Blaise's face darkened, his finger shaking as he pointed at Ethan, yelling in frustration, "Drag this bastard up here... Ah!" The last word turned into a sharp cry of surprise as Ethan swiftly grabbed Blaise's arm and yanked him into the pool.
Splash! The water churned as Mr. Blaise's head sank beneath the surface. Ethan, taking advantage of the moment, grabbed that golden hair and forced his head down. A stream of bubbles surged up as Blaise struggled in vain, unable to break free from the hand pressing down on his head. All he could do was gulp down water, gasping for air.
The two men in black vests who had come with Blaise rushed toward the pool. Before they could even jump in, Ethan yanked Blaise's head out of the water, grabbed him by the throat, and snarled, "Fuck, anyone who dares come down here, I'll choke them out!"
The two bodyguards froze, their eyes wide with indecision. These were the tough guys Blaise had brought from a boxing gym, known for their brutal fighting skills, but when faced with someone like Ethan—someone who exuded a primal ruthlessness and could snap at any moment—they didn't know what to do.
Blaise, struggling to breathe, turned red in the face, his attempts to cough only adding to his misery. He couldn't even beg for mercy, his eyes wide and desperate.
Ethan wasn't intending to kill him, but if he didn't assert his dominance over the two bodyguards, a fight was inevitable. This move was a tactic he had often used back in his reckless fighting days: neutralize the leader first, take the hits, and crush anyone who challenged him.
Harper stood there, stunned. She hadn't expected the quiet guy from earlier to act so decisively. Watching Blaise's eyes roll back, her worry crept in—if something happened to him, things would escalate out of control.
"Big brother, let Blaise go. We can talk about this. You kill him, and you're in serious trouble…" Serena's voice was tight with anxiety. Faced with someone so unpredictable, she had no choice but to plead.
Ethan hadn't intended to really hurt Blaise, but hearing Serena's plea softened his grip just a little.
Blaise took the opportunity to cough violently, finally able to breathe. Just as he did, the two bodyguards seemed to reach some silent agreement. One lunged toward Ethan, aiming to tackle him.
Ethan had been watching them the whole time. As soon as they moved, he quickly dragged Blaise back, letting the two idiots miss him and crash into the pool, disturbing the water and scaring away the fish.
Splash! Splash!
The two bodyguards climbed out of the water, soaking wet, only to meet two solid punches to the face. Thud! Thud! Two clean hits, knocking them senseless, blood pouring from their noses. Before they could recover, two swift kicks landed right where it hurt, making their faces contort in agony.
Ethan had always been about striking first and fast, no rules—just knock them out before they even had a chance to fight back. If it weren't for the water cushioning his blows, those kicks might have done far worse damage. As it stood, these two were in agony, clutching their groins, unable to do anything.
Blaise, still sprawled in the pool, winced as he watched his lackeys suffer. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at not being kicked. He'd been lucky earlier, being choked out by Ethan—anything worse, and he might have been done for. As it was, he could only curse his bad luck for running into a madman like this today.
Harper couldn't help but twitch her lips. She couldn't believe how ruthlessly Ethan fought. He claimed to be a well-behaved student, but his actions proved otherwise. "Violent student" would be a better description. She winced, wondering if those two guys had... well, you know.
Serena, watching the scene, finally relaxed. At least Blaise had survived. A good beating was better than nearly choking to death, after all.
Just then, a group of security guards rushed into the room, armed with batons. The lead guard, a burly man with a thick beard, stepped forward, casually adjusting his cap as he walked toward Serena. He feigned concern, "Nana, are you okay?"
Serena's stage name was Nana. After divorcing her husband two years ago, she'd become a free agent in the world of attraction—an irresistible target for many suitors, including this burly security chief.
Serena shook her head, signaling that she was fine, but still looking concerned. "Get Blaise and his men out of here, check if they're hurt."
The big guy, misunderstanding, nodded toward the two guards holding their groins and the one still sitting in the pool, then pointed at Ethan. "First, get the guy with no shirt up here. Fuck, who the hell does he think he is, causing trouble in Elysian Feast?"
The guards were ready to jump into action, but Blaise, from the pool, shot Ethan a venomous look, silently urging the guards to take him down.
Suddenly, a new voice rang out, louder and more commanding, "Fuck, who the hell dares touch my brother?" Mr. Grant stormed into the room, his face dark, with Mike, sweaty and flustered, following behind him.
Seeing Grant made Ethan breathe a sigh of relief. The other faces in the room, however, shifted, with the would-be attackers now reconsidering their options. After all, taking on someone like Mr. Grant could cost them far more than just a few punches—it could cost them their jobs.
"Big guy, pack it up and get lost," Mr. Grant said, with a cold gesture toward the bearded security chief, sealing his fate with a single sentence.
Grant was the young master of Elysian Feast, and firing a clueless security chief was nothing more than a word from him. The burly guy, flushed with hormones moments ago, had fallen into a trap. He could only nod regretfully, acknowledging that his actions had been a huge mistake.
"Young master, Victor didn't know this was your friend. I take full responsibility. Please, give him another chance…" Serena stepped forward, nervously trying to intercede for the security chief.
She knew she'd messed up by not checking the guest's identity beforehand. She'd been too quick to assume things and sided too much with Blaise. Now, she had inadvertently caused trouble for Victor.
Mr. Grant, also frustrated, had originally invited Ethan here for a relaxing time, but all this chaos had nearly cost him his peace—and almost had him attacked by the bumbling security staff. It was humiliating.
Ethan, hopping up onto the pool's edge, casually said, "Bro, I think we should just let it go. Besides, they didn't actually do anything to me, right?"
Victor, realizing Ethan's kindness, quickly took the opportunity to ease things over. He bowed to Ethan. "Thank you, sir. I was rude earlier. I sincerely apologize."
Serena didn't realize how valuable the position of security chief was in Elysian Feast. Even without much danger, the job paid well—around twenty thousand bucks a month. Where else could you get such easy money?
Ethan nodded. "No problem. But can you get these assholes out of here? They're starting to get on my nerves."