Chapter 6: The Showdown

Without a moment of hesitation, Elena began her demonstration. Her movements were fluid and precise, every motion executed with perfect technique. A push kick, a sidekick—both performed effortlessly. Then, suddenly, Elena leaped high into the air, landing a kick on a nearby tree. A single leaf fell, while the others barely moved, only swaying gently. Silence. Complete silence. Everyone who had witnessed Elena's performance was left speechless. Those who had been mocking her just moments ago now stood with their mouths agape, unable to utter a word. "Did you catch that?" Elena asked, slightly out of breath after the exercise, looking at Joe for confirmation. Joe stared at Elena, the kindness in his eyes replaced with deep admiration. "Little master, that was absolutely stunning!" Joe didn’t hold back in his praise. The others, finally snapping out of their stupor, began to react. "Ahem, little master, I apologize if my words were harsh. Please don’t take them to heart," said the man who had mocked Elena earlier, now speaking awkwardly. "I'm not a master, just someone who’s been practicing for a few years," Elena replied nonchalantly, waving her hand. "Wait, could you teach me those two moves you just showed?" someone asked. "Yeah, me too! I’d love to learn!" Elena had intended to leave, but she was quickly surrounded by the eager crowd, all wanting her to teach them. Elena sighed, a bit overwhelmed. "She’s just a fraud, fooling everyone with a couple of tricks," a bold voice suddenly interjected. Elena turned toward the source of the voice. It was a girl, about eighteen or nineteen, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a tank top and shorts, her expression haughty despite her small stature. Two burly men flanked her. "Daphne, what nonsense are you spouting now?" Joe said, visibly annoyed. "Grandpa, she’s definitely a fraud. She’s just here to scam you all!" Daphne Giles said, glaring at Elena with obvious hostility. Joe sighed in frustration. "Daphne, you’ve misunderstood. Little master is no fraud; I saw her skills with my own eyes!" Joe wasn’t one to easily trust others, but he could tell Elena was genuinely skilled. He truly wanted to learn from her. "Grandpa! You’re too trusting! This girl is obviously a habitual scammer. She’s just waiting to swindle you out of your money!" "This... that can’t be true, right?" Joe frowned. "It absolutely is!" Louis, standing nearby, chimed in, "Daphne’s right, Joe. Think about it—how could a young girl like her be more skilled than you?" "Now that Daphne's pointed it out, it all makes sense!" As Louis spoke, the others began to murmur, their gazes toward Elena growing increasingly unfriendly. "Get out, fraud! Or I’ll call the police!" Daphne crossed her arms, looking down at Elena as she threatened her. Elena had been ready to leave, but she couldn’t tolerate being called a fraud, especially not by this girl. Elena narrowed her eyes. "You’re calling me a fraud—where’s your proof? Did you see me take any money from them?" "Hmph, no, but that’s only because I arrived in time!" Daphne scoffed. Elena smiled, unfazed. "You just admitted I didn’t take any money. So, on what grounds are you calling me a fraud?" "Without any evidence, do you think the police will believe you?" "You..." Daphne hadn’t expected Elena to turn the tables on her, leaving her momentarily speechless. But Elena wasn’t finished. She looked directly at Daphne, her gaze serious. "And you—accusing me without proof? I could sue you for slander and defamation." "You dare sue me?" Daphne stared at Elena, stunned by her audacity. After her initial shock, Daphne’s expression turned disdainful again. "If you’re not a fraud, prove it. This is my bodyguard. If you can beat him, I’ll admit you’re not a fraud." "Fine," Elena agreed. "But if you lose, you’ll have to apologize to me!" Elena wasn’t one to seek out challenges, but she couldn’t let this go. Daphne sneered. "Alright. But if you can’t get past my bodyguard in three moves, you’ll have to apologize to me!" "Not only that, but you’ll have to go live and apologize to everyone, one by one!" Daphne was confident; she was certain Elena was a con artist targeting elderly men. "Let’s just drop this," Joe tried to intervene, clearly unhappy with the situation. "Grandpa!" Daphne protested. "We can’t just let this go! She might have already researched your identity beforehand! Who doesn’t know you’re a famous master of oil painting?" A master of oil painting? Giles? Elena listened, and it clicked. Norris Giles, a renowned master of oil painting, particularly known for his realistic art. She remembered now—both her grandmother and grandfather were admirers of his work. "Daphne, you’re disobeying your grandfather now?" Norris frowned, not wanting to make a big deal out of this. "Grandpa!" "I’m short on time. Are we doing this or not?" Elena interrupted, cutting off Daphne’s argument. She didn’t have time to waste. Daphne was speechless for a moment. How could a fraud be so confident? "Abel, go ahead!" Daphne ordered without hesitation. Initially, she had considered letting it slide, but now, she saw no reason to hold back. "Yes!" Abel, the bodyguard, had been standing by. At Daphne’s command, he nodded and began warming up, glaring at Elena with deadly intent. The sound of his joints cracking was loud and clear, and his imposing figure was enough to intimidate anyone. "Hurry up," Elena said impatiently. "Aren’t you going to warm up?" Abel asked, frowning. "Hmph, no need." Elena scoffed. Warming up to fight someone like Abel was a waste of time—completely unnecessary. Abel’s expression darkened. "You’re asking for it!" Initially, Abel had planned to take it easy, but Elena’s dismissive attitude enraged him. His expression hardened as he lunged at her. Abel swung his fist directly at Elena’s face, putting all his strength into the punch. If it connected, the consequences would be dire.