Chapter 4

"Oh, don't you be smug about that. That money must've come from the loan sharks you borrowed from!" Meryl argued stubbornly, pointing at me and refusing to give up.

Still, her confidence had clearly wavered.

Seeing this, Celia quickly squeezed out a few tears for the camera. "Guys, you saw it yourselves, right? He'd rather borrow from loan sharks than admit his mistakes. I really can't keep filling this bottomless pit anymore. Tomorrow, at the courthouse, I'm cutting all ties with him for good."

After saying that, she linked arms with Edwin and left the emergency room hallway with Meryl in disgrace.

I paid no attention to their clownish behavior.

The money that had been paid earlier actually came from an emergency call I'd made to Harlan of the city lottery center, Harlan McGill.

As the super VIP who had just won the city's highest-ever jackpot of 120 million dollars, my request for help had immediately been given the highest priority.

When Harlan heard that Mom had suddenly fallen critically ill, and I urgently needed to pay a deposit, he didn't hesitate for a second. He personally transferred 50 thousand dollars from his own private account to save her life.

On top of that, he repeatedly assured me over the phone that first thing tomorrow morning, he would personally arrange the best VIP fast-track service for me. He promised to make sure Mom's future treatment would never be delayed.

I had once believed that I would never have to humble myself over money in this lifetime. And out of my wildest expectations, the thing that gave me support at my most desperate moment was a lottery ticket, and not the wife who had carefully schemed to leave me with nothing.

The surgery lasted a full six hours. When the doctor finally wheeled Mom out of the operating room and told me it had been successful despite the fact that she would need long-term recovery, the tension holding me together finally snapped. I collapsed onto the floor weakly.

Early the next morning, I washed my face and changed into clean clothes. Then, I took a cab to the courthouse.

The moment I arrived at the entrance, the scene before me made me sick. Edwin had laid out a red carpet walkway in front of the courthouse and decorated both sides with flowers and balloons.

Anyone who didn't know better would've thought they were there to get married.

Celia wore a tight red dress, deliberately accentuating her still-flat stomach. Meryl was decked out in gold jewelry, standing beside them with a face glowing with excitement.

The moment Celia saw me walking over, she covered her nose in disgust.

She said scornfully, "So you still dare to show up, Zac. I thought the loan sharks would've chopped you up and dumped you in some filthy ditch by now."

Edwin stepped forward and handed me a pen.

He grinned arrogantly and urged, "Hurry up and sign the papers to have the certificate issued. Celia's my precious darling now. I don't want her to have even the slightest connection to you anymore."

I didn't bother wasting my breath to say a single word to them. I walked straight into the courthouse.

After checking our information, the staff member asked the routine question. "Have the property division and debt issues all been settled between both parties?"

Celia slapped the agreement onto the desk impatiently. "It's settled! I don't want a single cent from him, and his debts have absolutely nothing to do with me."

The staff member glanced at me.

I nodded calmly and echoed, "That's right. It has nothing to do with her."

The moment they stamped the official seal onto the paper, Celia let out a long breath of relief. Clutching the divorce certificate, she rushed out of the hall and threw herself into Edwin's arms.

She gushed, "Edwin, I'm finally free! I finally got rid of that loser!"

Meryl clapped excitedly from the side. "This is wonderful! From now on, you'll be a rich man's wife!"

Edwin wrapped an arm around Celia and looked at me tauntingly. "Zac, see the difference now? I casually place a few overseas bets, and the money I earn in one day is more than your pathetic lottery shop could make in a lifetime. You have nothing going on for you anymore."

He snapped his fingers. The lackeys he'd brought with him immediately set off confetti poppers. Colorful shreds of paper rained down onto my shoulders, making the scene all the more ironic.

I watched their celebration frostily and pulled out my phone to check the time.

They should be here any minute.

Just as Celia held up the divorce certificate and prepared to start another livestream to show off, there came the ear-splitting loud screeches of tires against asphalt. Five black vans suddenly stopped right in front of the courthouse.

The van doors slid open swiftly, and more than 20 burly men covered in tattoos and carrying metal pipes poured out of them.

The one leading them was a bald man with a vicious-looking face. A thick gold chain hung around his neck. There was half a cigar clenched between his teeth as his fierce gaze swept across the crowd.

Edwin and his lackeys instantly froze. Celia screamed in fright and hid behind him. Meryl's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the ground.

"Z-Zac's debt collectors found him!" Meryl said in a trembling voice while pointing at me.

She scrambled to the side while waving a photocopy of the divorce certificate and explaining, "Gentlemen, my daughter has already divorced him. His debts have nothing to do with us. Go get him if you have a debt to settle!"

Celia hurriedly spoke up after her. "Y-Yeah! We didn't take a single cent from him. His debt is his own."

The bald thug, Jonah Tauber, spat out his cigar and strode toward us.

Without even glancing at me, he walked straight up to the pale-faced Edwin.

"Are you Edwin Grant?" Jonah asked coldly.

Edwin swallowed hard, trying to appear calm. "Y-Yes, I am. But sir, I think you've got the wrong person. The one who owes you 100 million dollars is Zac, not me."

Jonah grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth. "The wrong person? Not at all. I'm here for you."