Chapter 7

The crowd was stunned to hear Reinhard speak at all. They looked at him, but he was just sipping his coffee as if it were no big deal.

Amelie was moved. Harry had fallen silent, and even her biggest admirer, Rex, kept his mouth shut like a coward. Reinhard, though, was standing up for her!

Then, worry crept in.

Every one of these thugs was cutthroat. They had to have killed before.

If Rex, who at least had some experience in fights, couldn't take them out, how could Reinhard possibly change anything?

Scarface licked his lips and snarled, "You were talking, brat?"

Reinhard set his cup down and rose slowly, turning toward them.

"Yes. It was me." He pointed at Amelie. "Let her go. I don't care what happens to everyone else, but she's off-limits. I'll give you 10 seconds to either consider my suggestion and leave… or I'll mop the floor with all of you."

He said it so coolly as if he was just describing one of his everyday chores.

Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned, their expressions varying in response.

Harry snickered inwardly. Reinhard must have brain damage, right? He was stupid enough to act like some superhero with hidden powers, but he was challenging all four of them at once?

Harry and Rex had fought them—and they were muscular athletes, with one even practicing MMA. How was a guy with a nerd's physique supposed to do better against these four and their lightning speed?

Rex snorted to himself. "Really? He's going to play the hero at this time?"

These four thugs hadn't noticed Reinhard until the idiot made his noise. He could have survived if he'd just kept his mouth shut.

Reinhard was smaller than Harry and Rex, and these thugs wouldn't need much to overpower him.

Scarface's lips curled menacingly as he brandished his knife. "I've been in the butchering business for years, brat, and still, no one's as arrogant as you.

"Now, I'm sure we won't let these girlies live… and you won't get to either. Wanna bet?"

He narrowed his eyes, ready to kill.

Amelie panicked. For all her contempt, she did not want Reinhard to die because of her. She shot desperate looks at him, hoping he could catch a hint and run.

He ignored her and smiled coolly. "So you've chosen the dumber option."

"In your next life—if there is even one—remember how your hero complex killed you!" Scarface cackled and lunged.

Suddenly, he felt a force on his wrist. He was stunned.

Reinhard had somehow materialized next to him and grabbed his wrist.

He tried to wriggle himself loose to no avail.

Reinhard tapped his wrist lightly.

There was a loud snap, followed by a howl.

Scarface was thrown to the back of the coffee shop, crashing through several tables. He was already knocked out.

Everyone was stunned.

"Holy fuck?!" The rest of his gang realized they were in big trouble.

The men drew their blades near Amelie and Aria's throats as a threat, but before they could react, Reinhard teleported next to them, each hand on their wrists.

Their were wrists snapped.

Reinhard then kicked them, sending the two thugs flying.

They sputtered, too weak to fight back.

Amelie and Aria were shocked!

He was like a superhero in the movies who saved them right when they needed him the most.

Harry and Rex were even more bewildered. They couldn't believe their eyes. Reinhard had taken out three of them so easily!

Reinhard ignored Amelie as he passed her by, his eyes fixed on the last man standing. "Your turn."

The man's face transformed from cruel confidence to pure fear. He was the weakest of the gang!

Reinhard delivered a swift front kick to his jaw, bloodying his face and sending him flipping into unconsciousness.

The gang was no more in under a minute.

Amelie's eyes glistened as she watched Reinhard, his hands coolly slipping into his pockets. Her heart raced. She had underestimated him, and yet, he was the one who had saved her.

Reinhard still didn't look at her. He stepped out of the shop and came face-to-face with the security guards and police.

"They have been neutralized. You may enter to capture them," he said flatly to everyone's confusion.

A few officers peeked inside, their faces contorted with shock at the scene.

Reinhard went to the police station to give his eyewitness account, declining any reward they offered.

Meanwhile, Amelie and Aria wanted to thank him, only to discover he had already left.

-

Amelie couldn't stop replaying the events at the coffee shop, even after she got home. It felt like a dream.

"Amy, you're home? Where's Ryan?"

Helena had just returned home and was puzzled to find her daughter alone.

"Oh. He left." Amelie had wanted Reinhard to leave, but now she wished he had stayed. She found her conflicting feelings perplexing.

Helena looked uneased. "He left? But he's alone! He has no one to get help from in Luchenstad. Where could he possibly go?"

Amelie was too preoccupied with her thoughts to humor her mother.

"Look, maybe he found somewhere to stay, okay?" she replied impatiently. "By the way, he left you something. On the bench."

Helena immediately unwrapped the package.

At first, she was stunned, but then a proud smile graced her face.

"What was it?" Amelie asked, curious.

Helena opened it wide, revealing thick stacks of money.

Nearby was the 150 dollars she had lent Reinhard earlier that morning.

At the bottom of the stacks was a note.

Amelie grabbed it and read aloud, "I'll always be grateful for the help and kindness you showed me that day. This is the money I owe you. I'll visit again someday!"

"Ryan led me out of the woods, remember? I gave him 1,500 dollars as a reward, but he insisted on seeing it as a loan. He said he would return the money one day, and I honestly didn't believe him," Helena said.

"But he did. By God, even after all these years, he did. And it's 15,000 dollars, too." She sighed. "You don't see a man like this often in today's world, do you?"

Amelie felt a weight settle in her chest. Guilt washed over her as she remembered how she had treated him when she first met him.