Vengence's Odyssey

Chapter eight

The crowd stood in absolute awe, many astonished faces gazing at Christian and down at Harry who was sprawled on the field, clearly unconscious. The disbelief was murmured around as many could not tell how he did it but evidently he'd taken Harry out with one strike and he was not only down but he remained there until his goons went to check if he was okay. 

   Christian looked across the field and caught Alice's eyes. She was staring at him with an odd expression, a mixture of surprise and fright. But as he smiled, she burst out laughing, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise. She'd found the perfect man who could stand his own even in the presence of men like Harry, she knew she had found herself a treasure. 

   In all her years of acquaintance with the Hunter family, she'd never seen a single man who could take out Harry, not with his MMA record or his brutality in the ring. She was blissfully surprised that Christian was able to take Harry out with no stain on his immaculate white shirt and no sweat breaking out. 

  Finally, she could breath free, convinced that Christian would not be hurt on her account. 

   Harry had merely been knocked out cold, he'd fainted and in a couple of minutes, his goons resuscitated him. Harry rose to his feet, finally awake and shuffled unsteadily to Christian,his face and shirt covered with dirt. 

   "You bastard! You cheated!" He growled out, barely held back by his men who weren't eager to say it but they all knew he was not in the state to go into another brawl. 

   "Just admit you're a sore loser, Harry, I don't see how he could have cheated, we all were here," Alice interjected with a sneer and then turned to the crowd, "We sure didn't see him do anything but knock you out cold, by himself." She added and most persons in the crowd nodded, agreeing and murmuring their approval. 

   "That's not possible, this weakling could never take me on, not with his own strength, not with my hands tied behind my back and certainly not here,"  Harry stated with a sneer and his goons agreed, "I can assure you I won't accept this! And neither will my family, you'll pay for this." Harry sneered. 

   "Pay? For defeating you in a fight you instigated? How convenient." Alice scoffed and Harry glared at her but she didn't budge, she was suddenly brave because she knew Christian was there to protect her. "You are just a sore loser, you're a coward, I think you should just accept defeat and leave." She said with a firm nod, her hands crossed over her chest. 

   Harry knew it was going to become an even more embarrassing ordeal if he did not back out. Two of his goons moved closer and whispered something to him, one handing him his tie and another his tuxedo. With a glare so intense it could scare the hell out of anyone, Harry finally was escorted out by his men, slightly limping. 

   Unfazed, calm, unaffected, these described Christian  perfectly in that moment. He simply stared at his retreating back until they left the entrance, not at all intimidated by the show the man was putting on. Alice was right, Harry was a sore loser. "Oh my God! I...I don't know what to say...how did you do that?" Alice asked, a degree of excitement in her tone. 

   Christian  did not know what to say to her, he simply shrugged and she smiled even wider, suddenly stepping closer to him and not minding the crowd. 

   "Alice, why don't you introduce me to your friend?" Emily asked as she approached them from the crowd, her tone clearly curious. Alice merely smiled and waved her off, her gaze focused on Christian who was now the center of attention in the party. 

   Christian acted like she did not exist and shifted his gaze through the crowd who now stared at him openly, many still wondering how he pulled it off. 

   People had slowly withdrawn after the fight, some having placed a bet a little too early on Harry's victory and others just skeptical of the strange man who took out the infamous Harry  Banter.The atmosphere here was beginning to feel strange. 

  "It would be best if we left," Christian said, he was not foolish enough to stick around for long. The party was getting cold and tension permeated the atmosphere. "I'll be with you in a second." Alice replied as he headed to the exit, going to the parking lot. 

   Emily turned to her friend as Christian left, her eyes wide with interest. "You didn't tell me who your friend was," she asked again and this time, Alice laughed and tried to play coy.  

   "I think this is the kind of man you want in your circle, Alice, he could prove to be quite useful." Her friend added with a wink, her eyes still following Christian's retreating back. 

   "Let's just say that he is a nobody," Alice replied. 

  "With a man that can fight like that, trust me he is not a nobody, where did you meet him?" She prodded. Alice smirked proudly and replied, "Let's just say it's a little secret I'm not ready to tell just yet." She replied and then swayed outside to meet with him,  all eyes in the party trailing her. 

   At the parking lot, Christian was leaning on the car when she arrived and moved to the driver's seat. "Let me drop you off, Christian" She offered with a grin. Christian took a few seconds but then he turned her down, saying his ride would be there any moment. 

  "That won't be necessary, Alice, my ride will be here any moment." He replied politely to her offer. He did not want to leave the party with Alice, he had something else to attend to.

  Hailing a taxi, Christian gave instructions to be taken to the Vertice Hotel. The Vertice was a  prestigious seven-star hotel in the city - the only of its kind. It was an exquisite place for the elites of the city.

   Entering the lobby, the doorman paid him no attention and practically all the workers ignored him as he walked to the reception desk. 

   Christian  moved to the receptionist who glanced at him condescendingly, his shirt was rumpled from being at the party and he was looking worn out. She inches down her largely framed glasses and scoffed lowly. 

   "I would love to get a room for the next night or two." Christian said.

  "We  do not have any spare rooms, we're fully booked." The blonde receptionist replied impatiently, her voice anything but warm or receptive. Christian moved away for a minute and looked around the lobby, it was just him and two men seated at the far left, reading a glossy magazine. The receptionist looked at him with what was clearly a glare, her nose cringed. 

   A few minutes later, it occurred to Christian that even if the Vertice was fully booked, there were special rooms reserved for the most important people and he knew just how to get in. Hands dipped in his pocket, Christian provided his black card and went to the counter to meet the receptionist again. 

   With a glance at the black card and another at him, the receptionist flung the card on the floor and sneered at Christian, "You think you can bring a fake card and get in? You cheap fraud!"