Chapter 4

Victoria quickly detected several sharp, watchful gazes in the park, immediately realizing the girl before her was not ordinary. Unwilling to invite unnecessary trouble, she said calmly, "I was just guessing. Go on and play."

Before she could turn, a small hand caught her sleeve.

The girl tilted her head up, eyes wide. "Miss, I still have questions. There’s a lot I don’t understand… and no one to explain it to me."

A faint softness flickered in Victoria’s eyes. She remembered wanting someone to guide her in the beginning.

"I'm studying this gun to understand the improvements made to the Peaceful B-1," the girl said.

Victoria’s gaze sharpened. The Peaceful B-1 was a scorpion-style handgun she had upgraded just last month.How could a child no older than five know so much?

Her curiosity piqued, Victoria sat down next to the girl.

They quickly engaged in a conversation, , each struck by the other’s depth of knowledge. After a while, the girl, still eager to continue, removed a small communicator from her wrist and handed it to Victoria."Press this if you want to reach me. My name is Bianca Garcia. Nice to meet you."

Victoria had just taken the communicator when a chubby little boy suddenly appeared and ran straight into Bianca.

Victoria reacted instantly, scooping Bianca into her arms. The boy stumbled and fell, bursting into loud cries.

Victoria, unfamiliar with children, assumed the boy’s collision had been an accident. She turned to set Bianca down, when something struck her leg.

Looking down, she saw the boy, teeth clenched, fists tightly clenched. One punch hadn’t satisfied him—he was already preparing another.

Victoria freed a hand and caught his fist, twisting it back. The boy’s arm went limp, hanging uselessly.

His cries grew louder, and a portly man hurried over, shouting, "You wretch! Why are you hitting my son?"

Victoria, unfazed by the man's larger size, replied calmly, "He hit me first."

"How shameless can you be, picking on a child!" the man yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Your breath stinks. Can you take your brat and get lost?" Victoria retorted, shielding Bianca's face and shifting her higher onto her shoulder.

The man's face turned red , his expression tightening with anger."You! You want a fight, don't you?"

He threw a punch without warning.

Victoria instinctively moved to block it, but with Bianca in her arms, she hesitated. In that instant, she twisted her body andtook the punch herself.

It struck her wound directly, and her vision blurred from the pain. Careful not to drop Bianca, she quickly set her down and pointed to a nearby slide. "Go sit there for a moment."

Bianca nodded and sat down, though still uneasy, then pressed her communicator. “Come help me quickly.”

In a nearby café, Alexander listened to the voice message, his sharp features unreadable as he watched Victoria in the playground. She was clutching her injured side, unable to get up, while the man advanced on her.

The assistant asked, "This Miss doesn't seem to mean any harm to Ms. Garcia. Should I..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

In the playground, the previously weak-looking Victoria suddenly sprang up, wrapping herself around the man like a snake and throwing him to the ground, her legs locking around his neck.

Alexander allowed a barely perceptible smile. "Looks like this Miss doesn't need our help."

Victoria twisted the man's hand downwards, causing him to cry out in pain. His face swelled as he struggled to breathe.

"I... I'm sorry..." the man gasped.

The pain in her abdomen made it hard for Victoria to hold on. She released him, glaring menacingly.

The man staggered to his feet, his face a mix of fear and anger.

A crowd had gathered, murmuring among themselves. "Why is she hitting people?"

The man seized the opportunity, shouting, "She broke my kid's arm for no reason, and when I asked her about it, she attacked me!"

His outburst drew sympathy from the crowd. "A dad taking his kid out is a good man. Getting beaten up by a girl and not fighting back."

Emboldened, the man demanded, "Apologize, or this won't end! Everyone saw it. I'll post it online and make you famous!"

He probably thought Victoria, being a lone woman, would be easy to intimidate despite her fighting skills.

Victoria scanned the crowd, then looked at the man, pulling out her phone. "I'm calling the police."

The man's expression changed.

Victoria continued, "There's someone causing trouble here." She glanced around, adding, "There are 360-degree cameras, five of them."

The man's face turned pale.

"How long will it take for the police to arrive? I'll keep an eye on him." She looked up, but the man had already grabbed his child and was sneaking away.

"No need for the police. We've settled it privately. Sorry for the trouble." Victoria hung up.

The crowd dispersed.

Feeling exhausted, Victoria thought of Bianca and forced herself to turn around, only to see a tall figure.

Before she could see who it was, her vision went black, her legs gave out, and she fell forward, the smell of blood filling her nose.

Great, the wound must have reopened. Hopefully, someone kind will take me to the hospital.

Alexander instinctively caught her, his call for help stuck in his throat. The assistant quickly took over, but blood had already stained Alexander's suit.

He narrowed his eyes, scoffing, "The tricks people use these days."

The assistant asked, "What about this, Miss..."

"Take her to the hospital."

On the way to the hospital, Alexander leaned back, tapping his knee as he studied the unconscious Victoria. "Look into that father and son. See if they were hired."

The assistant hesitated. "You think this Miss was acting?"

"Victoria wasn't acting!" Bianca quickly defended her.

Alexander patted Bianca's head and said, "You're too young to understand."

Bianca pouted and answered, "I do understand! Lots of people try to meet you through me, but Victoria is different!"

Alexander said no more.

At the hospital, he got out first, instructing the assistant, "Limit Bianca's outings for now."

The assistant replied, "Yes, sir."

Alexander examined Victoria's wound. The location matched the injury from last night. His assistant had pointed out the unusual blood loss, making him suspect the person might have been injured.

Even if he was wrong, the blood-soaked clothes indicated a serious wound. Would a normal person wander around with such an injury?