After they had eaten their fill, they put the leftovers in the fridge, cleaned up the dishes, and then drove to Hans'' home.


    Hans'' family lived in a rundown old apartment building in the suburbs. They weren''t from the city and didn''t earn much, so it was all they could afford.


    Inside the small apartment, the couple was arguing in hushed, angry tones.


    Howard: "That Ms. Garcia was willing to sponsor Hans'' education, take him to amusement parks, and buy him food. She''s a good person. How can you nder her like this? Aren''t you afraid of karma?!"


    Tracy: "She''s a big star, she has plenty of money. A little bit from her would be enough for us to livefortably, but she was so stingy, only willing to pay for Hans'' tuition and living expenses. I''m just asking for a few million. To her, it''s nothing."


    Howard: "You want money, but you didn''t have to beat our son so brutally. There isn''t an unbruised spot on his body."


    Tracy: "You have to sacrifice something to get something. He''s my own flesh and blood, do you think it didn''t hurt me to hit him? But who am I doing this for? For you and him! Once we have the money, we can go back to our hometown, buy a house, and start a small business. You won''t have to work as a delivery driver in the freezing cold and blistering sun anymore, and we''ll have money for Hans'' future." Howard: "But they''re not stupid. Why would they just hand over the money?"


    Tracy: "That Mr. Smith said they would. Celebrities care about their reputation more than anything. They''ll pay to make this go away. Mr. Smith will help us too."


    The "Mr. Smith" she was referring to was Oscar''s chief assistant.


    Howard: "Why would this Mr. Smith help us? We''re not rted to him. Don''t be a fool. He''s probably using you!"


    Tracy was at a loss for words, but her mind was so fixated on the millions she was about to receive that she had lost all reason.


    Hans, who had been sleeping in the small bedroom, was awakened by his parents'' arguing.


    He forced himself to sit up. "Mom, Dad, please don''t fight. It doesn''t hurt."


    Seeing her son was awake, Tracy immediately went to him and pulled him into her arms. "Hans, how about I make you some ravioli tonight? Once we get the money, I''ll take you to the hospital to get your injuries treated, and then we''ll go back to our hometown. Do you miss Grandma and Grandpa?"


    "Yes, I do," Hans mumbled, leaning against his mother and nodding obediently.


    Afterforting her son, Tracy was about to go buy groceries for the ravioli when she opened the door and found Sandra and Yvonne standing there, with reporters right behind them.


    "Ms. Garcia, what are you doing here?" Howard asked, stunned. Tracy''s eyes darted around before she let out a piercing wail.


    "How dare you show your faces here! You cruel, heartless woman! You abused my son, beat him unti he was ck and blue! He''s only eight years old, how could you do that? Aren''t you afraid of being struck by lightning?!"


    you!


    Tracy had a loud voice, and her shouts echoed through the entire building.


    Neighbors poked their heads out to see what themotion was, pointing and whispering.


    "So that''s the actress who abused Hans? She looks so sweet. How could she be so vicious?"


    "You can''t judge a book by its cover."


    "Hey, you can''t just take Tracy''s


    word for it. Everyone knows she''s a troublemaker. Last time she borrowed a bottle of soy sauce from me, she never returned it and tried to im it was spoiled and made her whole family sick, trying to get money out of me."


    "Yeah, I think she''s just trying to extort money from them because they''re rich celebrities."