Zane's heart skipped a beat. Before he could even react in terror, Ivan had already opened the booklet and turned it toward Zane and the others. "You said you knew the owner of this estate and that you were friends with him? But how come I don't remember having a friend like you? And you even claimed that I confirmed with you that the estate wasn’t rented out? Who exactly did you confirm with? When did you confirm it? Because I don’t recall any of that." Ivan’s rapid-fire questions crushed Zane, sending him straight into despair. Zane stared blankly at the name on the property deed. No… How could it be… how could it be him? His legs wobbled, and he nearly collapsed. Stephen and Maris, who were just as shaken, barely managed to hold him up. The onlookers, after getting a clear look at the name and address on the deed, were too stunned to react. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Ivan casually closed the booklet and said, "But, this estate doesn’t belong to me anymore." Hearing this, Zane suddenly sprang up, his excitement barely contained. It’s not his? He said it’s not his? That means it still belongs to someone else! There’s still hope! The Yarbrough family still has a chance! Zane and Stephen were so overwhelmed with emotion that their hands trembled. But just as quickly, Ivan shattered their last glimmer of hope with a single sentence. Pointing at Arthur, he said, "A few days ago, Arthur bought this estate from me. It’s his now." Boom! It felt like the bottom had fallen out. The three of them stood frozen, as if they had been hit by a ton of bricks. And Ivan wasn’t done yet. He shifted his gaze to Arthur and Ashley’s hands, where their rings gleamed under the light. "Also, you claimed that Arthur obtained these rings through shady means?" The moment Zane heard the word ‘rings,’ his hope rekindled. Yes! The rings! I can still use them to argue my case!But before he could even string together a defense, Ivan continued. "Let me make it clear to you now—the ‘Mr. Ivan’ who won the bid for those emerald rings was me." Zane was struck once again. Ivan didn’t even give him time to recover before adding, "And, it was Arthur who asked me to bid on those rings for him. From the very beginning, those rings belonged to Arthur. No one else." Leaning in closer, Ivan’s gaze bore into Zane’s soul. "So, tell me, who exactly did you confirm with? That Arthur sneaked in to host his engagement party? Did you confirm it with the previous owner—me? Or with my friend, Arthur?" The world crumbled around Zane. The relentless blows proved too much. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. "How… How could this be… It’s over… It’s all over…" he muttered, his breath becoming ragged, his chest tightening as he struggled to take in air. Then, suddenly— "Pfft!" Zane coughed up a mouthful of blood! Stephen and Maris, despite their own dizziness and shock, scrambled to kneel beside him. "Dad! Dad! Are you okay?" Chaos erupted around them, but among the crowd, not a single person showed sympathy. They weren’t faring much better than Zane. Just moments ago, they had all been standing there, phones raised, demanding that Arthur beg for mercy and apologize to them. Oh my… What have we done? The emerald rings had been won by Ivan on Arthur’s behalf. Their custom-designed outfits had been personally crafted by Ivan’s designer. And now, the largest estate in Seacity belonged to Arthur as well! Just these facts alone—forget whether he was the chairman of Cloudia Corporation or not—were enough for him to dominate Seacity without question! Who were they to demand that he beg for mercy and apologize? Just being invited to his engagement party was already an honor beyond their wildest dreams! Yet, they had actually listened to Zane’s nonsense? Not only had they insulted Arthur, but they had even tried to force him to beg for mercy—again and again! Those who had been shouting the loudest now felt the world spinning around them. Oh my… They didn’t even want to imagine what they had lost—or what consequences awaited them in the future. Now, all they could do was pray. Pray that Arthur hadn’t noticed them among the crowd. That he hadn’t seen them committing these outrageous acts. Their minds were in turmoil, torn between two options, should they follow the crowd and rush forward to try and curry favor with Arthur, or should they quietly blend into the masses and hope to go unnoticed? Before they could even settle on a decision, Arthur’s cold voice rang out from above them. He raised his hand and pointed, his finger mercilessly singling them out. "Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. They were all demanding that I beg for mercy and apologize."