Chapter 4

Diana suddenly snapped, "Eric, are you humiliating me in front of everyone? Does that make you feel good?"

"Don't try to change the subject," I said.

"Alright, your mom is Viola Johnson. You live at Lakecrest Residences, and you drive a black Audi. Your office is on the eighteenth floor. What else do you want me to say?" she said.

The more she talked, the more smug Jocelyn looked.

The restaurant grew increasingly restless with whispers and speculation.

Hazel, meanwhile, was typing away on her phone.

After a few seconds, she pushed her phone toward me. On the screen, it said: [Ask a question only the person who was actually there would know.]

I nodded. "Diana, when you had your treatment this afternoon, did they start with your right cheek or the left?"

There was a clear pause on the phone. "What?"

"You spent 100 thousand dollars, and half of that was for your face. When you were lying on the bed, which side did the staff member work on first?"

"How would I remember that?"

"Then what's the name of the staff member who worked on you?"

"How would I know?"

"Did your face turn red after the treatment?"

"Eric, are you out of your mind?"

I chuckled. "Funny. You sounded pretty confident a minute ago."

Diana started to panic. "Don't try to dodge the payment. I'm at your apartment right now. Pay up before I call your mom and tell her you're out on dates again."

As soon as she said that, I immediately looked at Hazel.

She looked back at me.

My mom was back in our hometown, accompanying my uncle for a follow-up hospital appointment. She had sent me photos from the ward last night.

Diana didn't know where my mom was.

"Are you at my place?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Wait a sec." I switched to my smart lock app.

The access log showed only one entry for the entire day. It was at 8:12 a.m. when I left the apartment. Nothing else for the rest of the day. No entries. No door openings. Nothing.

I showed Hazel the log, then aimed my phone at Jocelyn. "No one's been in or out of my place today. Diana, if you're really there, how'd you get inside?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone. Then she hung up.

Jocelyn's face went pale for a second, but she quickly forced a smile. "Mr. Johnson, perhaps Mrs. Johnson was simply upset by the way you spoke to her."

I stared at her. "You two seem to be working together pretty well, huh?"

Jocelyn slammed her hand on the table. "Eric, don't you dare throw accusations at me. I'm making this very clear right now. If you don't pay this bill, you're not leaving this restaurant."

As soon as Jocelyn finished, the two men in black suits by the door took a step forward.

Robert went pale. "Ms. Stanley, please don't cause trouble in my restaurant."

Jocelyn didn't bother to care. "Mr. Wright, you'd better stay out of this. If he gets out of your restaurant, you'll be held accountable."

Robert's face turned paler.

He glanced at me nervously. "Sir, maybe you could go over to the spa with them for a while."

I looked him straight in the eye. "Are you sure you want me to go with them?"

Robert immediately fell silent.

Hazel stood up and grabbed her bag. "The cops are on their way. Nobody is going anywhere."

As she was about to head out, one of the guys in black suits reached out and blocked her path. "Ma'am, you can't leave until this is settled."

Hazel's expression turned icy. "Go ahead and stop me."

The guy didn't lay a finger on her, but he blocked her way more tightly.

Jocelyn walked over and placed the payment code right in front of me. "Mr. Johnson, it's only 100 thousand. You own a company, a house, and a car. This amount of money is nothing to you.

"Pay it now, and we'll leave immediately. Nobody will bring this up again."

I looked at her. "What if I refuse?"

Jocelyn sneered. "Then don't blame me for making this ugly."

She turned to Felicity. "Start the livestream."

Felicity looked startled. "Jocelyn, this is—"

"Do it," Jocelyn hissed. "Use this title. Married guy pretends he's single while taking other women on dates and refusing to pay his wife's bill."

That was when it all clicked for me.

This wasn't only about the money anymore. She wanted something to hold over me. If I paid the 100 thousand, they profited. If I refused, they would weaponize the video against me.

And once the footage actually made it online, a proper explanation later wouldn't erase the damage overnight.

My clients, partners, and employees would all see it. Rumors always spread faster than the truth.

I could feel myself getting tense.

Hazel suddenly spoke up. "Jocelyn, if you post that, you'll be dealing with defamation charges."

Jocelyn glared at her. "Stop trying to scare me with lawyer talk."

Hazel said, "Go ahead and try it."

Jocelyn's expression darkened. She suddenly gave one of the men in black a subtle signal.

One of them walked over and reached for my phone.

I quickly pressed my hand down on the phone lying on the table. "What are you doing?"

He said coldly, "Stop filming."

I stood up. "Who gave you permission to touch my phone?"

He didn't answer. He went straight for my wrist.

I stepped back sharply, sending the chair crashing loudly against the floor.

The people at the nearby tables shot to their feet, startled.

Hazel tried to come over, but the other guy in the black suit stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

His arm almost hit Hazel in the shoulder.

That was the moment I lost my patience.

I pointed at him. "Take your hands off her. Now."

He said impatiently, "Sir, please cooperate."

"Cooperate how? By letting you take my phone?" I shot back.

Jocelyn stood nearby, speaking fast and coldly. "Eric, don't make this uglier than it needs to be. Pay the money, and nobody bothers you. If you refuse, we'll handle it another way."

The sheer confidence on her face made my anger surge harder.

I came here for a normal date and a quiet dinner.

Suddenly, they showed up with fake charges, made up a fake wife, threatened me with leaked personal information, tried to take my phone, and were now blocking both Hazel and me from leaving.

At that moment, the money itself stopped mattering. What mattered was why they were doing this.

Nobody acted this brazenly unless they had done it before.

I kicked the chair back upright, grabbed the glass off the table, and slammed it down hard.

The noise was loud.