As the man lowered his head, Ivy Holden suddenly made her move, smashing her purse violently into his face.
The purse wasn't from any major designer brand, but it was a new, fashion-forward style, adorned with a full twenty-four brass studs and an oddly-shaped metal charm.
The man with the camera had the misfortune of being hit right in the eye. He cried out in pain, clutching his face and screaming, "AHH—MY EYE!"
It all happened too fast. The three men had thought Ivy Holden was a helpless lamb served up on a platter, never expecting she was a deadly viper in disguise.
The other two men immediately abandoned the girl whose mouth was taped shut and lunged at Ivy Holden together.
Ivy Holden used her purse as a weapon, swinging it wildly left and right at the two men's faces while shouting to the other girl, "Quick, run!"
Once her hands were free, the girl immediately tore the tape from her mouth, scooped up her phone from the ground, and sneered, "Run? Hell no, I'm not running. I'm gonna make sure these three bastards can never be men again for the rest of their lives."
"..." Ivy Holden had no time to argue with the foolish girl, because one of the men had just wrenched her purse from her grasp.
Without her purse as a weapon, Ivy was immediately at a disadvantage. She fiercely regretted not taking her self-defense classes more seriously. 'How am I supposed to fend off two huge men with my half-baked skills?' But her opponent gave her no time to catch her breath. A large foot suddenly shot out toward her stomach.
Ivy cursed inwardly. On pure instinct, her body tilted to one side, narrowly dodging the blow. She then spun around and landed a flying kick right in her attacker's face.
"Nice!" The young girl beside her gave Ivy a thumbs-up.
'Fucking idiot,' Ivy cursed internally. 'This is the time to run, what is she waiting for?'
"Fuck!" the man she'd kicked swore, swinging a fist at Ivy.
Ivy had just dodged a punch from the other man, but she saw there was no way to avoid this one and braced herself for the blow.
A muffled grunt sounded, but the pain she expected never came. Looking up, her eyes met Jensen Morrison's infuriatingly handsome face.
"What are you doing here?" Ivy asked, lashing out with a kick to the side.
"Less talk, more fighting!" Jensen said. He spun around to stand back-to-back with Ivy and sent a left hook that knocked out one of his opponent's molars.
"Nobody fucking move!" Suddenly, a crowd of people swarmed in and surrounded them.
The man opposite Ivy froze for an instant, and she seized the opportunity to punch him in the face. Ivy put every ounce of her strength into it, but it only made the large man stagger. The next moment, a gleaming dagger was pressed to his throat. "Don't fucking move. One more move and it's lights out."
"Miss, are you all right?" A middle-aged man in a black leather jacket and a handlebar mustache walked up to the chaos-loving young woman, his face a mask of exasperation and resignation. "You just had to shake your bodyguards, didn't you? Was it fun, running off on your own to stir up trouble?"
The girl pushed the man aside, walked over, and clapped Ivy Holden on the shoulder with a grin. "My name's Tanya Thorne. What's yours?"
"Ivy Holden." A subtle smile touched Ivy's lips. 'Tanya Thorne, the precious daughter of the city's top dog, Zachary Thorne. Looks like this little adventure was worth it after all.'
"Ivy, it's great to meet you." Tanya forcefully pulled Ivy into a friendly hug. "Thanks for saving me tonight."
"It was just a coincidence." Ivy smiled faintly, her eyes as calm as still water. 'Her mind was now mostly filled with cold calculations of profit and loss, a stark contrast to the fiery, passionate girl before her.'
"And you—" Tanya turned to Jensen Morrison, her face full of glee. "Oh my, look at that. Our national heartthrob got his face all messed up! Whatever shall we do?"
Seeing Tanya's teasing expression, Ivy was secretly surprised. 'They seem to know each other really well.'
Exuding his usual cold, unapproachable aura, Jensen Morrison wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'd appreciate it if Miss Thorne would find a more secluded spot the next time she feels like playing with fire. It would save innocent people from getting dragged into it."
The man with the handlebar mustache quickly took two steps forward. "Director Morrison, rest assured. Mr. Thorne will give you a satisfactory explanation for this incident."
"Thank you. Just have him make sure this stays out of the news. The last thing I need is to make headlines over something like this." With that, Jensen pulled Ivy away.
"Ivy, let's grab a drink sometime!" Tanya shouted after her.
Ivy looked back and smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing.
"Let's go!" Jensen said, pulling Ivy along and quickening his pace.
Once again, Ivy found herself being shoved into a car by Jensen Morrison. She watched as he, his face an icy mask, walked around to the driver's side, started the engine, and slammed his foot on the accelerator. Feeling the powerful force pinning her to the seat and a wave of dizziness, Ivy silently pulled the seatbelt across her lap and buckled it.
Jensen drove in silence to a high-security residential complex. After he pulled into the underground garage and parked, he finally spoke. "Get out."
Ivy looked around and frowned. "What is this place? Why did you bring me here?"
"Let's go upstairs first," Jensen said, his expression aloof. He clearly had no intention of elaborating.
Ivy looked at the corner of his mouth, already starting to bruise, and her heart softened. She silently got out of the car and followed him.
Once they were in the elevator, Jensen pressed the button for the top floor, 26. Watching the numbers climb, Ivy couldn't help but ask, "Is this your apartment?"
"I stay here occasionally," he replied coldly.
The elevator doors slid open on the top floor. Ivy glanced at her phone. "It's getting late, I should head back. It's my grandfather's birthday tomorrow, and I can't miss it."
Jensen scoffed. "Ivy Holden, what are you afraid of?"
At his words, Ivy smiled too, raising an eyebrow. "What do I have to be afraid of?"
"If you're not afraid, then why are you in such a rush to leave now that we're at the door? I took a punch for you. Don't you think you should help me clean it up?"
Ivy looked at Jensen's devastatingly handsome face and nodded. "Fine. I'll help you with the wound."
After exiting the elevator, Ivy saw that the floor had a two-unit layout. Jensen turned left, unlocked a door with a keypad, and then looked back at her.