Chapter 17: It Was Some Jerk Who Touched Her

Touch her? Tristan was clueless. When had he ever touched her? Even if he sometimes thought about it, he'd never do something like that in public. Nova frowned, clearly irritated, and blurted out, "Quit it! If you don't stop touching me, I'm going to lose it." That's when Tristan realized what was going on. Some creep had groped Nova. And to make matters worse, she thought it was him. Tristan gave a cold look around, sending shivers through the crowd as his gaze swept over them. He quickly noticed a chubby guy right behind Nova, still relishing the touch, looking utterly lost in it. Tristan felt like throwing up. How could this guy even dare? Feeling smug, the chubby guy reached for Nova again, thinking he was about to get lucky a second time when his hand was stopped. Looking up, he met Tristan's fierce gaze, enough to scare anyone. The guy had seen Nova's flawless skin and great figure and couldn't resist making a move. But now, caught in the act, he panicked and tried to flee. The intensity in Tristan made it clear if this guy got caught, he'd be in deep trouble. Before he could get far, Tristan grabbed his collar, stopping him. "Let go! What are you doing? This is a civilized society! Are you really gonna hit me right here?" the chubby guy yelled, hoping to draw attention and save his skin. The crowded train car quickly formed a ring around them, everyone eager to see what was up. "What's happening? Why are they about to fight?" "Man, you can't just hit people. That's not right!" "Seriously, fighting?" "What did this guy do?" "Dunno." The crowd buzzed with speculation. What could this guy have possibly done to make a handsome guy this mad? In the midst of the chatter, Tristan didn't hold back and punched the guy, knocking him down. The chubby guy saw stars, and tried to fight back, but was punched again. He quickly crouched down holding his face, still yelling, "He's hitting me! Help! Isn't there any law left? Fighting in the subway! Staff, get this guy with no manners!" Nova realized by now that she had been groped—and that she'd mistaken Tristan. "No manners?" Nova rolled up her sleeves and delivered a hard slap to the chubby guy. "You think groping is having manners?" Feeling the burn from her slap, Nova rubbed her hand, figuring out why most men prefer to punch. Slapping hurt her own hand too. Tristan was quietly keeping an eye on Nova, his face barely hiding his concern. "I got this," he said softly. "What are you guys up to? What's going on?" The chubby guy started freaking out, his voice shaking despite his attempt to sound tough, "You know it's against the law to hit people, right?" Nova gave him a look of contempt. She thought he didn't know jack about the law, but turns out he knew a little, "Oh, so hitting people is where you draw the line? What about your groping, huh?" Just then, the subway stopped at a station. "Let's go," Tristan said. As the doors opened, Tristan grabbed the chubby guy by the collar and yanked him off the train, with Nova right behind them. A bunch of nosy onlookers followed them out, curious about the drama, while others who had places to be missed out on the action. "I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong, I admit it! Please, I realize my mistake!" The chubby guy quickly lost his edge when he saw the tables had turned and immediately dropped to his knees begging. Tristan glanced at him coldly, a flash of disdain in his eyes before swinging a punishing fist at him. He figured if he didn't teach this guy a lesson, he'd just keep being a menace. "Ah! Ah!" The chubby guy screamed in pain, still begging, "I'm sorry, I really get it now!" With a cold smirk, Tristan asked, looking down, "Which hand did you use?" The chubby guy, terrified, quickly hid his hands. Good thing they were at a subway station, or who knows what Tristan might have done. He shivered at the thought. Suddenly, everyone started covering their noses. What was that smell? "Man, that stinks." "Who's kid peed their pants?"