Halia grabbed a pair of boxing gloves that were lying around and casually put them on. She then tied her long black hair into a bun and climbed into the boxing ring. Even if the Captain's skills hadn't been transferred to her, she had done some boxing when she was in the police academy, so the ring was not an unfamiliar place for her.
Marissa smirked and climbed into the other side of the ring as she glared arrogantly at Halia from the corner of her eyes.
A crowd quickly gathered around to watch the fight. Some whispered and laughed at Halia, while others watched quietly.
"She's not even dressed properly, is she for real? Who is she?" one of the women sneered.
"I saw her come in with Emerson. She must be some high-class socialite princess that thinks this is a game," another woman laughed.
Halia ignored the comments and stretched her arms and legs calmly. This was far from a game.
At that moment, Emerson climbed up beside her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine," Halia replied confidently.
Emerson glanced at Natalie and Sean, hoping they'd help him convince Halia out of the ring, but he realized they weren't concerned at all. At that moment, Halia began to push him out of the ring. "Trust me, I got this," she reassured.
As it wasn't a proper match, there was no referee nor rules, so when Marissa saw Emerson showing concern for Halia, she stepped forward impatiently and asked, "Are you ready?"
Halia smiled and stepped forward, "Ready when you are."
As soon as Halia's words left her mouth, Marissa immediately threw a punch forward without warning.
Halia scoffed at the sneaky move thrown by the woman but dodged it easily. She then waved for her to try again.
Marissa glared at Halia with frustration. "I see you're quick on your feet," she said with ridicule before she rushed forward and threw a succession of punches instead. "Let's see you dodge this," she whispered under her breath. But, Halia easily blocked her punches without breaking a sweat.
The other club members watched with interest. This was not what they expected.
"Is that all you've got?" Halia chuckled. "Come on, you're not taking this seriously," she provoked.
Marissa's face turned red in anger. She was the Women's Champion in this club. No other woman in the club had ever beaten her; it was something she was extremely proud of. So, she growled and swung her arm with all her might, aiming for Halia's head.
But, Halia saw it coming and ducked effortlessly, causing Marissa to punch thin air and lose her balance. As she fell on the floor, everyone gasped.
"Stop dodging, you coward!" Marissa screamed as she stood back up. "Fight me properly!"
On the side, Sean sighed as he watched the fight. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse before killing it.
Emerson glanced curiously at the man. Why did he sigh? "Does Halia know how to box? Should I be worried about her?" he asked anxiously.
Sean shook his head and smirked, "You should be worried about her opponent instead..."
At that moment, a loud bang echoed across the room.
Emerson quickly turned back to look at the boxing ring, just in time to see Halia's glove impact against Marissa's face. As blood sprayed from her mouth, Marissa dropped on the floor and immediately fell unconscious.
Everyone fell silent in shock.
This mysterious woman had just knocked Marissa Qian out with one punch!
...
At this time, over in France, Jackson had just woken up to another beautiful spring day. When he first arrived at the country home, it was fairly hard to adjust to life there since he had been living in the city for many years, but now that several days had passed, he was beginning to get used to it.
Every morning, the rooster crowed at dawn and the owners of the home would wake up to cook breakfast. After that, the smell of food and coffee would waft into his room and he'd hear Amelie and Alexander in the kitchen. He'd join them for breakfast and head out onto the field to help once he was done. Then they had lunch at 1pm, dinner at 7pm and bedtime would be at 10pm. It was the same - every single day.
That day, as he headed out onto the field, he noticed Mr. Martin, the owner of the vineyard, was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Mr. Martin," Jackson asked the man's wife.
"Today is Delivery Day. He's delivering the grapes to our winery so they can turn it into wine. My son runs the winery, so it gives us an excuse to visit every few days," the woman replied.
"Is it far from here?" Jackson asked out of curiosity.
"It's back near the main road, about 20 minutes drive from here," Mrs. Martin replied. "Maybe you can visit it one day when this is all over."
"I would like that very much," Jackson replied. "Perhaps, I'll even bring my girlfriend if she doesn't break up with me after this."
"Why would she break up with a charming man like you?" the middle-aged woman chuckled.
"Well, I kinda left without a word and she has no idea where I am or whether I'm ever returning," Jackson sighed as he thought about the note and flowers he left behind. Did Halia end up seeing them?
"You left her there all on her own? What if your enemies decide to go after her?" the woman asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, she has a few moves up her sleeves. After all, my girlfriend is an SPU agent," he replied proudly.
Anyone watched the anime, "One Punch Man"? This chapter reminded me of it, haha. (Yes, I know I'm random).