Lucy and Franklin hadn’t been killed by the truck, but they were close to it. Both were covered in blood, with their heads busted open and faces bruised.

When the truck sped towards them, Franklin had still been rolling around on the ground, faking injury. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. His limbs went weak, his insides churned with fear, and he couldn’t even manage to pull himself up from the ground. He could only sit there, frozen in terror, watching as the truck barreled toward him.

“Mom–” Franklin screamed with all his might, his voice raw and desperate.

He had been sure this was the end. But just as the truck was about to hit him, it suddenly swerved. The front of the vehicle veered sharply to the side, sparing him by inches.

Franklin sat there, stunned, realizing only then that his pants were soaked.

The truck, now redirected, headed straight for Lucy. She instinctively covered her head and ran, but the truck kept following her like a cat chasing a mouse. It didn’t seem intent on killing her but was certainly playing with her, tormenting her.

Lucy ran, dodged, and screamed like a madwoman. She was exhausted to the point of collapse, but her survival instinct pushed her onward, refusing to let her stop.

She slammed head first into a tree, blood pouring down her face as she collapsed, drained of any strength. Only then did the truck finally drive off, the driver seemingly satisfied with his cruel game.

“Mom… Mom… are you okay?” Franklin struggled to his feet, still trembling. He was shown what it truly meant to be “scared out of one’s wits.”

Lucy lay there, unmoving. A deep gash on her forehead oozed blood, and Franklin tried to stop the bleeding, forgetting that his hands were soiled from his earlier accident. His hands, still wet with urine, pressed against her wound.

“Mom! Wake up!” Franklin shouted, shaking her desperately. After what felt like an eternity, Lucy finally opened her eyes.

“What… What happened to me?” She asked in a daze, her gaze unfocused.

Suddenly, something clicked in Lucy’s mind, and her face turned pale. She began to tremble uncontrollably, her teeth chattering. It was as if a crushing fear had taken hold of her.

“Run…” She grabbed Franklin’s hand, digging her nails into his skin as if the pain could ground her fear. “Run, we need to go now! Hurry!”

“W–Why?” Franklin stammered.

“Do you want to wait for that man to come back and finish the job?”

The memory of the truck’s near–fatal attack washed over Franklin, and he quickly hoisted Lucy up. The two stumbled and crawled their way out of there.

They arrived at the hospital where Ingrid was staying, getting their wounds patched up.

“Mom… I’m scared…” Franklin whimpered.

“We can’t stay here. I didn’t think Hansel would be this ruthless!” Lucy finally understood just how dangerous it was to mess with someone from a powerful family.

Franklin panicked. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“The driver’s gone, and that area had no security cameras. Do you really think the police will care?” Lucy shot back, her voice tight with anxiety. “And if we call them, our blackmail scheme will come to light too!”

“B–But Hansel still hasn’t sent the money!”

Lucy clenched her teeth. “You’re still thinking about the money? Can’t you see he’s been stalling us the whole time? He never planned on paying us!”

“But… but we went through so much… Are we just going to let it go?” Franklin’s voice wavered with frustration.

Lucy’s eyes gleamed with a sudden thought. “Who said we didn’t get anything?”

Franklin looked at her in confusion.

Ingrid was still waiting in her ward, expecting good news from her mother and brother. But when they finally arrived, it wasn’t what she had imagined.

“Hansel already gave you three million. Hand it over,” Lucy demanded, standing by the bed with her arms crossed and her head wrapped in bandages.

Ingrid gasped in shock. “Mom, what happened to your head?”