Chapter 88: He Saved Her
Ethan Grant was practically radiating malice.
Watching him, Vivian Lowell felt a flicker of fear, but she didn’t panic. Instead, she took the opportunity to pull a stun gun from her purse.
She had come prepared.
’If Ethan Grant dares to attack me, I...’
Just as Vivian was about to act, a Maybach came speeding down the street and screeched to a halt right beside her.
Vivian froze.
Thinking it was just a passerby, she instinctively cried for help, "Sir, he’s insane! Please, call the police!"
Vivian didn’t even have time to see who was in the car. The stun gun was already in her hand.
’I have to fight back!’
But just as Vivian was about to move, Ethan Grant lunged at her like a wild animal.
"Get lost!"
A sudden gust of wind rushed past her. Before Vivian could even raise her stun gun, a fist shot out from behind her, connecting squarely with Ethan Grant’s cheek.
!?
Ethan Grant, who clearly hadn’t expected anyone to dare strike him, staggered back in a daze. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, another fist slammed into his head.
Julian Faulkner’s expression was ice-cold.
He stared daggers at Ethan Grant, kicked him to the ground, then pinned him and landed several more brutal punches.
Ethan Grant was beaten until his scalp tingled and his vision blurred. Seeing the blood on Ethan’s face, Vivian finally grabbed Julian’s arm. "Julian, you..."
"How did you get here? That’s enough. If you keep hitting him, you’ll kill him. Then you’ll be the one in trouble. He’s not worth it."
Julian’s face was slightly flushed from the exertion.
Vivian could tell he was furious, but thankfully, her words seemed to break through. He stopped and began to calm down.
He lowered his fists, turning back to look at Vivian. "How about you? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine."
Vivian shook her head. "Did you come alone? Where’s Vance Wyatt? Should we call the police first? We need to deal with Ethan Grant."
"Yeah."
Julian nodded, then stepped aside and took out his phone to make a call.
Vivian walked over to Ethan Grant and crouched down, looking at his bloodied face.
...
’I can’t believe it,’ she thought. ’He was so ferocious when he came after me, but a few punches from Julian and he just crumpled. What a lightweight.’
"Ethan Grant? Ethan?"
Vivian prodded Ethan’s head with her stun gun, wanting to see if Julian had actually killed him.
At her call, Ethan actually seemed to react, letting out a pained groan.
!?
Hearing Ethan’s groan, Vivian couldn’t tell if it was a conditioned reflex or something else, but she instinctively activated the stun gun and gave him a jolt.
With that, Ethan couldn’t even manage a whimper.
He twitched once, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.
"Oops." Vivian gave Ethan a small smile and said, "Sorry about that. I really didn’t mean to. But why weren’t you passed out already?"
"You’re a real piece of scum, you know? It’s still pretty scary when you show any signs of consciousness! So it’s much better if you’re just completely out."
After speaking, Vivian prodded him with the stun gun again. Seeing no reaction this time, she finally relaxed a little.
"What are you doing?"
Just as Vivian was still crouched on the ground, carefully observing Ethan Grant, Julian returned.
"Huh?"
Vivian looked up at Julian, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, nothing. I just saw he was still conscious, so I delivered the finishing blow, that’s all."
...
Julian’s expression had been grim.
This afternoon, after a meeting, he had texted Vivian. He’d wanted to pick her up and take her home, but she said she was meeting a friend.
Julian had assumed she meant the young woman she had met with earlier.
He’d had Vance Wyatt look into it afterward and learned her name was Leo, a former colleague of Vivian’s at the Lowell Group.
Now that the Lowell Group was in trouble, Leo’s departure left the company in an even bigger mess. That move, undoubtedly, was very beneficial for Vivian.
Because of this, Julian’s impression of Leo had improved.
With that in mind, he had returned to his office, planning to organize some files and see who would be good business partners for Vivian’s company.
It was upon returning to the office that Julian discovered Leo was still there.
’Why is she still here?’
Julian wondered aloud. Vance Wyatt didn’t understand the question’s significance, but he went to ask anyway. He came back with the news that it wasn’t Leo who had dinner plans with Vivian tonight.
’If not Leo, then who?’
Julian’s first thought was Eleanor Rhodes.
But then he remembered, ’Eleanor Rhodes is still in the hospital. She definitely couldn’t be having dinner with Vivian.’ It had to be someone else.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Julian decided to linger at the office and wait for Vivian to message him back.
His unease grew, so he’d decided to drive out. That’s when he happened upon the scene.
He was so grateful.
Grateful that his unease had driven him to come out, allowing him to save Vivian.
Now, watching Vivian crouched on the ground, Julian felt a sense of relief. She didn’t seem frightened at all; in fact, she was casually talking about "finishing blows."
"Well, thank you for helping me with the finishing blow."
Julian said this with a perfectly straight face, then took off his suit jacket and used its sleeves to bind Ethan Grant’s hands, tying them to a nearby utility pole.
Vivian glanced back at Ethan Grant. "Are we just going to leave him here like this?"
"Vance Wyatt is coming to handle it. He’s already called the police, so everything will be taken care of."
After saying this, Julian spoke to Vivian in a gentle voice, "It’s late, and you must be tired. Let’s go home now, okay?"
"Okay."
Vivian nodded. As she turned, she glanced at the ride-share driver who had been knocked out by Ethan—the well-meaning man who had tried to call the police.
Sigh.
’The ride-share driver just had rotten luck.’
’I should probably compensate him for his trouble afterward,’ Vivian thought.
"Vance Wyatt will take care of it."
Julian said from behind her. With a gentle pull, he guided her toward the car. Vivian took one last look at the trussed-up Ethan Grant before getting in with Julian.
Watching Ethan’s form shrink in the rearview mirror, Vivian suddenly laughed. "You know, seeing Ethan like that, he looks kind of familiar."
"He looks just like one of those guard dogs you see in the countryside, tied up by the front gate!"
"Sigh. But what a shame. The mutts in the countryside are usually very loyal and well-behaved. Calling Ethan a dog is kind of an insult to dogs."
"Don’t you agree, Julian?"