The Royal Contract

Chapter 822

Chapter 822: Fighting for life

“Damn!” Evan uttered as he panted, taking in deep breaths as he tried to refill his lungs with more air. He had to bend down, using his knees as support as he tried to calm his heart that was beating wildly inside his chest.

Evan got home late last night after visiting his friends, David and Rosella. He should have slept like a log after consuming all those alcohols, but he only tossed and turned in his bed until the wee hours of the morning.

When the sun shone on his room, passing through the windows, he knew there was no way he could sleep. Besides, he had to be at the office in a couple of hours. Therefore, going back to sleep seemed to be out of the question.

“Stupid!” He exclaimed, grabbing his bottle of water from his side and splashing some of it in his face and head to cool himself down.

His very brilliant idea to run out of his apartment and take on fresh air suddenly sounded foolish. And it was getting much crazier every second ticked by.

He looked around the park, seeing the many people passing by and the usual path he took when he had his run. But only concluded he should have stayed in his bed because running was ineffective in removing his hangover.

Then, his phone rang, interrupting him from his rest. “Yes.” Quickly answering, finding his secretary was on the line. “I will be there soon.” Evan learned that the files he had asked for had just arrived. Therefore, he had to be there.

.....

Instead of continuing his path, he cut his run short, finding another way to get back to his apartment in half the time. He knew a shortcut, but many did not like going through that way. But he had no choice.

He made his run again, fighting against his need to puke and the dizzy spells. He had hoped the alcohol in his system would dissipate by sweating profusely, but it only dehydrated him more. But he did learn a valuable lesson. Don’t drink, then run.

Evan was about to make a turn on another path when he heard the sound of a woman struggling. He stopped in his tracks and tried to listen carefully, trying to make sense of what he heard.

“Please, just take the money, just don’t kill me.” He heard a female voice who cried for mercy for her life from her possible assailant.

He had never been in this situation before where he encountered an actual crime. But there was no time to second-guess what he had to do. Instinct told him to move and help the woman from being mugged or even killed through a robbery.

Slowly, he made his way to the source of the cry. He carefully circled the bushes, hoping to catch the robber in his unawares. He knew a few boxing skills but was not a professional fighter. He only used it for exercise and to build his muscles.

Still, he hoped it would come in handy. “But don’t play the hero.” He still reminded himself to use his common sense, not his ego, in this delicate situation.

When he was about a few meters away from the scene, that was the only time he realized that he knew the victim as she faced him with tears and fear in her eyes.

The criminal had his back on him, but he seemed agitated as he kept looking sideways, probably wary of passersby. He did see a knife in his hand. At least it was not a gun.

It would be easier to disarm him if he had to come to a point where he would want to attack him. But still, he had to find a way to scare him off rather than fight him. He still had no experience in actual hand-to-hand combat. It was different inside the ring.

“You got my bag. What else do you want?” Evan did not like the tremble and fear in her voice. The mugger seemed to be after something else. It could be one thing or another, but the result would not be anything less gruesome.

Suddenly, he wished he had seen a long stick or something in the park he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. He checked the iron fences. There was no way he could pull one out.

He had no choice but to scare him off with his size, which was bulkier than the other man. Unless he was used to fighting off big man, he might have a chance against him.

“I think you should run while you still can, but I suggest you leave her purse behind.” Evan finally shouted at the man, using the manliest tone he could muster. He only had one shot at making an impression, and he had to make it count.

The robber turned around, slightly spooked by his appearance. He almost wounded the woman before him with his sudden movement. Luckily, she stepped back an inch, missing the blade from cutting her skin.

She must have recognized him as her eyes shifted from the man to him, making her release a large bulk of air from her chest. She could see the panic in her eyes but the tinge of the gladness of seeing him.

He could only wonder what she was doing in this place in the first place. But at the moment, he had pressing matters to attend to when the other man did not run but showed a smirk on his ugly face instead.

“I suggest you leave your wallet and phone behind and run while you still can.” The man turned to him, using his words against him, intimidating him instead by aiming his knife in his direction.

It was clear he was not one bit intimidated by his size or his bravado. He might be smaller by a few inches, but he had balls. Now he had to rethink his plan since his A idea did not work.

But what else was there but to face him. He only had to make sure to avoid the sharp blade from piercing through him. He could probably take his punches, but he had to be quick and land his jabs in the correct body positions.

He loved to box, but at the moment, it was not just a physical sport but a mental one since he would be fighting for life.

His and hers.