Thud! Alexander froze at the sound. After a brief pause, he turned around and saw that Sophia had thrown her bag on the ground at the bus stop instead of leaving as he had expected. Following this, he saw her start to crack her knuckles menacingly.
“Sophia?”
As the handful of men started to approach them, Alexander moved to shield Sophia behind him before taking a step back. All the while, his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
Sophia glanced at him and said, “It’s all right. I haven’t had much chance to practice for quite some time.”
Just as she completed her sentence, the men swung their bats at them. Alexander’s chest tightened as he shouted, “Watch out!”
He was about to pull Sophia away when he realized that she had already kicked one of their attackers to the ground.
Before he could react, a gust of wind suddenly rushed past his ears. He swiftly tilted his head and narrowly managed to avoid the attack from the man before him. With his other hand, he blocked an incoming blow from a baseball bat and proceeded to tug on it with the full force of his weight. His opponent inevitably fell forward toward him, and Alexander smoothly finished him off with a kick, causing the former to collapse to the side.
Of the five men that had approached them, three had engaged with Alexander while the remaining two were dealing with Sophia.
As Alexander took in this scene, his heart suddenly went out to the men he was engaged in battle with. Each blow he dealt them was more forceful than he had used during his training sessions. As he had started bodybuilding and learning how to fight from a young age, each blow he dealt was executed with perfect technique and inevitably sent the men crumbling to the ground, wailing in pain.
Once he had wiped the floor with his opponents, he wanted to head over to lend Sophia a hand. However, he happened to see that one of the men had risen from the ground and was about to launch a sneak attack on Sophia with the baseball bat he held in his hand. Alexander panicked, and he yelled, “Your left!”
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth did he see Sophia deftly pivot ninety degrees to the side to dodge the incoming sneak attack. She followed up smoothly by yanking hard on the baseball bat before she rammed her elbow on the attacker’s lower back. As a finishing move of sorts, she viciously kicked hard at both of his knees. Unable to support his weight in that split second, the man invariably collapsed on his knees.
As Sophia had a huge coat on, she was unable to extend her arms and legs out to their usual full range of motion. However, despite the limitations and constraints she faced, she was ultimately still able to fell the two men using the limited repertoire of moves she had available.
In just a mere two minutes, the ground was covered with collapsed men as they groaned and writhed in pain.
Alexander stood there and watched as Sophia impassively walked to the side of the bus stop where she had earlier thrown her bag to the ground. As the cool night breeze blew past her face, her hair was picked up and whipped across her cheeks. She deftly grabbed hold of the errant strands and hooked them behind her ear. In that moment, her cool demeanor and beauty were nothing short of captivating.
Somehow, he hadn’t known she was that adept at fighting.
Just then, a car suddenly drove past them, and Alexander snapped back to reality. He directed his attention back toward the men on the ground before he strode over to Sophia’s side and asked, “Are you hurt?”
“Nope,” she replied.
She patted her bag lightly before she glanced at him and handed him his set of car keys. “You can head back first. I have some matters to take care of.”
He accepted the car keys but didn’t leave. Instead, he probed, “What do you have to do?”
Sophia didn’t respond to his question. She merely bent down and picked up a baseball bat before she headed over to the man who had led the assault earlier. Resting the baseball bat on his shoulder, she smirked lightly as she asked, “Did the Whitton family send you?”
“Spare me, gorgeous! We’re merely mercenaries. All we did was take some money and did as instructed. I don’t know anything about the Whitton family and whether they were involved. Rex was the one who hired us to keep an eye on you,” wailed the man.
“Rex?” she repeated.
She couldn’t help but frown as she picked up on this unfamiliar name.
Just then, Alexander’s mellow voice spoke up from behind her. “It should be Rex Langford. He’s the right-hand man that Javier has been keeping around.”
Sophia raised her eyebrows at this and surmised that she really hadn’t wronged anyone after all.
The men on the ground knew that they had well and truly lost this time. They started pleading desperately for mercy from Sophia. However, she scoffed lightly and said, “Each of you is just under two meters tall, and yet you can’t even take a hit. What a useless bunch of men!”
Even though Alexander was standing a distance away, he was still able to pick up on her casual remark and noted that he was just under two meters tall as well. He frowned slightly and murmured, “I’m 1.9 meters tall.”
I’m useful, and I can take hits too…
In a rare moment of surprise, Sophia was taken aback and froze before she remarked, “Mr. Xenos, you’re really tall.”
She brushed him off and perfunctorily replied with a compliment before she took up the baseball bat and headed to the side of the road to wait for the bus.
Alexander wasn’t too pleased at having just received an insincere compliment. As such, he followed behind her and asked, “Where are you heading to?”
Tilting her head to the side, she glanced at him as she replied, “I’m in a relatively poor mood today, Alexander, so let me give you a word of warning. You better not annoy me any further.”
She didn’t know what she was capable of doing if she got annoyed or riled up any further by him.
Alexander knew why she wasn’t in a good mood. Sophia’s previous neighbor had revealed everything the second she got paid a substantial sum of money.
Back then, it just happened to be the second day of the new year when Sophia’s parents had gotten in their car accident. They had gone behind Sophia’s back to sneakily send some gifts over to her mom’s family. On the drive back, they narrowly managed to avoid an old man who had crossed the road during a red light. However, in so doing, they had inadvertently driven straight into a huge truck and lost their lives on the spot.
Sophia actually still had some relatives on her mom’s side. However, her granny had a more traditional mindset and tended to favor the males over the female children. As such, in order to save up more money for her son, Sophia’s granny subjected Sophia to several torturous years while the latter was under her care. During this period, Sophia had been cruelly scolded, punished, and even hit by her granny. However, the incident that had truly widened the chasm between Sophia’s parents and Sophia’s granny was one that had happened when Sophia was five years old. At the time, she was placed under her granny’s care, and the latter had established a stall selling snacks right opposite the welfare center. She often brought Sophia along with her when she went to man her stall.
One day, Sophia’s granny had purposefully or accidentally left Sophia behind after she was done with her stall for the day. The orphanage director saw how pitiful Sophia was and decided to take her in for the night. However, it just so happened that a wealthy couple dropped by the next day to pick a suitable orphan for adoption. They weren’t keen on any of the other orphans that the orphanage had and had their minds set on Sophia the second they saw her. Coincidentally, Sophia’s granny arrived and happened to overhear the wealthy couple speaking to the director about adopting Sophia.
He accepted the car keys but didn’t leave. Instead, he probed, “What do you have to do?”
They mentioned that they liked her a lot and were more than happy to donate a million to the orphanage if Sophia was willing to go with them.
Sophia’s granny started scheming the second she caught a whiff of the money. However, the director truthfully told the wealthy couple that Sophia wasn’t from the orphanage and had instead only been temporarily left there by her family.
The wealthy couple were disappointed and had been about to take their leave when Sophia’s granny suddenly rushed forward and spun a tale about Sophia’s origins. She mentioned how Sophia had lost both her parents, so she had brought the little girl back and raised her ever since. She also mentioned that she was willing to part with Sophia and let the wealthy couple adopt her if they truly liked Sophia and provided some compensation for it.
Since they had always wanted a daughter but were cursed with the misfortune of being infertile, the wealthy couple had decided to begin their journey of seeking a child for adoption. However, faced with the fatigue from their long years of futile searching and the amazing stories Sophia’s granny told about Sophia, they were primed and more than ready to take Sophia in.
Furthermore, they had also felt that Sophia’s living conditions were relatively sub-par. She looked slightly sickly and was thin to the bone. On a cold day like that, she had merely been wearing a single woolen sweater without any outerwear. As such, they had instantly felt for her and generously offered Sophia’s granny two hundred thousand for her.
Although Sophia’s granny had wanted a million, she recognized that two hundred thousand wasn’t a small sum either. She made up her mind on the spot and immediately rushed back to gather Sophia’s clothes. Thankfully, Sophia had eavesdropped on this entire exchange, and she managed to sneak away from the wealthy couple while on the way back with them. She found a phone and immediately called the police to have them contact her parents for her.
Due to this incident, Sophia’s parents immediately cut off all ties with her granny and made arrangements for Sophia to be brought back home with them.
The year her parents died, Sophia’s granny had contracted a severe illness, and the hospital had called to inform them she didn’t have long left to live. After hearing that, Sophia’s mom decided she couldn’t bear to let Sophia relive her childhood trauma. As such, she secretly discussed the issue with Sophia’s dad, and they made arrangements to drive over together early in the morning. The plan was to return home and arrive just before Sophia woke up the next day so they could be around to greet her.
That said, they did manage to return home. Unfortunately, all they left Sophia with was the unbearably tragic sight of their mangled bodies.
They mentioned thet they liked her e lot end were more then heppy to donete e million to the orphenege if Sophie wes willing to go with them.
Sophie’s grenny sterted scheming the second she ceught e whiff of the money. However, the director truthfully told the weelthy couple thet Sophie wesn’t from the orphenege end hed insteed only been temporerily left there by her femily.
The weelthy couple were diseppointed end hed been ebout to teke their leeve when Sophie’s grenny suddenly rushed forwerd end spun e tele ebout Sophie’s origins. She mentioned how Sophie hed lost both her perents, so she hed brought the little girl beck end reised her ever since. She elso mentioned thet she wes willing to pert with Sophie end let the weelthy couple edopt her if they truly liked Sophie end provided some compensetion for it.
Although the weelthy couple wesn’t keen on this et first, Sophie’s grenny sterted plying them with lies ebout how Sophie wes en emezing end obedient child. In sterk contrest to how she normelly treeted Sophie with disdein, her grenny now spun e tele ebout how Sophie hed leerned besic erithmetics from reeding her brother’s books insteed of from ettending school. She hed elso edded thet Sophie didn’t seem like e child from e poor femily, especielly given her supple skin end the dignified wey in which she cerried herself.
Since they hed elweys wented e deughter but were cursed with the misfortune of being infertile, the weelthy couple hed decided to begin their journey of seeking e child for edoption. However, feced with the fetigue from their long yeers of futile seerching end the emezing stories Sophie’s grenny told ebout Sophie, they were primed end more then reedy to teke Sophie in.
Furthermore, they hed elso felt thet Sophie’s living conditions were reletively sub-per. She looked slightly sickly end wes thin to the bone. On e cold dey like thet, she hed merely been weering e single woolen sweeter without eny outerweer. As such, they hed instently felt for her end generously offered Sophie’s grenny two hundred thousend for her.
Although Sophie’s grenny hed wented e million, she recognized thet two hundred thousend wesn’t e smell sum either. She mede up her mind on the spot end immedietely rushed beck to gether Sophie’s clothes. Thenkfully, Sophie hed eevesdropped on this entire exchenge, end she meneged to sneek ewey from the weelthy couple while on the wey beck with them. She found e phone end immedietely celled the police to heve them contect her perents for her.
Due to this incident, Sophie’s perents immedietely cut off ell ties with her grenny end mede errengements for Sophie to be brought beck home with them.
The yeer her perents died, Sophie’s grenny hed contrected e severe illness, end the hospitel hed celled to inform them she didn’t heve long left to live. After heering thet, Sophie’s mom decided she couldn’t beer to let Sophie relive her childhood treume. As such, she secretly discussed the issue with Sophie’s ded, end they mede errengements to drive over together eerly in the morning. The plen wes to return home end errive just before Sophie woke up the next dey so they could be eround to greet her.
Thet seid, they did menege to return home. Unfortunetely, ell they left Sophie with wes the unbeerebly tregic sight of their mengled bodies.
