Chapter 6 Man Who Fights

At that moment, Hazel, who was lying in bed, suddenly opened her eyes. Marcus was taken aback. Wasn't it said that the sedative was administered? Wasn't it said that she would sleep for two hours? How could she be awake now? “Little beauty, why... why are you awake?” A playful and mischievous sparkle shone in Hazel's bright eyes. “If I hadn't woken up, how could I have witnessed such an entertaining spectacle?” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. “You...” Hazel casually extended her hand, and at once, Marcus was engulfed by an unusual fragrance. Almost instantly, his body gave way, collapsing directly onto the carpet. His hands and feet were bound with hemp ropes, leaving him unable to exert any strength. All he could do was look fearfully at Hazel, who was smiling radiantly at him at that moment. “L-Little beauty,” he stammered, “whatever game you want to play, why don't you untie me first, then we can have a good time.” Hazel, with her finely arched eyebrows, displayed the picture of innocence, utterly. “Mr. King,” she asked, “can you tell what this is?” Upon seeing, Marcus noticed that Hazel had an extra two pieces of meat on the bone in her hand. “What... What are you doing with those meat bones?” “Oh, Mr. King, didn't Julia tell you? The Sullivan family has a large, ferocious wolfhound. It's particularly fond of meat and bones.” Marcus was nothing but a lecher. He had been lusting after Hazel for a long time. A penniless, powerless young girl was sold off by her own father to that peculiar family, where her husband was a man on his deathbed. A girl like this... Wasn't she just someone he could toy with whenever he wished? However, as Marcus looked at Hazel now, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He shivered uncontrollably. “What... What exactly do you want?” Hazel's hand slid down, then she stuffed two pieces of meat into Marcus' underwear. “Mr. King, the game is about to start. In a moment, a large dog will be coming in. You better be careful and make sure it doesn't bite the wrong place, or it might just take a chunk out of your manhood.” “No, little beauty... Ma'am, I was wrong. Please let me go... This is too cruel. It's not a joke. It can cost someone's life...” Marcus was terrified, drenched in cold sweat. If he could, he would have knelt before Hazel. “Am I vicious?” Hazel tilted her head, pretending to ponder for a moment. Then, she walked over and opened the door to the room. The large wolfhound, lured by the scent of meat, bounded in immediately. “Ah!” Marcus cried out in distress repeatedly. Julia was downstairs, waiting for good news. Suddenly, the door of the room upstairs burst open, and there was Marcus, holding his trousers, running down in a state of utter disarray. Julia was taken aback. “Mr. King, what happened to you?” Marcus was terrified to his core, tears streaming down his face. He threw the bone he was holding fiercely at Julia, his face twisted in fury. “Julia, this is all your doing. I'm not done with you!” Marcus ran off, filled with resentment and fear. What's going on? Julia quickly ascended the stairs and entered the room. Inside the room, Hazel was leisurely sipping her coffee while seated in a chair. As she looked up, her clear and bright eyes landed on Julia's shocked face. “Aunt Julia, you've arrived?” Hazel had been waiting for her all along. Julia was taken aback. She knew her scheme had been exposed. However, how could this be? Hazel had consumed the drugged broth right in front of her. Where did things go wrong? “Hazel, you knew there was something wrong with that broth all along, didn't you? You fell for it on purpose!” Julia said angrily. She should have known not to underestimate this stepdaughter of hers. Hazel curled her lips into a cold smirk. “I was curious to see just how low you could stoop, and you sure didn't disappoint me.” With a huff, Julia's facade crumbled, her eyes flashing with malicious intent. “Earlier, Mr. King stormed out in a huff. Now, I'm going to throw you onto his bed as an apology! Guards, come over!” “Yes, Mrs. Sullivan.” A group of five or six burly bodyguards clad in black swiftly arrived. “Hazel, these bodyguards were hired by me at a high price. Do you think you can defeat them?” Hazel's gaze suddenly turned frosty. She had been waiting here all along. What was there to fear? “Get her! Capture her for me!” Upon Julia's command, a bodyguard swiftly appeared before Hazel, reaching out to grab her. Silently, Hazel's hand found its way to her own waist... However, in the next instant, a clearly defined, large hand reached out, effortlessly gripping the wrist of the bodyguard and gently twisting it. With a resounding snap, the bodyguard's hand was twisted and broken. Subsequently, the bodyguard with the severed hand was thrust backward by a chilling force, causing several bodyguards to instantly tumble onto the ground. Hazel quickly looked up, her gaze meeting with a tall, striking figure. It was Zachary who had arrived. “How did you get here?” Hazel asked in surprise. Zachary seemed emotionally unaffected, his voice deep and magnetic. “It appears I've missed quite a spectacle.” Julia never expected someone to barge into Sullivan Manor so abruptly. She studied the man standing next to Hazel, a tall and striking figure clad in a white shirt and black pants. He was excessively handsome, and his swift, sharp action earlier was hard to forget. Despite this, a sense of aloofness and cool indifference, almost akin to restraint, was hard to miss about him. Julia was well-acquainted with the upper echelons of Maritown, yet she had never encountered this individual before. Just a moment ago, Sage had mentioned to her that Hazel had taken in a pretty boy. Could it be him? “Hazel, is this the pretty boy you've been keeping?” Pretty boy? When Zachary heard those words, his sharp brows furrowed slightly, seemingly a bit displeased. He looked at Hazel. “Pretty boy... Did you tell her that?” Hazel stood straight. With a casual wave of her hand, she protested, “I'm being wronged. I didn't say anything at all.” Julia was growing impatient. “What are you all waiting for?” she snapped, “Can't you even handle one pretty boy? Get on with it.” The bodyguards were eager to step forward, but Zachary merely flicked his eyelids, looking down upon them with a subtle glance. “You want to fight me?” The bodyguards felt their hearts pound, and one by one, they hastily fled. Zachary looked at Hazel. “Are you still staying here for dinner? Let's go.” “Oh, all right.” Hazel quickly followed behind Zachary. Julia was trembling with anger, she had never seen such an audacious pretty boy before. She couldn't fathom where Hazel found such an intimidating yet handsome pretty boy. D*mn it! I've truly underestimated Hazel today. Dealing with her is indeed no easy task. The bodyguards she had hired at a high salary had all fled, leaving Julia with no choice but to watch them leave helplessly. Before leaving, Hazel left her with a warning. “I won't forget what happened today. Julia, your future days are going to be tough.” Inside the luxury car, Hazel watched the man beside her. His expression was focused, his demeanor elegant and distinguished. Surprisingly, there was no trace of the fight he had just been in. At that moment, Zachary glanced over. “What would you have done if I hadn't gone?” Hazel curved her lips. “I'll fight. I can do that too. If you hadn't shown up, I could've handled them myself.” Zachary recalled her background. At nine years old, she was left in the countryside, ostracized and bullied by all the other children. He suspected that her stepmother might have orchestrated these hardships. Her fighting skills were likely honed during that time, coupled with her medical expertise. Even when she was held at gunpoint, she remained calm and composed, likely due to her prowess in combat. Naturally, these bodyguards posed no problem for her. “You're amazing, but I hope that in the future, you can leave such matters to me.” “I don't like relying on others, but Mr. Luellen, I really want to thank you for what you did just now.” Looking into her sincere eyes as she expressed her gratitude, Zachary quirked an eyebrow. “Is that how you express your gratitude?” Hazel was taken aback. “So, how do you want me to do it?” Zachary's gaze fell from her clear, bright eyes to her red lips. He pointed to his own lips. “A hero should be entitled to a kiss, don't you think?”