Chapter 6: You're Mine Now

Drew and his two buddies rushed in like they meant to tear the place apart. Terrance Lyson did not even bother lifting his eyelids. His right hand shot out. He clamped Drew by the head and slammed him down into the table. "Bang!" Drew's whole face hit the tabletop hard. Blood blasted from his nose, and a few front teeth popped loose, skittering across the surface and leaving ugly little dents behind. Terrance did not spare him a glance. He swung backhanded twice at the other two. "Smack! Smack!" The two punks flew sideways like kites with their strings cut, crashed to the floor, and stayed there, groaning and twitching, unable to get up. "Y-you… you dare hit us?" Drew clutched his streaming nose and shouted through a mouth full of blood. "Do you even know who our boss is?" Terrance sat back down like nothing happened and kept picking at his bowl of pork-rib rice. "Why would I care who your boss is?" He shoved a rib into his mouth and chewed. "Interrupt my meal again, and you'll be drinking everything through a straw for the rest of your life." The three punks hauled each other upright, faces twisted with venom. "Ryan won't let this go! If you've got the guts, don't run!" One of them pulled out a phone and started calling for backup. Terrance could not have looked less interested. He focused on the last few ribs in his bowl like they were the only thing in the world that mattered. The shop owner stood off to the side with both hands over her mouth, eyes wide and unblinking, stunned into silence. It took her a long moment to snap out of it. She hurried over and grabbed Terrance's sleeve. "Hey, kid, you have to go! Ryan is the local bully. He's got dozens of guys under him! You beat his people up. When he comes, you're going to be in serious trouble!" Terrance stared at his empty bowl and asked with complete sincerity, "Ma'am, does extra rice cost extra?" "…" She stamped her foot in frustration. How was he not panicking? "Y-you're really not scared?" Terrance's eyes curved as he looked her over. "If I leave, what happens to you?" He wiped his mouth. "My master taught me that if you watch someone die and do nothing, lightning will strike you. And besides…" His gaze lingered a beat. "It'd be a shame to abandon such a pretty owner." She did not know whether to laugh or cry, but warmth rose in her chest anyway. Without another word, she took his bowl, turned, and went into the kitchen. When she came back, she set down a heaping bowl of rice. "This one's on me." Terrance accepted it and dug in like he had been starving. Watching him, she let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this." Terrance flicked his eyes toward the door, where the three punks were still whining and clutching their faces. "They come here a lot?" She fell quiet. When she spoke again, her eyes were faintly red. "It's because I offended Josiah Lapwood." She bit her lip. "If I could have children, it wouldn't have… it wouldn't have gotten this far." "When Josiah Lapwood chased after me back then, I told him from the start I couldn't get pregnant. He said he didn't care, but right before the engagement, he insisted on…" Her voice dwindled. "My family was strict. I held my ground. I wanted to wait until after we were married, and then…" Her eyes glistened, her voice catching. "On the day of the engagement banquet, he humiliated me in front of everyone. He called me a hen that couldn't lay eggs. I couldn't lift my head in front of my relatives and friends. He became a joke in Tenos, too. And just like that, the marriage was off." Terrance's brows drew together. "I'm a doctor. Want me to take a look?" She froze, then let out a bitter laugh. "Kid, I've seen so many famous doctors. None of them helped. If you're trying to cop a feel, just say it." She gathered her hair with a self-mocking gesture. "It's not like I have anything left to be precious about. If a handsome young guy like you is interested, at least it means I've still got something going for me, right?" Terrance chuckled under his breath. "No wonder my master said it. Young girls are easy. Give them a candy and they'll follow you. Mature women are harder. Sometimes you can't even buy them with money." As he spoke, he suddenly caught her wrist. Strangely, she did not pull away. A moment later, Terrance released her. "Severe cold in the womb. Blocked fallopian tubes. That's why you can't conceive." "You… you can really diagnose?" Her eyes went wide. "Just from taking my pulse?" Terrance lifted his chin, pleased with himself. "I'm Skilled Hands. There isn't a disease in this world I can't cure." Then he smiled, slow and meaningful. "What surprised me more was this. You're still untouched. That's a pleasant shock." Color crept into her cheeks, but excitement flashed through her eyes. "If you can really cure me, I'll agree to any condition you want." She bit her lip and gave a small, pained smile. "I've thought it through over the years. Who even cares about that sort of thing anymore? I kept myself 'pure,' and I still can't have a child. It's ridiculous." Terrance's eyes lit up. "Really? Then you'll have to be second. The spot for the first wife is already taken." "You already have a fiancée?" she asked, startled. "Yeah. The kind decided before we were even born." Terrance thought of Joy Lashbrook's cold, stunning face, and the corner of his mouth tugged up without him meaning to. Seeing his expression, she could not help teasing him. "Look at you, grinning like that. She must be a real beauty." "Obviously." Terrance puffed out his chest. "My standards are high." He sobered. "I can treat you, for real. Do you have somewhere quiet? I'll do a few acupuncture needles…" He did not get to finish. The shop door was kicked open with a violent crash. A bald man with a face full of thick meat stormed in with more than twenty thugs behind him. The owner's face drained of color. "L-Liu Bao…" Terrance rose without hurry and pulled her behind him. "Don't be scared. You're mine now." He narrowed his eyes at the newcomers, his voice turning razor-cold. "Anyone who touches you will regret ever being born." Behind him, the owner stared at his broad back. Warmth surged through her chest. Ever since that farce of an engagement banquet three years ago, it had been a long time since she had felt what it was like to be protected. Terrance strode up to Ryan Lapwood and tilted his head, studying the bald brute's thick face. "Ryan, right? You came to make a scene?" Ryan Lapwood stepped forward with a vicious grin, flipping a steel pipe in his hand. "Kid, I heard you're pretty damn arrogant. You're the one protecting that trashy woman and beating up my brothers?" His men raised their weapons one after another, surrounding the small shop from every side. Terrance's mouth curved into something dangerous. The next second, his figure flickered like a ghost. He appeared in front of Ryan Lapwood before anyone could react. "Smack!" A thunderous slap exploded. Ryan Lapwood's heavy body flew like a torn sack. Three bloody teeth arced through the air. "Bang!" He slammed into the ground so hard the floor trembled. "K-kill him!" Ryan Lapwood clutched his swelling left cheek, screaming like a madman. More than twenty thugs surged forward at once. Steel pipes and machetes flashed under the lights, cold and sharp. Terrance moved through them as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. Every punch and every kick landed cleanly on something vital. "That's it?" Terrance scoffed, sending the last thug still standing flying with a single kick. "Go home and train before you come looking for trouble!" In under five minutes, more than twenty men lay sprawled across the floor, wailing in agony. The owner stood rooted in place, lips parted, eyes shining with shock. That skill… it was even more terrifying than the fight stars in action movies. She stared at the figure standing amid the fallen thugs. He wore a tacky plaid shirt, yet in her eyes he looked brighter than any knight. Could it be… that heaven had truly sent someone to save her?