Alexander pov
“And it looks like I didn’t finish the job, Mother,” I said coldly, cocking the gun against her forehead. Her body went rigid, eyes wide with fear as she stared at me.
“A-Alexander,” she stammered, stumbling back as if distance could save her. But it was futile.
There’s something both of us had forgotten to mention about our twisted relationship.
I was never afraid of my mother.
She was afraid of me.
Despite all her efforts, every calculated move, every twisted game meant to make me cower, I never did. She tried to make me believe my life was in her hands. But the truth? I was far too broken to fear a woman who was all bark and no bite.
How should I put it?
She was a prey pretending to be a predator.
A mouse wearing the mask of a cat.
A weak woman hiding behind an illusion she had created. People like that always acted unshakable, like the world couldn’t touch them. But deep down, they were the most fragile. The most helpless.
“You said I shot you twice,” I said, my voice calm as I took a step forward, then another, watching her back into the wall. Her body trembled as I pressed the cold metal of the gun to her forehead. I watched as she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, fully aware now that she had fucked up.
Kidnapping Valentina and my son had been the last straw.
“First, when I was a child,” I continued, leaning closer. “When you asked me to kill Max, I shot you instead. I watched the bullet go through your shoulder. I watched you bleed for the first time. It was the first time I shot anyone.”
“A-Alexander…” Her breath was shaky, but I cut her off.
“That was the first time I realized you were right all along. That I was a cruel monster. That I was evil. Do you know how I came to that conclusion?” I asked, watching her eyes, waiting for an answer. She said nothing, so I pressed on. “Because the moment I saw you in pain, bleeding out… I smiled. It was the first time I felt that rush. The adrenaline, that high… it was something I had never experienced. But that day? I missed by mistake. I aimed for your head.”
I pressed the gun harder against her skull.
“But it went through your shoulder,” I murmured, shifting the gun down to her shoulder and tilting my head with a slight frown. “I shouldn’t have missed that day… but like I said, it was my first time shooting someone. But the second time I shot you?” My gaze flickered toward her, and she gasped as I jabbed the gun against her chest. “It was here, right where your heart is. Did you ever stop to wonder why I shot you there instead of your head?”
Before she could respond, I grabbed her by the shirt and yanked her closer, my voice a venomous hiss.
“Do you honestly think I wasn’t smart enough to aim for your head? That I wouldn’t have stopped to check to see if you were really dead after I pulled the trigger? You said it yourself- I’m the most dangerous person you’ve ever known. Do you think I would make a mistake like that?”
Her eyes widened with realization, and I chuckled dry, hoarse, humorless.
“No, mother. I knew you weren’t dead when I shot you. I gave you a chance. A chance to get out of my life, to stay away. But then…” My eyes drifted to Valentina, who was clutching Felix tightly, her face pale as she watched the scene unfold.
My voice dropped to a whisper, low and sharp.
“Now you’ve crossed a line you should’ve never dared to, and this time… you’re really going to die.”
Almost instantly, she shook her head, trying to pull away from me but like I said, it was futile.
“W-What are you doing?” she stammered. “Let me go this instant, Alexander!”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I loosened my grip and took a small step back.
Then I popped open the magazine, tilting the gun slightly so she could see the single bullet inside.
“There’s only one bullet,” I said quietly, snapping it shut. I spun the magazine slowly, the click echoing in the silence before I aimed the gun at her head.
A slow grin tugged at my lips as I stared at her.
“Shall we play a game, mother?”
The way her face turned pale, I knew she understood exactly what I meant.
Why wouldn’t she? We had played this game countless times before.
The only difference was, I had always been the one staring down the barrel.
I was the one forced to stand still while she pulled the trigger.
“N-no, help!!” she screamed, spinning around frantically, eyes scanning for a savior until they landed on someone.
Her entire face lit up. “Grayson! Grayson, why are you just standing there? Call the boys! Tell them to shoot this bastard!” she barked, pointing at me with a manic grin.
“They don’t have to hold back, whoever kills him gets a reward!”
I didn’t even blink. Of course she’d say that.
I turned slightly, eyes locking on Grayson, still standing there with that same calm expression.
His gaze met mine briefly, and then he offered the slightest smile and bowed his head before turning to her.
“I apologize, Mrs. Knight, but I can’t do that,” he said, voice steady. “I’ll be retiring soon, and I don’t intend to get on Mr. Alexander’s bad side.”
She stumbled back, disbelief etched across her face.
“W-what?”
“Also,” he added smoothly, “I just received word, Mr. Alexander’s men have already surrounded the compound. Most of your men have been… dealt with. It seems he won this round. And since I’d prefer not to die before retirement, I hope you’ll understand… Miss Knight.”
The corner of my lips tilted up slightly as I stared at Grayson, recalling the promise I had made to let him leave unscathed, as long as he stayed out of it. He just had to keep his distance and not do anything.
Grayson turned to look at me, offering a calm smile before bowing his head.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have a flight to catch. I’ll be packing my bags now.” With that, he walked out of the study, not sparing my mother even a second glance.
Betrayal. It was the harsh truth of the underworld- no matter how loyal someone appeared, once you lost your power, betrayal was inevitable. Why? Because, in the end, everyone was just trying to survive.
“What?” Mother whispered in disbelief. I turned to face her, watching her eyes locked on the door as if she couldn’t quite process what had just happened. “Impossible. This isn’t happening. How could he do this to me? After everything we had, after I took him in, he just left me…”
I raised a brow, a chuckle escaping my lips as realization hit me.
“I see,” I murmured, shaking my head lightly, running a casual hand through my hair. “So you were sleeping with Father’s right-hand man. Let me guess, you used him to fill that empty space in your heart. You thought it was love, something you never got from Father?”
My tone was mocking, and I didn’t miss the way her gaze snapped to mine, her expression twisting into a furious glare. Her hands clenched into fists, body trembling with rage.
“But here’s the thing, Mother,” I continued, my voice growing colder. “Just like you said about me, that no one would ever love me, it’s the same for you. No one will ever love you. And it’s not because you’re some monster… no, it’s because you’re just you. An insufferable human.”
“How dare you, you bastard!!” She roared, her hand raised in fury, but before she could strike, I aimed and pulled the trigger. Her eyes widened in fear as she staggered back, expecting a shot but none rang out.
I tilted my head slightly, frowning, and muttered under my breath, “Ah, looks like that one didn’t have the bullet.”
“Oh my God,” she screamed, her hands bracing her head in terror. Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger again but once more, no shot rang out.
“A-Alexander, stop…” I heard Valentina whisper behind me, her voice soft but pleading. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I did, I might actually stop, and this time, I wasn’t going to stop until I knew she was dead.
Again and again, I pulled the trigger. I didn’t know if she was just lucky or if the gun was messing with me, but no shot rang out until the last magazine clicked in place. This time, I knew there was a bullet.
“Ahhhh! Stop, you monster!” She screamed, and I smirked.
“Monster,” I repeated, taking a deep breath. “Well, die by the hands of a monster.”
My finger hovered over the trigger, but just as I was about to pull it, the door burst open. The voice was enough for me to know it was Daniel.
“Alexander! Don’t do it, don’t shoot her!” He yelled, but I didn’t look at him. Just when I was about to pull the trigger, I froze as he continued. “A-Alexander, I know you hate mother, and honestly, I don’t like her either, but she is still your mother. I’m not saying this because of her, but because of you. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret. I know you don’t want to kill mother. Sebastian told me everything. You told him to call me and tell me about her whereabouts so I could get her to the hospital on time, right? You don’t want to kill her!”
I raised a brow at his words, watching her eyes widen in shock. She blinked as if she had just heard something absurd.
“W-what? I- is that true?” she asked, her voice shaking. Before I could respond, Daniel did.
“Yes, Alexander didn’t want you to die, but this time, I’m not so sure. Why didn’t you just listen to me? I told you not to do anything, to stay away from him. Must you be so cruel? Don’t you know that because of you, Alexander is this way?” He scolded her, his voice rising with frustration. “And do you know the most annoying part? Alexander isn’t a monster, as you claimed. He has feelings too. He cared about you. That’s why he killed the bastard of a grandfather after finding out what he did to you. He got your revenge for you because he was angry that bastard made you go through all of that!”
She covered her mouth in shock, tears welling up in her eyes as they began to fall. She shook her head, disbelieving.
“N-no, you didn’t do it,” she mumbled, her voice trembling. “You hate me… there’s no way you care about me. You wanted to kill me, there is no way you care about me!!”
I frowned, narrowing my eyes at her. Without hesitation, I murmured under my breath, “Well, not anymore at least.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I aimed at her head and pulled the trigger.
“No!!!” Everyone yelled, but the next second, I froze. The gun dropped from my hand as I stared in disbelief and shock at the woman before me.
What… What just happened?
Silence reigned in the room. No one moved. My heart pounded against my chest, and for the first time in a while, I felt something.
An ache?
“Why-” my voice broke. “Why would you do that?”
But all that met me was a smile. She forced out the words, her voice strained. “Because… He said it would cause you pain… or maybe because I’m stupid… I’m not sure.”
She groaned, her eyes fluttering shut, and before she could fall, I reached out, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close to me.
“Mommmy!!!!” Felix yelled in fright.