Chapter 6
Ethan caught up with her. He put one hand on her shoulder and ruffled her hair with the other, sounding helpless, “Alright, you’ve got quite the temper, huh? I didn’t even pick on you and you’re already pissed off at me.”
Ines struggled, but the difference in strength between him and her was obvious. His big hand was like a steel bar, and she couldn’t move. She turned her head away, feeling suffocated, “What the hell, what have I done for you to pick on me?”
Ethan held her hand and explained as they walked, “Now, let me tell you the three big mistakes you made. First, as a lady, you shouldn’t be out so late alone. Do you know how poor the security is in these old neighborhoods?
“Second, as a married woman, you shouldn’t be inconsiderate. You have a husband. You should call me to pick you up when you get off work late. You don’t need to act like a female warrior. It’s my duty to protect you. Ignoring me today was the worst rule you could break.
“Third, you shouldn’t have kept this from me. I asked you about this, and what was your answer? You said your cousin and uncle would pick you up, right?
“What’s all this now? You’ve got so many self–defense tools in your bag. I bet this isn’t the first time this has happened. It’s a good thing you ran into me. What if it was a bad guy? Don’t give me any excuses. You never thought of asking me for help.” Ines looked blankly at the man in front of her, her mouth twitching, Ignoring her husband? Suddenly he’s making this bigger than what it was.
Also, she walked with only a few self–defense tools. Which white–collar woman didn’t have a few decent self–defense tools in her bag?
When he said it, it sounded like an unforgivable sin. The worst rule she could break? What crazy logic that was.
She felt like she had found a nagging husband.
But he did guess one thing right, she’d gotten used to walking alone at night. Why would she ask him for help on such a small matter? He was a husband, a legal title on paper. They weren’t close friends.
With these three charges he mentioned, Ines felt offended.
“Why aren’t you responding? Am I wrong?”
The man used a harsh and critical tone, but Ines felt strangely impressed, and her voice softened reluctantly. She pointed to the self–defense tools in her bag and patiently explained, “I have enough tools, and I can take care of myself.”
Ethan got even more annoyed when she mentioned them, “Those crappy things might work on ordinary guys, but if you run into really aggressive men, they’ll be useless. Seems like everything I said earlier was a waste.” This girl thought she’d be safe with those crappy gadgets.
Ines pouted and said, “The people around here are just regular thugs.”
“You mean situations like this have happened many times?” Ethan’s gaze at Ines became even more somber.
Ines suddenly realized she’d said the wrong thing and tried to change the subject, “By the way, why did you decide to come over today?”
“Ines, don’t try to change the subject. Let’s continue our previous discussion.” Ethan wasn’t so easily footed.
