Barging forward, he shoved Ste aside with force, "Have you lost your mind? Is this the ce for your antics?"


    Ste nced at her freshly ruined manicure. She hadn''t controlled her strength, and now, her new nails were destroyed. Her mood, already sour, soured further.


    "Not the time for my antics? It''s not like this is the first time."


    Jaxon was livid, "You..."


    Seeing Ste''s defiant attitude only fueled his anger. His hand raised, ready to p her across the face. In his mind, she deserved a lesson for her outrageous behavior over the past few days. But just as he swung with all his might, aiming for her face, his wrist was abruptly seized.


    At the same moment, Ste''s knee found its way to his groin.


    Jaxon let out a pained groan, his face twisting in agony.


    "Ste, you..."


    Finley, who had grabbed Jaxon''s wrist, was about to throw a punch at the man who dared to hit a woman. But before he could act, Jaxon was already curled up on the ground in pain. Finley''s lips twitched, "What''s the deal? Trying to scam us?"


    He hadn''t even touched him yet. But Jaxon''s pained expression seemed all too real.


    Susanna turned to Ste, who calmly lowered her knee.


    Finley, catching a glimpse of Ste''s calm demeanor, felt speechless for a moment. He had thought he''d need to intervene, or she''d be hit, but clearly, Ste could handle herself just fine. "Jaxon, Jaxon!"


    Sirena rushed to Jaxon''s side, yelling as she saw how painful he seemed, "What the hell did you do to him?"


    "Call an ambnce, quick!"


    Jaxon felt as if his world had shattered. Ste, ady, attacking a man where it hurts most? How humiliating! He was furious.


    Yorick, witnessing Jaxon''s defeat at Ste''s hands, angrily approached her, "What''s this all about? Let me tell you, even if you turn Portis City upside down, I''m not going to marry you." Ste remained speechless, as did Finley.


    Yorick''s firm stance made Finley nce at Ste, while just because of his words, the onlookers viewed her with disdain.


    Someone whispered, "Didn''t she announce her break-up with Mr. Quarry? Is she regretting it now?"


    Another added, "Even if she regrets it, Mr. Quarry clearly won''t marry her now."


    A thirdmented, "A woman should be kind and gentle sometimes. Look at her, acting like a shrew. No wonder the Larkin family and Mr. Quarry don''t like her. Who would?" Just as Yorick was about to say more, his phone vibrated.


    A message from Cloudia showed Urs on a hospital bed; she was awake, curling up in agony, her hair soaked with sweat.


    Seeing Urs in such a state softened Yorick''s anger. He turned to Ste, grabbing her wrist, "Let''s not fight, okay?" Ste frowned, "Let go."


    There was a sh of disgust in her eyes, barely noticeable but still caught by Yorick.