"Oh, so he told you about it," Alex muttered, his voice devoid of emotion at first, but then, almost imperceptibly, sothing shifted.
His gaze sharpened, cold and calculating, locking onto Jude as though the re ntion of the subject had ignited a flicker of restrained fury beneath his calm exterior.
"Yes, Alex. He had to tell eventually," Jude replied, his tone dipped in quiet disappointnt, a heavy sigh lacing his words. His eyes lingered on Alex, searching, almost weary. "I never thought you’d go this far. I never thought you’d push him like this."
For a mont, it seed as though Alex would lash out, but instead, he let out a low, humorless chuckle — dark and unsettling.
The kind of laugh that sounded more like a warning than amusent.
Then, with a slow, deliberate turn of his head, he fixed his eyes back on Jude, the faintest ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
"You can think whatever you like," Alex said coolly, his voice dangerously even. "But if you’re going to listen, then listen properly. Everything I did — every single thing — was for the good of Tryson."
Jude shook his head, a bitter smile curling at the edge of his mouth, clearly unimpressed by the self-righteous defense.
"You know he loves Angel, don’t you, Alex?" he shot back, his voice soft but laced with aning.
The words hit Alex like a sudden crack in the armor, and for a heartbeat, he opened his mouth, ready to respond — but then his eyes flicked around the space they occupied, realizing how exposed they were.
His expression hardened again as he leaned closer.
"Co with ," Alex said, voice clipped, leaving no room for refusal before he pivoted and walked away, expecting Jude to follow without question.
Jude hesitated for only a mont, his fingers curling around his phone as he glanced down.
He knew better than anyone how unpredictable and calculating Alex could be, so without a second thought, he quietly shared his live location with Kelvin — a silent precaution — before falling in step behind him.
They walked deeper into the building until they slipped into an empty lounge room, the air heavy with unspoken tension. No sooner had Jude stepped inside than Alex spoke, his tone sharp and bitter.
"One task," Alex began, his hand slipping into his pocket as he turned to face Jude, frustration bleeding through every syllable. "Just one simple task. That’s all he was asked to do."
Jude t his gaze without flinching, shaking his head slightly.
"But Alex... he’s your son," he said quietly, almost as if reminding him of sothing he shouldn’t have forgotten. "Why couldn’t you spare him from all this?"
Alex scoffed, a bitter, humorless sound as he squared his shoulders.
"Really? Spare him?" His voice dropped, each word cutting like a blade. "Just because he’s my son, I should overlook sothing this important? Let him off easy, as if the world works like that?"
He clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he took a slow step forward, eyes never leaving Jude’s.
"You know better than anyone, Jude... that’s not how this ga is played."
"Should I remind you," Alex began, his voice sharp and controlled, yet simring with irritation beneath the surface, "that before all this chaos, before any of this drama unfolded, every single one of you made a commitnt to one thing — obeying ."
He took a step forward, his presence almost suffocating in its intensity.
"No questions. No complaints. No conditions. Whatever task I assign, I expect it done — fully, without objection. And just because I chose to overlook the punishnt that Tryson deserves for disobeying ... don’t make regret that decision."
Jude exhaled sharply, shaking his head, the frustration in his expression matching the weight in his voice.
"But Alex... he’s your son," he said, the words cutting through the tension like a blade. "Have you ever stopped to think about that? I’ve watched that boy his entire life — bending over backward, carrying the weight of your expectations, following your every command, not because he had to... but because he’s been desperately trying to earn your love. And now, over one thing, one mistake, you’re ready to rip everything away from him."
Alex’s jaw tensed, and he clicked his tongue in frustration. Without hesitation, he stepped in closer until there was barely any space left between them, his eyes hard as stone, locking onto Jude’s.
"You say I didn’t spare him? That I’m being ruthless?" Alex scoffed, his tone dropping lower, sharper. "Tell , Jude... how would you feel if the very thing you’ve spent your entire life protecting, the one thing you’ve fought for, was suddenly ripped out of your hands without rcy?"
Jude’s shoulders tensed as he t Alex’s unrelenting gaze.
"And what about Tryson?" he shot back, voice cracking slightly under the weight of emotion. "He loves that girl. You know he does."
A humorless smirk flickered on Alex’s lips, but his eyes remained cold.
"You think I don’t know that?" he muttered. "I was the one who brought Tryson to that girl. I was the one who placed her in his path. And I’ll be the one to take her away when it’s necessary."
His voice darkened, heavy with finality.
"I do what’s best. Even if no one else understands it. And when anyone, anyone, decides to defy , there will always be consequences. That’s how this works."
Jude stared at him for a long mont, almost as if trying to recognize the man in front of him. His lips twitched into sothing between a grim smile and a frown, before he finally spoke, his voice low and laced with suspicion.
"You wouldn’t be fighting this hard if this was just about money, Alex," Jude said quietly. "It’s sothing else, isn’t it? Sothing more. This isn’t about power... not entirely."
His words hung heavy in the silence between them, daring Alex to admit the truth neither of them wanted to say out loud.
For a long, charged mont, Jude could only watch as a slow, unsettling smile curved on Alex’s lips — a smile that never quite reached his eyes.
"Curiosity killed the cat, Jude," Alex murmured, his tone deceptively light, though every word felt like a veiled threat. "You’d be wise not to dig deeper than you’re supposed to."
He even tried to soften his expression, forcing a smile as if the conversation hadn’t just danced dangerously close to sothing far darker.
But Jude wasn’t buying it.
His jaw clenched, and he dropped his gaze to his fists, realizing how tightly he’d curled them — knuckles turning white from the force of it.
His voice, when it finally ca, was low and brimming with anger.
"I don’t give a damn what you think, Alex," Jude snapped, lifting his eyes to et his. "I’ve spent years protecting Tryson, making sure he never broke under the weight of your expectations. And now... now that he’s finally found sothing that matters to him, soone he loves — I swear, I won’t stand by and watch you tear him apart. He’s my best friend."
For a mont, there was only silence.
Then, without missing a beat, Alex let out a dry, almost amused chuckle, as if Jude’s fiery loyalty was nothing more than entertainnt.
"Well then," Alex said, his voice smooth and unreadable, "let’s see how this plays out."
He watched, expression unreadable, as Jude turned and stord out of the room, the air still vibrating from the tension between them.
For a fleeting second, sothing unfamiliar flickered in Alex’s chest — a reluctant sense of admiration for how fiercely Jude stood by Tryson.
But that emotion faded almost instantly, swallowed by the weight of the bigger picture. This was never just about them.
Exhaling slowly, Alex lowered his gaze and pulled out his phone. A new ssage flashed across the screen.
’Make sure the girl is brought to us before the end of the day.’
He stared at the text for a long, heavy mont, the smile he’d worn monts ago now completely gone.
His eyes drifted toward the door where Jude had disappeared, knowing full well that neither Jude nor Tryson had any idea how deep this went.
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