"Beat me?"
Marcus Blackwell laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke of his life.
He held his stomach and shook with laughter.
Then the smile vanished.
Anger flooded his face.
"In Northbridge, no one dares lay a hand on me."
Seeing Marcus's face turn red with rage, Vivian's expression changed slightly.
She tugged at Ethan's arm and stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"The Blackwell family is one of the Four Families. They're not like Linford or the Lowes. It's better not to provoke him."
Her voice was low.
Unfortunately, Marcus's ears were sharp.
He heard every word.
He laughed even more arrogantly.
"I didn't expect Miss West to protect him this much."
He took a step forward, chin raised.
"Pretty boy, did you hear that? Even your owner knows I'm not easy to offend. You're a parasite living off a woman. Where did you find the confidence to bark in front of me?"
He did not finish.
Ethan's leg moved like lightning.
At this distance, Marcus had no time to react.
Bang.
The kick landed solidly.
Marcus's feet left the floor, his body bent like a shrimp, and he flew backward.
He smashed through two rows of chairs, rolled several times, and finally stopped on the floor.
The entire auction hall went silent.
Everyone turned to look.
Someone recognized Marcus and gasped.
"Isn't that Marcus Blackwell?"
"The Blackwell family's eldest son?"
"Who has that much nerve? Someone actually dared hit a member of the Four Families?"
"I heard he's Vivian West's pretty boy."
"Insane. A kept man dared hit Mr. Blackwell?"
Whispers spread quickly.
Once they decided Ethan was a pretty boy, everyone reached the same conclusion.
He had lost his mind.
Marcus pushed himself up with both arms.
He clutched his stomach, his face dark red from pain, and struggled to breathe.
"You... you really dared hit me?"
Several people looked at Vivian with pity.
"Miss West, you should draw a line between yourself and him quickly. The Blackwell family's revenge isn't a joke."
"West Group may be destroyed because of this."
"He's only a pretty face. You can find another. Don't be foolish at a time like this."
Vivian's face looked unpleasant.
She knew Ethan had been impulsive.
But Marcus had provoked him again and again.
Even setting that aside...
She glanced at Ethan.
This man was her boyfriend.
At a time like this, if she did not stand with Ethan, was she supposed to stand with Marcus?
Vivian did not consider herself someone who forgot favors and abandoned people after use.
After making her decision, she rose and walked to Ethan's side.
She held his arm with both hands.
Then she faced Marcus.
"Mr. Blackwell, my boyfriend was impulsive, but you provoked him repeatedly. Shouldn't you take half the responsibility?"
Marcus stared at her in disbelief.
"Vivian West, are you crazy? You're really going to stand up for this pretty boy and offend the Blackwell family?"
Vivian ignored his mad-dog tone.
"If Mr. Blackwell truly wants revenge on my boyfriend..."
"West Group is no match for the Blackwell family, but I, Vivian West, will not sit by and do nothing."
After speaking, she tightened her hold on Ethan's arm.
Ethan looked at her profile.
There was unease in her expression.
But also firmness.
He had not expected her to stand up for him against Marcus Blackwell and choose to advance and retreat together.
Another woman's face flashed through his mind.
Celeste Shaw.
In the past, when Ethan had been mocked and humiliated at banquets, what had Celeste done?
Nothing.
Sometimes, to fit into those circles, she had even laughed along and let him become part of the conversation.
People said comparison created pain.
Ethan did not agree.
Celeste was not qualified to be compared with Vivian.
That would insult Vivian.
Marcus trembled with anger.
"Good. Very good."
He shouted, "Security!"
"Where is security? Get over here."
Several uniformed guards rushed over.
Marcus pointed at Ethan, face twisted.
"Grab him. Beat him properly. Today I want him carried out."
The guards exchanged looks.
They knew Marcus's identity.
The manager had also emphasized that he was an important guest tonight.
They hesitated.
"Stop."
A voice came from behind the crowd.
Everyone turned.
A middle-aged man in a suit pushed through the people and hurried over.
From his clothing and manner, he appeared to be part of the auction house management.
Marcus's eyes lit up when he saw him.
"Manager Brooks, perfect timing."
He pointed at Ethan.
"This man attacked me in your auction house. How will you handle it?"
Manager Brooks glanced at him but did not answer.
He walked straight to Ethan, bent at the waist, and bowed.
"Mr. Cole, I sincerely apologize. We allowed you to be disturbed."
His attitude was excessively respectful.
The entire hall fell silent again.
Everyone had thought Manager Brooks came to support Marcus and deal with Ethan.
Instead, he surrendered before saying a single hard word.
"Manager Brooks," Marcus asked, brows tight, "what do you mean by this?"
Manager Brooks straightened and faced him.
"Mr. Blackwell, let me introduce him."
"This is Mr. Ethan Cole, the new owner of Tennant Auction House."
"Just now, he completed full acquisition of the entire auction house. One hundred percent ownership."
"What?"
Marcus's brows tightened further.
He turned sharply toward Ethan.
The guests around him were just as stunned.
"New owner? Isn't he Vivian West's pretty boy?"
"Did Vivian buy the auction house to support him?"
"Impossible. The building, the land, and the Tennant brand together are worth at least two or three billion. You think that's buying cabbage?"
Everyone's attention focused on Ethan.
Who exactly was he?
Vivian was shocked too.
They had only come to an auction.
The auction had not even begun, and Ethan had already bought the venue.
She could not help wondering.
Did this man's money come from the wind?
In a way, it did.
Ethan stood calmly and looked at Marcus.
"Who did you say would be carried out?"
Marcus clenched his jaw.
His face shifted between green and white.
After several seconds, he said slowly, "Fine. I admit you have something."
He looked at Vivian.
"Miss West, I didn't realize your boyfriend had some family money."
Vivian did not bother replying.
Marcus turned back to Ethan.
"Here's what you'll do. Kneel and apologize in public. Then we can forget this. Maybe we can even cooperate in the future."
"Apologize?"
"Yes."
Ethan gave a short laugh.
"Are you worthy?"
"Ethan Cole, don't refuse the stairs when I give them to you."
Marcus's face darkened.
Ethan raised one hand and cleaned his ear with his little finger, ignoring him completely.
He turned to Vivian.
"Vivian."
"Mm?"
"Where does the Blackwell family rank among the Four Families?"
Vivian did not know what he wanted, but she answered.
"Fourth. The Sterling family ranks first, then Whitmore, then Ashford, then Blackwell."
Ethan laughed softly.
"So they're last."
"How dare you look down on the Blackwell family?"
Ethan ignored Marcus's useless rage.
With one thought, the system panel appeared.
Inventory.
One-Dollar Flash Purchase Card.
Since Marcus liked relying on power and thought the Four Families sounded impressive, Ethan did not mind showing him what true power looked like.
Author's Note:
This story will continue updating here.
If you want to read the full story without waiting or more books, you can unlock it here:
/c/TYMercer
Thank you for reading.