Chapter 41
Joycelyn quickly turned on her hazard lights, feeling panicked.
This was her first accident, and she was terrified by the other driver’s aggressive attitude. Her hands trembled as she struggled to control the rising panic inside her.
“Selene, are you okay?” Joycelyn asked, her face pale, her voice full of concern as she turned to look at her friend.
“I’m fine. Are you hurt?” Selene glanced at her, noticing the fear in Joycelyn’s eyes.
Joycelyn shook her head but glanced at the furious man standing by her door. She quickly dialed for help, gathering the courage to open the door.
“Hey, you stupid woman! What are you sitting there for? Get out!” The man outside slammed his fists on the window twice and tried to yank the car door open.
The whole car shook.
Cars drove by slowly, most drivers merely glancing at the scene before continuing on, indifferent.
Even though she was inside the car, Joycelyn felt a growing sense of danger.
“I’ll deal with him,” Selene reassured her, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Don’t worry. I’m here. If he dares to hit you, I’ll step out and handle it.”
Joycelyn took a deep breath, realizing some things had to be faced head-on.
As she unlocked the door and was about to open it, she saw a tall, cold figure approaching.
In one swift motion, the man grabbed the aggressive man by the collar and yanked him aside, his eyes flashing dangerously. “It’s just a broken car. Is it really worth getting so worked up over it?”
The aggressive man was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, throwing a punch at Ellison.
Ellison raised his other hand, catching the punch and twisting it back.
With a quick kick to the man’s knee, the aggressive man collapsed to the ground. If he hadn’t been leaning against the car, he would have fallen flat.
Standing under the warm streetlight, Ellison radiated an aura of cold indifference that made the whole scene feel tense and chilling.
“My leg! My leg’s broken! You’d better have tens of thousands to settle this!” The aggressive man wailed, trying to scam them.
Ellison looked down at him with a cold, piercing gaze, his eyes filled with ice.
The man shuddered, realizing that the black Bentley nearby and Ellison’s imposing presence meant he couldn’t afford to act recklessly. He muttered about being injured, clearly backing off.
Joycelyn quickly got out of the car and walked over to Ellison, her voice trembling. “Are you okay? Why did you hit him? He doesn’t look like a good guy.”
She was worried the situation might escalate.
“I’m fine. What about you? Are you hurt?” Ellison asked, his concern softening his gaze as he looked at Joycelyn, ignoring the man still sprawled on the ground.
Joycelyn shook her head, her face softening slightly, no longer as frightened.
“Mr. Grant,” Selene’s eyes lit up when she saw Ellison. She quickly added, “Mr. Grant, someone cut us off earlier, and Joycelyn swerved to avoid them, but ended up hitting this guy’s car.”
Selene stood beside Joycelyn, hands on her hips, clearly angry but not noticing Joycelyn’s discomfort.
“I’ve already called William. You two go wait in my car,” Ellison ordered, his tone firm.
Joycelyn didn’t dare look at him. Instead, she glanced at her car’s front end.
She had only been driving her little car for a short time, and now the front was cracked. It made her heart ache.
“Joycelyn, you’re still shaken up. Go sit in Mr. Grant’s car for a while,” Selene suggested kindly, putting her arm around Joycelyn to comfort her.
“I’m fine,” Joycelyn shook her head, reluctant to leave yet.
“Still fine? Your hands are shaking. Go sit in the car. I’ll call my boyfriend and my neighbor to come down.” Selene pulled out her phone, ready to call for backup.
Ellison remained silent, his expression unreadable, but there was something hard to decipher in his eyes.
Joycelyn turned back to the man on the ground, speaking calmly. “How do you want to resolve this? Give me a clear answer.”
“I bought a new car for 150 thousand dollars, and you crashed it. Repair costs will be at least 10 thousand dollars. Plus, your man injured me, so I’m adding medical expenses, emotional distress, and lost wages, totaling 15 thousand dollars. Pay me 25 thousand dollars, and we’ll consider it settled.”
The aggressive man saw the black Bentley and immediately assumed Ellison was important.
He started to extort them.
Ellison sneered and replied coldly, “25 thousand dollars? Fine, I’ll have my lawyer come over and we’ll see how extortion charges are handled.”
“I admit it was my fault for hitting your car, but you insulted and threatened me, causing me psychological harm. And your car isn’t in bad shape at all, just a minor scratch. This gentleman stepped in to prevent worse damage to your car. You can either go through insurance or pay 250 dollars. Not a penny more.”
Though Joycelyn was still scared, hearing the outrageous demand of 25 thousand dollars made her angry.
Both Ellison and Selene turned to look at Joycelyn, surprised.
Joycelyn’s face was serious, her clear eyes filled with determination.
The Mercedes driver was furious. “250 dollars? Are you trying to bribe me with pocket change? This is a Mercedes! How dare you offer 250 for a car crash?”
He stood up angrily, pointing at Joycelyn, ready to continue his outburst.
Ellison gave him a cold glance, his lips pressed into a thin line. His handsome face was dark with displeasure, and his presence alone made the aggressive man hesitate.
“You don’t agree?” Joycelyn laughed coldly, crossing her arms confidently. Her face, no longer scared, looked proud and defiant. “Then wait for our president’s lawyer to arrive. You can keep demanding 25 thousand dollars, and we’ll see about that. Maybe you bought that Mercedes with money you scammed from collision cons.”
She smirked as she finished.
With someone backing her up, she wasn’t afraid at all.
Selene immediately chimed in. “Yes, they need to check him out thoroughly.”
The two of them turned and looked at the well-dressed Ellison standing there.
Ellison nodded slightly, his voice deep and authoritative, carrying an air of someone accustomed to power.
When the traffic police arrived, William also showed up with two bodyguards.
The sight of this made the aggressive Mercedes driver realize he had run into a tough opponent. He immediately softened.
“250 dollars it is. But if anything happens to me, I’ll find you,” the aggressive man grumbled.
“Then let’s write a settlement agreement and sign it,” Joycelyn quickly said, pulling out a pen and paper from her car, drafting the agreement in front of the police, and getting everyone to sign.
“Joycelyn, how about Mr. Grant give you a ride home? Let’s leave your car here, and my boyfriend can get it fixed. After all, it was because you gave me a ride today that this happened,” Selene suggested kindly, putting her arm around Joycelyn.
“Take my car,” Ellison said calmly, “Let William take it to be repaired.”
