The three bodyguards of Hugo Valence trembled under Ethan Roscente's menacing aura, their legs turning to jelly as they hesitated to advance.

Hugo's face twisted with rage when he saw their cowardice. "Are you deaf? Attack him now!" he bellowed.

The lead bodyguard swallowed hard. "Boss... we—we really can't..."

"Can't?" Hugo's eyes bulged with fury. "I pay you a fortune! Even let you have fun with women on my dime! And now you're chickening out?"

His words turned the guards' faces ashen. Hugo treated them like disposable trash.

If not for their unpaid wages, they would've walked away long ago.

"Final warning!" Hugo snarled, veins popping on his forehead. "If you don't move, you won't see a single cent!"

Exchanging grim looks, the three men clenched their teeth and charged at Ethan.

Ethan didn't flinch. As the first guard lunged, he seized the man's wrist in a lightning-fast motion and executed a flawless shoulder throw, slamming him onto the floor.

Before the other two could react, Ethan leapt into the air—his right leg whipping like a steel cable across one's chest while his left swept the other's throat.

A dull thud echoed as both guards crashed against the wall.

Hugo's jaw dropped, his lips quivering. "You—"

Jenna Roland stared in shock. She never imagined this refined man possessed such lethal skills.

Had she not witnessed it herself, she wouldn't have believed Ethan could take down three trained men single-handedly.

Ethan's eyes turned glacial, his knuckles cracking ominously.

He advanced on Hugo, his voice dripping with frost. "Care to repeat what you just said?"

Hugo staggered backward, screaming hysterically at his downed guards. "Useless trash! Get up or forfeit your pay!"

Groaning in pain, the three men struggled to their feet and attacked again—only to be swiftly knocked down by Ethan's ruthless strikes.

Cornered against the balcony railing, Hugo trembled violently.

"Y-you dare touch me..." he blustered, though fear laced his voice. "I'll have you rotting in prison!"

The three suited men accompanying Ethan shook their heads in pity. Provoking Ethan was a death wish.

Ethan seized Hugo's throat, his grip icy. "Why is she here?"

Hugo's Adam's apple bobbed, his back drenched in cold sweat.