CH.170

An eerie silence descended over the room as Knox regarded Alex with an intensity that made the younger man's bravado falter ever so slightly.

Knox's eyes bore into him, seeming to see through the cocky facade to the uncertainty that lay beneath.

Alex swallowed hard. He knew that this moment would change everything, that the carefully constructed world he had built for himself was about to come crashing down around him.

Panic gripped Alex at that thought.

He opened his mouth, intending to unleash a torrent of curses and defiant bravado. He refused to go down without a fight. If he were to die here today, then he would die proudly. He would go out like a real man with actual balls without showing an ounce of fear in the face of his enemies.

However, his words were abruptly cut short by a searing pain that suddenly pierced through his tongue.

The pain felt like hot blade slicing through flesh, causing him to involuntarily bite down hard in agony.

A loud, guttural groan tore from th