Rebecca’s scream was heard by almost everyone in the shop.
At the front of the boutique, five people stood together—three men and two women.
This group was so strikingly beautiful and handsome that even at a glance, it was clear they belonged to the elite section of society.
They were chatting idly about something.
One of the girls asked the most handsome man in their group, "Young Master, are you really sure that Miss Rena will like this dress from a low-level city?"
The young man replied in an amiable tone, "I got news about this dress from my father. It was designed by a genius fashion designer here. So I came to fetch it for Rena. I’m sure she’ll fall head over heels for it."
The girl looked disappointed. She also wanted that dress. The moment she saw it, she liked it very much. If David had sounded even slightly less confident about it, she could have persuaded him to buy something else for that bitch Rena. After all, she herself was one of David’s precious toys—someone he loved to play with dearly.
The other girl was the sister of one of David’s followers. He had brought her here hoping to find a chance to send her into David’s bed, to help the family get closer to the Ashfords.
David was a playboy through and through.
The first girl was gnashing her teeth when she saw the amiable smile on David’s face. This bastard wants to bed that big boobed salesgirl and this girl together.
But could she say anything? She was also nothing more than a toy to him.
While they were chatting, they suddenly heard Rebecca’s shrill scream:
"Young Master, save me!"
All five of them immediately walked toward the sound.
When they reached the area, they saw Rebecca on her knees on the ground, her eyes bulging in horror as if she had seen a demon.
In front of her stood an impossibly handsome man, so perfect that David himself looked plain and common beside him. The stranger stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, radiating a suffocating presence.
One of David’s followers quickly pulled Rebecca up.
Ethan withdrew his aura, as if nothing had happened.
The follower asked sharply, "What happened, miss? Why did you scream, and why were you in this position?"
Rebecca’s voice trembled as she glanced at Ethan. But when she saw David standing there, her eyes brightened, and she recounted everything.
The faces of all five people darkened instantly. One of them pointed at Ethan and shouted, "Bastard! You dared to attack a civilian? So what if you’re a martial warrior and a bit handsome? She was here under Young Master David’s orders! You still attacked her! You’re finished! The alliance won’t let you go easily, and even if they do, you’ve offended Young Master. You are done!"
David was calmly observing, but then his gaze landed on Rose.
He felt as if he were struck by lightning. How could someone be this beautiful? She was even more stunning than Rena Windsor. How? A twisted hunger flared in his eyes. Hehehe... this girl belongs to me. No one in this world has the right to stand by her side except me.
The girl beside him saw David’s lustful expression. When she followed his gaze and saw Rose, she already knew—this girl would be taken, whether she wanted it or not.
Then she looked at Ethan with sympathy. Such a divinely handsome man was doomed. First, he had offended David, and now he was standing beside a girl David coveted. Sigh...
David stepped forward. He didn’t spare Rebecca so much as a glance.
He stopped in front of Rose and spoke with the most charming smile he could muster.
"Hello. I am David Ashford. This shopping center is owned by the Paragon Group. My Ashford Family is one of its owners. I am the Young Master of the Ashford Family. May I have the honor of knowing your name, miss?"
Rose didn’t even look at him, as if he were a thin wisp of air.
She turned to Ethan. "Let’s go, Ethan. We don’t need to buy this. I don’t want any unnecessary problems today. We can check some other shop."
David stood there like a wooden statue, stunned.
He had been ignored. Totally ignored. This had never happened to him before. He was always surrounded by flatterers wherever he went. He always got what he wanted. Even Rena Windsor from the great Windsor Family never ignored him outright—she didn’t accept him, but she never acted like he didn’t exist.
But this girl from a low-level city dared to dismiss him like air.
A monstrous rage churned in his chest. At the same time, an unsatiable fire ignited in his heart—he wanted to drag this girl into his bed and crush her pride into dust.
Ethan’s mouth twitched at Rose’s words.
What do you mean you don’t want any problems? Look at this poor creature—he’s broken beyond repair now. How could he not want revenge? He’s a young master, after all.
But then again... You are my woman. Ethan Hunt’s woman. So of course, you should be like this. He felt proud of Rose.
Even the girl beside David was struck by lightning. She never imagined David would be ignored so completely, even after he declared who he was.
Ethan said, "Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. I am here."
Rose nodded, but she still felt this bunch of people were trouble. Yet she trusted Ethan more than anything.
David slowly turned his gaze to Ethan, his eyes filled with cold malice. His voice came out in a flat, commanding tone:
"Brat, slap yourself ten times, then break your legs and arms. After that, hand over that girl to me. Maybe then I’ll forgive you for offending me and daring to speak such arrogant words in front of me."
David’s five followers smirked. To them, Ethan was a fool—so arrogant even after learning who he had provoked.
Ethan looked at David with amused curiosity.
So this is what those protagonists feel in these situations...
But the problem was, Ethan didn’t care.
He stepped forward and raised his hand.
David assumed Ethan was about to beg for mercy, so he sneered. "No begging will save you from punishment. If your girl can satisfy me in bed, maybe I’ll lessen your sentence."
Ethan’s eyes turned glacial in an instant.
At first, he only planned to have a little fun with this young master, to slap him around and leave him crawling in shame. But Rose was his reverse scale, just like his parents.
The moment David’s filthy words came out, Ethan acted.
He gripped David’s shoulder with his left hand—his fingers sinking into flesh hard enough to crack bone. David’s pupils shrank, but before he could make a sound, Ethan’s right palm smashed across his face.
The slap landed with a muffled thunder. David felt like he’d been hit by a freight train. But Ethan’s iron hand on his shoulder kept him rooted in place, so the entire force of the blow caved in his cheekbones. His jaw shattered. His teeth exploded into a mist of red and white.
David’s eyes rolled back, but Ethan didn’t stop.
He clamped a hand around David’s tongue, tore it out in a wet, brutal rip. Blood poured from the gaping maw. Before the man could collapse, Ethan’s palm blurred. In a heartbeat, he had severed both arms at the shoulder. Then he smashed down, snapping the knees backward with a grotesque crunch, folding David to the ground like a rag doll.
Ethan’s hand gripped his hair, yanked his head up—and with two swift thrusts, he gouged out both eyes. Dark sockets wept blood down the ruined face.
But Ethan wasn’t finished. His fingers flashed in a final motion. With surgical cruelty, he crushed David’s groin. The young master’s body convulsed, a bubbling, strangled howl tearing through his throat.
Then Ethan laid his palm over each mutilated stump and channeled a ripple of energy. The bleeding sealed instantly, the wounds closed with perfect precision.
If he hadn’t done this, advanced human technology might have reattached David’s limbs. But now—he would remain forever a blind, limbless husk.
Everything happened in a blink.
Only when Ethan stepped back did David’s agony finally reach his brain. A guttural, inhuman scream erupted from the mangled husk, echoing through the silent shop.
David’s followers only now regained their senses.
When they saw their young master collapsed into a twitching torso, the women screamed hysterically. One fainted on the spot.
The three men erupted in fury and charged Ethan, roaring, "Bastard! We won’t let you off! Die!"
Ethan just looked at them with calm disdain.
The moment his gaze met theirs, they felt as if the universe itself crashed onto their shoulders. All three fell unconscious mid-sprint, their bodies thudding to the marble floor.
Rebecca and Lina and the follower’s sister stood frozen as statues.
Lina suddenly recalled Ethan’s earlier words:" That will cost you heavily." Now she understood exactly what he meant. This man was a demon from the abyss—a sorcerer in human skin. He dismantled David Ashford in an instant and crushed three warriors by merely looking at them.
Rebecca lost consciousness, her mind shattering under the terror.
Rose stared at Ethan with wide, trembling eyes. She had heard what David said. Her eyes had turned red with rage and shame. But before she could even speak, David had been reduced to this.
She didn’t think further. She walked straight to Ethan and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Ethan blinked, startled by her sudden embrace. But then he smiled, warmth filling his chest. He slipped into his gentlemanly composure and hugged her back.
"Were you worried, silly girl? Didn’t I say nothing would happen? I am here."
Rose didn’t answer. She only nodded slightly, pressing her cheek to his chest. She felt she was sinking deeper into the abyss called love—and she never wanted to climb out again.
Ethan glanced at Lina and spoke casually, "Pack this dress."
Then he took Rose’s hand and walked toward the counter.
Lina moved stiffly, her limbs numb.
She packed the dress with trembling fingers and stepped forward.
Everyone in the shop had seen it all. Yet nobody dared to speak or intervene, not even with the Ashford Family’s name hanging in the air.
Lina held out the package, her hand shaking violently.
Ethan asked, "How much?"
The shop owner stammered, "N-no, sir. You don’t have to pay. This is a gift from our shop to madam for the...inconvenience."
Ethan looked at the owner like he was already a dead man. "How much?" he asked again.
The owner felt his knees buckle. He clutched the table to stay upright. "Fifty million..."
Ethan nodded, paid the money, and turned to leave with Rose.
Rose blinked innocently. "Fifty what? Fifty thousand, right?"
Ethan’s mouth twitched.
This girl’s world will have to expand. One day, she would be the empress of this universe. How could her view remain so small?
But he didn’t blame her. She hadn’t come from a good family, even when her father was alive. After his death, their life grew more miserable. Every credit was counted carefully.
So, of course, she needed time to understand the true scale of the world.
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