Elvis Waverley moved like a bolt of lightning, sprinting out of the darkness with the agility of a hunting leopard.


    He whipped around, his heavily muscled arm raising high as he aimed the barrel of


    his


    gun atn on the upper tform.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Elvis clenched his jaw, firing three rapid shots.


    Unfortunately, he was shooting from below. The distance was too great, his line of sight was restricted, andn was cunningly positioned in the shadows. None of the three bullets hit their mark.


    "Damn it! Bastard!" Elvis cursed in frustration, his eyes red with fury.


    High above,n was gripped by panic, his face as pale as a corpse in the dim light.


    He had been so focused on his standoff with Cassius,pletely absorbed in the sick thrill of torturing him, that he hadn''t bothered to check the security feeds. He had let them slip right under his nose.


    He gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and turned to run.


    Suddenly,n hit the brakes. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead as he instinctively backed away step by step.


    From the abyssal darkness, a pale, strikingly handsome face with sharp brows and starry eyes slowly emerged.


    The man''s expression was utterly unreadable, offering no hint of anger or joy, yet the dangerous aura radiating from him was enough to make anyone''s blood run cold.


    "Thaddeus... Thaddeus Abernathy?"n''s eyes widened in shock, his blood running cold as if he were staring at the grim reaper himself.


    He hadn''t felt this level of terror even when facing Cassius.


    "Since you know who I am, you should also know I don''t have the best temper."


    Thaddeus''s features were cold and unforgiving, his low, raspy voice grinding againstn''s eardrums. "Let Dr. Bright go. Right now. Do it, and I won''t make things too difficult for you. Otherwise, you won''t be able to handle the consequences."


    "Heh... Let him go? If I let him go, will you really let me walk out of here alive?"n asked, his voice dripping with malice.


    Thaddeus remained silent for a few seconds before parting his lips with icy detachment. "I am not like you have no intention of taking your life. Your life means nothing to me. Let Dr. Bright go and thene with me to turn yourself in at the police station."


    The man''s gaze was heavy. "I know


    the real reason you kidnapped Dr. Bright wasn''t to get back at Cassius. You took orders from Chad


    Abernathy, that so-called Sir. You''re getting rid of Dr. Bright for him so he can''t develop the antidote for the poison in my body Dr. Bright''s life is just a trophy to prove your loyalty to Chad."


    He thought he had hidden himself perfectly. He believed he came across as a mysterious, righteous older brother seeking justice for his fallen sibling.


    He never imagined that his selfish desires, his schemes, and the mastermind pulling his strings from the shadows had already beenpletely unraveled by Thaddeus.


    "Let Dr. Bright go, turn yourself in with me, and testify against Chad''s crimes. This is your only way to survive, your only way out."


    Thaddeus''s eyes zed like torches, every word striking right at his vulnerabilities. "If you stick with Chad, the only thing waiting for you is a dead end. And I promise you, your death will be gruesome."


    "Heh... I''ve already gone this far. You think turning myself in will keep me alive? Are you out of your mind?"


    power. He smiled with stubborn defiance. Thaddeus, drop the self-righteous act. Stop ying the noble gentleman. You''re trying to get me to flip and betray Sir, and for what? To seize control of the Abernathy family. If Sir falls, you get to sit right back in your CEO chair. You get to be the heir to the Abernathy group again, with no one left to fight you for it."