Delwen Dowlin was overjoyed when he heard that James had allegedly hit his girlfriend.
The thought that such a despicable man had done something unforgivable to his own girlfriend filled him with glee.
He immediately pulled out his phone to call the police.
"Justice is on my side," Delwen thought smugly. It was only right that he, as the boyfriend, stood up for his girl.
If there was solid evidence, he could sue James. And if it happened while his girlfriend was pregnant? With a good lawyer, James might even go to jail.
And if James landed in jail... those two gorgeous women by his side would suddenly find themselves single.
While daydreaming about his imagined victory, Delwen excitedly spoke into the phone,
"Yes, that's right! We're at the Givenchy store in Silver Plaza. A man assaulted a woman, and we all saw it happen..."
James, however, remained calm. He had nothing to fear. Even if the police came, the most they could do was ask some questions.
But the idea of being dragged to the station for something so ridiculous irritated him. He had only come to shop with Amanda and Tailsa. Now he was being framed by his ex? This was absurd.
He fixed Anna Rivera with a cold stare and said,
"You and I both know I never hit you. Are you really trying to make this a thing?"
Anna Rivera knew full well that James wasn't the abusive ex-boyfriend she was describing.
But her hatred for him was no less intense.
James had obviously come into moneyâhis two stunning companions, his trips to the bar and the Porsche dealershipâeverything about him screamed "jackpot winner."
The thought that her former pushover "dog" had suddenly become wealthy, only to flaunt it with other women, disgusted her to no end.
"You're scared now, huh?" Anna snapped. "Where was this fear when you blocked me last week? You got rich and just tossed me aside, huh? Don't you think you owe me compensation for wasting my youth?"
James couldn't help but laugh at her audacity.
All those years of gifts, and now she wanted to claim damages?
Did she really think he was that easy to manipulate?
"How much?" James asked, his tone low.
Anna's eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity. Without hesitation, she blurted out the number she had been rehearsing in her head.
"Two hundred thousand dollars."
James raised an eyebrow. "And if I refuse?"
Anna froze for a moment, realizing she had no real leverage over him.
But she quickly raised her voice again, shouting,
"Then you're not leaving this mall today!"
James chuckled at her theatrics.
"Oh? Do you run this place? You think you can stop me? The police are comingâyou think you can hold them off too?"
Anna hesitated, then remembered that rich people's scandals were worth money.
She suddenly shouted,
"If you don't pay up, I'll release all our old chat logs for everyone to see!"
"You're threatening me?" James's expression darkened.
Those old chat logs were embarrassingâa treasure trove of cringe that would make anyone secondhand embarrassed.
Seeing his reaction, Anna thought she had found his weakness. With newfound confidence, she sneered,
"Don't act like you've forgotten how you used to promise me the world. You said you'd make me happy no matter what. Now you're rich, and you won't even give me two hundred grand?"
"Where did this shameless woman come from, trying to extort my man's money? Do you even have a shred of decency left?"
At last, Tailsa couldn't hold back. She erupted on the spot.
Someone dared to come after her man's money? Unforgivable.
If James had truly hurt this woman in the past, she might have been willing to part with the two hundred grand.
But from what Anna was saying, it sounded like James had done nothing except chase after her at some point.
And now this woman was using chat logs to blackmail him?
Tailsa wasn't having it. She snapped back immediately:
"What makes you think you're worth two hundred thousand? Do you know how much two hundred thousand could do? Someone could throw acid on you for that kind of money! You're not getting a dime. Go ahead and post the chat logsâI want to see what embarrassing stuff he said to you!"
Of course, Tailsa would never admit she actually wanted to see those messages.
"Let's go, James," Amanda chimed in, stepping forward to intervene. "We can deal with her later."
The growing crowd and noisy environment were starting to get on Amanda's nerves, and it wasn't good for Timmy either.
But just as they turned to leave, Delwen Dowlin stepped forward and blocked their way.
"No one's leaving until the police get here!"
Anna quickly backed him up, yelling,
"That's right! Not until he pays me for wasting my youth! I spent years suffering with you, Jamesâwashing your clothes, cooking your food, enduring your abuseâand now you've replaced me with these women? You're not a human being!"
Hearing this, several women in the crowd began to voice their support, firing off self-righteous critiques at James.
"A woman's youth is priceless. Two hundred thousand isn't even that much!"
"He hit her and made her get an abortion? If it were me, I'd sue him for everything he has!"
"Don't worry, sisterâwe've got your back. He's not leaving without paying!"
"Yeah! Let's take photos and expose him online. Scum like this shouldn't get away with it!"
"Cheaters and abusers deserve to be publicly shamed! If the law won't punish him, we will!"
Buoyed by the crowd's support, Anna became even more brazen, standing in front of James with her arms outstretched to block him.
Meanwhile, the men in the crowd were subdued under the barrage of feminist outrage, afraid of saying anything that might upset their girlfriends.
A few guys stepped forward to play the role of peacemakers, offering half-hearted advice:
"Look, dude, you don't seem short on cash. Just think of it as a lesson learned and pay her off."
"Man up and own your mistakes. Next time, keep your behavior in check."
"Two hundred grand isn't that much. At least she did your laundry for a couple of years."
For the first time in his life, James felt the weight of so many people morally condemning him.
For a moment, he wondered if he was being pranked for some reality TV show.
He stared blankly at Anna's smug face, momentarily dazed.
How was I ever stupid enough to be into this woman?
The entrance to the store was now completely blocked. A few mall security guards had shown up to maintain order, but without instructions from management, they didn't know what to do.
James saw only three options:
Pay the money, fight his way out, or wait for the police.
Paying would make him look like a fool.
Fighting would land him in the news.
And waiting for the cops would waste too much time.
Exhaling deeply, James issued a final warning to Anna and Delwen, demanding that they move aside. When they responded with smug laughter, his patience snapped.
He focused on Delwen Dowlin and activated his Hypnosis skill.
Delwen suddenly felt a sharp sensation in his brain, followed by a blankness that clouded his thoughts.
He stared vacantly at James, waiting for instructions.
Despite it being his first time using the skill, James instinctively understood how it worked.
It allowed him to plant a suggestion in Delwen's mindâone so compelling that Delwen would believe it completely.
James considered having Delwen slap Anna around a bit.
But then he thought, Why not aim higher?
With a wicked grin, he began weaving a story in Delwen's mind:
"You're a reincarnator, sent back to the present from the future..."