Nicole was so close to him that she heard the muffled groan.

The unexpected incident shocked everyone there.

In the midst of the chaos, Rhett had pinned the crazed Doreen to the ground just before the security guards rushed in to seize her.

Doreen had only feigned madness, driven by deep resentment. She had hoped to disfigure Nicole and escape criminal charges by pretending to be insane.

Yet, her plan backfired horribly when the sulfuric acid splashed onto Jarrod.

Terrified by the consequences of her actions, Doreen remained speechless for a long moment. It wasn't until she was restrained on the ground that she began to sob. “Jarrod... Help me. I didn't mean for this to happen. Jarrod..."

With a grim expression, Jarrod stood up and carefully helped Nicole to her feet.

After making sure Nicole was standing, Jarrod asked with concern, “Are you alright? Did any of the sulfuric acid get on you?"

Jarrod scrutinized Nicole carefully as he spoke. To him, Nicole was a priceless treasure that must not be harmed.

"I'm alright," Nicole replied, her voice still laced with shock.

"Really?" Jarrod asked, his worry evident.

Nicole shook her head, and Jarrod sighed with relief, confirming she was indeed unharmed. "That's good. That's good," he murmured, relieved.

Meanwhile, Doreen continued to cry out from behind him. "Jarrod, ask them to let me go... It hurts so much. Please, let them stop!"

Jarrod turned to look at Doreen, struggling to reconcile the image of the girl he remembered with the person before him. Doreen was no longer the innocent, vibrant child he once knew.

“Doreen, you've really disappointed me," Jarrod said, his voice heavy with mixed emotions. He hadn't imagined that his own family would attempt to harm Nicole, not to mention the unborn child Nicole carried. If he hadn't shielded Nicole in time, the regret would have haunted him forever. He realized then that he could no longer excuse Doreen's actions out of the family bond.

Doreen felt a flicker of fear, but it was quickly overshadowed by her confidence in Jarrod's indulgence of her. She was certain that her tears would prompt his forgiveness, as they had so many times before. No matter the mischief, Jarrod had always been there to bail her out. This pattern had emboldened her to act haughtily.

Doreen cried out, pleading, "Jarrod... Jarrod, I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."

This time, however, Jarrod was not moved by Doreen's tears. He commanded the security guards coldly, "Do what you should do."

Jarrod's directive was clear. The security guards were to hand Doreen over to the police.

With plenty of witnesses and concrete evidence against Doreen, she couldn't escape the consequences this time. Given her recent release from prison and the gravity of her crime, a harsher sentence seemed inevitable. Her future Looked bleak.