No one had been taking any notice of Alex. Now they gaped at him, wondering how he could have done anything to Gabriel without anyone seeing anything.
Riley hadn't even noticed Alex was in the room, and he now looked like he had seen a ghost. He tried not to reveal how shocked he was, but he felt things were rapidly slipping out of his control.
How could I have missed him? he wondered.
"What's going on? What has happened to Gabriel?" Maria's voice was like ice.
Nobody understood who Alex was. What was he? Was he a bodyguard? Who did he work for? If he was a bodyguard, then he had no right to speak, let alone attack anyone on his own initiative. Maria stared at him, worried she had seriously misread him.
Alex raised his eyebrows and said, "Maryann is my friend. Whoever lays a finger on her must answer to me. He refused to make amends, so I've punished him. He's probably regretting his stubbornness now."
Maryann was moved by his explanation. Alex had always kept her at a distance, and now he was talking about standing up for her in front of all these people. She had to resist the urge to cry.
Melvin kept quiet. After all, he hadn't dared attack Gabriel, and now Alex seemed to have defeated Maryann's enemy with one move. Melvin felt shamed by his lack of action, and he hoped Maryann wouldn't hold it against him.
Riley didn't know who Alex was, but he quickly grasped that Alex obviously didn't care about Riley's status. He hadn't been afraid to act while Riley was talking and had ignored everything Riley had said. Realizing this, Riley scowled in annoyance. He was smart enough to know Alex was not simply a bodyguard, so he would be a tough opponent.
"I'll kill you for this!" Maria snarled at Alex.
"Try it if you like," Alex said indifferently. "But if you fail, then I'll kill you and all of your bodyguards." He gave the impression that, to him, killing a person was just like squishing a bug.
Alex knew that if he wanted to kill everyone in the room, he could do so easily. As an expert in martial arts, there was little he couldn't do to someone who offended him.
Alex's powers and abilities had taken him far out of reach of normal people. Most of the time, he hid the true extent of his abilities, but sometimes, he needed to remind people what he was capable of.
Maria lost her temper. "What? You dare to threaten me? You think you could kill me and all of my men before anyone got to you?"
She seethed with rage. Things had gotten seriously out of hand, and now the one trying to call the shots was some bodyguard who clearly didn't know who he was dealing with. Her expression grew fierce. If Riley hadn't been there, she would have already given her men an order to tear Alex apart.
But, looking around, she could see that nobody else wanted to fight, especially not Sam. Although his face showed how close his emotions were to the surface whenever he looked at Alex, he didn't order the Ghosts to attack, but instead focused on trying to keep Gabriel alive.
Sam was thinking furiously. Gabriel was still unconscious, and Sam didn't know why. If he couldn't save Gabriel, then Alex might be the only one who could do so. That meant he needed Alex alive.
Looking down at the man in his arms, Sam's face blanched. Gabriel's condition was getting worse, even with the application of the acupuncture needles. His pulse was weakening, and his skin was getting paler by the second, and Sam knew Gabriel was dying.
Maria rushed forward, looking haggard and panicked, but Sam nodded to Alex. "Let him provide the cure," he said.
Maria called to Alex. "You! Come here and cure Gabriel, or you will never leave here alive."
Alex gave her a long look. "Anyone else would have beaten you for speaking to them like that," he said. "Luckily for you, I really can't be bothered. The Thornton family talk a lot, but none of you really understand how the world works. Gabriel can no longer be saved."
Riley was staring intently at Alex. "Look at his hands!" he called out.
Everyone looked at Alex's hands and saw he was making a strange gesture. If he had caused Gabriel's condition, then it must be this gesture that was causing it.
Riley had been secretly observing Alex's every move. At first, he had doubted Alex was responsible for what had happened to Gabriel. But the more he watched, the more convinced he became that it must be Alex's doing. His movements were very strange, so Riley kept watching Alex to see how he was doing it. As he stared, he thought he could even see a strange glimmer on the tip of Alex's finger.
What's that? he wondered.
He realized that the more Alex shook his hand, the more Gabriel's face contorted, and it was clear there was a strong connection between those two things.
His thoughts were interrupted by Maryann's angry voice. "Oh, so you're on her side now?"
To her mind, Riley had clearly taken Gabriel's side and was finally showing his true colors. Hadn't he just said it was better for both families that there was no conflict?
"Shut up!" Riley glared at Maryann. "What is wrong with you? Can't you see what's going on here? I'll speak with you later."
Maryann flushed with anger, believing Riley no longer valued their childhood friendship.
While they argued, Sam finally realized that the crux of the matter was not whether Gabriel could be cured, but whether Alex would save him. Alex was destroying Gabriel minute by minute, and Sam couldn't stand it any longer.
He rushed at Alex, using his greatest strength. The whole room felt a strong, ice-cold wind, and Sam's hands curved into the shape of sharp claws. His intention was to kill Alex with one blow.
Alex gave a cold smile. His right hand slightly lifted, and his middle finger flicked slightly. A glimmer of light flashed out, hitting Sam's chest like an arrow. Sam fell, clutching his chest, and twitching several times as he lay on the ground. He didn't get back up, but simply lay there unmoving.
Everyone was stunned. No one had guessed Alex was so powerful. What kind of martial art was this? How could he kill a man as strong as Sam without even standing up?