Sophia Sullivan suppressed the frustration in her chest and turned her gaze toward Chloe Evans.
Her voice trembled with unshed tears.
"All you have to do is nod, and you can save him."
She lifted her tear-streaked face.
"You don’t lack money. Last night at The Underground City, you casually won billions."
Chloe deliberately emphasized the word "billions."
Human hearts were unpredictable, and wealth bred envy effortlessly.
Mrs. Winston, desperate for her son's safety, could no longer hold back.
"You were lucky enough to win that fortune. Saving a life is a noble act—just consider it charity! If we don’t get the money, he’ll die!"
For once, Mrs. Winston and Chloe stood on the same side.
"Sophia, can you really bear to watch him die?"
The surrounding tourists gasped.
Billions?
They worked hard every day just to make ends meet.
Forget billions—even a million was an unimaginable sum.
Hearing that Sophia had won such an amount so effortlessly made the gap between them seem insurmountable.
A few who had initially wanted to intervene fell silent, their gazes toward Sophia shifting with newfound wariness.
Sophia observed their reactions coldly, her expression unreadable.
"Money from The Underground City is earned with blood."
Her icy stare sent chills down their spines.
"You were the one who dragged Liam Winston into debt. You were the one who challenged me to a life-or-death gamble."
Every word struck like a blade.
"And now that you’ve lost, you want to play the saint?"
She stepped forward.
The sharp click of her heels sounded like a death knell to Chloe.
"I—" Chloe stammered. "I made mistakes, but you have the power to save him!"
A long-haired girl stepped forward, her tone gentle but insistent.
"Ms. Sullivan, they’re just trying to save a life. If you have the means, why refuse?"
She wore an expression of pure benevolence, choosing her words carefully.
"Besides, Liam was your ex-husband. No matter how grave his mistakes, isn’t this too heartless?"
Sophia finally smiled.
"How touching."
She even gave a slow clap.
"Tell you what—I’ll buy you a ticket to Notre-Dame de Paris. See if they’re short on saints there."
The girl’s face turned ashen.
"How—how can you say something like that?!"
Someone quickly pulled her back, whispering harshly.
"Do you even know what The Underground City is? Ms. Sullivan gambled with her life for that money. Even if she won a hundred billion, it’s none of your business!"
With that warning, the rest swallowed their curiosity.
They’d all heard the horrors of The Underground City.
And that Ms. Evans—who lured her own husband there and forced his ex-wife into a deadly bet—was clearly no innocent either.
But the main reason they kept quiet was fear.
Fear of Sophia.
A woman who dared to gamble with her life—and won.
People instinctively bowed to strength, and no one wanted to provoke her now.
Mrs. Winston stamped her foot in frustration. "Don’t listen to her nonsense!"
But with no hope left, her desperation turned to fury.
She finally dropped all pretense.
"Sophia Sullivan, are you trying to drive us to our deaths?!"
Sophia gestured indifferently toward the nearby river.
"If you want to die, the water’s right there."
Mrs. Winston trembled with rage.
Isabella Robinson scoffed from the sidelines.
"Well, I’m feeling generous today."
Her blunt-cut black hair swayed sharply in the wind.
"Slap each other—five million per hit. Rare opportunity. You’ll have the ransom in no time. How about it?"