Chapter 3 Who Gave You Permission to Touch My Person?

Johnson glared at Maria, and Catherine, fearing he might lash out again, quickly ran to his back and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't, Johnson! Maria just recovered from a serious illness; she's still not well!" Maria had put all her strength into that strike, and now she was so weak that she nearly collapsed. If someone hadn’t caught her, she might have fallen to the ground. Maria turned her head, expecting to see Jackson, but to her surprise, it was Cruz who had caught her. Words of thanks caught in her throat, unable to come out. At the same time, Johnson was dumbfounded. Reluctantly, Johnson addressed the man, who was only a few years older than him, with respect. "Uncle Cruz." Cruz had sharp features like they were carved from stone, his brow furrowed with seriousness. He wore a well-tailored suit under his black coat, and his tall, strong, and elegant figure exuded authority. Just standing there, Cruz’s imposing aura filled the room. His presence was twice that of Johnson’s, with a mature man’s steady composure that made everyone too intimidated to speak. Surprisingly, Cruz bore a slight resemblance to Maria, with a combination of strength and gentleness in his features. Cruz looked at the wound on Maria’s head, his brows knitted in anger. "Let's go to the hospital." He led Maria and his men to the car. His assistant quickly ran over to help Maria. Just as the car door was about to close, Johnson called out instinctively. "Uncle Cruz!" Cruz ignored him, instructing his men to shut the car door before driving away. When Maria arrived at the hospital, the doctor asked her to remove her clothes to treat the wounds. To everyone's surprise, Maria shook her head and refused. "I only hurt my head; there's no need for anything else." Cruz immediately sensed something was wrong. With an authoritative firmness, he removed her coat, revealing her body covered in bruises. Meanwhile, Johnson was also at the hospital getting his minor wounds treated. After finishing, he walked out and caught a glimpse of Maria’s injuries. He was stunned. Could a simple push really cause such serious injuries? Cruz’s gaze shifted to Johnson, who looked at him in fear. "Uncle... Cruz." Cruz was the CEO of the largest company in Los Angeles. Currently, many of Johnson's family’s businesses relied on Cruz’s help to stay competitive in the market. So, Johnson couldn’t afford to anger him. With the authority of a powerful man, Cruz stared down at Johnson, his eyes filled with sarcasm, his tone dripping with disdain. "At sixteen, you ended up in the hospital to protect Maria. At twenty-six, you’re here because you attacked her for someone else?" Johnson recognized the cold sarcasm in Cruz’s voice, but... Johnson pulled Catherine close to his side. "Everything I did, I did on my own. Don’t blame anyone else!" On the way here, Catherine had already explained to Johnson that Maria hadn’t told her anything. Today’s attack on Maria was all based on a misunderstanding. Cruz stood tall in front of Johnson, adjusting his glasses as he questioned him. "It seems your parents haven’t told you why I’ve been supporting your family all this time, have they?" He glanced at Maria, then fixed his gaze back on Johnson. "Who gave you permission to touch my person?" Realizing the situation was escalating, Catherine quickly made an excuse to leave. "Sorry, I have something to do tomorrow. I’ll go now. Johnson, take care of yourself." Johnson seized the chance to walk away from Cruz’s side under the pretense of escorting Catherine. Seeing Jackson hesitating on whether to speak up, Cruz spoke firmly. "Do you have something to do as well?" Jackson, flustered, replied quickly. "Yes, my family is also in the hospital. I need to take care of them..." Cruz calmly nodded. "If you’re busy, you should go. I’ll take care of Maria." Jackson nodded, handed the things he had bought for Maria to Cruz’s assistant, and hurriedly left. Maria’s head wound required stitches—six stitches, to be exact. Johnson was also required to stay overnight for observation. However, Maria wasn’t placed in the same room as Johnson. Cruz moved her to a private room. After changing into a hospital gown, Maria noticed Cruz sitting on the sofa in the room, making a phone call and handling business matters. Cruz’s shirt was slightly open at the chest, and the cuff buttons left faint red marks on his skin. When he saw Maria, Cruz quickly ended his call with a brief, "I’ll be back on Monday." Cruz turned his attention to Maria’s injuries and said, "Come over here." Maria didn’t sit beside him but chose to sit across from him. Cruz asked gently, "What’s the story behind all these injuries?" Maria calmly replied, "Johnson pushed me, so I hit the bar pool." "I’m not talking about the wound on your head." Just then, Catherine, who was about to leave, came back to say goodbye to Cruz. She overheard Maria’s conversation with him. "My dad wanted me to give him money to bail my brother out. My brother got into trouble and needs a million dollars for bail. I told them I didn’t have the money, so my dad confronted me at the school gate and beat me up." Her tone was calm as if she were talking about someone else’s life. Maria’s father had even demanded that the school refund her tuition. She could tolerate all of this, but when her father said he wanted to take her back to San Francisco to sell her to a local gang leader, she couldn’t endure it any longer. Listening to her, seeing her wounds, Cruz took a deep breath. "What I said back then still stands. I can arrange for you to study abroad if you’re willing to give up on Johnson." Maria, however, looked at him with a clear mind. "You offered that back then because I was with Johnson, and his family used that to pressure you into supporting them. You wanted to send me abroad to curb their greed. But now, Johnson no longer loves me. I’m no longer a bargaining chip for them to use against you. Why would you still want to send me abroad and do something that gains you nothing?"