My entire body froze at the sight. Is this still Harper? What is she doing? While we're all searching for her, she's here accompanying some man.
I stormed over angrily, yanked Harper up, and was about to leave when the three men beside us took offense. They jumped up quickly to block my path.
"Kid, even if you're hitting on a girl, you've got to wait your turn. Who do you think you are?"
"That's right, daring to take a girl all by yourself? Tired of living?"
"Keep this up and we'll cut you down."
They each had their say, their attitudes dripping with arrogance, fists clenched threateningly as the three of them surrounded me completely.
I understood their anger - having your prey snatched away like that would make anyone furious.
But I wasn't the least bit afraid of these three. These trash couldn't possibly stop me. Though I hadn't practiced the boxing and kicking techniques Grandpa taught me seriously, they were more than enough to deal with this scum.
"Fuck off!" I snorted coldly and moved to take Harper away without even glancing at them.
But those idiots didn't know when to quit and insisted on attacking me. I had no trouble grabbing a nearby beer bottle and smashing it over one guy's head.
With a loud crack...
The bottle shattered into pieces against his skull, alcohol soaking his hair as blood streamed down his forehead. The man howled in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head. The music screeched to a halt as all eyes turned toward us.
Now the other two couldn't back down - retreating would make them look cowardly. With everyone watching, they had to save face.
They flanked me from both sides, cursing "Fuck!" as they threw wild punches at me. I dodged nimbly before countering with a punch of my own that sent one reeling, his eyes rolling back as blood sprayed from his nose. The other I kicked squarely in the lower back.
He went flying, crashing through several stools before managing to stand again, swaying unsteadily with blood trickling from his mouth.
"Fuck you! Just wait, don't you dare run!" The man finally spat out this threat before pushing through the crowd and stumbling away.
Looks like this is escalating to a gang fight. Fine then - let's call in people who can really fight!
I called Antonio, who said he'd come immediately before hanging up.
At that moment, Harper suddenly shook off my hand and said, "Don't meddle in my business. Leave now or you'll regret it later. That man has powerful connections."
I looked at Harper in that outfit and couldn't help but scoff. Was this the same Harper I knew before? Dressed so flashily and wearing heavy makeup—maybe other men saw her as a prize, but she knew better than anyone what it really meant.
She disappears for five days, and this is what she's been doing? Hanging around bars? Entertaining men? Drinking? Partying? Is this what she's supposed to be doing?
No, wait—I suddenly realized something. Harper's voice… how had it gotten better?
She used to have a slight vocal cord issue, making her speech hoarse and somewhat hard to hear. But now, her voice wasn't just clear—it was dripping with charm and seductiveness.
"How… how does your voice…?" I asked, confused but hesitant, afraid that speaking up might hurt her again.
But Harper responded coldly, "None of your business. Get out of here and don't ruin this for me."
I refused. "No way. I'm taking you back tonight. Stella asked me to. She's here too, but I don't know where she went."
At the mention of Stella's name, Harper's expression immediately faltered. Her eyes darted around as if searching for Stella, but she didn't find her—neither did I.
Where the hell had that girl gone? Wasn't she supposed to be searching the bar?
"Hmph, I'm not going back tonight, no matter who comes. Get lost! I don't need you meddling in my life," Harper snapped, struggling violently to break free. But I wasn't about to let go. Unless Stella herself showed up, I wasn't leaving without her. It had been too hard to find her—I wasn't giving up now.
Just then, two of the bar's security guards approached. They'd clearly noticed the earlier fight and saw me forcibly holding Harper. Immediately, they warned me to let go—or they'd get rough.
Bars like this usually avoided calling the police. These places thrived on chaos, attracting all kinds of people and shady dealings. Getting the authorities involved only meant trouble and lost profits—unless something serious forced their hand.
These two guards were nothing like the three losers from before. Both stood over six feet tall, built like tanks, and carried electric batons. Fighting them would put me at a serious disadvantage.
But even so, I wasn't backing down. I wasn't letting Harper go that easily.
"She's my friend," I said, gesturing at Harper. "Those three guys earlier were harassing her—that's why I stepped in."
But Harper shook her head frantically. "I don't know him! He's trying to kidnap me! Those three were my friends!"
Her words hit me like a slap. No matter how reckless or stubborn she'd been before, I never thought she'd betray me like this. But reality had a cruel way of proving me wrong.
The moment those words left her mouth, I immediately became public enemy number one - the complete villain of the piece. The entire bar crowd turned against me, booing loudly while some even started throwing objects, empty bottles included.
The security guards intensified their demands for me to leave. "If you don't let go of Harper and get out right now, we won't hold back," they warned, brandishing their electric batons as they advanced toward me. Suddenly I found myself surrounded and outnumbered.
"You're being stubborn," Harper warned from beside me. "The guy you just beat up has connections. If you don't leave now, besides these bar staff, some real tough guys will show up later. You won't be able to escape then."
But that's when I did something that shocked everyone present.
I ripped off my shirt and slammed it violently to the ground. "I'm taking her with me today," I declared. "If anyone wants to stop me - come and try!"