Chapter 46: Something To Protect

As Tigra lay sprawled on the floor, surrounded by the stunned crowd, disbelief filled the eyes of everyone watching. Especially the members of Tiger Gang—their eyes were wide like saucers, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. No one knew Tigra's tenacity better than they did. Since the day he started his underworld career, Tigra had survived countless life-and-death battles. Every bit of his status was earned through blood and relentless fighting. But today, Tigra had been brought to his knees by a mere gaze from Ruxley. How… how was this even possible? If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, they wouldn't have believed it. Ruxley fixed his cold eyes on Tigra and asked in a chilling voice, "Who sent you here to cause trouble?" He didn't believe Tigra would harass Sherise for no reason. There had to be someone behind this. Seeing Tigra still trembling in shock, Arius barked, "Speak! Who's behind this?" Tigra's body shivered at the shout, snapping him back to reality. "It... it was Aliki Potter of Stellar Group! She paid me three million to come here and make trouble for Ms. Potter!" he stammered, his voice quivering. "What? Aliki?" Sherise's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never expected Aliki to resort to such a despicable trick. Deja scoffed coldly, "I knew it was her!" The moment Tigra appeared, Deja suspected Aliki might be the one pulling the strings. Aliki had always been someone who delighted in underhanded tactics. It turned out she was right. Ruxley's eyes narrowed, a glint of coldness flashing through them. He was aware that Aliki had been competing with Sherise, and he had initially planned to help Sherise in secret, ensuring Aliki would taste utter despair. But he hadn't expected Aliki to use such tactics against Sherise. It seemed he had underestimated Aliki's ruthless nature. Seeing the murderous glint in Ruxley's eyes, Tigra went pale. He crawled over to Ruxley, pleading desperately, "Sir, please spare me! It was all that wretched Aliki's idea! I never intended to target Ms. Potter on my own. I apologize—I truly do! Please, have mercy on me!" Tigra was filled with terror. Ruxley's gaze was like that of a death god, and Tigra was terrified of losing his life to this man. Seeing Ruxley remain silent, Tigra immediately turned and knelt before Sherise, begging for forgiveness: "Ms. Potter, I'm so sorry! Everything that happened today was my fault—I should never have come to disrupt your company. I promise I'll compensate you for all the damages today, ten times over, so that you won't suffer any loss. Please, show mercy and forgive me!" Sherise, seeing Tigra groveling in despair, felt a twinge of sympathy. She tugged lightly at Ruxley's sleeve and said softly, "Ruxley, let's just leave it at that. We didn't really suffer any major damage. Let them pay for it, and let's be done." Ruxley looked at Sherise with a bitter smile and asked, "Sherise, don't you feel any anger that Aliki would use such dirty tricks against you?" A trace of sadness flashed across Sherise's face as she lowered her head. "Of course, I'm angry, but she's still my half-sister. She may not care about family ties, but… I do." She raised her head, looking at Ruxley with a self-deprecating smile. "Ruxley, I know it's foolish of me and maybe even laughable. But I just can't help myself… I'm sorry." Ruxley's eyes filled with tenderness as he gently embraced her and said softly, "No, Sherise, you don't need to apologize. This isn't your fault. It's them who should be apologizing." In that moment, Ruxley's heart ached with boundless affection. The reason he had fallen for Sherise was precisely because of her inner goodness. From Sherise, he saw the purest side of humanity—innocence and kindness, qualities that brought an endless warmth to life. Those were things he wanted to protect for the rest of his life. It was why he had kept his identity a secret from Sherise—he didn't want her to be tainted by the darkness of his world. He wished for her to keep her innocence and kindness forever. Turning to Tigra, Ruxley spoke coldly, "For Sherise's sake, I'll spare your life today. But remember, you're not free from punishment. Do you understand?" Tigra's body shook violently. He nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, I understand!" Without hesitation, Tigra picked up a metal rod from the ground, gritted his teeth, and smashed it into his right arm. Crack! A sharp sound echoed as Tigra's arm broke. Despite the cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain, Tigra did not make a sound. He forced a smile on his pale face, asking timidly, "S-Sir, does this satisfy you?" Ruxley didn't respond directly. Instead, he looked at the other members of Tiger Gang. Tigra understood instantly and, clutching his broken arm, shouted at his men, "You idiots, what are you standing around for? Do it! Now!" "Y-Yes!" The thugs exchanged horrified glances, then picked up their own rods and, gritting their teeth, struck their arms. The room was soon filled with anguished cries of pain. The staff of Noctis Group, witnessing this brutal self-punishment, turned white as sheets, looking at Ruxley with deep awe and fear. With just one look, Ruxley had forced Tigra and his men to break their own arms. Such power! "He's so cool!" Deja's eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at Ruxley, her heart pounding with awe. In all her life, she had never encountered such a commanding presence. It was simply too cool. This moment would be etched into Deja's memory forever, and the sight of Ruxley would be a vision she would never forget. Tigra, trembling with fear, looked at Ruxley and asked cautiously, "Sir, does this punishment meet your approval?" Ruxley regarded Tigra coldly. "Go back and tell Aliki that if she dares to pull any more stunts behind the scenes, I won't show any mercy next time. Understood?" "Yes, yes! I'll go warn her right away!" Tigra nodded repeatedly, then quickly fished out a bank card and handed it to Ruxley. "Sir, this card has twenty million in it as compensation for Ms. Potter's company. If it's not enough, I'll find a way to make up the difference." Ruxley took the card and said coolly, "Now get lost." "Thank you, sir! Thank you!" Tigra, feeling as though he had just been pardoned, bowed deeply to Ruxley before hurriedly leaving Noctis Group, dragging along the unconscious Wolfe and the rest of Tiger Gang's members.