Chapter 1

My friend and I had just finished dinner and were about to leave. Someone suddenly stopped us, insisting that I pay the bill for another table.

I refused, saying I didn’t know them. The woman immediately exploded.

"Damn it! You should be honored to pay the bill for me! How dare you disrespect the Smith Group? You’ve got a death wish!"

Before I could say anything, she grew even more arrogant.

"Do you know who I am? I'm Henry Smith’s wife! He’s the chairman of the Smith Group! Scared now?"

I froze for a moment, then dialed Henry calmly.

“I hear you have another wife at the company?”

***

The moment I hung up, that woman was completely enraged.

She snatched my phone and smashed it onto the floor.

"How dare you call for help? You’re not walking out of this restaurant today!"

"Stop!"

My childhood friend, Alice White, pulled me behind her.

"So this is how employees from the Smith Group behave? Stopping strangers to force them to pay and then getting physical?"

The woman's face flushed red from Alice's words.

"Yeah. What? In Metrocity, Smith Group is everything!"

"It’s an honor for you to pay my bill. Do you understand?"

"You want to talk rules? My words are the rules!"

I laughed out loud and looked up at Karen.

"The Smith Group trained you to rob people like that?"

Karen snorted and shouted like a shrew,

"Letting you pay is giving you a chance to climb up the ladder! Lots of people would kill for such a chance, you know?"

Climb up the ladder?

Since when did the Waynes need to cling to anyone in Metrocity?

I glanced at my friend’s darkening expression.

She was from a top family from Lordecity. She never imagined she'd get bullied like this by a poor employee from the Smith Group in Metrocity.

Karen sneered and waved toward the entrance.

"Listen up. In Metrocity, I make the rules! Grab these two idiots!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several bodyguards in black suits rushed in and surrounded us.

Alice instinctively pulled me behind her.

But there were too many of them. Before she could act, two bodyguards seized her arms.

"Alice!" I tried to rush forward, but something struck the back of my neck. My vision went black.

Through the haze, I saw Alice struggle and curse. Then someone punched her hard in the side of the face and blood instantly seeped from the corner of her mouth.

I was pressed to the ground and could only watch as Karen lifted her foot and kicked Alice in the stomach.

"You dare meddle in my business? Today I'll let you know the consequence of messing with the Smith Group!"

Then her bodyguards started hitting me.

Alice had only come out to have fun, yet she was dragged into this absurd mess.

I shouted hoarsely,

"Karen, I'm Henry's legally married wife!"

I pointed at Alice, who was pinned beside me.

"And she's Alice White from the White family in Lordecity! Release us now, and we’ll let this slide!"

Karen froze for a second, and then she burst out laughing.

"You’re Henry's wife? She’s from the White family? Have you gone crazy or something?"

The people at her table all laughed along.

"Everyone knows Chairman Henry's wife is Ms. Karen."

"How dare she bluff like that?"

"The White family? Lordecity? I've never even heard of them. She's probably just making it up to scare us."

Karen bent down and grabbed my hair.

"Say one more word about being his wife, and I'll rip your mouth apart."

"I’m his wife. You’re definitely not."

"Don’t you dare say that again, understand?"

Alice was pinned to the ground with blood at the corner of her mouth. Yet she still chose to mock me.

"Lily, this is hilarious."

"The mistress thinks she is the legal wife and is beating the real legal wife up."

Her words stunned me for a second, then I laughed too.

Karen was still gripping my hair. I suddenly jerked my head and bit down hard on her wrist.

She screamed in pain, and her grip instantly loosened.

Using that moment, I drove my knee hard into the crotch of the bodyguard behind me.

As he doubled over in pain, I grabbed a beer bottle nearby and smashed it into another bodyguard's forehead.

By the time Karen reacted, I was already in front of her. My clenched fist was slamming into her face.

The sudden counterattack stunned her. She staggered back two steps, blood immediately pouring from her nose.

"You bitch! How dare you?" Karen shouted in shock and rage. She reached for my face, but I grabbed her arm and slammed her to the ground.

I straddled her and threw punch after punch.

The Smith Group employees panicked. Reeking of alcohol, they rushed over to pull me away.

"How dare you hit Ms. Karen? You crazy bitch!"

At some point, Alice had also broken free. She kicked away the person lunging at her and yelled at me,

"Damn it, beat the crap out of her! I've never been humiliated like this in my life!"

In the chaos, someone grabbed a chair and smashed it into my back. I let out a muffled groan but didn't stop.

Karen screamed as she was beaten. She clawed desperately at my hair.

"Everyone! Kill her! I'll take the responsibility—triple bonus!"

The employees surged forward like maniacs, grabbing my arms, clutching my waist, even kicking the backs of my legs.

Taking advantage of the struggle, Karen suddenly kicked me hard in the stomach.

I stumbled back two steps. Just as I was about to charge again, a voice rang out from the restaurant entrance.

"Everyone, stop right now!"