Thinking of all this, Nicholas Coldwell's heart still felt bitter. He dared not harbor any more extravagant hopes for Julia Bluen. It was precisely because he still held such hopes for her that Glades Horne had orchestrated his current downfall. If he didn't let go of that hope, he feared he might not even have his body intact anymore.

Far from leaving, he instead sat down on the sofa, leaning back into it, arms crossed over his chest, and even crossed his legs in a ruffian-like manner, scoffing, "If you don't compensate me, I'll just sit here and not leave. Even if you have the ability to throw me out, as long as I don't sign the divorce agreement, your precious daughter can't remarry. Think about it, your daughter is already damaged goods, but she's still very young. Do you really have the heart to let her be unhappy for the rest of her life? With your family's wealth, as soon as she's divorced, there might be a second fool like me who comes knocking, trying to win your daughter's heart."

"You..."

The three members of the Powell Family were so angered by his words they couldn't speak.

His words, however, also held some truth. Even if Diana Powell could go out and find other men, she couldn't get married. How could they bear to let Diana live such a chaotic life?

"Alright, how much money do you want?" Dio Powell sat down in front of Nicholas and asked calmly.

Nicholas glanced at him, uncrossed his arms, and sneered, "Well, at least Dad is sensible."

"Damn it, don't call me Dad! I'm not your dad!" Dio Powell roared.

"It's not like it costs you anything. You think I *want* to call you Dad?" Nicholas taunted. He extended five fingers toward Dio Powell and said, "Give me five million, and I'll sign the divorce papers."

"Five million!" The three Powells shouted in unison, "You're being utterly extortionate! Are you worth that much?"

Nicholas's sneer faded. He stood up, leaned forward, his handsome face now a mask of ferocity, and stared coldly at Dio Powell, enunciating each word, "Not a penny less."

"One million is the most we can give you. If you think that's too little, then this stalemate continues. Worst case, I just won't marry again for the rest of my life!" Diana retorted, her voice cold and hard.

Nicholas glared at her. The couple, still husband and wife in name, glared at each other, neither willing to yield.

Nicholas knew Diana's temperament well. If he truly pushed her to the edge, he, Nicholas Coldwell, would ultimately be the one to suffer.

Thinking this, Nicholas softened his stance and grunted, "For the sake of our two months of marriage, one million it is. I'll sign the papers and complete the formalities as soon as you transfer the money into my account."

After saying this, he stood up, grabbed his suit jacket that had been taken off him, leisurely put his shoes back on, and then fastened the watch he had worn before.

It was freezing outside; he didn't want to get the one million in compensation only to die before he could spend it.

Now that he had become fierce and changed his attitude, the Powell family didn't dare try to snatch his clothes back.

Fully dressed, Nicholas Coldwell was still as dashing as ever.

How narcissistic of him!

He then strode up to Diana Powell, extended his hand, and coldly commanded, "Hand over the car keys, or I'll go outside and smash all three of your cars!"

"You... you're nothing but a hooligan, a devil!"

Diana was so furious she almost jumped up to strangle him.

Nicholas just sneered, not refuting her words.

Since all pretenses were off, he didn't mind becoming even more shameless. After all, he was nothing now and would soon be leaving this city. What use did he have for dignity? Squeezing a bit more money from the Powell Family would allow him to return home in glory. No matter how one looked at it, he couldn't come out of this at a loss.

"Hand it over!"

Seeing Diana still refusing to surrender his car keys, he roared furiously again.

"Nicholas Coldwell, get lost! Don't let me see you again!" Diana hurled his car keys—the keys to the car she had even gifted him—forcefully at Nicholas's handsome face, instantly leaving a bloody scratch.

The car keys clattered to the floor. Nicholas glared fiercely at Diana, bent down to pick them up, then turned on his heel and strode away. As he reached the doorway, he turned back, his expression sinister, and said, "You'd better transfer the one million into my account today. Otherwise, I'll add one hundred thousand for every day of delay."

With that, he turned his head and departed coldly.

No one saw that his eyes were actually filled with pain.

He, such a proud man, had now become a scoundrel, a devil! He had thought he could live a distinguished life, but who could have predicted this outcome.

"Damn it!" Dio Powell cursed resentfully.

Yet, they were helpless against Nicholas Coldwell as he was now.

If I had known it would come to this, I never should have agreed to let my daughter marry him in the first place. And now, half of Cosmos was lost, my daughter's reputation was ruined, and we were still being infuriated to near death by Nicholas Coldwell.

Collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion, Diana's tears began to flow again.

Her marriage would surely become a laughingstock in Upper Class Society.

She felt dizzy; Nicholas had angered her so much that her head throbbed with pain. She raised a hand to her forehead, her expression pained.

Mrs. Powell could only embrace her. This outcome, she knew, was a result of how she and her husband had spoiled their daughter. Whom could they blame? Whom could they resent? They could only hope that by using this opportunity to drive Nicholas Coldwell away, they could save Cosmos.

Nicholas Coldwell drove away from the Powell residence. For a moment, he didn't know where to go. The money hadn't arrived yet, so he couldn't return to his hometown. He drove, weaving through streets and alleys, and before he knew it, he had parked his car not far from the Valence Group.

Looking at the sixty-eight-story Office Building, he thought he would be consumed with resentment and hatred, for it was the owner of that building who had orchestrated his utter downfall, leaving him with nothing. Yet, as he gazed at it now, his heart surprisingly calmed.

No resentment, no hatred. In this state of calm, he surprisingly felt as if he understood everything, saw through it all. Perhaps one must experience great joys and sorrows, great ups and downs, to truly see through everything in life.