?Chapter 898:


    He pulled out his phone, determined to report the abuse. But before he could press the call button, the same guard who had hit him lunged forward and smacked the phone from his hands. It hit the pavement with a sharp crack and broke.


    “You… You’ve gone too far,” Alec said, seething.


    “You really want to y tough?” one of the guards growled. “Think calling the cops will help you? I’ll beat you to death before they even show up!”


    Without waiting for a response, the two guards punched and kicked Alec, who copsed to the ground, groaning in pain.


    Brenna stood still on the steps, her expression cold as she watched the scene unfold.


    Ethan stood beside her, also watching. He recognized the man being beaten. It was Alec. He also knew Brenna disliked him, but even so, Ethan doubted she would want him to get beaten up like this.


    Without another word, Ethan marched forward, grabbed one of the guards by the cor, andnded a solid punch to the man’s jaw.


    Before the second guard could react, Ethan shoved him back and threw quick punches to his ribs, sending him stumbling. Both guards hit the ground hard, groaning. Stunned, they looked up at Ethan.


    “Who the hell are you?” one of them shouted. “This is none of your business. Why are you meddling?”


    They staggered to their feet, ready to fight Ethan. But then, they took a closer look at his perfectly tailored suit, the kind that cost hundreds of thousands.


    Having worked at the restaurant long enough, they recognized wealth when they saw it. Realizing that Ethan was rich, their attitude quickly shifted, turning respectful.


    The taller guard cleared his throat and said, “Sir, that man was causing trouble earlier. We were just trying to stop him.”


    Ethan scoffed, clearly unimpressed. “Really? And what trouble did he cause?”


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    Brenna walked over and offered Alec a hand, lifting him off the pavement with barely a flicker of concern in her eyes. Her expression was cold.


    Alec looked up and finally realized who hade to his rescue. His feelings rushed to the surface, and tears poured down his cheeks. “Brenna, it’s you! I made such a fool of myself in front of you…” Alec choked out the words, mortified that Brenna had witnessed his humiliation. Memories of all the times he had tormented her shed through his mind. He was sure she thought he deserved every bit of this.


    But underneath his shame, a spark of excitement flickered. L’s mother had been right—ying the victim and showing weakness could earn sympathy. Brenna seemed to be falling for it. Now, he could not help but feel a twisted gratitude toward the two guards who had hit him. If they hadn’t done that, he never would have had the chance to win Brenna’s pity.


    Instead of answering Alec, Brenna turned to the security guards with a cold stare. Her voice was firm. “Tell me, what trouble did he cause? Who gave you the right to drive him away?”


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