"What are you doing?"
Vanessa was momentarily stunned as Sophia suddenly jumped out in front of her.
"Isn't this guy harassing you?"
Sophia pointed at the blonde guy she had just kicked to the ground.
"Well... yeah, but that was a bit extreme."
Vanessa wanted to be mad, but she couldn't quite muster the anger. After all, Sophia had done what she'd been wanting to do for a while. She was really fed up with this guy constantly bothering her.
At that moment, the blonde guy struggled to get up from the ground, clutching his side where he'd been kicked. His face twisted in pain and embarrassment.
"Where the hell did this crazy woman come from? You dare lay a hand on me? I'm calling the cops! I'm calling the cops!"
As satisfying as it was for Vanessa, she knew this was going to be a headache.
"Sorry, Mr. Weston, my friend didn't mean to."
Despite everything, Vanessa stood by Sophia's side and apologized for her.
The word "friend" made Sophia's heart melt, and her expression softened without her even realizing it.
"Didn't mean to? What, did she just slip and accidentally kick me!?"
Weston sneered, about to say more when suddenly, another voice shouted from the side.
"Watch out, I slipped!"
Instinctively, Weston turned his head, only to see a foot flying straight at him. He was kicked to the ground again.
"..."
Vanessa froze for a second, then realized it was Ethan who had done it. She immediately covered her face with her hand.
Sophia, on the other hand, smiled for once and gave Ethan a thumbs-up behind her back.
"And what are you doing?" Vanessa asked, exasperated.
"I slipped," Ethan replied, completely unapologetic.
"You think after what you did to me, you can just get away with a simple apology?" Weston tried to apply some pressure.
Unfortunately for him, Ethan wasn't having any of it and had no interest in dragging this out.
"Well, if you're not happy with it, then forget it."
Ethan let go of Sophia and said to Weston, "If you want to call the cops or do whatever, go ahead. We're in a bit of a hurry."
"Son of a..."
Weston had met plenty of arrogant people before, but this was the first time he'd encountered someone this brazen.
He didn't even want to negotiate with Vanessa anymore. He pulled out his phone and made a call, glaring at the three of them. "You better not run."
"Maybe we should run," Vanessa suggested to the other two.
But then she saw Ethan pull a picnic blanket out of his backpack, lay it on the ground, and take out a deck of cards. He looked at them and asked, "Wanna play some cards while we wait?"
"..."
Sophia, still a bit cautious, took off her shoes and sat down on the blanket next to Ethan. She leaned in and asked, "Are you sure this won't turn into a problem?"
"Relax. Let's just get this over with. I've got dinner waiting for me at home," Ethan said, completely unfazed. Whether Weston called the cops or someone else, it didn't matter to him. It was just a matter of who could call more people. Who was afraid of that?
Soon enough, several cars pulled up by the side of the road, and about a dozen guys who looked like street thugs got out.
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The sight of Ethan, Sophia, and Vanessa caught their attention, and they hesitantly walked over to Weston. It didn't take long for them to figure out that the young man among the trio was their target.
"You're not even going to try to handle this legally?" Ethan asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Scared now?" Weston sneered, his face twisted with malice.
"Not really," Ethan shook his head. "I just didn't think someone as 'badass' as you would exist in New Tokyo."
Weston felt like a thousand curses were running through his mind. I've already called my guys, shouldn't you be scared by now? Instead, Ethan was still acting cocky. Did I call these guys for nothing?
Just as Weston was about to give further orders, a beam of light suddenly shone down on him from above.
Then, about a dozen black sedans pulled up along the road. The doors opened, and at least fifty or sixty men in matching black suits stepped out, surrounding everyone.
Weston was completely dumbfounded by the sight.