Jenna Roland slammed the phone down with force. When she turned to face Ethan Roscente, a flicker of panic crossed her face.

"Ethan, about that—"

His gaze turned icy. "Trying to back out?"

Jenna glanced at Liam Hill standing nearby and quickly waved her hands. "No, no! My son's medical bills came to over three thousand."

"Fine." Ethan's expression remained impassive. "Deduct three thousand. Transfer thirty-five thousand to me."

Jenna gritted her teeth as she completed the transfer. The moment her phone chimed with the notification, Ethan spoke again. "Forty thousand upfront for treatment. Any excess will be refunded, any shortage covered."

Her face instantly paled.

She had planned to extort a hundred thousand from Milo Roland, only to find his injuries were far worse. Now not only was she getting nothing, she had to pay out of pocket.

"Plus compensation for emotional distress," Ethan added.

"On what grounds?" Jenna clenched her fists.

"Your son nearly killed my brother." Ethan's voice was glacial. "He has congenital heart disease. He could drop dead any second. Are you paying for that trauma or not?"

If Jenna hadn't been so aggressive at the police station, if her son hadn't been bullying Milo at school, Ethan wouldn't have been this ruthless.

With people like her, mercy was just enabling.

Seeing Jenna's defiance, Ethan smirked. "Your son's an adult now. Assault plus defamation—that's enough for jail time. A criminal record would ruin his life."

Since the orchard dispute, Ethan had studied legal statutes inside out. Every word struck like a blade, leaving Jenna scrambling.

"What do you want?" Jenna forced the words through gritted teeth.

Ethan held her gaze. "Pay what's owed. Apologize where due. Your son assaulted my brother. You spread vicious rumors. Today, you will answer for this."

Jenna made a call with a face like thunder. Half an hour later, Oliver Macmillan appeared at the hospital room door with his son Zachary.

"What's going on?" Oliver looked at Liam.

Jenna yanked Zachary forward. "Why did you spread those lies at school? Saying Milo's sister was some kind of escort?"

Zachary sneered at Ethan. "Isn't she? Was I wrong?"

Jenna slapped him across the face.

"Apologize! Now!"

Zachary jutted his chin. "She is an escort. Why should I apologize?"