Zane took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. No—he wasn’t out of options yet. He still had a card to play. He couldn’t let himself panic. Steadying himself, he suddenly lunged toward Arthur, grabbing his wrist with a desperate grip and pointing at the mugwort emblem embroidered on Arthur’s sleeve. “Mr. Jackson, look at this! Everyone knows that the mugwort emblem is Mr. Ivan’s signature mark. His clothing isn’t something just anyone can get their hands on. Please, take a closer look!” His voice cracked with urgency, almost slipping into desperation. He had already humiliated himself once—he couldn’t afford to do it again! Maris jumped in immediately, nodding furiously. “That’s right! Mr. Jackson, there’s no way this is real. Mr. Ivan’s clothing would never end up on some nobody from a small town. Check it carefully—there’s no way it’s authentic!” Stephen remained silent, but the urgency in his eyes said it all. Arthur’s expression darkened as he glanced down at Zane’s hand clutching his wrist. Disgusting. Without hesitation, Arthur swung his arm. He had only intended to brush off Zane’s hand, but whether it was due to his overwhelming disgust or the anger simmering from Zane disrupting his engagement, his action carried more force than expected. Zane, completely caught off guard, stumbled back several steps before losing his balance entirely—crashing to the ground with a heavy thud! Stephen and Maris had no time to react. They hadn’t expected Arthur to retaliate at all, let alone with such force. They reached out too late—Zane was already on the ground, sprawled out in a humiliating heap. Flat on his back, limbs flailing, he looked utterly ridiculous. Boom! The entire venue exploded with gasps. Stephen and Maris scrambled to help Zane up, their faces livid as they turned on Arthur. Stephen pointed at Arthur and shouted, "Arthur! You dare lay a hand on my father? That’s assault on a government official! Do you have a death wish?" Maris was just as enraged. "Arthur! You attacked someone in public! Are you out of your mind?"The crowd was just as stunned by the sudden turn of events. People shot to their feet, voices rising. "He actually pushed him down! That was way too aggressive!" "This isn’t the right way to settle things. We live in a lawful society, and Arthur actually had the nerve to get physical in front of everyone?" "Wait a minute—did Arthur really shove him that hard, or is Zane just that weak?" The Gibson family tensed at the commotion. Regardless of whether Arthur had actually pushed Zane down or if Zane had exaggerated the fall, the situation looked bad for Arthur. This could spiral out of control fast. Just as they were about to intervene, Arthur suddenly clutched his stomach, grimacing in pain as he crouched down. Then, in an exaggerated cry, he shouted, "Ahh! Zane! How could you attack me!" The crowd fell silent. The Gibson family froze, completely caught off guard. Ashley was the first to react. Without hesitation, she crouched down beside Arthur, her expression filled with concern as she urgently asked, “Arthur, are you okay? Did Zane take advantage of the moment to get close and injure you?” As she spoke, she shot Arthur a quick wink. She knew Arthur’s strength better than anyone. Someone like Zane—who was all talk and no skill—had no chance of landing a hit on him, especially in front of a crowd. She was simply playing along. Arthur caught on immediately and gave her a discreet thumbs-up. That’s my wife. She’s getting better and better at this. Seeing Ashley’s reaction, the rest of the Gibson family quickly joined in. They hurried over, crouching around Arthur with worried expressions. “Arthur, are you alright? Did Zane hurt you?” “Did he attack you first? Is that why you pushed him away?” “Arthur, should we call an ambulance?” Jackson, who had been standing right in front of Arthur the whole time, was speechless.Seriously? Are they really making up lies this effortlessly? And not just one of them—the whole family is in on it? But he had to admit—it was an effective way to turn the situation around. The audience, who had been blocked by Jackson’s position, hadn’t seen exactly what had happened between Arthur and Zane. All they saw was Arthur making a forceful motion with his arm. Now, seeing Arthur hunched over in supposed pain, their initial assumptions wavered. Meanwhile, Zane lay flat on his back, utterly humiliated. He had never suffered such humiliation in front of a crowd before. Stephen, Maris, and Zane were completely stunned by Arthur and the Gibson family’s flawless performance. They gawked at them in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to cry out in pain or even get up. Wait… what just happened?How did the story suddenly flip?No… no, this isn’t right! I’m supposed to be the one shouting in pain! I should be the one accusing Arthur of attacking me! But Arthur had already taken the lead. What were they supposed to say now? If they tried to claim Arthur had attacked Zane, it would just seem like they were making excuses. Zane was dumbfounded. How did things turn against me so fast? I came here to stir things up, so how did I end up being the one at a disadvantage? At this point, Zane didn’t have time to think about anything else. He had to find a way to turn the situation around.