"You can try whatever you like, Riley," Maryann said fearlessly. "You may be stronger than me, but you're still a fool. I've made it clear that Alex and I are joint partners in the Robinson Winery. If he's involved in something, then I'll be involved too. We can't be separated. You can harm both of us, but you'll have to deal with the consequences."
Riley's temper flared again. He shouted, "If you think I don't have the strength to fight you, then you're wrong."
Before he could finish talking, there was a whooshing sound, and he started feeling cold. The wind seemed to cut right through him, making him shiver.
He was stunned as he looked at the people around him in confusion. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then he saw Alex's smirking face.
Maryann, too, went from being filled with righteous indignation to hiding her face and stifling a laugh, and she turned her back on them.
Riley looked down, and his eyes widened. He didn't know how it had happened, but his pants had been torn wide open, and the entire lower half of his body was exposed. It was no wonder that he felt very cold.
"What? What's going on?" Riley asked, panicking slightly. How could his pants have burst open without warning?
One of the bodyguards couldn't help laughing. Anyone who saw Riley with his torn pants would find it funny, especially when he was in the middle of teaching his rivals a lesson in righteousness.
Riley was a man who cared about appearances. Now, in front of his subordinates and Maryann's family, he had been made to look like a fool. He was filled with shame and anger, but he didn't know what was going on.
"Was it you?" Riley shouted at Alex. He used one hand to point and the other to try to cover himself up.
Alex smiled. "Riley, I think you'd better watch your tongue. I'm in a good mood today, so I don't want to kill people. If I did, you and your men would have been dead a long time ago." He raised his voice slightly and added, "Cover yourself up and get out of here so you can keep what little reputation you have left."
Riley opened his mouth to argue, but Alex cut him off. "I don't know what you're up to," he said. "But do your worst. I'll be ready for you. And as for Maryann, we've never been that close, but seeing how angry you are, maybe it's time for that to change. Maryann and I will be much better friends from now on. And remember, I choose my friends very carefully."
When she heard that, Maryann turned around happily. She hugged Alex, who, under the circumstances, was happy to let her do so.
Riley clenched his teeth and wanted to give the order for his men to destroy Alex, unable to bear his arrogance any longer.
But then he remembered what Alex was capable of and tried to control his rage. Everything else was secondary to Alex's unmatchable martial arts.
He knew he had to restrain his impulses and resort to more creative, underhanded means to defeat him. Otherwise, they could both end up dead, which would obviously not be his preference.
Grace had been powerful, but Alex had destroyed her with ease, so Riley had to consider his next move carefully. He couldn't afford to be reckless.
However, he still refused to admit defeat. "You're going to regret messing with me, Alex," he said. "If you mess with me, then you mess with the whole of Baltimore. No matter how strong you are, you can't withstand us all."
He paused, trying to look as casual as he possibly could, and said, "Well, If I can't persuade you now, I never will. You do what you think is best. This whole thing is ridiculous. What kind of woman gives half her company to someone else?"
Maryann didn't pay any attention to his mocking. Instead, she put her arm around Alex's neck, fluttered her eyelashes, and kissed him.
Alex wasn't pleased. He didn't want to let Maryann get too close, so he pushed her away and said, "Do you think I need to rely on other people to get to the top? Let me show you how wrong you are."
With that, he picked the dagger off the ground and held it in his hand. Riley was surprised and retreated, but Alex was just too quick. His pants suddenly loosened and fell to the ground. Then Alex grabbed his hand.
Riley screamed as the dagger cut through his palm. He looked down at the wound, his expression panicked, and his teeth clenched in pain.
He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of violence. He was more used to watching others get hurt, and he really didn't like being injured.
His bodyguards rushed over, but Alex smiled and pointed the dagger at Riley's throat. "Get out of my way," he commanded.
"Back off!" Riley cried out to his bodyguards in fear. Then he said to Alex, "What do you want from me?"
He was now in a sorry state. He was practically naked from the waist down, and blood seeped from his palm. Alex clearly had the upper hand.
Alex didn't answer, but a small jar appeared in his left hand. He gently lifted the lid with his thumb and poured the powder onto Riley's bloody palm.
"What is this? What are you doing?" Riley asked, afraid that he was being poisoned. He turned pale, knowing Alex was capable of anything.
There was a smell of medicine, but it wasn't unpleasant. Maryann realized something was happening and looked at Riley's palm.
Riley was terrified. He also looked down at his hand and was stunned to find the blood had stopped flowing, and the wound seemed to have become smaller.
There was also less pain.
"What is this?" he asked as his frightened expression turned to one of surprise. He realized that the powder wasn't poison, but a hemostatic drug designed to stop bleeding.