System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)-Chapter 355: A gift from heaven

The wooden floorboards groaned as the door swung open, admitting a group of four hikers. They didn’t look like nature lovers; they looked like vultures. Dressed in expensive outdoor gear and smelling of cheap whiskey, they swaggered into the center of the room, kicking chairs aside.

"Hey! Anyone alive in this dump? We’re starving!" said the leader, slamming his hand onto a table so hard the salt shakers jumped.

Helen approached them, her face a mask of weary professionalism. She tried to maintain that regal posture, but it was crumbling under the weight of their gaze.

"I’ll be with you in a moment. Please, sit down and I’ll bring the menus," said Helen.

"Forget the menus, sweetheart. Why don’t you come over here and show us what else is on the ’frequent flyer’ list? A woman like you shouldn’t be wasting away in a desert kitchen," said one of the men, reaching out and grabbing her wrist, pulling her toward his lap.

"Let go of me! I’m just trying to do my job!" said Helen, her voice trembling.

"Your job is to keep us happy. Now sit down and shut up," said the leader, shoving her into a chair while the others laughed, one of them intentionally knocking a glass of water over her apron.

Helen sat there, her eyes welling with tears she refused to let fall. Her mind raced back to the galas, the silk dresses, and the mansions. When her husband was the king of the business, no one dared to even look at her without permission. But since Vincent had been sent to prison and her world collapsed, she was nothing more than prey.

Ethan sat in the corner, calmly cutting a piece of steak. He watched the scene play out with a cold satisfaction. He wasn’t moved by her distress; in fact, he found the sight of her humiliation exquisite.

Look at you, Helen Halbert, thought Ethan.

This was the woman who had slept peacefully while her husband, Vincent Halbert, ordered the hit on Ethan’s parents. This was the woman who had raised Lucas, the spoiled brat who had tried to ruin Ethan’s life. Ethan had already sent Vincent and Lucas to their graves on prision, but Helen had vanished into the shadows before he could finish the job. He had planned to hunt her down eventually, but the chaos of the last few months had pushed her to the back of his mind.

Now, the heavens had served her to him on a silver platter.

"Is there a problem over here?" said Ethan, his voice cutting through the laughter like a blade.

The hikers turned, their expressions shifting from amusement to irritation. They saw a young man in high-end clothes, looking completely unimpressed by their numbers.

"Mind your own business, city boy. This doesn’t concern you," said the leader.

"Actually, it does. You’re making a lot of noise, and I’m trying to enjoy my meal. And the lady... she still hasn’t brought me my mineral lemonade," said Ethan.

Helen looked over at Ethan, her eyes wide with a mixture of hope and a strange, creeping dread. She didn’t recognize him—Ethan had been a mere child when she last saw him, and the man standing before her now was a god compared to the boy he used to be—but she felt a chill down her spine that had nothing to do with the hikers.

"You want to be a hero? Fine. Let’s see how you look with your teeth on the floor," said the leader, standing up and reaching for a heavy glass bottle.

Ethan didn’t even stand up. He just took a sip of his beer and looked at Helen, ignoring the men as if they were nothing more than bothersome insects.

"Don’t worry, Helen. I won’t let them hurt you... yet," said Ethan whispering to himself.

He set his fork down with a deliberate click and stood up. The leader of the hikers, a man twice Ethan’s size with a neck like a bull, stepped forward with a drunken sneer.

"You should have kept your head down, kid," said the hiker.

He lunged, swinging a heavy, uncoordinated haymaker. Ethan didn’t use his overwhelming speed or space manipulation; he simply stepped inside the arc of the punch. He drove a sharp elbow into the man’s solar plexus, folding him in half instantly.

"Hey! Get him!" said another hiker.

The other three rushed him at once. Ethan moved like a professional boxer, keeping his guard tight. He parried a clumsy swing and returned a crisp three-punch combination—left, right, left—to the second man’s jaw, sending him crashing over a wooden table. The third man tried to tackle him, but Ethan sidestepped, caught the man’s momentum, and sent him face-first into the brick fireplace.

The last one standing pulled a small pocketknife, his hands shaking. Ethan didn’t even blink. He caught the man’s wrist, twisted it just enough to force the drop, and delivered a solid kick to the chest that sent the man sliding across the floor toward the exit.

"Get out. Before I stop being a ’good’ guy," said Ethan.

The four men scrambled to their feet, groaning and clutching their broken ribs as they practically fell out the front door into the cold night air. The tavern went silent.

Ethan turned toward Helen, his expression instantly softening. He reached out a hand, his touch light and seemingly full of concern, as he helped her up from the chair.

"Are you alright? I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Some people just don’t know how to handle their liquor," said Ethan.

Helen looked at him, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The arrogance that usually defined her was gone, replaced by the sheer relief of being rescued. She looked at Ethan’s handsome, calm face, seeing only a chivalrous stranger.

"I... I’m fine. Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here," said Helen. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"It was nothing. No woman should ever be treated that way, especially someone as hardworking as you. It’s just a bunch of drunks, don’t let them ruin your night," said Ethan, his voice smooth and comforting, like a warm blanket over a frozen limb.

He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek. Helen shivered at the contact, a faint blush creeping onto her demure, tired face. For the first time in years, she felt like someone was actually looking at her with respect rather than lust or contempt.

"You’re very kind. I don’t even know your name," said Helen.

"Just a traveler passing through. Why don’t you get me that mineral lemonade now? I think we both need a moment to relax," said Ethan.

"Of course. Right away," said she.

As she walked toward the kitchen, her step slightly lighter than before, Ethan watched her back. The "gentleman" facade remained on his face, but behind his eyes, a cold, dark tally was being kept. He had rescued the princess, but only so he could be the one to decide when the tower fell.