Ethan words caught the attention of everyone, as they gazed at him curiously.
Ethan at that moment took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Naomi's. "I am Ethan Winston, a normal university student with a bit of cash."
He began, his voice steady and calm.
"I know everyone must be wondering how I was able to get so much money, however it's not something I love talking about how I got so much money, who knows? Perhaps I won a lottery. A big lottery."
Upon hearing what Ethan just said Naomi and her grandfather stared at Ethan, their eyes wide with shock.
They couldn't believe what they were hearing. A university student winning a large sum of money? It seemed too good to be true because if something like that ever happened they would have announced it on the news and everyone would have been talking about it.
Naomi however was still not convinced.
"How much did you win?"
Naomi's grandfather asked, eyes widened and his voice trembling with excitement because he actually believed Ethan, something tells him that was the reason he was attacked the day he saw him almost dead.
Ethan shrugged, a small smile started playing on his lips he could tell the old man had already bought into it.
"Enough to make a difference in my life"
He replied slowing.
Naomi narrowed her eyes, her suspicion still lingering for some reason she could feel Ethan wasn't saying the truth and everything about him felt so wrong, she still couldn't get how he got himself
Free from her grip for university kid and now he said he won a lottery. She wasn't fully convinced by Ethan's story.
There had to be more to it than just a lucky lottery win.
She wants to say something.
Just then, the door to the restaurant burst open, and a group of men entered.
Immediately Ethan's expression darkened as he recognized them as the thugs from the other day; he couldn't believe they still had the guts to come again.
They swaggered in, their eyes gleaming with malice without being told one could tell they meant business this time around.
Without wasting any more time Ethan instinctively took a step forward, ready to confront the thugs again, but Naomi held out her hand, stopping him.
"Step back."
she warned, her voice low and dangerous.
"This is not something a university student can handle, I'll handle this myself."
The thugs approached their table, sneering at Naomi and totally ignoring Ethan.
"Our boss has a message for you," the leader of the group said, his voice dripping with anger.
"He says you should sell yourself to him. If you do, he'll let this place go and stop coming back for his security fee. but if you refuse..."
He trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air.
At that moment Naomi's eyes flashed with anger. She Slowly walked closer to them, her fists clenched at her sides.
"Say that again!"
she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.
immediately the thug smirked. They couldn't believe she still had the guts to utter nonsense, instead of her to start begging and ran to their boss.
However he opened his mouth to repeat his vile words, but before he could utter a single statement, Naomi's fist connected with his jaw.
"Thud!!"
The impact of the punch made the man stumbled backward, his eyes widened in shock he couldn't believe what just happened.
However before he could regain himself.
Naomi didn't give him a chance to recover.
She launched herself at the group, her fists and feet flying in a blur of motion.
The thugs tried to fight back, but they were no match for Naomi's raw speed and strength.
Ethan watched in amazement as Naomi took down the men one by one. He had never seen anything like it before.
For a lady to move with such speed and precision that was both beautiful and terrifying.
Within minutes, the thugs lay groaning on the floor, their faces bruised and bloodied.
Naomi stood over them, her chest heaving with exertion.
She turned to Ethan, with a triumphant smile on her face, she wanted him to see she's not the kind of lady to mess around with.
And Ethan clearly understands her actions and gaze.
However her victory was short-lived as a loud, booming voice filled the air, coming from outside the restaurant.
Ethan and Naomi both exchanged a worried glance before rushing to the door.
They came Outside only to see a line of cars stretched down the street.
The leader of the gang stood at the front, flanked around by dozens of men armed with cutlasses and other weapons.
Ethan was surprised to see the gang leader he dealt with the other day among the other fighters.
At that moment the realization hit him that the so-called leader the other day was just an errand boy.
"Surrender now, and do what I asked!"
the gang leader shouted, his voice amplified by a megaphone.
"If not You'll pay three times the protection fee for wasting my time, for fighting with my men. and If you refuse, we'll burn this place to the ground immediately!"
Upon hearing the gang leader orders, Naomi's face contorted with rage. She stormed forward, her eyes blazing, without holding back she attacked back.
"Shut your mouth!"
she yelled, her voice been hear across the street.
"You think you're the only one with people? but let me shock you also, I have my own gangs too!"
immediately She pulled out her phone, her fingers started shaking as she dialed a number.
The call connected, but no one answered. She tried again, but this time, the call went straight to voicemail.
A text message popped up on her screen.
Naomi's eyes widened as she read the words.
[Please forgive us and stop calling us already!]
immediately she slapped her forehead in frustration, realizing that her supposed allies had abandoned her.
They knew she meant trouble and didn't want to get involved.
Ethan could see Naomi had hit her limits and he stepped forward, adjusting his sleeves.
"Step back."
he said, his voice calm.
"I'll handle this from here."