Chapter 9: My Hero

The group of men quickly surrounded the Bentley. The leader was a bald man, tall and muscular, with tattoos all over his face and a scar on his left cheek.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, the bald man walked to the side where Sophia was sitting and gently tapped the window with his index finger.

Given the intimidating scene, Ethan thought a delicate lady like Sophia would be terrified. Surprisingly, she remained calm and even smiled as she rolled down the window slightly.

"Are you here to kill me?" she asked.

The bald man seemed taken aback by Sophia's composure and her question. His arrogance wavered a bit. "Miss West, you misunderstand. We're just here to invite you to come with us. Our boss would like to have dinner with you."

Sophia's smile grew even brighter. "I have many admirers in Riverstone. I don't have time to meet each one individually. But since your boss is so sincere, he can come and beg me himself."

"Bitch, how dare you talk about my boss like that? You're lucky he wants to see you!" The bald man, enraged by Sophia's dismissive tone, kicked the car forcefully, making it shake.

"How amusing, he gets angry after just a few words, like an untrained dog," Sophia remarked to Ethan with a smile.

Ethan looked at the beautiful girl helplessly. She wasn't satisfied with just angering the thugs; she kept provoking them with harsher words.

The bald man was on the verge of losing control, but he had orders not to harm Sophia. So, he shifted his gaze to Ethan.

"It seems Miss West doesn't want to see our boss because she has a pet. In that case, we'll castrate your little boy toy and throw him into the sea to feed the fish."

The bald man's eyes flashed with malice as he signaled his men to smash the car.

Ethan sighed inwardly; this was truly his unluckiest day.

He glanced at Sophia. "Consider this a repayment for your generous reward. Stay in the car, don't get out."

With that, he unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car swiftly.

Sophia stared at him in shock, her hand still gripping the gun inside her purse. She unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, her heart beating faster as she watched Ethan.

The bald man swung a machete at Ethan, but he moved swiftly, disarming the thug in an instant. Without hesitation, he slashed at the bald man's shoulder.

The bald man screamed in pain, trying to grab Ethan's neck with his other hand to restrain him. Ethan pulled out the machete again and struck the bald man's wound with the handle, causing the thug to collapse to one knee, drained of strength.

"Kill him!" the bald man roared.

The henchmen, stunned by how quickly their leader was subdued, only snapped back to reality when they heard his voice and charged at Ethan.

Ethan remained unafraid, stepping forward to confront them. Moving like a phantom among the crowd, he struck each person who came close with a slap.

Soon, all the thugs were lying on the ground, defeated.

The bald man clutched the wound on his shoulder, staring in shock. He never dreamed that the seemingly ordinary man beside Sophia would be so skilled in combat.

Furious, he reached for the gun at his waist. His boss had warned him to keep things low-key and avoid a shootout. But now, he realized he had to kill this man.

However, a cold object pressed against the back of his head.

"Hey, I suggest you don't move. My bullet will be faster than yours," Sophia's charming yet cold voice sounded.

Moments later, Ethan had dealt with the other thugs and walked over to the bald man, seeing that Sophia was already interrogating him.

"Who is your boss?" she asked.

The bald man kept his head down and stayed silent.

Sophia smiled, casually picking up the machete from the ground and pointing it at the bald man's crotch. "I remember you said you were going to castrate him? How about I let you try it first?"

"No, no! My... my boss is Mr. Wade, Patrick Wade," the bald man pleaded.

Sophia sneered, "Very good. I haven't gone looking for him, yet he dares to come after me."

She threw the machete aside disdainfully and clapped her hands. "Tell your boss he shouldn't mess with The West Family. Now, get lost."

Terrified, the bald man scrambled away with his men.

"Your West family has quite a few enemies..." Ethan remarked, glancing at Sophia, only to see her smiling at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked in surprise.

Sophia's smile grew even sweeter. "Mr. Gray, thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have died just now."

"You're too kind. Even without me, those men wouldn't have been able to hurt you." Ethan thought of her fierce demeanor and the gun in her hand, realizing this girl was not just a pretty face.

But Sophia seemed to ignore his words, looking at him with an even sweeter smile. "Look at me now, even my driver has betrayed me. I'm in danger, Mr. Gray. I can only rely on your protection."

Ethan frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Tonight, I am hosting a charity gala. I need you to protect me until it's over. With so many people wanting to harm The West Family, I'm really scared. After all, you're still waiting for The Snow Lotus Seed. If something happens to me, who will pay you?"

Ethan hesitated for two seconds and then nodded.

No matter what, he needed The Snow Lotus Seed. For that, he could meet her request.

Sophia playfully stuck out her tongue, suddenly stood on tiptoe, and planted a light kiss on Ethan's cheek. "Thank you, my hero."

Ethan turned his head, only to see Sophia's enchanting eyes. Her chest pressed against his arm, and he could feel its softness.

He awkwardly looked away, finding the woman before him too beautiful, too enticing.

Sophia watched Ethan's reddening ears, revealing a smile of determination.

She had never wanted to conquer a man so much before.