Chapter 18 A Ranked Master of the Iron Tiger Circle

• Aiden was unhappy. He had spent a lot of time lately hanging out with Cindy. Each time he came over, he brought a lot of exquisite snacks for her and even tried his best to crack a lot of jokes just to cheer her up in hopes that she would forget about her experience with being kidnapped. But she kept shrugging him off, pouring her love and attention toward Ivan instead. It was driving him nuts. He was hundred percent sure that Ivan did not know any martial arts as he himself sparred with Ivan in the past.
• How did Ivan save Cindy from the clutches of three grade-A wanted criminals then?
• What's worse, Ivan was already married and was considered by many to be a fool. Yet, Cindy still fell for him.
• The ridiculousness of it all was enough to make Aiden mad with frustration.
• To make matters worse, Ivan was invited to the Jones residence for lunch. Feeling uneasy and threatened, Aiden did not hold back when he spoke to Ivan.
• Before he could continue on, Cindy slammed her fork on the table and said to him pointedly, "Please have some decency and stop badmouthing my friend, Aiden. If you won't stop accusing him of being a liar, then our friendship is over!"
• "Please, believe me, Cindy. He's really a liar! How could he protect Mr. Jones when he doesn't even know any martial arts in the first place?" pleaded Aiden.
• Noticing that both Aiden and Desmond were not too fond of him, Ian stood up and said slightly, "He's right, I don't know any martial arts. I'll take my leave then, thank you for your time."
• "No, don't go!" exclaimed Cindy as she stood up and grabbed Ian's arm. She pleaded, "They may not believe in you, but I do! I trust what I saw with my own eyes. I was definitely not hallucinating. My dad made a very powerful enemy and since they have him in their sights, they're bound to send strong goons after him. Only you can protect my dad, Ivan. Please, I beg you, protect my dad!"
• Seeing how Cindy was pleading with Ivan, Aiden grew even angrier. Clenching his teeth, he said, "Fine, since you said he could pierce a wolf with a tree branch, why don't we let him demonstrate to us? I'm sure a demonstration will convince us of his capabilities."
• Desmond was quiet throughout the whole exchange. Even though he had doubts about his daughter's version of the events, she did not sound at all like she lost her mind and was hallucinating. Confusion crept into his mind.
• Could this Ivan actually be strong? Is he just putting on a facade, pretending he's weak?
• Hearing that, Desmond nodded his head and said, "Ah, that's true. Why don't you do a little demonstration for us, Mr. Griffin?"
• Ian was at a loss. He was not against the idea of demonstrating his capabilities, but he knew that doing so would cause unnecessary trouble. It might even destroy his plans for revenge. But he could not bear to refuse them when Cindy was looking at him with puppy eyes.
• He suddenly thought of a good way out of his predicament, and said, "I am familiar with some martial arts tricks, but I'm just a green amateur. Sometimes I get lucky and pull off some moves when I'm under pressure, but that's about the extent of my skills. If you believe in me, I'll lend you my help. Otherwise, I'm fine with taking my leave too."
• Hearing Ivan's words, both Desmond and Aiden finally understood the situation better. It explained why when Aiden sparred with him the other night, he appeared weak and defenseless. It was because he was an amateur who could only use his moves sometimes.
• Desmond did not want to go against his daughter after seeing her defending him so staunchly, so he nodded and said, "Sure, the more people we have, the safer I feel. When the time comes, I hope you will lend me your strength, Mr. Griffin."
• Knowing that his continuous antagonization of Ivan would just alienate him from Cindy even further, Aiden decided to go along. He said, "If that's the case, then Mr. Jones will definitely be safer with one more person helping. I take back what I said. Please don't take all of that to heart, Ivan."
• "Haha, of course not. I'm really not a good fighter at all. It was just pure luck that I saved Cindy on that day." replied Ian with a thin smile.
• Seeing that Ian finally admitted that he knew martial arts, she became excited and blurted out, "So you said that you can only perform your moves under pressure. So that means you were worried about me when I was about to be eaten by the wolf on that day, right? You love me!"
• Ian was speechless at her leap of logic, while both Desmond and Aiden were bewildered. They wondered what Ian did to Cindy for her to fall head over heels over him, a married man.
• Being an experienced businessman, Desmond managed to keep his composure and hide his bewilderment. He gave a chuckle and said, "I guess that's fate, huh? Since Aiden is here, let's have a drink."
• "Okay, I'll drink," said Aiden. Deep down, he was unhappy but he knew better than to show it on his face. In his mind, he was comparing Ivan to himself. He was one of the more eligible bachelors in Riverdale. He had the looks, talents, and wealth, there was no way he was going to lose to a married man.
• As long as he could act first and defeat the people that came for Desmond's head before Ivan could do anything, he was sure he could win Cindy's heart over.
• Aiden felt more relaxed after thinking about that. He was an experienced martial artist with ten years under his belt, there was no way he was going to lose to an amateur like Ivan.
• Seeing that the atmosphere had lightened up, Cindy happily went and brought out a bottle of 1982 Lafite. Seeing that the atmosphere had lightened up, Cindy happily went and brought out a bottle of 1982 Lafite. As she walked over, her swaying hips caught Aiden's eyes and heart.
• On the other hand, Ian was relieved that his true capabilities were not revealed and he did not care about impressing anyone. If the people that come for them were just average thugs, then he would gladly allow Aiden to show off his skills. But if the opponents ended up being stronger than expected, he would then just find a subtle way to deal with the attackers. Ian could not risk having his true capabilities revealed to the world as it would likely spell trouble for him in the future.
• In the end, the four of them sat at the table eating and drinking. Superficial conversations were had between them, but deep down, each of them was wrestling with their own thoughts.
• Once they were done eating, Desmond got the housekeeper to arrange a room for Ian to rest in. Ian knew better than to reject the goodwill. He was no masochist, he would never say no to a warm bed to sleep in,
• After retiring to the room and locking the door, Ian immediately collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
• It was almost evening when Ian woke up. When he went to the hall downstairs, he noticed Cindy sitting in front of the TV cross-legged. She was watching a cartoon show while munching on a bag of chips. She beckoned to him when she noticed him, saying, "Come here. Talk with me."
• "Aren't you watching a show right now?" asked Ian hesitantly.
• "It's too deep, I don't understand what's going on," replied Cindy as she turned off the TV with the remote control.
• Ian smiled wryly and sat down opposite of her. He then asked, "Aren't you supposed to attend class, young lady?"
• "My one-month break hasn't ended yet. Got the break thanks to my dad. Oh yeah, when are you divorcing Rosie?" replied Cindy as she gazed at him with her big eyes.
• "Divorce?" asked a stunned Ian. He then shook his head and replied, "I don't know."
• His relationship with Rosie had been on the rocks for a long time now and it seemed like there was no future together for them. Rosie probably had even forgotten about him, as he did not receive a single text message from her for the past month. Ian was heartbroken at how cold-hearted Rosie was towards him.
• "Ah, it's fine. We can wait for a bit. I'll marry you after I graduate next year. They don't see the good in you, but I do. You're just a little rough around the edges, a little polishing here and there and you'll shine brilliantly. I'm willing to bet my life on you!" said Cindy with conviction in her voice.
• Cindy's words made his heart flutter. Ian was an archetypal man who craves an understanding woman by his side.
• Not to mention, Cindy's beauty was comparable to Rosie's. What was more important though, was Cindy's unconditional affirmation for him. It gave him reassurance as a man.
• There was no one in the world who did not desire the affirmation of others.
• But currently, both he and Cindy were not on equal footing status-wise, she was the daughter of the owner of Saint Corporation after all. If both of them got together, it would definitely invite a lot of gossip.
• Ian was lost in thought for a while before replying with a sigh, "How about this? Let's start off as friends first."
• "Yeah, that works too. Don't worry, I don't give up easily once I set my eyes on something." replied Cindy with a cheerful smile.
• Ian nodded. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Oh yeah, you can call me Ian."
• Even though the former owner of the body he now inhabits was called Ivan,he still preferred others to call him by his own name. His real name was Ian after all, even though Ivan is just one alphabet more than his own name and they both sounded similar..
• Of course, Ian also went by another name. But very few knew that Ian himself was behind that name and identity.
• Right at that moment, Desmond and Aiden walked out of the study with a troubled look on their faces. Desmond exclaimed, "We just got news that a ranked master of the Iron Tiger Circle is out for our heads!"