Riley had his own men in Baltimore, and they all carried guns. With his arrival, the whole situation quietened down.
The others backed down and retreated to opposite sides of the room, where they glared at each other. They were ready to start fighting again at any time, but they were waiting to see what Riley would do.
Melvin and Riley were also acquainted with each other. Melvin walked over to Riley, blocking Riley's view of Alex.
Riley didn't say a word, but everyone felt his presence. He stood with his hands by his sides, and his cold eyes swept over the faces of everyone in the room. Several people shivered and lowered their heads slightly, not daring to make a sound.
Even Maria turned her head slightly, not daring to meet Riley's sharp gaze.
Maryann was also uneasy, and she looked over at Alex, who continued to sit quietly, observing everything from his position on the sofa.
Maria was used to being the most important woman in the Thornton family, especially when Ferdinand had been in charge. But Ash's defeat had weakened the family, so compared with Riley, Maria knew her position was weak.
"You really don't know what's going on these days, do you?" Riley asked. "The situation in Baltimore is very different from how it was in the past. Your families think they're still important, but you're all so arrogant and full of yourselves that you can't see what's happening under your noses."
He frowned. "Even you, Maryann. You run your wine business, and you dabble in medicine, but you don't know what's happening with Brian. His daughter had an accident and is still lying in the hospital, so he's in a really bad mood. If you cross him, he won't let it go. You and Maria have fought in broad daylight, and Brian has noticed. He will never allow such a thing to continue, so this needs to end now."
He looked around the room. "I'm fairly sure Brian has already made a plan to bring down the over-powerful families who think they run Baltimore. His sense of justice is particularly strong, and you can't pull the wool over his eyes. If he thinks something is wrong, he'll never let it go. Think about it—do you want to mess with him? There are a lot of people who support him, so I advise you to be more restrained."
He shook his head. "Maria, you think the Thornton family is the best, and you, Maryann, think the Robinson family is the greatest. Right? It's bullshit! Your families are has-beens. You've had your time and now someone else is taking over."
Maryann lowered her head and said, "I hear what you're saying, Riley. It's not that I don't respect the Thornton family, but I can't tolerate their recent behavior. They're relying on the power of the Ghosts, and they drugged me and tried to kidnap me. Do you expect me to just accept that?"
Before Riley could answer, Maria spoke up. "No, she's wrong. We didn't know she was a member of the Robinson family. We only discovered that when we showed up here. After we found out, we apologized and offered her compensation. But she refused to accept our offer and instead insisted Gabriel must be punished. How could we do that? She backed us into a corner, and we had to fight."
She tried to sound reasonable as she explained their side of the situation.
"All right!" Riley said, holding up his hand. He had heard enough. "Nobody say anything else. I'll solve this problem, but you must all listen to me."
Everyone looked at him. They couldn't guess what decision he was going to make, and his expression wasn't giving anything away.
Without warning, Gabriel clutched at his stomach and fell to the ground, his face screwed up with pain. Something was very wrong, and it was making it hard for him to breathe.
"Gabriel! What's wrong?" someone called.
Several Ghosts rushed over, while one of them, Sam Young, was frozen in shock. He felt terrible that he had not protected his master, but he hadn't even seen an attack coming. Maria was also extremely shocked, and she had no idea who was responsible for hurting Gabriel.
Before the Ghosts could act, Sam pushed past them. He took a medicine bottle from his jacket, pulled Gabriel into his arms, and then poured the liquid into Gabriel's mouth, helping him to swallow.
Sam was the most powerful martial artist in Gabriel's family, and when he was younger, he had taught Gabriel everything he knew. He was loyal and trustworthy, so the family had assigned him to protect Gabriel.
He was also a skilled doctor, so the Ramsden family knew he was the best man to protect Gabriel.
But Sam hadn't seen how Gabriel had been injured, so he wasn't sure how to help. The most urgent matter was to treat Gabriel, and the medicine was a special concoction he had used for many years. It was a rich purple liquid, and very easy for the body to absorb.
But after the liquid had gone down Gabriel's throat, there was no response, and his face became even paler. Sam's confidence took a heavy blow, and he looked at Gabriel with concern.
Sam's expression showed his concern. He took two silver acupuncture needles from his pocket and quickly pressed them into Gabriel's body.
Sam's technique was very skillful, but no matter how exquisite his medical skills were, Gabriel didn't show any signs of improvement.
"Forget it. You can't do anything to help him." Alex took Sam's arm and pulled him back. "Your efforts are in vain, old man. He's beyond help."
"What?" Maria was aghast. "What are you saying? What have you done to Gabriel?"
All eyes were on Alex. Most of them didn't know who Alex was, and they didn't know how he could have done such a thing.