FIST FIGHTS

NICCOLO

''Lucy? Oh God!'' Ria's honey brown widened in realization. ''You are going to track back to the accident she got into? But she said that it was ruled out as an accident. How will you find anything?''

''You can find anything if you have enough money and power. Now why don't you leave it to me and stop spying?'' I said, trying to ignore how close we are.

I can clearly see the finger prints on her jaw turning into a nasty bruise and the cut on her lip with dried blood. I clenched my jaw and looked into her eyes. They seem to be calculating something.

''Oh, I will. When you say what you are hiding or should I say who? Who is that Moretti that ordered the accident to happen? You may not know the reason, but you do know that person. After all, he is family. Right?''

The air crackled with tension as her piercing gaze bore into mine. I can tell her who that person is, but it isn't my decision alone. So I tried to dodge her question for now.

''I'll tell you soon when I gather enough information. In the mean time, I want you to stay low. Maybe stay here in NewView, in my penthouse. I don't usually use it.''

She looked at me in disbelief. ''Why in the hell would I do that? I have no reason to stay here anymore''

I shrugged. ''You don't have to, but if what Lucy said is true and she has a target on her back, then you are not safe either, considering the fact that you met and discussed how-to-bring-down-the-mafia with her. Not to forget, your sister is the one who found something about them and if they even think you know anything, you'll be as good as dead.'' Half of this is bullshit. But the remaining half? I don't want to take that chance. For some reason, I don't want her to get hurt. Maybe it's guilt. I don't know.

Her face paled. ''You are kidding, right?''

It's funny how comical her face looks right now. I suppressed my smirk and shook my head. ''No, we don't know what the situation is right now. Now that I have found a string, I'll pull it and, since we don't know who we are going to unnerve, we need to be extra careful for a few days.''

''Huh! If I need to be careful of anyone right now, it's from you! I got assaulted by your bodyguard twice. I don't even want to imagine what I'll have to endure if I stay here.'' she spat out each word with venom.

Those words hung in the air. My face tightened momentarily, betraying a flicker of emotion before I composed myself. The truth in her statement was like a dagger twisting deeper into me.

I took a step forward, closing the distance between us. The intensity of our proximity has not gone unnoticed. ''That was a misunderstanding. I promise you'll never see him again. You can stay here and enjoy all the privileges NewView has to offer. Consider this as an apology for how you got treated before. I know this will never make up for what you had to go through before. But this will be the start.''

I could feel her breast brush against me, as Ria struggled to maintain her composure. I can see the push and pull of emotions within her, torn between anger and uncertainty.

Our eyes locked, a silent understanding passed between us.

''Fine!'' She hissed and stormed into one of the rooms.

I took my phone out and called my assistant, Eric. I told him to call a doctor for Ria and to bring me the CCTV footage of the mall, near the parking lot and the area around it. It is where I saw Ria that day and asked one of my guards to get rid of her. Looks like me and my bodyguard need to have a few words.

———–

I sat behind my desk and my eyes blazed with fury as I watched the CCTV footage.

When Ria said she was assaulted twice by my bodyguard, I guessed the 1st one happened in the mall and I was right.

That day, I remember seeing her trying to take pictures of me. It has happened a few times before too. So, I thought to scare her off this time and asked my guard to get rid of her.

I came to know her existence while I was doing a background check on her father, when I decided to buy his company. Her sister was already trailing me and my family at that time.

In the 1st footage, Ria crouched behind the bushes, holding her camera tightly. I'm telling my bodyguard to get rid of her. Ria peered through the foliage and saw the guard approaching her. She panicked and turned to flee. But before she could make her escape, the guard clamped down on her shoulder, bringing her to an abrupt halt.

She struggled against the guard's iron grip, but his strength was overpowering. He said something to her, his face contorted with anger, and led Ria to a secluded area near the parking lot.

In the 2nd video, without warning, the guard forcefully grabbed the camera from her hands and flung it to the ground. The impact shattered the device. The guard slapped her hard, making her fall on the ground and started to kick her.

Somehow, Ria managed to free herself from the guard's grip, took her camera, stumbling backward as he momentarily lost balance. Seizing the opportunity, Ria sprinted towards the nearest exit, into the parking lot.

I had to take a few deep breaths to control my anger. When I said to get rid of her, I merely wanted Ria removed from the premises, not subjected to such a violent and degrading assault. My reputation may have been built on fear and intimidation, but I had always prided myself on a certain level of control.

I called my security head and asked him to summon the guards in my office, knowing the particular one that I needed is still on duty.

My office in NewView is one floor below my penthouse. It's big and spacious, enough to fit the eight, 6ft plus giant guards. Tension hung heavy in the air as the guards formed a circle around me. Eric was also present after he escorted the doctor out. He said that Ria didn't accept the treatment peacefully. No surprise there.

My gaze swept across the assembled guards, each of them standing rigidly, waiting for instructions. "I will not tolerate unnecessary violence. I despise those who flaunt their brutal power in front of the weak, rather than facing someone of their own strength."

My eyes narrowed, fixed on one particular guard who had assaulted Ria. The guard shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, his confidence waning in the face of my ire.

My fist shot forward, colliding with the guard's jaw. The force of the blow sent the guard stumbling backward, his expression a mixture of pain and alarm. The other guards watched in silence, unsure of how to react to the scene unfolding.

The guard, still reeling from the unexpected attack, did not dare to strike at me. Maybe it's because I'm his employer.

Seizing the moment, I stepped closer, my voice low and dangerous. "I dare you to hit me back," I hissed, my eyes burning with anger. "If you truly believe in your strength, show it. Hit me, and perhaps you'll prove that you're worth more than just a bully preying on the weak. Or if you are in confusion as to whether to hit your employer or not, I'll clear that. You.are.fired. You'll never get a job as a bodyguard anywhere again. So you better show your worth for the last time as a bodyguard."

That got reaction in him. His face reddened with humiliation and anger. He straightened himself and lunged at me. He is massive and, despite my slim build, I have good reflexes. As the guard's fist came straight at me, I evaded the blow with a sidestep. With a swift spin, I kicked him in his midsection, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

The impact rattled him, but he quickly regained his composure and charged at me once again. This time, however, I was ready for the attack. I ducked under a swinging punch and countered with a precise elbow strike to his sternum.

He grunted, as the air was forced out of his lungs. Despite the pain, he refused to back down. He launched a series of rapid punches, aiming to overwhelm me with his force. But I am well-versed in self-defense, and dodged the onslaught.

My strategy was clear—I would rely on my agility and speed to outmaneuver the guard. With every punch and kick the bodyguard threw, I evaded, parried, and retaliated with calculated precision. My strikes were sharp, aiming at every opening and weakness.

As the fight raged on, the atmosphere crackled with intensity. The sound of grunts, the impact of blows, and the occasional echo of the bodyguard colliding with the walls filled the hallway.

Sweat dripped down on our faces, my muscles aching from the exertion.

Finally, I seized an opportunity. As the bodyguard lunged forward, his weight unbalanced, I did a spinning kick, knocking the guard's legs out from under him. He crashed to the ground, his body wracked with pain.

Standing over him, I took a deep breath, trying to control my anger. But I'm not calming down. I can still see his nail mark on her lips, making them bleed.

I looked at Eric, ''Bring me a nail puller''. He nodded and went to bring it, without asking any questions. That's why he is still my assistant.

I looked down at the guard. His nose is bleeding, I'm pretty sure he is bruised all over his body by the way he is grunting.

''W-Why are you doing this?'' He asked, trying to look at me with his droopy eyes.

I narrowed my gaze at him. ''The same reason as you when you decided to assault her. To show who is powerful.''

''Bring me a chair'' I commanded. One of the bodyguards went and returned with a chair. I settled myself upon it, my eyes fixed on the guard, who was struggling to catch his breath.

His gaze met with mine, a mixture of fear and desperation in his eyes. I gripped his left hand and planted my foot on his shoulder, to keep him from escaping.

Eric came back and handed me the nail puller. The guard tried to suppress his cries when I stepped hard on his shoulder and tightened my grip on his hand.

''Shh.. it will be over soon'' I said, taking the nail puller to his thumb and gripping his nail using it. His cries echoed in the room as I pulled his nail off. The same nail which made her bleed.

I would have cut his thumb. But that would exactly make me the man that my bastard of a grandfather wanted. In fact, if he knew what I had just done, he would feel proud and that pisses me off more.