"She was a pretty woman, but I don't know her. She wore a mask and a hat, so I couldn't see her face," the lead thug said.

Henry Mills, standing beside him, looked him up and down with blatant mockery. "She was masked and still you could tell she's pretty? Guess you must really be starving for attention."

The thug dared not speak another word.

A woman wearing a mask and a hat... Lauren Shaw already knew exactly who it was. But with no evidence, even a face-to-face confrontation would lead nowhere. She wouldn't admit it.

That didn't mean Lauren Shaw was going to let this go.

"Since none of you know who it was, then you'll have to pay the 600,000 yourselves. There are four of you—talk it over amongst yourselves."

At the mention of compensation, their faces turned as if they suddenly were wearing masks of pain.

"Even if you sold us, together we wouldn't fetch that much!"

"I've got an elderly father at home and a little boy to raise..."

Claire Xu had no patience for their sob stories. "If you knew you couldn't pay, what possessed you to smash things up? Got a death wish?"

"We didn't think it would be this serious, miss—please, spare us!"

A group of grown men started blubbering.

It was honestly a painful sight.

Lauren Shaw watched them with cold indifference. "Either pay up or spend some time behind bars. The choice is yours."

Jail time shut them up instantly.

They’d assumed Lauren Shaw was just a woman they could intimidate: wreck her studio and she'd be powerless.

But things had not played out as they’d expected.

Suddenly, the leader had an idea.

"If I find the woman who put us up to this, does that mean we don't have to pay?"

Lauren Shaw arched an eyebrow at him. "That depends: can you find her? And are you sure she’ll admit she ordered you?"

"I've got her phone number! I can prove she’s the one behind this."

Lauren Shaw and Claire Xu exchanged a glance—this could work out nicely.

The police handed the man his phone and told him to call her, right there.

The first call went unanswered. He kept trying.

Finally, the call connected. The man let out a breath.

On the other end, the woman’s voice was low and impatient: "Didn't I tell you not to call me?"

Hearing her voice, Lauren Shaw smiled. Just as she’d suspected—it really was her.

The man chuckled sheepishly. "You didn’t pay enough. No one’s willing to do something this risky for peanuts."

"I gave you a hundred thousand, didn’t I? Wasn’t that our agreement? Why are you going back on the deal now?"

"I know, but the others are saying it's not enough—and they won’t go through with it."

There was a brief silence.

She then gave an address and told the man to meet her there in an hour; she’d find him.

The call ended abruptly.

An hour later...

Lauren Shaw, Claire Xu, and Henry Mills were waiting at the spot, along with two officers.

Before long, a woman appeared, wearing a mask and a hat.

Lauren Shaw whispered for everyone to stay calm—wait until she handed over the money, then move in.

From several meters away, the woman tossed a backpack at the man’s feet. Whatever the man told her, she didn’t stick around.

Lauren Shaw and the others rushed over and pinned her down.

It all happened in a blur—by the time the woman realized, they had her firmly subdued. "What do you think you’re doing?!"

Lauren Shaw roughly ripped her mask off. "Just as I thought—it’s you."

"Why are you arresting me?" Yana Quinn still tried to brazen it out.

Henry Mills picked up the dropped bag, opened it, and counted. "There’s only two hundred grand in here—that’s not even close to enough."

"What are you people doing? I’m calling the police on you! You’re violating my rights!" Yana Quinn shouted indignantly.

Lauren Shaw massaged her ear. "Save it for the station. No one’s violating your rights out here."

...

At the police station.

Yana Quinn sat there, shooting resentful glances at Lauren Shaw.

"Hmph, it’s just some damaged things—I’ll pay for them," she snapped.

Lauren Shaw looked at her, thick with sarcasm. "Pay? With what, exactly?"

"It’s only money. I can pay you."

"Who said I want your money? Do I look like someone who needs it?" Lauren Shaw icily cut her off. Her tone left no room for doubt.

"If you’re capable of doing something like this, you’d better be ready for the consequences. Think you can wave your checkbook and make it all go away? You’re too naive."

Yana Quinn finally looked rattled. "Then what do you want?"

She just wanted to teach Lauren Shaw a lesson—she couldn’t stand how easy Lauren Shaw had it.

"What do I want? Of course I can’t do anything to you. But since you’re already at the station, you’d better call your lawyer." Lauren Shaw had never intended to settle out of court.

Let her taste a little retribution.

Half an hour later, Yvonne Sung arrived at the police station.

Yana Quinn immediately threw herself into his arms. "Yuche, I’m scared. Scared I’ll never see you again."

Claire Xu couldn’t help shuddering, mocking with a falsetto: "Shengsheng, I’m so scared too~"

Henry Mills groaned, "I need to get out of here or I’ll go blind from witnessing this."

Lauren Shaw could only shake her head at the performance. Real drama queens.

Yvonne Sung turned to Lauren Shaw. They hadn’t seen each other for a while—he looked better than when he was in the hospital, though still just as irritating.

"Lauren Shaw, can we talk privately?" Yvonne Sung edged away from Yana Quinn.

Lauren Shaw shrugged. "No. I’m worried my husband would get jealous."

Yvonne Sung: "..."

"Yuche, they’re framing me. Don’t believe a word they say! I was just passing by, and they pinned me down for no reason—my hand still hurts!" Yana Quinn whined.

Claire Xu almost retched. "Freshly brewed green tea… Honestly, this is revolting." ("Green tea" meaning someone who pretends to be innocent and pitiful to manipulate others.)

Lauren Shaw rolled her eyes. "Yana Quinn, with acting skills like yours, why are you still a nobody in showbiz after all these years?"

Claire Xu chimed in instantly: "Oh, I know! She only brings her A-game for Yvonne Sung—he loves a good scene."

Their banter made Yvonne Sung’s face darken completely.

"So how do you plan to resolve this?" he asked.

Lauren Shaw crossed her arms. "Let’s do it by the book. She’s being charged with provoking trouble. The details—let the lawyers sort that out."

Yvonne Sung was growing increasingly frustrated with how little he now recognized Lauren Shaw.

"It’s just some broken things—was it really worth calling the cops? Isn’t it all about compensation? Name your price."

Meeting Yvonne Sung's impatient gaze, Lauren Shaw gave a slow, taunting smile.

"Do I look like someone who needs that money?"