Ace murmured to himself, "Joanna, oh, Joanna.You're such a pain in the ass.You're going to be in deep trouble once I get my hands on you!"
The casino was huge.
People gathered in large groups in each area, but there was one particular area with the greatest number of people.
Eager gamblers surrounded a round casino table as they made excited cat-calls.
Ace instantly knew something fishy was going on, and he quickly strode over.
Unsurprisingly, there was a young woman all tied up on the table.
The woman barely had any clothes on—the white silk dress that concealed little of her skin was extremely thin, while a feathered mask covered the upper half of her face.
Curled up into a ball in the corner, she was evidently trembling.
Ace felt a tightness in his chest.He clenched his fists and prepared to charge forward.
That's because he could tell the woman's facial features were nearly identical to Joanna's despite the feathered mask she was wearing.She had the same pointy nose, the same pink, smooth lips, and even the same neck and collarbone.She was, in essence, Joanna's doppelganger.
However, a tall, muscular man held the rope around her.
"This is high-quality meat.If you win, you can use her yourself or share her with others.She's definitely worth the money.Who else wants to place a bet?!"
The man shouted and forcefully tugged the rope, causing the woman to moan as she was violently jerked forward.
The sound of her moaning was like a battle song that motivated the men instantly, who mindlessly stepped forward and started placing their bets! When Ace saw this, he stopped moving completely.He stood there quietly and seemed to be thinking about something.
The facial expression on his face turned colder.
Right then, Ethan, who stood at the center of the crowd, started saying something.
"I'm counting down from three.Hand her over, or you'll all be in trouble!"
The man holding Joanna came across people like Ethan every day.
Naturally, he was very calm.
"Sir, everyone likes a beautiful woman.If you want her, you'll have to place your bet.If you win, you can take her with you.If you lose, you'll have to wait for your next opportunity!"
Ethan, however, lacked patience.
He sneered.
"Three, two..."
When he counted down, the security staff in the casino picked up their weapons.
Despite the hostility, Ethan wasn't afraid at all.
Although the casino held a lot of power in this area, they were nothing compared to the Stuart family.
By the time the security guards started moving, Ethan had already sent his men to close off all exits.
The security guards were now pointing their guns at Ethan.
The man jumped off the table and shouted at Ethan.
"You ignorant fool.How dare you stir up trouble here? Go to hell!"
He swung his fist at Ethan's face, but Ethan dodged it and kicked the man with force.
The man was sent flying.
Even the chain in his hand was sent flying.
Seeing how Joanna would soon tumble off the table along with the chain, Ethan quickly reached out and caught her firmly.
Her body was light as a feather.
It was lighter than he remembered! Ethan's heart raced.He felt like a young kid who was touching a girl for the first time.He held onto Joanna stiffly while asking if she was alright in a nervous tone.
"Joanna, are you alright? I rescued you again!"
Ace stood at the outermost section of the crowd while he watched the entire saga without any emotion on his face.It was almost as if he was watching a movie and had nothing to do with it.
Meanwhile, the man on the ground, humiliated, became enraged.He called out to the hundreds of bodyguards, "Open fire! I want them torn to shreds!"
"Watch out!"
Ace shouted from the edge of the crowd.
After all, this was someone else's turf.
Ethan's behavior was too conspicuous, and he was putting himself in a passively dangerous situation.
"You actually have an accomplice!"
The man discovered Ace and gave instructions to another group of security guards.
"Capture him and shoot him right away!"
"How dare you?"
Ethan, who was relatively calm in the beginning, instantly lost his cool.He gently put Joanna down before glaring coldly at the man.
"You can be rude to me, but you're asking for trouble if you talk to Ace like that!"
The man was dumbfounded by Ethan's reaction.He'd met fearless people before, but none audacious to such an extent.
Ethan was practically dicing with death.
How was Ethan brave enough to provoke him like this? Without saying a word, Ethan delivered a kick to the man's stomach.
"Get on your knees and apologize to Ace!" Ace felt a little speechless.
'You can get on your knees, but that won't be necessary"
Ace wanted to say this out loud, but he didn't.He was only an observer, but Ethan's action literally dragged him into the eye of the storm.It seemed he was going to have to take a few bullets no matter what.He had Ethan to thank for this.
By now, the security guards were all aiming their guns at Ethan and Ace.However, they were overwhelmed by the two's strong presence.
Nobody dared to open fire, and none wanted to become the scapegoat either.
"Let the two of them go and ask your manager to come here.I'll take full responsibility."
Ace kept his hands in his pockets and looked down at the man who was on the ground.
"Ace, you should leave with Joanna.I'm better at dealing with situations like this," Ethan said.
Nearly ninety percent of the entertainment industry in the City was monopolized by the Stuart family, and most of the industry happened to involve grey areas.
Dealing with situations like this was naturally a piece of cake for Ethan.
"Do you all think I'm dead?"
Ethan stepped harder on the man's head.His face was red from rage.
"Go on, fire, you idiots! Do you think this is funny?"
The security guards could no longer stay still and got ready to make their move.
Just as all hell was about to break loose, they heard someone shouting.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"
The man was about to start yelling again, but his face turned pale when he saw who the person shouting was.
At the same time, the security guards with guns in their hands lowered their heads in fear.
"H-Hank!"
It seemed that this was their manager.
Hank seemed like a cultured man in his forties.He ran past the crowd before directly approaching Ethan and Ace.
"Mr.Stuart, I'm terribly sorry.I had no idea you were visiting with your friend today.It's all our fault.Please forgive my subordinates for their ignorance..."
After saying this, Hank kicked the man several times and pointed at his head.
"You're a worthless piece of crap.How dare you offend Mr.Stuart? Did you know this casino wouldn't have been built if his father hadn't approved it back then? You're biting the hand that feeds you.I'll have you killed!"
Ethan raised his brows when he saw that the man was about to be shot in his head.
"That's enough.Ace doesn't like seeing blood.Let's stop here for today.Just be mindful in the future."