Chapter 162 A Beast
Chapter 162 A Beast
The scene was as touching as seeing a wolf cub meeting its mother. Ethan's behavior didn't match that of a grown man who had six-pack abs at all.
Standing aside, Lawrence was speechless. There was nothing he could do but watch Ethan walk past him and hug Maria.
'Bravo! He is a really good actor,' Lawrence thought.
Every time Maria saw Ethan, her motherly instinct kicked in. He, who was over 1.8 meters tall, threw himself into her arms. The woman was more than ten centimeters shorter than him, so he almost knocked her over.
Watching the scene, James' face darkened as he warned, "Ethan Nan."
Ethan shivered at the sound of his cold voice. He then grabbed Maria’s sleeve and said, "Maria, help me, please! Or I'll die under James' fists."
Maria immediately pulled him behind her, facing the man on the ring. "James, how can you bully someone weaker than you?"
'Weaker?' James couldn't believe she was serious.
Lawrence couldn't bear to keep watching Maria being tricked, so he came forth and said coldly, "Maria, Ethan won the free boxing championship in H City."
"So what? You can't...Wait. What did you just say? What did he win?" Maria suddenly realized she heard the word "championship.” Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
Although the woman was glaring at him now, Ethan kept his aggrieved expression as he explained in a hurry,
"Maybe James has never won a boxing championship, but he's more skilled than I am! He'll beat me up if I fight against him. Do you really think it matters whether I won a championship or not?"
Maria thought it over and had to agree with him. Indeed, it didn't matter.
The situation seemed a little awkward then. Maria didn't know who to defend in this case. With a cough, she turned to Lawrence. "Hey, since Ethan doesn't want to fight, why don't you go ahead and replace him? I don't think you're afraid of being beaten up anyway."
Ethan agreed promptly, "Yes, that's right. You don't know it, Maria, but I didn't win the championship fairly. I only got the title because of James."
Maria suspected that wasn't entirely true, but she decided to nod instead of exposing him.
Slowly, she came to understand that Ethan had been hiding his real strength all along. She wondered if he had hidden it from James and Lawrence as well. In her presence, he had always kept the act.
Nevertheless, the wolf cub was really a quitter. Lawrence shook his head helplessly and put on his boxing gloves before going into the ring.
Ethan and Maria remained there as mere spectators watching.
James had been dissatisfied with Lawrence for a long time already, and the latter was aware of that. Hence, he was mentally prepared for what might come next.
As it seemed, a bloody battle awaited the two men.
Maria had to confess the scene in front of her was quite alluring. She was probably living every woman's dream. The two most famous handsome men in H City were topless, only in boxing pants, baring their six-pack abs to her. There was also a handsome young man standing by her side.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Maria decided to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime show.
Unfortunately, the young man next to her couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Maria, have you really caught a cold?"
"Yes, but it wasn't serious."
"Have you taken any medicine?"
"Yep.” At that moment, Maria only had eyes for James and Lawrence.
She felt that compared to James, Lawrence seemed to have been out on a mission all year round and came back with a tan. Glancing at Ethan, she thought he was a little too fair-skinned for her taste. James was neither pale nor dark, so Maria deemed he was the most charming man among the three.
"Oh, that's good to hear. Has James known about your cold?"
"Yes, he has."
"Great." Ethan didn't keep quiet until his phone rang.
Two seconds later, he put his phone away and looked at the two men fighting fiercely in the ring. He couldn't help but sigh. "I'm glad I didn't fight with James. Look at them. It doesn't even seem they're friends, don't you think?
They both hit each other so hard!"
Maria, in turn, observed the two carefully and noticed that James was the one attacking mercilessly. Most of the time, Lawrence dodged his moves. Only occasionally would he fight back when he could no longer avoid the other man's offensive.
"Do they often fight like this?" she asked casually.
"Not really. Lawrence rarely takes a vacation, and James is also very busy, going on business trips and such. My schedule is more vacant, so they often ask me to come to the boxing gym with them at different times. Do you think I'm like some sort of escort to them? After I go out with one, I have to hang out with the other."
"I suppose so."
Ethan had expected Maria to comfort him. Now he was offended. Looking at the woman helplessly, he said, "Maria, you're so straightforward. I was hoping you would make me feel better."
Maria met his aggrieved gaze and told him gently, "When you decide to go out on a date in the future, make sure you find a woman who's older so she can take good care of you."
Of course, that woman could never be her. It was okay to coax Ethan occasionally when she saw him. But if she were his girlfriend and had to do this every single day, Maria would rather kill herself instead.
Ethan didn't agree with her, though. "It doesn't matter whether my girlfriend is older or not, but I'm the one who is going to spoil and take care of her, not the other way around. Oh, wait! I changed my mind. She can take care of me, too. In fact, we'll take care of each other."
Maria glared at him. "Then why did you text me? Why didn't you feel sorry for me, knowing I'm sick?"
"Why should I feel sorry for you? You are not my girlfriend. You are my best female friend, and you should take care of me. Otherwise, why would I be friends with you?" Ethan smirked, deliberately teasing her.
Maria kept silent. She wondered why she came to rescue him in the first place. "The same way I got you out of that ring, I can put you back in it. Do you wanna bet?"
As he heard what she said, Ethan's smirk immediately faded away and was replaced by a flattering smile.
"Dearest Maria, I apologize. How about we get out of here now? Let the two fight alone."
He felt uneasy standing there as if he would be caught in the crossfire at any moment.
"Let's stay a little longer. It's not every day I can witness such an alluring show. I want to enjoy it some more," she replied honestly.
"Humph! Women can be as lustful as men."
"You are absolutely right! From the beginning of humanity, it's in our nature to be lustful."
Ethan cast her a glance. "I dare you to say this to James' face!"
"What?" In fact, she would never dare to tease a beast like James this way, or else there would be a rough night of sex waiting for her next.
With a knowing look, Ethan smirked as he found a seat nearby to settle. Waving at her, he said, "Maria, this won't finish anytime soon. Let's have some snacks and a cup of tea then."
Maria sat down next to him and looked around, realizing they were alone in the gym. "Why there are only the four of us here? Isn't the business good?" As far as she was concerned, the place seemed decent enough.
"James booked the entire gym. After a woman passed out, excited to see him boxing, and a man had a nosebleed, James was extremely annoyed. Now he only comes to train here when he can
have the whole place for himself."
Maria found it hilarious. She could understand why the woman passed out, even though it was ridiculous. But how did a man have a nosebleed after seeing James? At the thought of that, a shiver ran down her spine.
Forty minutes later, in order to end the match at once, Lawrence stepped back, panting, and reminded the sweating man across him, "They seem to be chatting happily now. Are you sure you want to keep fighting me?"
James' eyes darkened as he glanced at the two people talking. He wondered why his two best friends had to always make things difficult for him.
At the same time, he couldn't help cursing Maria. She was really a scheming woman, trying to seduce his best friends at every opportunity.
-