Chapter 161

Morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains as Fiona Valentine finished breakfast. She hummed a cheerful tune while pushing open her apartment door, only to collide with a thickset man at the corner.

"Well, aren't you an early bird, pretty thing." His greasy voice made Fiona's stomach churn.

She instinctively stepped back until her spine pressed against the cold wall. "Sir... I have money. Take it all..." Her trembling fingers fumbled with her wallet, nearly dropping it.

The man slapped the wallet away. His meaty hand gripped her chin. "Who cares about money? I want you!" His alcohol-laced breath assaulted her senses.

"Help—" Fiona's scream echoed through the empty alley.

Just as the brute tore at her collar, a black sedan screeched to a halt. The door swung open, revealing long legs in stiletto heels.

Evelyn Roland removed her sunglasses, surveying the scene with narrowed eyes. She'd intended to ignore the commotion—until recognizing the girl she'd accidentally injured yesterday. A pang of guilt struck her.

"Quite the lively morning." She rolled up her shirt sleeves with deliberate slowness.

The man turned and gaped at Evelyn. "Two beauties in one day? My lucky streak!" Releasing Fiona, he advanced with greedy hands.

Evelyn's lips curled into a cold smile. As he lunged, she pivoted—her stiletto connecting precisely with his groin.

"AAARGH!" His pig-like squeal sent sparrows fleeing from nearby trees.

The man collapsed, wheezing on the pavement. Evelyn planted a heel between his shoulder blades. "Hurts, doesn't it?" She increased pressure until vertebrae creaked.

Fiona watched wide-eyed from the wall. The monster who'd terrified her now writhed like a dying dog.

"Scram." Evelyn lifted her foot. The man scrambled away on all fours.

Sunlight illuminated Evelyn's profile, and Fiona's breath caught. Her rescuer looked devastatingly heroic.