Chapter 2

Joanna moved fast.

A detailed file on Tina was already delivered to me the next day. Her favorite place was a private fight club called "Iron Fist".

I appeared at the fight club as a new member.

Soon, I saw Tina sparring with a tall man. Her opponent was clearly impatient. After Tina dodged one of his attacks, he lost his temper and threw an illegal heavy punch straight at her temple.

I immediately took a step forward and took the punch head-on. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

The man froze, and Tina stopped too.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she walked over.

I shook my head, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with my thumb, and forced a somewhat painful smile. "I'm fine. I overreacted."

After a moment, she took a tissue from the nearby lounge and handed it to me. Her tone was still calm as usual. "You're good. You should have been able to dodge that punch."

My heart sank slightly.

This woman was very observant.

"Maybe." I gave her a vague answer and pressed the tissue to the corner of my mouth, blood was still trickling out.

Tina did not ask anything else. She only looked at swelling quickly forming on my face with a slight frown. She turned to the club manager and said, "Bring me the first aid kit."

On the couch in the lounge, she treated my injury skillfully. We were close enough that I could smell the faint woody scent on her.

"Well, look at that. Isn't this Ms. Tina Jackson?"

Joanna's voice was sharp and mean. Her gaze moved between us before landing on Tina's hand as she put the ointment on my face.

"Touching some random man in public, are we? Your private life is very exciting indeed."

Allen, who stood beside her, looked displeased too. He looked at Tina and demanded, "Tina, who is he?"

Tina set down the cotton swab and stood up, her expression cold. "Watch your mouth, Ms. Shaw. He simply stepped in to help me."

"Stepped in to help?" Joanna looked like she had heard the funniest joke in the world. She pointed at me and said to Allen, "Allen, look. A stray I had just abandoned has already found a new owner in Ms. Jackson."

I lowered my eyes, hiding the chill in them.

"Joanna, you're crossing a line!" Tina stepped forward and shielded me behind her.

I raised my head and met Joanna's eyes. "I only blocked a punch for her, and she's only treating the injury. Is there a problem with that?"

Joanna had not expected me to talk back, much less expected Tina to protect me.

Her face turned pale with anger. She glared at me, then grabbed Allen's hand and said bitterly, "We're leaving. We shouldn't stay around people who are nothing but eyesores."

After they left, Tina turned back and studied me again.

"You seem reliable." She paused and took a business card from her bag. She then handed it to me. "My company needs a security chief. Fifteen hundred dollars a month, accommodation and meals included. Interested?"

I took the business card, but I did not answer her right away.