Glen Johnson had watched Elliot Davenport throw his weight around with brutal arrogance, but he'd had no intention of getting involved. After all, Nolan Mercer had been badmouthing the guy behind his back the entire walk over, so in Glen's view, if Nolan caught a beating for it, that was his own fault. It had nothing to do with Glen. He had a soft spot for someone being bullied, but that did not mean he had to involve himself in every petty dispute that crossed his path, especially one Nolan had invited with his own mouth.What he hadn't expected was for Elliot to be so utterly unreasonable that he'd decide to beat up a complete stranger just for being nearby.Glen had already turned to leave when Elliot barked his orders. He stopped mid-step, pivoted slowly, and fixed Elliot with a cold, level stare."The hell? You're glaring at me?" Elliot's face twisted with rage. His voice rose to a near shout. "You got a death wish or something? Beat him senseless. Both of them."

"Get up!" Elliot Davenport was already closing in, but Nolan Mercer still clung desperately to Glen Johnson's leg, refusing to let go. Glen's face darkened. With a sharp jerk, he shook his leg free, and Nolan went flying through the air like a discarded piece of trash, tumbling across the pavement.Realizing his legs had just shaken him off, Nolan scrambled to his feet, his face twisted in anguish. "No, wait! Master, you can't abandon me like this!" His voice cracked with theatrical desperation. "When my heart was lost in confusion, you were the one who led me out of loneliness and despair! Master, please don't leave me behind! No matter where you go, to the ends of the earth, whenever you need me, I'll fly back to your side!"As if to emphasize his point, Nolan launched himself forward again, arms outstretched like some kind of deranged superhero attempting a flying tackle. He dove straight toward Glen's leg with alarming determination.Glen recoiled, thoroughly disg

"Bastards!" Watching Elliot Davenport finally plunge into the river, the two bodyguards felt a surge of humiliation and fury. They hadn't expected that even with both of them going all out, they'd still failed to protect Elliot. If that man's goal had been something more sinister than just throwing Elliot into the water, if he'd actually wanted to kill him, wouldn't they have...The Davenport family paid them handsomely to keep this young master safe. Their monthly salaries were nothing to scoff at. If something serious happened to Elliot, getting chewed out would be the least of their worries. Once the old master of the Davenport family lost faith in them, they could kiss this cushy job goodbye. In their line of work, losing a wealthy family's trust could ruin more than a single contract; it could follow them wherever they tried to find work next.Both men understood the reality of their situation. Elliot was already in the river. The blame was theirs to bear. Their only

"Master!" Nolan Mercer's voice rang out from across the embankment. "That was incredible! Absolutely incredible!"Nolan had watched the entire confrontation unfold, and now his admiration for Glen Johnson had reached new heights. With one of Elliot Davenport's bodyguards crippled and the other having fled in terror, Nolan finally mustered the courage to approach Glen directly. His eyes gleamed with hero worship as he jogged over."Master, I take back everything I said before. That's real martial arts right there, nothing fake about it! With skills like yours, why would you even need to train at the Northland Martial Arts Academy? They should be learning from you! Actually, I've been thinking..." Nolan's words tumbled out faster now, building toward his real point. "Why don't you open your own academy? I'll be your first student, and I can bring in tons of members too. So what do you say? Will you take me on as your head disciple and teach me everything you know?"That

What left Glen Johnson utterly speechless was the fact that Nolan Mercer was still trailing behind him like a persistent shadow, refusing to leave. The entire way back, Nolan hadn't stopped talking for even a second. One moment he was begging to learn martial arts from Glen, the next he was pestering him about magic tricks. There wasn't a single moment of peace.Glen had come dangerously close to punching him several times, but the guy was absolutely shameless, droning on relentlessly in Glen's ear without the slightest concern for personal boundaries.When Glen finally stepped into the little diner, Nolan initially assumed he was just stopping by for breakfast. His face lit up with eager hospitality. "Master, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, my treat today. Order whatever you want, seriously."Glen shot him a flat look before turning to Wendy Cross behind the counter. "What's your most expensive dish here? Give me five orders of it."Nolan's jaw dropped