Carrieâs little face paled as her entire body flew straight into the manâs arms. Ryan lowered his eyes,
feeling a coolness in his chest. His long lashes trembled slightly.
The dampness from her body blended with his warm skin through his thin black shirt. His breath grew
heavy as his arms instinctively tightened around her.
âCarrie?â Ryan called to her in a low and hoarse voice.
Carrie tightly shut her eyes, clutching his smooth lapel and not saying a word.
Ryan could not help but suppress a chuckle. He softly inquired, âDid I hurt you?â
She rested her forehead against his chest and shook her head.
A sense of pity welled up in his heart.
The two security guards, upon witnessing Ryanâs grand arrival, immediately straightened up. They
hurriedly bowed respectfully and greeted, âGood evening, Mr. Hoffman!â
âWhat was the meaning of that?â Ryan asked in a lazy tone, still holding Carrie..
âAh, itâs nothing, just a minor issue.â The security guard, who was previously rude toward Carrie, now
smiled with great enthusiasm. âThis young lady is a fan of Ms. Ada Wang, and she insisted on entering
without an invitation. We tried to persuade her, but she wouldnât listen, soâ¦â
âSo, you resorted to brute force?â Ryan scowled.
âWell, not exactly. We were just doing our job by keeping her out.â The bodyguard evaded the question,
not willing to admit they had bullied a young girl.
Ryan smirked, then whispered softly into Carrieâs ear, âDo you want me to help you settle the score?â
Carrie, still not daring to look at Ryan, nodded slightly but quickly shook her head.
Ryan gave a slight smile as his right hand slipped into his wine-red velvet suit, retrieving his phone to
dial Justinâs number.
âHey Justin, can I deal with your employees?â Upon hearing that, the two bodyguards exchanged
confused glances.
Ryan slowly moved his hand to the back of Carrieâs neck, gently stroking her damp hair. â Good, Iâll
handle it then.â
After ending the call, Ryan steadied Carrie on her feet and raised his hand, gesturing forward.
Suddenly, the well-trained bodyguards from the Hoffman family stepped forward, surrounding the two
confused Salvador Hotel bodyguards.
Carrie, unaware of what was happening, stared blankly as Ryan put his hand into his pocket. With a
blank expression, he walked into the circle as the Hoffman bodyguards closed in around him, obscuring
him from view.
âAh-!â
âOof-!â
The Hoffman bodyguards formed a seamless and impenetrable barrier, so Carrie could not see what
Ryan was doing, but she could hear screams that made her shudder.
After what felt like a lifetime, Ryan finally stopped and coldly glared at the two battered men kneeling
before him. He took a handkerchief from a bodyguard and casually wiped the blood off his hands.
âIf you canât even recognize Ms. Salvador, then whatâs the point of keeping your eyes?â
The two terrified bodyguards trembled as they looked toward Carrie. Then, in unison, they bowed in
front of Carrie with their heads touching the floor.
âMs. Salvador, forgive us! Forgive us, please! Weâve been ignorant! Please spare us!â
In Savrow, everyone knew that the Hoffman family was involved in both legal and shady dealings.
Offending the Hoffman family meant a bleak future in Savrow.
âIâll take care of this small matter. Thereâs no need to trouble your boss,â Ryan declared.
His eyes still held a hint of amusement as he casually tossed the soiled handkerchief onto their faces.
âLeave Salvador Corporation and get out of Savrow. If my people catch sight of you in this territory
again, you wonât be leaving with your limbs attached.â
âThank you! Thank you, Mr. Hoffman! Thank you!â
The two men were escorted out by the Hoffman bodyguards, who sobbed and thanked Ryan profusely.
Carrie pressed her lips together, standing timidly in place.
Ryan approached her again, bending down to meet her eyes with a mischievous look on his face.
âCarrie, youâre quite mysterious. Even your familyâs employees didnât recognize you.â âDid you have to
go that far?â Carrie murmured softly, taking a small step back.