I tried to resist, but it was futile. Even though anger surged through my body, giving me energy, I couldn't do anything. All my strength wasn't even close to enough to cause any damage.
It was almost humiliating how easily Thomas beat me up. I wanted so badly to hit him, to take out all my frustration, but I was simply incapable of it.
"What do you think you're doing?" Then a kick interrupted my pain and saved me.
I barely managed to keep up with what was happening, but I saw a flash of white hair before I fell to the ground and hit my head hard.
My vision blurred for a moment, but I quickly regained sight of the fight happening in front of me.
Dazed from the first blow, Thomas was immediately hit by another kick from Lila, which he barely managed to block at the last second.
"Who are you? Think you can just go around attacking people like that?"
"I'm just doing what you were doing," she said coldly, her expression terrifying.
Thomas charged at her, shouting that he wasn't going to hold back just because she was a girl, but that didn't help him at all, as she easily dodged his punches.
With ease, Lila danced around him, making him lose balance with each exaggerated punch, and with a perfect dodge, she sidestepped his next attack, leaving her foot out so he'd trip.
Ridiculously, without even using her hands, Lila completely humiliated Thomas.
But that wasn't enough for his hot-headedness, as he tried once more to hit her, this time aiming for her back.
Of course, that didn't work. Annoyed, Lila decided to teach him a lesson with brute force. With one hand, she caught his punch, then squeezed his fist so hard he screamed like a little girl.
Finally, she grabbed him by the neck with one hand and lifted him up, applying enough pressure to choke him. For a moment, I was scared she might kill him—her expression was so cold and terrifying, even I trembled a bit in fear.
"Never touch the people I care about again," she glanced at me for a moment, "don't start unnecessary fights, and don't attack people from behind. If I hear about you using violence again, I'll hunt you down no matter where you are."
Her tone was so serious and icy that even people who had nothing to do with the situation seemed to shudder in fear.
Her gaze was cold, soulless. Seeing that, I finally understood what they meant by a killer's stare and bloodlust in novels. And it's something much scarier to witness in person.
Shaking with fear, Thomas pulled out his wallet and handed money to Lila, desperately hoping it would save him. She looked a little surprised, then sighed in disappointment at his weakness. Finally, with a cold look, she said:
"Just get out of my sight and go live your pathetic life." She let him go carelessly, causing him to fall to the ground in terror.
He started shaking right there, and soon a puddle formed beneath him. The unpleasant smell of urine quickly confirmed everyone's suspicions.
All around, I saw cameras and fingers pointing at the scene. I also heard a few laughs at the pathetic display.
In no time, this would hit the internet, and it would be a huge humiliation for someone as proud as Thomas. But as quickly as something goes viral, it gets forgotten, and this event would soon be no different.
However, Thomas would never forget the fear he felt that day or how weak he truly was. This trauma would stick with him for the rest of his life, constantly reminding him of his insignificance.
The money wasn't much, but it would be used to buy Lila a basic phone, at least to call and communicate with each other more easily.
"Are you okay?" Lila quickly came to me, showing genuine concern.
Still with a headache, I accepted her help to stand up, then asked why she was at the mall.
As she later explained, she was normally cleaning the house when she suddenly felt my deep anxiety. Since she was bonded to me as my servant, she had a natural ability to sense how and where I was or something like that.
The point was that after feeling my spike of anxiety, she dropped everything and came as quickly as possible. By coincidence, she arrived just in time to give Thomas a good lesson.
As for me, after taking such a beating, I realized I needed to learn how to fight. Luckily, I had Lila as someone who could teach me a lot about that, since she was a natural-born fighter.
After dealing with that jerk, there was still another challenge.
"Do you two know each other?" Eva tried to hide it, but her jealousy was clear in her gaze.
Now, how was I supposed to explain our relationship? That was a tough question, but I chose to tell the truth, at least partly:
"Well, she's a close friend, and she lives with me since rent's expensive. She's the roommate I mentioned." I scratched my neck awkwardly, waiting for her reaction.
"Yes, I guess you could call me that," Lila casually commented.
Eva's expression became even more filled with jealousy after that comment, which was expected.
"You really live together, like, a guy and a girl?" She asked shyly, then turned to Lila. "Are you sure you're okay living with a pervert like this guy?"
"Yeah, I'm not worried about that. In fact, I even kind of…" I elbowed her to stop her from talking.
For now, I wanted to keep Eva in a good mood. I decided I'd only ask her out officially, as my second girlfriend, after at least resolving things with her parents and once everything was settled.
Seeing Eva still suspicious, Lila's maternal instincts kicked in, and she smiled, reaching out her hand.
"I'm Lila. Nice to meet you! You must be Eva, right?" She flashed a big smile. "I've heard so much about you at home, and I must say, you're even cuter than I imagined."
Eva, who was weak to compliments, softened a bit at that. After a few more minutes of chatting, she was practically purring and asking for affection.
It got too late to continue the date, but at least I managed to achieve a lot.
Lila and Eva got along, at least for now, and I got my revenge on Thomas, leaving me with a sweet taste of victory. Overall, it had been a great day.
Back home, I had a lot of work to do, editing Eva's video, Amber's, studying other things.
As soon as I arrived, I saw a message from Isabel, and we exchanged a few words.
She told me she had her salon at home, and I asked some questions, and she explained more about her business. She didn't have much free time, and she did it more as a hobby. The work barely paid for itself, and since her goal wasn't profit, she only served clients she liked.
Coincidentally, that week she was super busy because a very special client needed her every day. Apparently, it was a very vain woman who wanted her makeup, hair, and more touched up daily.
I wasn't too concerned, but after Isabel criticized my style via text and said she'd have to teach me how to look presentable, I felt more inclined to pay attention to fashion. I didn't want to get another scolding like that. Plus, looking better wasn't a bad thing at all.
We wrapped up with some random talk about butterflies, which started when I complimented her butterfly-shaped earrings.
Another person who contacted me was Vanessa, but she was more formal and straight to the point. She thanked me again, told me the police confirmed the fraud, and said she'd like to see me again sometime.
I tried to keep the conversation going, but without much success, and it pretty much ended there.
Also, excited about the new microphone, Eva sent me several audio tests and messages. She seemed very happy with the gift, which made me happy too.
After such a tiring day, I spent some time relaxing with my beloved Lila before going to sleep.