Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 155 Ashley Taking Action 8
She didn’t know the full story behind Drake, but she could see the pain and frustration in his eyes. Whatever he had been fighting for was important, and being unable to continue because his assistant had been taken hostage had clearly broken his heart.
But more than anything else, Ashley simply despised him. The moment he set his sights on her, he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
Worse still, he had targeted a young girl with the same cold-hearted ruthlessness that reminded her of someone she would rather forget. The thought alone made her blood boil. If she didn’t teach him a lesson, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. In her mind, she wasn’t merely punishing a fighter; she was ridding the world of another menace.
The instant the match resumed, Ashley launched herself at him without hesitation. Blow after blow crashed into him with merciless precision. She gave him no chance to speak, no chance to beg, and no chance to call for help. Every attempt to recover was met with another crushing strike.
Before long, the champion was a broken mess. The bridge of his nose had shattered, blood streaming down his lips and dripping onto the arena floor. His eyes were swollen shut, dark bruises spreading across his face as he knelt helplessly before her.
Yet as Ashley looked down at him, the fury burning inside her slowly began to fade.
She had made her point.
A part of her wanted to continue, to make him suffer for every cruel act he had committed. But she restrained herself. She knew there was a line she could not cross. If she went too far, her sense of justice would lose its meaning and become nothing more than violence wrapped in righteousness.
And Ashley refused to become the very kind of monster she hated.
"Consider yourself lucky for meeting me," Ashley murmured as she took a step back.
The reigning champion swayed for a brief moment before collapsing face-first onto the arena floor with a heavy thud.
A hush fell over the underground arena.
Earlier, the spectators had laughed and mocked the champion for underestimating Ashley and getting thoroughly beaten. They had cheered every humiliating blow and enjoyed watching his pride crumble. Yet now, witnessing how effortlessly Ashley had dismantled a fighter who was once considered unbeatable, even they began to feel a trace of sympathy for him.
The scene before them was simply too one-sided.
The champion looked less like a feared fighter and more like a man who had wandered into a battle he never had a chance of winning.
No one spoke.
No one laughed.
The crowd could only stare in stunned silence as Ashley stood over the fallen champion, calm and composed, as though she had merely brushed aside a minor inconvenience.
Then the bell finally rang.
Ding...
Ding...
Ding...
After a long moment, the referee was the first to regain his senses. He hurried to Ashley’s side and raised her arm high into the air. The emcee quickly followed, his voice booming throughout the underground arena.
"We have a winner!"
His announcement snapped the audience out of their stunned silence.
"Against all odds, this young lady has emerged victorious! What an unbelievable upset! Let’s hear it for our newest winner and challenger, the fighter who succeeded in defeating the reigning champion!"
For a brief second, the crowd remained frozen.
Then the arena erupted.
"Woooo!"
"What the fuck just happened?!"
"Damn! That wasn’t even a fight, it was an execution!"
"She completely wiped the floor with him!"
"I almost feel sorry for that dumbass..." freewёbnoνel.com
A wave of chatter swept through the stands as the spectators struggled to process what they had just witnessed. Some cheered enthusiastically, while others could only shake their heads in disbelief.
Still, despite the applause, many faces were twisted with frustration.
After all, most of them had bet heavily on the champion.
Now, their money was gone.
Today had become a day of losses, and they would be returning home with empty pockets, nothing to show for their confidence except a handful of worthless betting slips and the memory of watching their favored champion get utterly dismantled by an unexpected challenger.
But Ashley didn’t get the chance to savor her victory.
The moment she stepped out of the arena, she was met by a pair of furious eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Brother..." Ashley whispered weakly as she looked at Gage’s dark expression.
Gage stared at her in silence for a moment before speaking through gritted teeth.
"You still remember I’m your brother?"
The anger in his voice made Ashley flinch. His nostrils flared, and the look he gave her was far more intimidating than any opponent she had faced, even before she returned to her real family.
"Sorry, Brother..." Ashley lowered her head and clasped her hands behind her back, looking every bit like a child caught causing trouble.
Only now did she realize how reckless she had been. In the heat of the moment, she had allowed her emotions to take control and had completely ignored how worried Gage must have been.
"I promise I won’t do it again," she added softly, her voice lacking its usual confidence.
Her head drooped even lower as she stole a cautious glance at him.
"Hmph!"
Gage snorted and turned his face away, clearly unwilling to forgive her so easily.
Seeing that reaction, Ashley could only smile bitterly.
Her brother was truly angry this time.
Gideon descended from the VIP section and approached Ashley. Unlike before, there was no lazy smile on his face, nor any trace of the flirtatious dandy he had pretended to be.
Instead, his eyes held a quiet intensity as they studied her, filled with curiosity, suspicion, and a faint sense of wonder.
Their disguises had already been exposed, making further pretense unnecessary.
The mask had fallen.
The Gideon standing before her now was cold and detached, his every movement carrying an innate sense of authority. He seemed completely different from the man she had been interacting with earlier, as though the playful and flirtatious man had never existed in the first place.
At that moment, he resembled a monarch seated upon an untouchable throne, gazing down upon the world with indifferent eyes.
Even the air around him felt heavier.
"You won..." Gideon said, his gaze lingering on Ashley. A flicker of amusement flashed in his eyes before disappearing as quickly as it had come.
"Um..." Ashley replied awkwardly. The fire of her victory had been thoroughly doused by her brother’s anger, leaving her with little desire to respond to Gideon, who had clearly come down to congratulate her.
Without another word, she made her way back to the VIP section. The masked man remained seated in his chair, seemingly unmoved by the spectacle below.
Even the other VIP guests had yet to stir. They sat frozen in stunned silence, never expecting such a delicate-looking woman to possess enough explosive power to reduce a man nearly twice her size to a bloody mess.
"Sir, I’ve won," Ashley reported simply.
"Of course, Miss Gildenvale. A promise is a promise, and I intend to honor mine." The masked man slowly raised his head to meet her gaze. "Now then, what is it that you desire?"
"Can we speak somewhere private?" Ashley asked, glancing around at the countless eyes fixed on them.
"Alright."
The masked man rose from his seat without another word and strode out of the VIP section. Ashley and her entourage followed closely behind as he guided them through the underground arena.
Several VIP guests were tempted to follow. Curiosity burned in their eyes as they wondered what the mysterious figure and the young woman would discuss in private. However, before any of them could take a step forward, the arena’s bouncers moved into position and blocked their path, making it clear that the meeting was not meant for outsiders.
After several turns through restricted corridors, Ashley and the others arrived at a private lounge hidden deep within the underground arena.
The moment she stepped inside, Ashley understood why it was so heavily guarded.
Towering bodyguards stood silently around the room like statues. One entire wall was covered with monitors displaying live feeds from every corner of the underground arena. At the center of the room sat an elegant lounge area furnished with expensive sofas and a polished glass table. freewёbnoνel.com
A male attendant promptly approached and served refreshments before respectfully gesturing for everyone to take a seat.
Yet despite the luxurious setting, the room felt anything but welcoming.
The bodyguards surrounding them resembled a living wall of flesh and muscle, their imposing presence creating an oppressive atmosphere. The countless surveillance screens only added to the sensation of being watched from every angle. The entire room seemed designed to establish dominance before a single word was spoken.
A weak-willed individual would likely crumble under the pressure. The lounge felt less like a meeting room and more like an interrogation chamber reserved for those accustomed to holding power over others.
