Maria looked at the gunmen, ready to order the shooting.
But Alex was quick to react. He grabbed a glass bottle from a nearby table and threw it toward the gunmen. The bottle smashed onto the floor and shattered into countless pieces.
The shards of glass scattered everywhere like bullets, hitting the men and causing them to shriek with shock and pain as they dropped their guns.
Blood dripped from numerous shallow cuts all over their bodies, and they gaped at Alex, unsure what to do. They had never encountered anything like this, and they were terrified of what he might do next.
Riley's face turned pale, and he regretted acting rashly. They had missed their chance to deal with Alex quickly, and now they had lost the ability to attack.
Riley knew he was facing someone very powerful, and he had miscalculated badly.
Maria decided to sneak away while everyone's attention was elsewhere. But as she turned around, a voice came from behind her.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Alex, tapping her shoulder.
Maria froze. She was a strong woman and didn't usually let things go without a fight, but she knew she couldn't win against Alex. Her best option was to give up and not fight him anymore.
"If you hurt me, there will be grave consequences," she said, her face flustered. "Do you think my family will let you get away with attacking me?"
Maria felt that Alex was too immature to realize what he had done. While he was a martial arts expert, he clearly didn't understand the consequences of offending someone from the Thornton family. He had also committed a heinous crime by injuring the Ghosts and Riley's men, and he would certainly regret it in the future.
But Maria felt uneasy about challenging such an impulsive individual after what he had already done.
Just then, a dozen men from the Thornton family rushed into the room. They were all powerful men and expert fighters, and they all stared at Alex.
They all felt a chill as Alex turned and glared fiercely at them.
The Thorntons sensed a strange atmosphere in the room, and they were frightened by Alex's inner power. They lost their fighting spirit and started trembling. As martial artists, they were particularly sensitive to the vibes Alex was giving out, and they realized they were facing a terrifying opponent. They felt powerless in front of him and retreated to the back of the room, eyes locked on him like deer frozen in the headlights.
Alex had managed to subdue the enemy without fighting. He stood with his arms crossed and looked at them sternly.
Even Maria was in awe of him. Her mouth hung open, and she tried to move, but she discovered she could no longer control her body.
Then Alex turned his gaze away from the men, and they felt relieved. "I won't bother beating you," he said, shrugging. "You're not worth the effort. But in the future, choose your enemies wisely."
He looked at Maria. "But you," he said, "you're just not following orders. So, you're not getting off so lightly."
He raised his hand in front of Maria's face and looked her straight in the eyes. Suddenly, something came over Maria, and she felt captivated by him.
She forgot all about trying to break free and simply sank into the emotions sweeping through her. Her cheeks grew rosy, and she was surprised to find a warm feeling sweeping over her.
Everyone was surprised to realize that she seemed to be gazing at Alex lovingly.
Alex had used his inner power to hypnotize Maria as a punishment for trying to kidnap Maryann.
For a moment, everyone just stared at Maria, unable to understand what had happened. They wondered if she had been hiding her feelings for Alex, and now Alex had brought those emotions to the surface.
When Maryann noticed this, her jealousy took over, and she forgot about the traumatic events of the day. She wanted to go over and slap Maria for gazing at Alex like that. How can she not realize he's punishing her? she wondered.
Maria felt ashamed and annoyed at herself. She was from a powerful family, and Alex was her enemy, so why did she feel so much affection for him?
She didn't know what was wrong with her. She couldn't seem to resist Alex, and she felt no desire to retaliate against him. Humiliated, she just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
"Let her go," said a member of the Thornton family.
Several others stepped forward and sought to appease Alex.
"You're a martial arts expert, and I really admire you. But you need to have mercy."
"Do you really plan on killing us all?"
"This is going too far. Let her go."
Then an old lady's voice came from the corridor. "Young man, stop what you're doing now. Otherwise you'll regret it."