Chapter 9
The standoff in the center of the ballroom felt like a drawn-out eternity. The lead guard swallowed hard, visibly unsettled by the murderous intent radiating from Alexander, but he held his ground.
"Sir, we have strict orders from your mother. You are not thinking clearly. Hand the girl over, and we can sort this out quietly."
"Quietly?" Alexander echoed, stepping forward. The sheer bravado of the man was almost laughable. "There is no quiet left. There is only what happens in the next ten seconds."
Alexander didn’t wait for the guard to make a move. With Sophia secured tightly in his left arm, he lunged forward. He didn't use a closed fist, unwilling to risk jarring his daughter. Instead, he drove the heel of his right hand directly into the lead guard’s solar plexus with the force of a battering ram. The massive man folded instantly, the air exploding from his lungs in a wet gasp as he dropped to his knees.
The other two guards reacted, lunging toward Alexander. The gala guests shrieked and scattered, abandoning their expensive drinks and designer clutches as violence erupted in the high-society sanctuary.
The second guard reached for Alexander's shoulder. Alexander pivoted, using the guard's momentum against him, and delivered a brutal, sweeping kick to the side of the man's knee. The sickening crack of cartilage echoed over the screams, and the man went down screaming.
The third guard, realizing the danger, reached under his jacket, his fingers wrapping around the handle of a concealed firearm. He hesitated, unwilling to draw a weapon in a room full of billionaires, but that split-second delay was all Alexander needed. Alexander closed the distance, grabbed the guard's wrist, twisted it viciously until a pop was heard, and slammed his elbow into the man's jaw. The guard collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut, hitting the marble floor unconscious.
Alexander stood amidst the groaning men, breathing heavily. He adjusted his grip on Sophia, who was hiding her face but clinging to him with absolute faith. He looked back at Victoria, who was watching her elite security team get dismantled in less than twenty seconds. She looked like a ghost.
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"If anyone else wants to stop me," Alexander announced to the stunned, silent room, "now is your chance."
No one moved. The hotel manager was trembling violently by the doors, holding them wide open. Alexander stepped over the unconscious guard and walked out of the ballroom, leaving the glittering wreckage of his former life behind him.
