Nicole's heart skipped a beat, and she recoiled. "What are you planning to do?" she asked, her voice shaking.

“The orders are to beat you," one bodyguard stated flatly.

“You're committing a crime!" Nicole yelled in response.

The intent to inflict severe harm was evident in their menacing stance with the sticks. Miguel's malice was clear.

"We're here to punish the thief who disrupted the banquet and committed theft," the other bodyguard explained. "A fortune in gold and silver jewelry vanished today at the event, and you're our prime suspect."

As the words hung in the air, the bodyguard threw a heap of jewelry onto the floor before Nicole. Miguel's scheme to kill Nicole was meticulously planned, leaving no loopholes.

Nicole stared in disbelief at the scattered gold and silver before her. "It wasn't me! I didn't steal anything! You're framing me!" she exclaimed.

The bodyguards advanced step by step. "We have witnesses and evidence proving it was you. Do you still deny it?" they challenged.

Programmed with Miguel's instructions, the bodyguards were merely executing their orders. By accusing Nicole, they justified their actions to commence the beating without fear of reprisal.

Cornered against a cold wall with nowhere to hide, Nicole watched the burly men raise their sticks.

Realizing the futility of pleading with Miguel's men, loyal enforcers of the Watts family, Nicole braced for the inevitable. She shut her eyes tight, anticipating the devastating strike.

"Bang!" A loud crash echoed, yet no pain followed.

Instead, Nicole found herself enveloped in a sturdy, protective embrace.

Another stick swung down, but the person shielding her dodged, smashing it against the wall and shattering the wood.

The potential lethality of the blow was unmistakable. It could have been fatal.

Before Nicole could process the shock, darkness clouded her vision, and a pungent, bloody odor filled her nostrils, the scent drenching her hand.

Another strike was aimed at her, but a figure burst in, deflecting it. The stick clattered to the ground.

The newcomer, far from courteous, unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches on the bodyguards, swiftly overpowering them.

Even after the two bodyguards were down, the newcomer continued his assault relentlessly. “Damn it! Are your eyes blind? How dare you hit Mr. Schultz? I'll teach you both a lesson you won't forget for your entire lifetime!" he bellowed.

It was none other than Alec.