The man turned toward Adel.
His eyes were rimmed red, and his voice came out rough and husky—like he had smoked far too many cigarettes. I was certain his breath reeked; Adel subtly scrunched his nose the moment he spoke.
His tone was loud—filled with unreasonable anger.
"That's none of your business, buddy."
Adel shook his head slowly, then stepped closer, turning fully toward him—blocking both me and Charles from seeing his expression.
But his voice—
It didn't need to be loud.
It was cold.
Sharp enough to cut through the air.
Enough to make the man in front of him hesitate.
"It is," Adel replied calmly, "since you're clearly scaring the lady."
A pause.
Then, almost lazily—
"What a fragile masculinity."
At that—
the restaurant fell silent.
Waiters froze mid-step. Conversations faded into hushed murmurs. Every eye turned toward the scene unfolding before them.
Even the radio seemed to disappear into the background—until one of the cooks hurried to switch it off, as if the tension itself demanded silence.
On the other hand…
the girl.
She looked like a leaf caught in a winter storm.
Shaking. Small. Fragile.
Her head was lowered, her fingers fidgeting restlessly—I was sure she had already damaged her nails from the way she kept picking at them.
She whispered quiet apologies under her breath.
Over and over.
Like it was second nature.
Her eyes were rimmed red, tears threatening to spill at any moment. Even from where I stood, I could see them clearly.
Her ponytail was messy—slightly greasy—like she hadn't had the time or energy to care.
But the man—
His face shifted through colors. Red. Yellow. Rage burning under his skin.
He stood abruptly, his chair scraping back before crashing onto the floor with a loud thud that echoed through the room.
He was slightly shorter than Adel.
But his arrogance?
Unmatched.
He stepped forward and grabbed Adel's shoulder roughly, his grip forceful—territorial.
"Listen," he barked loudly, "I said step back. Go to your little friends and mind your own business, dude."
A pause.
"This is my girl. I'll do whatever I want with her."
Adel didn't hesitate.
He yanked the man's hand off his shoulder with sudden force.
Slowly… deliberately… he straightened.
"It seems," he said, his tone calm—too calm—"that you're quite the hot-headed man."
A beat.
Then, colder—
"She is not your property."
Another pause.
"And you know what I think?"
His voice dipped into something sharper. More cutting.
"I think… you're nothing more than a man-child."
My heart was pounding.
What if something happened to him?
That man clearly had no limits—no sense of restraint.
But then again…
neither did Adel.
And I knew one thing for certain—
Adel would never back down.
I was just about to stand when Charles shot me a look.
A single glance that said everything:
Stay out of it.
I swallowed hard and sank back into my seat.
The man opened his mouth, ready to lash out—
but Adel cut him off.
"See?" he said coolly. "You're only proving my point."
A pause.
"That you're nothing but trash."
The man snapped.
He lunged forward, fist raised—
but Adel was faster.
He caught his wrist mid-air, stopping the blow effortlessly, and with his other hand—
he struck.
A sharp hit.
Clean.
Precise.
The man staggered back, clutching his face as blood spilled from his nose. Shock flickered across his expression, quickly replaced by rage.
His gaze snapped toward the girl.
She flinched instantly.
Automatically.
That alone said enough.
His face twisted with fury as he reached for her arm—
but once again—
Adel stepped in.
Placing himself right between them.
"Ah, ah," he clicked his tongue softly. "Careful."
His voice dropped, cold and controlled.
"You're now dealing with a member of the government."
A pause.
"Any further action… and I will respond accordingly."
Another step forward.
"And trust me—you won't like how that ends."
For a moment, the man froze.
Then he scoffed, pride clearly wounded. He muttered curses under his breath before turning sharply—
and storming out of the restaurant.
I didn't know if I was more relieved… or more afraid.
the adel moved to a view were i can see his expression it was calm and focused
the girl was a mess she she cluthed her skirt barely hodling back softs she kept muttering apologies and thanks of gratitude in the same sentence adel took off his jacket and gave it to her
and muttered calmly
keep it and with it he gave her a card
this a number of a good laywer call him if things esclatet and tell him you know me - i am adel abd al mansour - btw and don't return to that grababge
he glanced at our table or maybe at me i couldn't quiet catch it and then at the girl
eat something you will need it it's on me
the grls replied between her sobs and sniffles with a shaky breath
" that's too much ...sorry i really roubled you is there anything i could ... plz anything "
she kept avoiding eye contact the whole time looking anywhere but there
" just do me this favor don't let him near you again "
She nodded, still trembling.
The moment he turned his back and walked toward us, something shifted.
He smiled—a calm, victorious smile—and closed his eyes briefly as he sat down, as if registering everything that had just happened.
He didn't look like a man who had just punched someone in the face…or shattered another man's arrogance.
He looked like he had just won a case.
He didn't hold back like society did.
He acted… the way justice would.
And that—
That was mesmerizing.
Even for me.
He opened his eyes and glanced at me.
I hesitated at first.
"Why did you do that?" I asked.
"Why do you think?" he replied simply.
I paused.
For once… I had no answer.
Because he was right.
It wasn't a question that needed words.
It was instinct.
He noticed the uncertainty on my face and continued,
"I saw injustice," he said calmly. "So I acted."
A brief pause.
"Or do you have another opinion?"
I shook my head slowly.
"You're right," I murmured.
For the first time… I understood why people believed in him.