CHAPTER 167: DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HER

Devin looked at the man in front of him and let out a slow, cool smile.

"Need my help? This is about Sophia, isn’t it? You nearly got her killed, and you still think I’d lift a finger for you?"

Ethan frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean? We had an agreement back then."

"You said it yourself—back then. Not now. I have zero interest in helping you."

Ethan stiffened, clearly thrown off by Devin’s sudden shift.

"I don’t show up in front of Sophia often, but I said it a long time ago—no one touches her. What, did every single one of you lose your damn mind?"

The Scott family wasn’t as powerful as the Hilton Group, but their influence was still nothing to laugh at.

And when it came to taking down the Trump family, they were more than enough.

"Devin, don’t forget the deal we made."

"It was a deal. And I’ve always been clear: I’d help you, but you were never allowed to hurt her. This time, she almost disappeared from this world entirely. Don’t you think we should talk about how you plan to pay for that?"

"But—"

"No ’but’. Ethan, you should know this by now—I treat her like my own sister."

Devin’s eyes sharpened, his presence exploding with a cold, suffocating pressure.

"Devin... you’re trying to pull out halfway."

"And what if I am? I’ll give you three minutes to walk out of my company. If you don’t, well... imagine the consequences yourself. And don’t forget—whatever we had, it’s already over."

Ethan gritted his teeth. Devin wasn’t someone he could threaten.

He spun around, stormed out, and slammed the door behind him.

Devin let out a short, mocking laugh.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the cabinet beside him.

He opened it—inside sat a photo frame.

A girl in a school uniform stared back at him, her features strikingly similar to Sophia’s.

Avery Scott.

Gone from this world a long time ago.

"Avery... I found someone who looks like you. So much like you that sometimes... I can’t even tell the difference."

He closed his eyes for a moment, his hand dropping weakly to his side.

He had a name in the business world, a titan in the jewelry industry.

But when Avery died, even he had been helpless.

...

Outside the Scott Group building...

Ethan walked away, cursing under his breath.

"Devin, you two-faced bastard. You won’t end well."

He reached his car, still seething. He’d wanted to use Devin’s influence to rattle Sophia.

But that plan was dead now.

He needed another plan—and fast.

Suddenly—

"Don’t run! Stop right there!"

"Get him! Move!"

Ethan looked up, startled.

A disheveled figure was sprinting straight toward him like his life depended on it.

He narrowed his eyes. A dozen men wielding wooden bats were chasing right behind.

Just as he stepped aside, he realized the man running toward him looked familiar.

Nathan?

"Nathan, you—"

The moment Nathan saw him, he dove behind Ethan’s back like it was his last hope.

The men chasing him finally caught up, all holding bats. Their leader—scarred face, tattooed arms—looked like trouble on two legs.

"Nathan! You think you can borrow money and just disappear?"

His men burst into laughter.

"Boss, let’s just take him down!"

"Hold it," Scarface snapped, eyeing Ethan. He waved his bat lazily toward him. "You two... know each other?"

Nathan panicked. "Ethan, you have to help me!"

Ethan shot him a sideways look, then pushed the bat away from his chest. "Calm down. Scott Group is right over there. You seriously planning on starting trouble at someone else’s doorstep?"

"Yo, look at this pretty little pretty-boy. What, you planning to play hero for him? Lemme warn you—my bat doesn’t have eyes. If you wanna step up, then you better be ready for what happens next."

"At least tell me what this is about."

Scarface looked him up and down, then snorted. "He gambled. Lost over thirteen million. With interest, it’s already twenty million. Since he can’t pay, of course we’re taking him as collateral. What, you gonna pay it for him?"

Ethan shot a glance at the trembling Nathan, then calmly pulled a checkbook and pen from his coat.

A few quick strokes—swish, swish—and he tore off a check, holding it out.

"Twenty million. Is that enough?"

Scarface blinked at the number—then his expression flipped instantly into a greedy grin. "Well damn, we really did find ourselves a generous idiot. Since you covered for him, the debt’s settled. Kid, you better get on your knees and thank the man next to you. If not for him, you already know what would’ve happened to you."

He pocketed the check, turned around, and barked, "Let’s go!"

The whole group swaggered off. Nathan finally exhaled like someone who’d just crawled out of hell.

"Well, well... Young Master Wright, how’d you end up looking like this?" Ethan said with a teasing smirk.

Nathan slumped onto Ethan’s shoulder with a dramatic sigh. "Thank God I ran into you. Otherwise, I’d be a dead man right now. Come on, brother—let me buy you a drink!"

Ethan hesitated for a second, then followed him.

...

Inside the bar, music thumped and people swarmed like chaos wrapped in neon lights.

Nathan, drunk on adrenaline, blended into the crowd like a fish returning to water.

Ethan sat off to the side, quietly watching him, mind spinning fast.

So Nathan gambled.

Lost twenty million today.

Which meant he’d lose even more later.

The Wright family clearly had no idea. If they did, Nathan would at least have a few million on him—no way he’d end up getting chased down a street with bats.

Still...

It was a little funny.

A rich boy addicted to gambling, and his family completely clueless.

Saving him today might not be the worst investment.

There had to be something useful he could squeeze out of him.

After all, the Wright family still had Frank stationed in City A. They were planning something—not exactly a secret.

After Sophia’s incident, Ethan had even wondered if the Wrights were behind it.

Clearly, they weren’t.

So what were they actually trying to do?

Suddenly—

A weight dropped onto his shoulder.

Nathan, reeking of alcohol, plopped down beside him and slung an arm around his neck.

"Bro... why the long face? What’s eating you?"

"Nothing. Just thinking."

Nathan eyed him and burst out laughing. "Don’t act like I don’t know. You’re thinking about Sophia, aren’t you?"

"How’d you guess?"

"Guess? My dad talked about it at home. My mom even fought with him over it. I shouldn’t be saying this, but you saved my ass today—so from now on, we’re brothers. Anyway, I heard what happened with Sophia. That woman’s brutal—she took her whole family down with her."

Ethan looked off into the distance, eyes unfocused.

"Young Master Wright... why does Frank care so much about her? What’s their relationship?"

"Buddy, you’re asking the wrong person. I honestly don’t know. But sometimes I overhear him mumbling something about... Au..."

"Aurora?"

"Yes! That’s the name!"