Miranda twisted her wrist and then grabbed my collar with a menacing glare. "If you dare lie about being Mrs. Harris again, I'll have people throw you into the sea. I am Mrs. Harris."
Yana, covered in wine stains and pinned to the ground by bodyguards, said with a mocking tone, "Rita, how pitiful you are! You are Mrs. Harris. Legitimately married, yet challenged by a mistress. But his mistress is openly provoking you. And you want to keep the peace?"
I was choked by her words and then let out a sneer filled with malice the next moment.
Miranda still clutched my collar. I struggled fiercely and grabbed her wrist tightly under the momentum.
"Aah!" With a scream, Miranda instinctively let go.
I expertly flipped one of the bodyguards over my shoulder using the momentum.
His head hit the corner of the table, and he got dizzy. I grabbed a nearby stick and struck him hard on his private part.
By the time Miranda realized what was happening, I was already behind her and locked her throat with my arm.
She was completely bewildered by my sudden counterattack. As she struggled desperately, her face turned a deep shade of red. "You dare hit me?"
Miranda thrashed like a madwoman, trying to scratch me, but I threw her away with a fierce toss.
I picked up the stick and rained blows on her.
The nearby henchmen panicked and rushed in. They tried to restrain me. "How can you lay a finger on Mrs. Harris? Do you have a death wish?"
Unbeknownst to me, Yana had knocked out a bodyguard. She raised a chair and smashed it over another. At the same time, she yelled at me, "Show them what you've got! I've never been so humiliated in my life!"
"Bang!" In the chaos, someone struck me on the back of the neck with a stun baton. A metallic taste filled my throat, but I gritted my teeth and continued to fight.
Miranda was beaten and wailing. She desperately lunged forward and reached for a bottle on the bar. "Hit them hard! If someone dies, I'll cover for you! One hundred thousand for each of you!"
The lackeys of the Harris Group went wild. They pulled my hair and pinched me. One of them even sprayed pepper spray into my eyes.
When I was fighting against her bodyguards, Miranda struck my abdomen with the stun baton. The massive jolt made my muscles contract painfully, and I nearly passed out.
Just as I was about to retaliate against Miranda, I heard a furious shout from the bar entrance. "You idiots, stop right now!"
A group of policemen filed in. Their eyes darkened as they saw shattered glass and overturned tables.
But when they recognized Miranda, disheveled and bloody on the floor, their faces turned pale with fear.
"Mrs. Harris, what... what happened here?" The lead officer, visibly panicked, rushed to help her. He looked so obsequious.
Miranda tried to regain her composure. She glanced at the officer and seemed to gain courage. Then she pointed at Yana and me and screamed hysterically, "Martin, these two crazy women refused to pay their bill, insulted me, and trashed the place. They are not locals. Look at my face, covered in blood and bruises, and my people are all injured!"
Martin Wells glanced at Yana and me, whose shirts were stained with blood. He frowned with disdain as he pointed at us accusingly. "You act like delinquents. Is this how you behave? You dare to cause trouble and hit Mrs. Harris and those from the Harris Group? Are you fearless?"
"She extorted and attacked us first. She broke the law," Yana said. She wiped blood from her lips with the back of her hand.
"That's nonsense!" Miranda immediately countered. "I asked you to pay the bill, and that was a favor to you. Instead of being grateful, you impersonate me. You even mentioned the ridiculous Shaw and Fowler families!"
Martin clearly sided with Miranda. He pointed at the chaos around us and started to lecture us. "Regardless of the details, your actions here at the Harris premises are reckless and provocative. Such behavior is enough to detain you for a dozen days. Everyone respects the Harris Group in Caelton. Miranda is Mrs. Harris. Opposing her means opposing Mr. Harris and the Harris Group. You are actually going against the rules of this city!"
His subordinate pulled out a pair of handcuffs and warned us as he dangled them in front of us.
"Enough talk. You're coming with us to the police station! And by the way, you have to pay for the damage you've caused here, the medical bills and the emotional distress fees of Mrs. Harris and her people. It totals two million. Now, if you apologize to Mrs. Harris, we might consider mediation."
"Why should we accept mediation?" I snorted. "They're the ones abusing their power, extorting us. And you, as a police officer, sided with the lawbreakers instead of seeking the truth?"