Stopping Assault

Chapter 11 - Meeting Mia

Weekend.

Author: Eve Sad Life. he he.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the meeting time with Mia. Mike stood near the entrance with two tickets in his pocket, checking his watch every few seconds. His heart was beating faster than he wanted to admit. He had been confident earlier, but the longer he waited, the more that confidence began to fray.

Then a hand lightly touched his shoulder from behind.

Mike turned around.

His eyes widened slightly, and for a brief moment his breathing stopped.

It was Mia.

She looked completely different from the focused athlete he usually saw in the gym. She wore a fitted black off-shoulder top that sat snugly against her frame, tucked into a short white tennis skirt. White sneakers completed the look. Her long red hair fell loosely over her shoulders instead of being tied up, and a faint vanilla perfume drifted from her as she stood there under the afternoon light.

"…You're late," Mike finally said.

Mia raised an eyebrow. "You're early."

He let out a short breath and smiled. "Fair enough. Ready?"

She nodded. "Let's go."

They booked a cab and climbed into the back seat. For the first few minutes, the atmosphere was quiet but not awkward. The city moved past the windows as the driver pulled into traffic.

"So," Mia said, breaking the silence, "how strong are the fighters today?"

Mike leaned back against the seat. "Two of them are national-level. One is being watched for the next Olympic cycle. It should be a clean technical match, not just wild swinging."

"You sound like a coach."

"I've been around this long enough." he glanced at her. "You've been hitting the bag differently these days. Your form is tighter."

Mia shrugged. "I had some time to fix a lot of bad habits."

Their conversation stayed natural after that — small talk about past matches, training schedules, and the pressure of staying competitive. At one point, the cab took a sharp turn, and Mike's hand brushed lightly against hers on the seat.

Mia noticed.

She didn't pull her hand away immediately. Instead, she looked at him from the corner of her eye, a faint, unreadable expression on her face.

"You're not as quiet as you were the first time we trained," she said.

Mike met her gaze. "You're not as cold as you looked either."

Mia blinked once, clearly not expecting the reply. A faint warmth rose to her cheeks before she turned her face toward the window, pretending to watch the street. For the first time in a long while, she felt a small, unfamiliar flutter in her chest.

She didn't say anything else, but the silence that followed was different from before.

By the time they reached the venue, the area outside was already filling with people. Mia spotted a few familiar faces near the entrance — members of the national training circle. She excused herself for a moment and walked over to greet them.

Mike watched her for a few seconds, then decided to get food before the matches started. He bought two sandwiches and two bottles of Coke, then made his way back to the seats they had planned to take.

He waited.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Mia didn't return.

Mike pulled out his phone and called her. The tone rang for a while before going to voicemail. He tried again. Still nothing.

A cold thought slowly crept in.

It was going too well.

His expression darkened. Claire's face flashed through his mind without warning — the same pattern of sudden silence, the same feeling of being left behind. He opened the System window almost on instinct.

[Mia]

Interest: 63%

Still above sixty. That didn't match the behavior of someone who was simply playing with him. Confusion settled deeper in his chest. If her interest hadn't dropped, then why hadn't she come back?

His appetite disappeared. He left the food untouched on the seat and stood up, deciding to leave.

Then a sharp notification cut through his thoughts.

[Ding!]

[Emergency Quest Activated]

[Objective: Save Mia from assault]

[Reward: Sex with Mia]

[Failure: Mia will be broken due to sexual assault]

Mike's body went cold.

The next second, blood rushed through him hard enough to make his vision sharpen. He shoved past people and sprinted out of the seating area, scanning every direction as he moved through the outer corridors of the venue.

Near a side hallway leading toward the back exits, he saw it — Mia's handbag lying on the floor, half-open, as if it had been dropped in a hurry.

His pulse spiked.

Faint voices reached him from further down the corridor.

He followed them immediately.

When he turned the corner, the scene locked into place.

One man was holding Mia from behind, arms locked around her upper body, restricting her movement. The other stood in front of her with a short knife in his hand, the blade angled toward her.

Mike recognized them instantly.

The same two from the calisthenics park.

"Just stay quiet," the one with the knife said, eyes dragging over her. "Hand over that sexy body of yours and we won't hurt you too much. We'll take good care of it."

Mia's jaw was tight, her breathing controlled but sharp. She was clearly looking for an opening, but the grip on her was solid.

Mike's eyes swept the surroundings fast. Near a dustbin against the wall, he spotted a broken iron rod and a fist-sized chunk of loose stone. He grabbed the stone first.

There was no hesitation.

He stepped out from the corner and hurled it with full force.

The stone cracked against the knife-wielder's temple. The man staggered, eyes rolling back, and collapsed hard onto the floor. The knife clattered away from his hand.

The second man barely had time to react before Mike closed the distance and slammed a fist into his face. The hold on Mia broke. Mike didn't stop. He grabbed the man by the collar and drove another punch into his jaw, then another, the impact echoing in the narrow corridor.

Mia moved the moment she was free. She snatched the iron rod from the ground and swung it hard into the man's side, cursing under her breath with every strike.

"You pieces of shit—!"

The man crumpled under the combined assault.

Mike had already called the police the second he confirmed the situation. Within minutes, officers arrived, secured the corridor, and restrained both attackers. Statements were taken quickly. The knife was collected as evidence. The two men were dragged away in cuffs, one of them still barely conscious.

Only after the area was cleared did the tension in Mike's shoulders begin to drop.

He turned to Mia. Her breathing was uneven, and there was a faint scrape on her arm, but she was standing on her own.

"Come on," he said. "I'm taking you home."

She didn't argue.

The ride to her place was quiet. Night had started settling over the city by the time they reached her building. Mike walked her to the entrance, then stopped, his expression serious.

He looked at her directly.

"Those guys weren't just following you because you look good," he said. "This is the second time. Something else is going on."

Mia's eyes lowered slightly.

Mike's voice stayed steady.

"What is really happening, Mia?"

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