But now…
Now, things had changed. That shield of luck was gone, leaving Ethan open and unprotected. Without it, the world was a much riskier place… especially for him.
‘After all, accidents happen all the time, don’t they? A slip on wet stairs, a loose wire, a car that doesn’t stop in time—so many little mistakes, so easy to explain and understand.’
Alex’s lips curved into a faint smile.
For the first time, he could see the path to a future to finally get rid of Ethan Carter.
As Ethan lay unconscious, the other executives scrambled to save their own skins.
“Sir! Please forgive us!” One man bowed so deeply that his tie nearly touched the floor. “We were misled by Ethan Carter’s… this bastard lies! We had no idea about your connection with the Wells family!”
“Exactly!” Another chimed in, forcing a nervous smile. “If we had known, we wouldn’t have dared to set foot in Reid Industries, let alone cause trouble. It was all a misunderstanding—just a little misunderstanding!”
“Yes! Sir, please be merciful. We’re just small businessmen trying to make a living. Surely, you wouldn’t hold a grudge against people like us…”
The air buzzed with desperate apologies as the so-called “elites” of the business world abandoned their dignity in a frantic attempt to appease Alex.
All of them knew one thing:
If they didn’t beg for forgiveness now, their careers—and their companies—would never recover from this day.
….
Desperate pleas echoed throughout the conference room as the gathered executives clung to the faint hope of forgiveness.
“Sir, please! We were misled!”
“We swear it won’t happen again! Just give us one more chance!”
Alex leaned back in his chair, watching the scene with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a lighter. The faint crackle of the lighter sounded unnaturally loud in the tense silence.
Click.
Flick.
The tip of the lighter flared to life, glowing a dull red as Alex took a long, slow drag. Small fire curled from the lighter, the faint haze drifting through the air.
Then—
BANG!
Without warning, Alex kicked the table in front of him, flipping it over with a loud crash that echoed through the room like a thunderclap.
Documents, glasses, and scattered nameplates tumbled to the floor as the stunned executives jerked back in shock.
“Did you all think me and this company was some street-side market?” Alex’s voice cut through the air like a whip. His tone, once calm and measured, now carried a razor-sharp edge. “A place you can walk into whenever you please and leave without consequences?”
No one dared to speak. No one dared to breathe.
Even the people and the Wells family people exchanged uneasy glances. Though they stood on Alex’s side, the sudden force of kicking the table and shouting… even they got uneasy for a second there.
But Alex paid them no mind. His gaze swept across the room like a predator surveying cornered prey.
“You want to leave?” His voice dropped to a low growl, each word laced with unyielding authority. “Fine. The door’s right there.”
He looked at them as he played with his lighter, lighting a thin stream of fire before delivering the final blow.
“But if you want to leave this building today… You’ll each pay one hundred and forty million dollars.”
From the moment the old man from Wells family had revealed his identity and declared his support for Alex Reid, every executive in the room understood that leaving without paying a price was impossible. Yet, none of them had anticipated the price would be as steep as one billion dollars.
“Sir, please—we know we were wrong!”
“Right, right! This whole thing was just a misunderstanding! Can’t you lower… the amount a little?”
“Yeah, give us a chance, Sir. We can still be helpful in the future!”
Their desperate pleas overlapped, a chorus of fear and regret.
Alex spread his hands in a gesture of indifference. “ahhh… you don’t want to pay? Huh?!” He raised an eyebrow and shrugged casually. “That’s fine…”
A beat of silence.
“…But you’ll leave a leg behind.” His tone was light, almost conversational, as if discussing the weather. Yet, the room’s temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Everyone’s gaze instinctively darted toward the unconscious figure of Ethan Carter, still lying on the floor, blood staining the carpet. Their eyes then flicked to Trisha Wells, her cheeks still red from the blows she’d suffered.
The message was clear.
The asking amount—or a leg.
“Decide.” Alex’s gaze swept across the room, eyes cold and unyielding.
“Sir…” One of the older executives hesitated before cautiously asking, “If we pay the asking amount… you’ll let today’s incident slide, right?”
Alex’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You think you’re in a position to negotiate?”
“You—” The man’s face flushed with anger, but before he could finish, the executive beside him placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward.
“Alright! I’ll pay!”
“Me too!”
“As long as you can overlook today’s events, I’ll gladly consider it the price of gaining a friend like you!”
It began with one, then two. Before long, the entire room had fallen into line.
Because no matter how painful it was to part with a billion dollars, the alternative was unthinkable. Money could be earned again.
A lost leg, however, could never be replaced.
….
Thirty minutes later…
The once-crowded conference room now stood nearly empty, the air thick with the lingering scent of cigarette smoke and fear. Each executive had left after transferring the required sum, their faces pale and drawn.
Mr. Waters approached from the side, bowing slightly. “Sir, what should we do with him?” He gestured toward Ethan Carter, still unconscious on the floor.
“Throw him out,” Alex replied without hesitation.
“Understood.” Two security guards stepped forward and hoisted Ethan up like a sack of garbage. Without a word, they carried him out of the room.
As Alex’s gaze shifted, his eyes landed on Trisha Wells, who stood near the wall, trembling. Feeling his gaze, her face paled further, and she took a step back.
“Alex… Please…” Her voice cracked as she forced a smile, her lips trembling. “Don’t… don’t do this. I’m your stepmother. We’re family—family should love and support each other, right?”
…
Bonus Chapters on: 500, 1000, 1500 Power Stones.
…
(A/N: Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!!)
Don’t forget to add this novel to your library and sent some power stones for support if you like the novel.