like it."
More and more people were gathering to watch the drama unfold, and one of them spoke up to set Peter straight.
The guy said, "This isn't some junker. Man, you really don't know cars.
"Ever heard the saying? Nobody's scared of a Benz or a Range Rover, but if you see a VW with letters on it, that's the one you gotta watch out for.
"This is a Phaeton!"
Tiana and her parents looked at each other, confused, until Tiana finally pulled out her phone to check.
Her expression soured. She said, "Dad, look. It really is expensive."
Peter just frowned for a moment, then brushed it off.
He said, "Doesn't matter. Even if it's pricey, it's still a used car. We can afford it. With your brother-in-law backing us up, there's nothing to worry about."
Hearing that, Tiana quickly regained her confidence.
Just then, two men in suits pushed their way through the crowd.
"Ms. Jennings," they greeted me respectfully.
Then they headed straight for the car and started checking it out thoroughly.
"Who are you guys?" Demi demanded, eyeing them warily. She said, "Officer, if they damage the car, we're not paying for any of it."
Tiana chimed in instantly, "Yeah, once they've touched it, it's not on us anymore."
The two men finished their inspection in silence, then showed their IDs to the cop.
One of them said, "We're from an appraisal company. We just checked out this rare collector's Phaeton.
"This car was a limited edition when it first came out.
"The interior is all real leather, crystal, and rare mahogany: premium stuff, and it cost a bomb to put together.
"Now that it's been trashed so badly, it's pretty much lost all its value as a collectible.
"Estimated loss: 3 million dollars."
Everyone there, even the cops, was stunned.
No one could've imagined that such a plain, unassuming car was actually worth a fortune.
It was basically a rolling bankruptcy machine: one hit and one's whole family could be wiped out.