Yet, those wrapped in warmth and joy noticed none of this, unaware of the impending shift in the weather.

In the town, a black SUV sat parked by the roadside, shuddering continuously, occasionally emitting sounds like a woman in pain.

After some time, the car's shaking finally stopped.

A fat, unkempt man opened the door, frowning deeply. “Now, get out."

“Sir, you promised to buy me a necklace..." The woman, wearing a restaurant uniform, was likely a waitress.

The man threw a handful of hundred-dollar bills at the woman's face, cursing, "Get lost! With your looks, count yourself lucky I didn't vomit on you. And a necklace? I see you as nothing more than a living necklace, you skinny wretch..."

The waitress wasn't going to accept this quietly. She felt nearly abused to death, and this little amount of money was the man's dismissive gesture. “Sir, how can you do this? You promised me a necklace, and that's why I got into your car. You're not keeping your word..."

"Slap!" The man slapped the waitress, knocking her to the ground.

"Don't beg favors from me, you disgusting woman! Now, get lost!"

However, the waitress wasn't one to back down. She began to cry loudly. "I might as well let the passersby judge whether you'd mistreated me. I'm not afraid. Anyway, I've got nothing to lose. If you don't give me the necklace, I won't let you off the hook!”

The old man, Deniz, had made out with plenty of women on his journey.

He hadn't anticipated such a spirited response from this waitress.

He signaled to his driver with a wink. The driver quickly grasped the situation, stuffing more money into the woman's hand and saying, "Sweetheart, just buy a little necklace and we have a deal. You can't really argue with this, can you?"

The driver, experienced at handling such shady situations, was particularly persuasive. He leaned in and whispered to the woman, "Look, this gentleman has influential connections in Ardlens. He's not someone to mess with. I suggest you take the money and leave. Don't complicate things, alright?"

The driver's words were chosen, the sincerity questionable.

Far from a decent soul, the waitress realized she couldn't gain much from Deniz and quit arguing. Standing up and dusting off her trousers, she scoffed. "Who are you kidding? I know this car. It's a junker. Not worth much. One with influential connections wouldn't be driving this trash."

Deniz's quick temper ignited at the mockery, ready to attack.

The waitress, frightened, retreated, declaring, "Forget it. I'll just treat this as a run-in with a swine."

Then, she walked away confidently, swaying her hips.

“Damn it!" Deniz kicked the car door in a huff. He cursed, “What a disgrace, to be humiliated by some nobody!"