Alexander pov
“What are we doing here?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly as I dragged her down to the basement. Her steps faltered for a brief moment, her gaze locking onto the unconscious man tied to a chair, his head slumped forward.
She let out a startled gasp as recognition dawned on her-the man tied to the chair was the one from the amusement park, the one who had dared to almost lay his hands on her.
“You’ll see soon enough,” I said in a low, controlled voice, dragging her toward the empty chair directly in front of the bastard. Without giving her a choice, I forced her to sit down.
“Sit, and under no circumstances must you move or look away. Do you understand?” I leaned in, my breath brushing against her ear.
“Disobey my words, and I will swear I would be more brutal” She closed her eyes at the sensation, her body tensing as if she wanted to shrink away but dared not to move.
After the scene in the car earlier, the way she looked at me changed. No longer was it the shy or curious gaze she once had; instead, it was replaced with fear. And fear was exactly what I wanted. Fear was what I thrived on.
In this business, when one didn’t fear you, you had to force them to.
“Boss,” Adrian greeted, standing next to the unconscious man, his gaze cold and detached. He bowed slightly at my arrival, and I gave him a curt nod, signaling him to proceed.
Without hesitation, Adrian grabbed the bucket of ice water and, with a swift motion, poured it over the man’s head.
The man gasped, his eyes snapping open as he looked around in panic. His confusion quickly turned into alarm when he realized he couldn’t move and was tied to a chair.
“Who the hell did this to me? Who do you think you are? Release me this instant, or I’ll call the-” His words were cut short as Adrian slapped him hard across the face, silencing him immediately.
“Look carefully at who stands before you before you speak!” Adrian yelled. The man blinked rapidly, his gaze shifting to Adrian’s face, now etched with fear.
“S-Sir Adrian?” he stammered, but Adrian stepped aside as I moved forward with a small smirk.
“Boss!” he shouted in fear, and my smirk widened as I tilted my head to the side, studying him and committing his face to memory, just as I had done with countless others before I killed them.
This bastard was one of the men Adrian had reported earlier this morning-one of the traitors who had stolen from me. I had already ordered Adrian to find and kill every last one of them. Normally, I wouldn’t waste my time on someone as insignificant as this. Torturing someone like him wasn’t worth my effort.
But today was different. Today, I needed a scapegoat. And this bastard was the perfect candidate. He wasn’t just here for his betrayal-he was here to serve as an example. To punish that foolish girl and teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget.
“Adrian, out.”
“Yes, boss,” he bowed before leaving.
“P-please, boss, I can explain. I didn’t mean to run away with the drugs,” the bastard began pleading even before I had said a word.
I turned around, shifting my attention back to Valentina, who was trembling in fear. Her wide eyes met mine, and she sucked in a shaky breath, forcing herself to speak.
“W-what are you doing, Alexander? Why would you bind a man to a chair?” she asked, her voice trembling as much as her hands.
“Just because,” I shrugged, strolling over to the table, my fingers grazing the various knives laid out before me.
So many choices.
I selected the Buck 110-it was sharp, efficient, and easy to handle.
“Remember what I asked? Don’t speak, only watch,” I said, giving her a fleeting glance before refocusing on the trembling bastard before me.
“B-boss, please, I didn’t mean to…”
I silenced him with a gesture to my lips. His pitiful pleas were growing tiresome. “I don’t care if you meant it or not. What matters is that you did it. You stole from me, and you know what happens to those who steal.”
“I- I…”
I rolled my eyes and slammed the knife deep into his hand. A pained scream tore from his lips as he threw his head back, tears streaming down his face.
“Oh my God! You’re crazy! Help!” Valentina yelled, pulling my attention for a brief moment as she ran toward the door, attempting to open it-but it was already locked Adrian.
I couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle as I yanked the knife free and walked toward Valentina, my steps slow and deliberate.
She seemed to notice my approach and quickly turned, backing away from me, her hand desperately gripping the doorknob, trying to escape.
I seized her by the arm, pulling her flush against me before leaning in, my gaze locking onto hers.
“You disobeyed me again,” I muttered under my breath, watching her eyes widen in horror. “I told you to sit and watch. Now, I’m going to make it worse. What happens to him from here on out is because of you. So, watch closely.”
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“Open your eyes,” I gripped her chin roughly, forcing it upward to meet my gaze.
When she shook her head, I frowned and moved closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I won’t repeat myself. I said, open your eyes and look at me.”
She hesitated, then opened her eyes, her breath shaky as she gazed up at me, her eyes watery and her lips trembling in fear.
“Good girl. Wasn’t that difficult, was it?”
“H-how could you kill…” she stammered, but I scoffed, stepping away. Almost immediately, she collapsed to the ground, her legs too weak to support her.
“This is your last warning,” I said, my voice cold. “The next time you try something like this, you’ll regret it.” With those words, I walked toward the door, keys in hand, ready to leave.
As soon as I opened the door, Felix stepped forward, blocking my path. I looked up to see Felix, Sebastian, Adrian, and Daniel standing in the doorway, each wearing a worried expression-everyone except Adrian, whose face remained expressionless.
Felix’s gaze narrowed into a glare before he ran into the basement.
Sebastian quickly followed, trying to hold him back, and I could feel Daniel’s intense glare on me as he muttered, “Sick bastard,” before catching up with the others.
“Here, boss,” Adrian offered me a handkerchief to wipe the blood from my hands, but I ignored it, walking past him without taking it. My mind was filled with thoughts-thoughts about what I’d just done and the strange, stupid guilt I was feeling about it.