The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 136: Break Your Legs

The thugs immediately raised their guns again, glaring menacingly. 

Stanley angrily stomped his cane on the ground. "Alright, Zachary, I'm calling Harold right now to have him teach you a lesson."

Zachary had figured it out. Stanley didn't hold much power in the family; he was just an elder with no real influence. He had no right to discipline him. 

Even if he complained to Harold, Zachary was Harold's beloved grandson, while Stanley was just a relative Harold saw once a year. Harold might not even remember his name. 

So, Zachary smiled easily and said, "Go ahead, call him. Let's see if Grandpa has time to take your call. But, of course, I respect my elders. You all hear that? This old man is my relative, don't hurt him." 

As long as he didn't actually hurt Stanley, Harold wouldn't blame him for anything.

The thugs laughed and responded, "Yes, Mr. Johnson." Then they started to surround Victoria. 

With the confidence of having the guns, Zachary dared to approach Victoria. 

Victoria estimated the distance and casually took two steps toward Zachary. 

As long as she was within three steps, she was confident she could grab Zachary before anyone could fire. And if she was close to Zachary, they wouldn't dare shoot. 

Just as Victoria was about to enter her attack range, a sharp-eyed thug stopped Zachary and said, "Mr. Johnson, wait! This woman is pretty good in a fight. You shouldn't get too close, or she might take you hostage."

Zachary paused, a flash of fear crossing his face, but he quickly got angry and slapped the thug. "Are you looking down on me? How could I be stupid enough to get caught by her?" 

Despite his words, Zachary took two steps back and pointed at Victoria. "Don't move! If you move again, I'll break your legs."

Victoria frowned. Not good, her intentions had been discovered. Now, what could she do besides surrender and apologize? 

With Zachary's arrogant personality, if she showed weakness, he would definitely take advantage and demand even more outrageous things. 

So, apologizing was never an option for Victoria.

Meanwhile, Ethan and the others had already finished watching the game. 

If Zachary hadn't shown up, Victoria would have already gotten the wooden reindeer carving and met up with them. 

Seeing that Victoria hadn't returned and wasn't answering her phone, Ethan was worried sick. 

At that moment, Victoria was busy beating up Zachary and hadn't noticed her phone ringing.

Samuel asked, "Where's Victoria? I haven't seen her for a while."

Ethan's face was grim. "She said she was going out to buy something and would be back soon. It's been an hour, and she's not answering her phone."

Samuel realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly asked, "Did she tell you where she was going?" 

Ethan shook his head heavily.

Calista raised her hand and said, "She might have gone to that wood carving shop we visited this morning. She seemed to like it a lot. And the chess set she was studying today was from that shop."

Samuel gave her an approving look. "Thanks, Calista. If Victoria's been gone this long, something's up. Let's go find her." 

Before he could finish speaking, Ethan was already out the door. He didn't wait for the driver and sped off in a car himself. 

They had only brought two cars today, so the rest of the group had to squeeze into one.

Driving required focus, which calmed Ethan down a bit. 

He quickly called the Aerion office in Lytheria, even using his father's name to ensure they took it seriously and contacted the Lytheria police immediately to ensure Victoria's safety.

When Ethan arrived at the shop entrance and saw Victoria being held at gunpoint, he felt his heart stop. 

He quickly pieced together what had happened from the surrounding conversations and walked toward the shop alone. 

Someone tried to warn him, "Hey, young man, the Johnson family is powerful. You can't afford to mess with them. Don't risk your life trying to be a hero for a pretty girl."

Ethan gave him a cold look, scaring the well-meaning bystander into stepping back and muttering, "I was just trying to help, no need to be so rude." 

But he didn't know that the girl Ethan was trying to save wasn't just any pretty girl; she was the one he cherished most. He couldn't imagine the consequences of losing her.

The door chime rang as Ethan entered. Zachary turned and saw Ethan, momentarily stunned by his elegance and good looks. 

But he quickly waved his hand dismissively. "What are you doing here? Can't you see we're busy? Go buy your souvenirs next door." 

He actually thought Ethan was just a clueless tourist here to buy souvenirs!

Ethan suppressed his anger and forced himself to stay calm. "Do you know who you're pointing that gun at? You'd better not harm her in any way, or you'll regret it."

"Haha, he's threatening me! I don't know if I'll regret it, but you're about to regret it!" Zachary laughed and signaled his thugs to point their guns at Ethan. 

Ethan's brow furrowed. The Aerion office needed more time to negotiate, and he didn't know when the police would arrive. 

He shouldn't have said something to provoke Zachary. If Zachary hurt Victoria in a moment of impulse, even if the office people arrived and made Zachary pay with his life, it wouldn't be enough. 

But Ethan couldn't go against his proud nature. He had never begged anyone in his life. Even for Victoria, he was willing to change, but he couldn't do it so quickly.

The standoff continued.

At this moment, Samuel arrived. He had been in business for years and had learned to adapt to any situation. 

No matter what kind of person he was dealing with, he could always make them satisfied if he needed to cooperate with them. 

Unlike the young and impulsive Victoria and Ethan, Samuel's expression changed only slightly before he walked toward Zachary with a smile. 

"Mr. Johnson, my sister is young and doesn't know any better. Please don't hold it against a young girl who just turned eighteen."