She hit the ground hard.
Laughter erupted.
It was one of Howard’s so-called friends.
"Hahaha! Look at her!"
"Howard, I invited her for drinks tonight, but she acted all high and mighty, pretending she was too good for us! And now? She comes crawling back, diamond rings in her hand, trying to force a marriage?"
He sneered, shaking his head.
"Didn’t expect this bootlicker to be so desperate!"
Nikki’s forehead slammed into the ground, and a blinding white light flashed in her vision. Pain shot through her skull as she slowly opened her eyes, the sound of laughter around her fading into a distant hum.
At that moment, only one thought consumed her.
Thank God... the wedding ring wasn’t lost.
She lay sprawled on the pavement, reaching out with trembling fingers, just inches away from the ring—when a pair of spotless leather shoes suddenly appeared in front of her.
Brad bent down, plucking the ring from between the bricks, and stared down at her with a smug expression.
"Nikki, what kind of pathetic show are you putting on? You scared Lora to tears."
"My ring..."
Brad studied her pale face and the miserable state of her body, his brows knitting together in slight distaste.
For a moment, it almost seemed like he was offering her the ring. His fingers extended toward her, stopping barely a centimeter away from her own.
Then, just as her breath hitched in hope, his lips curled into a smirk.
Straightening up, he casually tossed the ring into the air. It spun in a gleaming arc under the night sky—before plunging straight into the fountain in the middle of the street.
Right at that moment, the timed music played, and with a loud bang, the fountain erupted, sending powerful jets of water spraying in all directions.
Nikki’s eyes widened in horror as she watched the ring vanish beneath the surging water. Her whole body went rigid, a freezing sensation crawling through her veins.
She lifted her gaze to Brad in a daze, her breath caught in her throat. It was as if all the blood in her body had turned to ice.
Brad, no longer wearing his smug expression, had already turned away to console Lora gently.
"Don't worry, Lora. I'll order an even better one for you tomorrow. That fake ring was cheap anyway—I mean, Nikki wore it."
Lora huddled into Howard’s arms, her voice soft and pitiful. "Sister scratched my hand just now... It really hurts. She’s so scary. She’s never like this in front of Mom and Dad."