Chapter 2

Vincent's fingers felt like steel rods.

My face turned beet red as my feet kicked uselessly against the ground, my shoe soles scraping out harsh sounds.

"Sign language? Are you still fucking acting for me?" Vincent gritted her teeth, tightening her grip even more.

With her other hand, she held up her phone. The screen showed a chat interface scrolling madly with voice messages—all over a minute long.

"Just now at the supermarket checkout, that voice was exactly the same as when you scammed my money!

You really think I'm a fucking idiot?"

I gripped her wrist with both hands, my nails digging into her flesh.

It was useless.

Mario beside her grabbed my hair and yanked it backward violently. A tearing pain shot across my scalp.

"Vincent, why waste words on this bastard!" Mario spat.

He pressed his rusty scissors right against my scalp. The cold metal touch crawled up my entire spine.

Snip. A lock of short hair fell onto the Porsche's hood.

"If you don't cough up that five million today, I'll shave you bald first, then strip you naked and throw you on the main street!"

The circle of onlookers tightened around us.

Countless phones were held up in the air, their camera flashes forming a blinding white net.

A woman carrying plastic bags pushed to the front, her finger almost poking my nose.

"Oh my God! Young men these days have no shame! They've got hands and feet but choose to run scams!"

A woman in a checkered shirt beside her loudly chimed in: "Don't go easy on him! Scum like this should be reported to the police and thrown in jail!"

"Right! Strip him! Let's see if he'll ever dare show his face again!"

The shouting was like a tsunami flooding into my ears.

I opened my mouth like a fish thrown on shore, only able to make "heh heh" sounds of airflow from my throat.

I used all my strength to pry Vincent's fingers loose.

My right hand rapidly gestured in the air.

I pointed at my throat, then waved my hands forcefully.

"Still playing mute?" Vincent sneered and suddenly released her grip.

I lost support and fell heavily onto the hood, my knees hitting the car logo. The pain was excruciating.

Before I could catch my breath—

Smack! A slap landed hard on my left cheek.

My mouth instantly filled with a thick taste of blood.

"I'll teach you to act!" Vincent kicked the car door, making my whole body go numb. "Five million! I never even met you face-to-face, and you ran off with all the money!"

Mario stepped forward and grabbed my collar.

"Vincent, I don't think he's given up yet."

He raised the scissors, aiming at the buttons on my chest.

"Strip him! Let's see if he keeps acting!"

The crowd burst into laughter, some even whistling.

I desperately protected my collar, fumbling to reach into my coat pocket.

"Trying to grab a weapon?" Vincent stomped on the back of my hand.

Her shoe ground down hard on my hand.

I convulsed in pain, tears falling uncontrollably onto the car hood.

But I still desperately clawed at that thing in my pocket.

Risking broken bones, I violently pulled my hand out.

I slapped a certificate right in Vincent's face.

The certificate fell to the ground and opened.

Bold black letters were printed on it:

Disability Certificate.

Disability Type: Speech Impairment.

Disability Level: Class One.

The laughter around us stopped abruptly.

Everyone's eyes locked onto that booklet.

I took advantage of Vincent's moment of shock, pushed her away, and slid down against the car to sit on the ground.

I gasped for air in large gulps, pulled out my phone from my pocket, and with trembling fingers opened the notes app.

The keyboard clattered as I typed.

I turned the brightness to maximum and held the screen up to Vincent's face.

[I'm mute with congenital vocal cord damage. I've never made a sound in my life.]

[The voice at the checkout was my phone's text-to-speech function.]

[Now I'm calling the police to report you for assault.]