CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: I’M EVEN BOLDER

"Crystal Dawson needed to see me about something." I casually lied.

When I finally rushed to The Apex Hotel’s parking lot in the middle of the night, Joel Sutton was already covered in injuries.

Three or four fat guys with big gold chains and cigarettes in their mouths jeered at me when I arrived, "Kid, is this your backup? A woman?"

"Maybe you brought her here to sleep with us to offset your debt?" another one spoke even more crudely.

I walked up to Joel Sutton, helped him up, and saw that the young guy had been beaten black and blue, looking very haggard.

"Miss Hathaway, I’m working here part-time as a valet. I accidentally scratched their car, I said I could pay for it, but they demanded a hundred thousand... I don’t have that much..." Joel Sutton quietly explained the situation to me.

"What kind of car? Let me see." I asked.

Joel Sutton pointed to a spot not too far away, where under the dim light, a white Tiguan was parked.

This?? I couldn’t help but frown, the total worth of this car is just over two hundred thousand, how come a scratch warrants a hundred thousand in compensation? What a nice deal that would be?

"So, girl, have you figured out how to compensate?"

"You’re so skinny, and your chest isn’t even as big as mine, one night wouldn’t be worth it!"

Hearing the fat guys’ filthy language, Joel Sutton unbelievably forced himself to stand up, pointing his bloody fingers at them, "Watch your mouths, or beat me to death..."

I was a bit surprised, are university students these days really that courageous?

I thought he called me here just to hide behind me pitifully, waiting for me to solve his problem.

Joel Sutton’s bravery clearly angered the fat guys, so I stood in front of him, scowling, "Give me three minutes."

With that, I made a phone call.

This is the territory of The Apex Hotel, and Joel Sutton is working part-time here; the hotel staff should have come forward to resolve the situation, but no one from the hotel showed up.

"Oh, calling for backup? Girl, the three of us are well-known figures in City A, ask around, who hasn’t heard of me, Drake? You call ten people, and I’ll call a hundred, believe it?" the fat guy boasted, but I really hadn’t heard of anyone like him.

Just a bunch of lowlifes, I hung up the phone with a smile.

In less than three minutes, the general manager of The Apex Hotel appeared before me, greeting me politely, "Miss Hathaway, what brings you here?"

"My friend is working part-time at your hotel and was beaten up by these fat guys, do you know how to handle this?" I asked calmly.

"What? Someone dared to bully Miss Hathaway’s friend??" The general manager immediately turned to look at those three fat guys, "Just you guys?"

The fat guys seemed a bit stunned. The Apex Hotel is a five-star hotel, one of the largest in City A, and they knew they couldn’t afford to mess with it.

Sometimes power really does come in handy, even the most arrogant person has to bow down.

Just moments ago, the aggressive fat guys, not even knowing my identity, humbly apologized and even compensated Joel Sutton for his medical expenses under the hotel manager’s intimidation.

As the fat guys were preparing to leave dejectedly, I spoke up, "Wait a minute."

Then I turned to Joel Sutton and said, "Go, give each of them a slap."

"Miss Hathaway..." Joel Sutton was stunned, a hint of fear and hesitation in his blood-smeared eyes. Getting some medical fees was already very fortunate; he certainly hadn’t thought about hitting back.

"What are you afraid of?" I grabbed Joel Sutton and took him to the fat guys, "Watch and learn!"

With that, I swung a hard slap across the face of one of the fat guys, and did the same to the other two.

Their eyes burned with rage from the hits, yet they dared not retaliate.

"Scram." My palm was numb, and I impatiently told those lowlifes to leave.

The parking lot quickly returned to calm, and the hotel manager invited me for a cup of tea. I wasn’t interested in having tea with someone unfamiliar in the middle of the night, so I declined.

Joel Sutton seemed completely stunned from the moment I started hitting people, as if he hadn’t come to his senses.

"Let’s go, I’ll take you to the hospital." I naturally took Joel Sutton’s hand and led him out of the parking lot where my car was parked.

"Miss Hathaway, I can go by myself!" Joel Sutton said urgently.

"Don’t talk nonsense." I glared at him on purpose.

On the way to the hospital, I chatted with Joel Sutton and learned that his father had injured his foot a few days ago and was hospitalized, so he wanted to work a few more days before school started to try and gather enough tuition.

He decided to call me for help because he intuitively felt I could assist him.

I suddenly understood why Azure Vaughn gradually fell. When facing insurmountable difficulties, having someone wave their hand and speak a couple of words to clear the clouds and see the moon, who wouldn’t be moved?

Everyone cannot choose their birth, but they can choose to take shortcuts.

After accompanying Joel Sutton to the hospital to treat his injuries, I dragged my exhausted body home; staying up late really is not something I can handle.

Henry Preston was sleeping on his side nearby, and after taking a shower, I lifted the covers and got in, ready for a good night’s sleep.

"Was it fun?" Henry Preston suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.

I had just closed my eyes, but they opened immediately again, "Did I wake you up? Just bear with it a few more days, once your parents leave, this won’t happen again."

"Zoe Hathaway, don’t test my patience." When Henry Preston said something like that, it meant he was in a bad mood.

"What did I do?" I’m as tired as a dog and now I have to play guessing games.

"While my parents are at Maplewood Gardens, you dare to go out and mess around? Are you looking for trouble?" Henry Preston turned over, his eyes filled with anger.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before I suddenly felt guilty, could it be he found out that I didn’t go to see Crystal Dawson?

It makes sense, Henry Preston being so restrained these past couple of days, while I’ve been more daring than he is, rushing out in the middle of the night to support a male college student and then tenderly accompanying him to the hospital.

"Alright, I got it. No posting on social media, no going out to play while your parents are here, I’ll be careful next time." I summarized.

After saying that, I wanted to go meet the Sandman again, but Henry Preston, for some reason, suddenly rolled over and pinned me down, his arms propped up on either side of my head, and the muscles on his arms tensed extremely attractively. Combined with his looks, it was simply a hormonal burst.

I instantly woke up because I felt something wasn’t right pressing against me.

"Henry Preston, were you drugged?" I thought of the time he played a prank on me last time, and the small wave of feelings that had just stirred inside me calmed down, "Did you get a good look at who I am?"

Henry Preston isn’t exactly the abstinent and innocent type, otherwise, could he have scandals flying everywhere?

The anger in his eyes seemed to have changed quality, his slender fingers slowly pushed aside my nightgown strap.