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Alex followed Sarah out of the pet market, but they barely made it past the entrance before three men with hostile expressions surrounded them.
"There's that bitch again!" snarled the leader, a stocky guy with a military-style buzz cut.
"What do you want?" Sarah stepped backward, clearly frightened. Alex frowned—these guys definitely looked like trouble.
"What do we want? You come here every fucking day ruining our business! Keep it up and we'll teach you a lesson!" The buzz-cut leader pointed aggressively at Sarah.
Alex understood immediately. These were pet dealers whose sales Sarah was undermining by convincing potential customers to adopt rescue animals instead of buying from shops. While he sympathized with their business concerns, three grown men intimidating a college student crossed obvious lines.
"I'm not ruining anything! I'm just trying to help animals find homes!" Sarah said, voice shaking. She was clearly terrified but standing her ground.
"Give me that bag!" The leader grabbed for Sarah's backpack, trying to yank it away from her. Sarah held on desperately, but his superior strength sent her stumbling. She hit the ground hard, and the bag's zipper ripped open, scattering rescue center brochures across the pavement.
"Hey, that's enough!" Alex stepped forward. Sarah might be competing with their businesses, but she was trying to save animal lives. Violence was completely unacceptable.
"Mind your own fucking business, kid, or you'll be next!" The leader turned his aggression toward Alex.
That was a mistake.
Alex's temper flared instantly. Nobody pointed fingers in his face and made threats. "Don't point at me."
"I'll point wherever I want! Keep running your mouth and I'll shut it for you!"
In one fluid motion, Alex grabbed the man's extended finger and twisted hard while stepping forward and driving his knee into the guy's leg. The movement was precise, efficient, and devastating.
The leader dropped to one knee immediately, screaming in pain. "Fuck, fuck, let go! You're breaking it!"
His two companions moved to help, but Alex shouted and applied more pressure. The leader's scream intensified.
"What the hell is going on here?" A clear female voice cut through the chaos. "I've called the police! There are security cameras everywhere, plus my car's dashcam is recording everything. Try anything stupid and you're all going to jail!"
Alex looked up in surprise to see Isabella running toward them, her usually elegant demeanor replaced by fierce determination. She positioned herself beside Alex without hesitation.
"Isabella ? What are you doing here?"
"Who are these assholes? Are they trying to rob you?" Isabella demanded, glaring at the three men.
"Pet shop owners harassing her for helping rescue animals," Alex explained briefly.
"Dude, please, let go of my finger! It's really going to break!" the leader begged, tears forming in his eyes.
"If it breaks, I'll pay for the surgery to fix it. Money's not exactly a problem for me," Alex said coldly.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have pointed at you. We were just trying to scare the girl—she keeps stealing our customers. Running a business is hard enough already. Please, just let me go!"
The leader's tough-guy act had completely crumbled. From Alex's technique, he could tell this wasn't some random college kid—this was someone with serious training. Plus they were surrounded by witnesses now, so violence would only make things worse.
And holy shit, his finger really did feel like it was about to snap.
Seeing the crowd that had gathered, Alex decided the three men were sufficiently intimidated. He released his grip, and the leader scrambled to his feet, gesturing for his companions to retreat.
"Are you hurt?" Alex asked Sarah, noticing her scraped knee.
"I'm fine," she said quietly. "Thank you for helping me."
"Just be careful coming here again. These guys will definitely hold a grudge."
Sarah nodded, still looking shaken by the confrontation.
"Alex, what exactly happened here?" Isabella asked.
After Alex explained the situation, Isabella indignation was immediate. "Those pieces of shit! You never hit a woman, no matter what the business dispute is!"
"So why are you here anyway?" Alex asked his sister.
"I was planning to buy a cat for the house. I'd just parked when I saw those three surrounding you. I thought you might need backup, so..." She shrugged, but Alex could see she'd been genuinely worried about him.
Alex smiled, touched by Isabella protective instincts. She'd charged into a potentially dangerous situation without hesitation, ready to fight three strangers to protect him.
"Actually, since you're here, why don't you come with us to the rescue center? You could adopt a cat there instead of buying one," Alex suggested.
"Perfect! I'd love to see what they have available," Isabella agreed enthusiastically.
"We have lots of beautiful cats looking for homes!" Sarah said, her mood brightening considerably. "You'll definitely find one you love!"
The rescue center was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Dozens of cats and dogs waited in clean, well-maintained enclosures, each with stories of abandonment or abuse. The volunteers clearly cared deeply about every animal, and their dedication was inspiring.
Alex found himself emotionally affected by the hopeful expressions of dogs who'd been betrayed by previous owners but still trusted humans enough to seek affection. He wanted to adopt them all, though practical considerations made that impossible.
What he could do was provide financial support to help more animals find homes.
Alex finally selected his Trump dog—not particularly attractive, but obviously intelligent and well-behaved. The dog seemed to understand commands instinctively and had a calm, dignified demeanor that Alex appreciated.
In addition to the Trump dog, Alex adopted five cats of various breeds, a Shiba-style dog that reminded him of breeds from his previous life, and a smaller husky-type dog with striking blue eyes.
Isabella , limited by her mother's pet policies, chose one elegant Persian cat that seemed to match her refined personality.
Alex's multiple adoptions created excitement throughout the rescue center. Normal adopters typically took one or two animals maximum, but Alex wasn't exactly normal.
Especially after he wrote a two-hundred-thousand-dollar check to support the center's operations. To Alex, it was pocket change. To the rescue center, it represented months of food, medical care, and facility maintenance.
"They're all so adorable!" Isabella said, playing with the cats Alex had adopted. "If Mother wasn't so strict about pets, I'd take half a dozen myself."
"Come visit them at the office whenever you want," Alex offered. "They'll be living there anyway."
"I absolutely will! This is going to make work so much more enjoyable."
Looking at his new menagerie, Alex felt satisfied. The office would be much livelier with proper animal companions, and he'd helped a worthy cause in the process.
Sometimes money really could solve problems effectively.
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