His aura was completely out of place in the dilapidated apartment building. That elite air about him made Smith subconsciously want to back away.

Following him was a slightly older man carrying a large leather briefcase. He wore a stern expression, and a bar association pin was fastened to his chest.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Gaiter."

Ethan Hawke smiled and extended his hand.

"This is my ID, and this is a special authorization order signed by the Mayor."

Ethan pointed to the ID badge hanging from his chest, then took a document with an embossed seal out of his briefcase and showed it to Smith.

Smith couldn’t make out the words on it, but he recognized the golden crest of Pittsburgh City.

It was real.

"May we come in and talk?" Ethan asked politely.

Smith numbly stepped aside, clearing the way.

Ethan and the lawyer stepped into the narrow, crowded living room.

They showed no disdain for the shabby sofa and sat right down. The lawyer placed his briefcase on his lap and quickly took out a stack of documents.

Ethan looked at Mary lying on the sofa, his gaze falling on her cast-covered leg.

"Madam Gaiter, Mr. Mayor expresses his deepest regrets for what happened to you."

Ethan’s voice was sincere, devoid of any bureaucratic arrogance.

"This never should have happened. That pothole should have been filled long ago, but some people chose to ignore your safety to save money and further their political struggles."

"Are you... really sent by the Mayor?" Mary still couldn’t believe it.

"Absolutely."

Ethan took a piece of paper from his briefcase.

It was the complaint record Smith had previously filed, with a photo of the deep pothole stapled to it.

"This is the evidence your husband submitted." Ethan waved the paper. "This is the most critical piece of legal evidence. It proves that City Hall was aware of the situation before the accident happened. According to Pennsylvania state law, City Hall is required to compensate you."

The lawyer beside him began to speak, his voice thoroughly professional.

"Mr. Gaiter, Madam Gaiter. I’m Robert King, and I specialize in personal injury litigation."

"Based on your situation, we can not only demand that City Hall compensate you for all medical expenses, but we can also sue for lost wages, emotional distress, and punitive damages."

"By a preliminary estimate, the compensation amount could reach one hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Smith’s breathing quickened.

Mary’s hand gripped the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

That much money was enough for them to pay off all their debts, move out of this hellhole, and even buy a used car.

"But..." Smith clung to his last shred of reason. "Why would the Mayor do this? If City Hall pays compensation, isn’t that his money? What’s in it for him?"

Ethan looked at Smith.

He knew he had to give this honest man a reasonable explanation, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to sign.

"Mr. Gaiter, the Mayor doesn’t want to pay," Ethan explained. "The Mayor wants to fix the roads."

"But that bunch on the City Council, those councilors sitting in their offices—they’re withholding the money for road repairs. They won’t approve the budget, and they won’t let us fill that pothole."

"The Mayor is furious."

Ethan gestured toward the ceiling.

"The Mayor believes that if the City Council won’t pay to fix the roads, then they must foot the bill for the consequences of not fixing them."

"He wants to use this lawsuit to deliver a hard slap in the face to those do-nothing councilors."

"He wants to show them: if you don’t provide the money to fix the roads, you’ll have to spend even more on compensation."

The logic was sound.

Smith understood.

This wasn’t a windfall; it was a battle between titans.

The Mayor wanted to use them as a weapon against the City Council.

Ordinarily, Smith would never have dared to get involved in a struggle between such powerful figures.

But now...

He glanced at the bills on the table.

He glanced at his wife’s broken leg.

He glanced again at the complaint the lawyer held, already drafted, which read: "Compensation Claim: $150,000."

It was a winning lottery ticket.

It might be a hot potato, but if he let it go, their life would continue to rot away at the bottom.

"What do we need to do?" Smith’s voice was hoarse.

"Sign."

The lawyer handed him the documents and a gold pen.

"Just sign your name here to authorize us to represent you in this lawsuit. We’ll handle everything else."

"You won’t have to pay a single cent in legal fees. All expenses have already been covered by the Mayor’s Office through a special legal aid fund." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"What’s more, we’ll file for expedited arbitration. You could receive your first payment as early as next month."

Smith took the pen.

The pen felt heavy, the metal cool to the touch.

He looked at Mary.

Mary bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with a light that was a mixture of greed and fear.

Finally, she nodded.

Smith took a deep breath.

On the signature line, he shakily scrawled his name: Smith Gaiter.

The moment he finished the last stroke, he felt his heart give a violent lurch.

Ethan looked at the signature, a smile touching the corners of his lips.

He quickly gathered the documents and put them back in his briefcase.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Gaiter."

Ethan stood up and straightened his trench coat.

"You’ve made the right decision. This isn’t just for you; it’s for all the citizens of Pittsburgh who have to walk on these dangerous streets."

"Justice may be late, but with the Mayor’s help, it will never be absent."

Ethan and the lawyer left.

The apartment door closed once more.

Smith and Mary sat on the sofa, staring into the empty living room, as if everything that had just happened had been a dream.