No one could believe it, but the proof was right there—Alex's powder had stopped the bleeding.
Before they could recover from the shock, Alex checked the time and said, "It's been a minute."
He nodded to Kendall, who took a towel and gently cleaned a section of the wound. As she wiped away the powder, everyone could see a dark red scab on the boy's chest. Although it looked a little fragile, it withstood Kendall running the towel over it.
Once again, everyone was stunned.
It really has scabbed over, Sophie thought, staring at it. She forced herself to look away and checked the clock. It's only been one minute since Alex used the powder on it.
The doctors knew how significant this was. As soon as the public became aware of this new medicine, the whole medical industry would be turned upside down.
"What kind of medicine is that?" Kendall asked, her eyes wide.
"The trauma medicine I just created," Alex said, shrugging. "I've decided to call it Golden Health."
He finished treating the little boy and sent him home with his family, giving them some advice on what to do. Then, once they had closed the clinic, they all went out to celebrate Alex's earlier success at the Top Doctor Competition.
They went to Jack's Bar, where they ate, drank, and played pool, and everyone had a great time in the VIP room.
Halfway through the night, Alex got up and went to the bathroom. On his way along the corridor, he saw several men supporting a woman as she stumbled forward. They pushed the door open and took her outside. Curious, Alex followed.
"Hurry up," said one man, who had a scar on his face. "We don't have all night."
"She really is pretty," another man said. "No wonder Gabriel has taken a fancy to her."
A third man snorted with laughter.
The woman staggered, almost bouncing off a wall; she was clearly inebriated.
The light was dim, and her head was bent forward, so her hair covered her face. Alex hesitated, not liking the situation but unsure if he should intervene. It was possible the woman knew the men, and that they were simply helping her.
But as he passed them, Alex could tell the woman was struggling, and he didn't feel he could ignore her. He believed the men were controlling her movements, and he was worried they were up to no good.
As he watched, the woman tripped again, and her head came up sharply, her hair falling away from her face. Alex frowned as he recognized Maryann, and now he was really worried.
He hadn't expected to see her here, and he definitely hadn't expected to see her so drunk and being led away by a group of men.
But he didn't have time to think about it. He turned around and grabbed one of the men. "Hey! Wait a minute!" he said.
All the men stopped and looked at Alex.
"Idiot!" said Micah Fairburn, the man Alex had grabbed. He looked down at Alex's hand. "If you haven't removed that by the time I count to three, I'll remove it for you."
"This woman is my friend," Alex said firmly. "You're not taking her anywhere."
On closer examination, Alex realized Maryann was not simply drunk, but had also been drugged.
Micah narrowed his eyes. "Gabriel Ramsden has chosen this woman," he said. "So, no matter who she is to you, she's coming with us. Now, get out of here. You don't want to get involved in this."
Several of the other men stepped forward to glare at Alex.
Declan, the man with the scar, scowled. "Mind your own business," he said, looking Alex up and down. "You're out of your depth here, so don't get involved. If you do, it won't end well for you. Don't say you haven't been warned." He paused for a moment and then continued. "But, before you go, apologize to Micah, or you won't get out of this place in one piece."
Alex looked at him and frowned. "Don't you have a conscience? How can you just stand by while they abduct innocent women like this? Not only are you doing nothing to stop them, but you're actually helping them!"
Micah grinned. "Declan knows where his loyalties lie. Besides, women like me. I just need to sit at a bar, and they flock to me." He shrugged. "No abduction necessary. And how could I possibly resist a beautiful woman? It's not my fault you're too weak to understand what that's like."
Alex glared at him. "Let her go," he demanded.
"You're still not listening," Declan said. "I told you to apologize to Micah and walk away. This doesn't concern you."
Alex clenched his fists. "So, you refuse to let her go?"
"Gabriel wants to see her," Micah said. "And I'm not going to disappoint him. I don't care if she's your mother or your sister; I'm taking her to him. So, get out of my way. One way or another, we're leaving, and I suggest you don't try to stop us."
He didn't consider Alex any kind of threat, so he didn't take him seriously. After all, Alex looked like an ordinary young man, so it should be easy to deal with him.
Alex took a step forward. "You're not taking her anywhere."
Micah grabbed Maryann's arm and pushed her behind him. "And how, exactly, do you plan to stop me?"
Alex didn't waste any more time talking. He strode forward, determined to get Maryann back.
Micah sneered and took a step backward. "Give it up," he said. "You're only going to get yourself hurt, and it won't change anything."
He turned away to leave, dragging Maryann with him.
Alex began to walk faster.
"Stop him!" Declan ordered.
Several men dashed forward to confront Alex, some of them pulling out blades.
Alex showed them no mercy. He easily avoided their strikes and dodged their knives as he hit out, easily dealing with each of the men.
One by one, they dropped to the ground, out of action. Declan scowled as he watched them fail, and then he pulled his own knife and rushed at Alex.
But just before he made contact, Alex reached out and grabbed his throat, preventing him from moving.
Declan's initial surprise faded and was replaced by anger. "You're not as weak as I thought," he conceded. "But you're still going to lose. Even if you defeat me, others will come for you. You've made a grave mistake tonight."
He had a lot of power behind him, and he wasn't afraid of Alex at all.
Alex walked Declan backward, shoving him against the wall and knocking the air from his lungs.
Declan grunted. Alex had him pinned and unable to move, so he had no idea how to get out of this position. His struggles were getting him nowhere, and he was at Alex's mercy.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Micah complained, letting go of Maryann to confront Alex. Maryann immediately lost her balance and sank to the ground, too dizzy to get back up.
Sensing the imminent attack, Alex punched Declan and let him slide down the wall. As he turned back, he saw Micah hurling two daggers at him.
Alex moved quickly, evading the blades, and they sailed harmlessly past him to strike the wall.
Micah was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed. "So, you have a little skill in martial arts," he said, grinning at him. "But you're still very young, and you have a lot to learn. I've destroyed much more experienced men than you. I could kill you without even breaking a sweat."