"You actually think you''re man enough to kill me?" Henryughed mockingly, his voice dripping with venomous disdain
"Have you really thought this through? Do you have any idea what happen the moment youy a finger on me? My father will tear your world apart, limb by limb."
"Kelly Kingston -you''re nothing but a stray pup the Kingstons pied enough to toss scraps to. How dare you even look me in the eye, let alone threaten me?"
"If you strike me down, you''ll find yourself utterly alone, abandoned by everyst soul you think supports you!"
Henry Dupont''s arrogant bravado was brittle, masking a festering wound of shame.
He had shattered his family''s expectations by failing to salvage SkinDew Essence, delivering a crippling blow to the Dupont Group-hemorrhaging their pharmaceutical empire and wiping out half their fortune in a single disastrous misstep.
Desperation gnawed at him, driving one final, reckless gamble: seize control of Vermont and salvage whatever scraps were left of his tattered legacy.
In his mind, Kelly Kingston was nothing but fresh meat.
Henry sneered, a twisted grin tugging at his lips as false confidence flooded back into his veins.
Jericho Kane had already washed his hands of Vermont, tossing the reins to Kelly -the new, inexperienced governor.
Half the influential families in Vermont had long bent the knee to the Duponts, still loyal even under Jericho''s reign.
To Henry, Vermont wasn''t a battleground. It was already his by right — a ripe prize waiting to be pocketed.
And nobody, he thought with seething certainty, dared defy a Dupont - least of all for some no-name Kingston, a backwater governor from the poorest cesspit of a state this country ever scraped together.
For Henry, it was simple: go big or go home.
And he believed
no, knew he would take Vermont.
If Kelly Kingston, a nobody plucked from obscurity, could rise to power, then how could he the heir to the Dupont dynasty- possibly fail?
In his world, it was always the boldest who struck first, the hungriest who grabbed the biggest prize.
The one with the fiercest desire always won the final game.
That was life - brutal, simple, and merciless.
And Henry Dupont was ready to y it to the death.
Alex burst into mockingughter, sharp as shattered ss.
"Do you honestly see yourself as untouchable, strolling in here, threatening
murder like you''re untouchable and not even sparing a nce for Kelly, Vermont''s governor?"
With savage swiftness, Alex seized Henry by the throat, hoisting him effortlessly off his feet.
Henry''s arrogant expression dissolved into choking terror, his eyes bulging as his face flushed crimson, legs kicking desperately in futile defiance.
"You! Alex or whoever the hell you are-release him this instant!" a businessman barked frantically.
"Or what?" Alex''s gaze, cold and merciless as winter''s frost, sliced through the air. "You fool! That''s Henry Dupont!" another man screamed, panic edging his voice.
712
"Touching him means dering war on all five of the Chicago Lord'' familles!" "Exactly!" Shane interjected, voice shaking.
"Henry isn''t someone you mess with lightly! You don''t understand how the world works, do you? Kelly''s grip on Vermont is barely solid-one wrong move and she''ll crumble."
"You''re just her attack dog; don''t bite off more than you can chew Stand down or your entire family will pay the price!"
"Yes!" another man barked, his voice thick with fury.
"Strength alone won''t save you! If fear''s driving you to pull a stun like this, you''re already finished. I suggest you drop to your knees, beg Henry for forgiveness, and pray he shows mercy."
"There''s no shame in bowing when your pathetic life is hanging by a thread!"
The crowd, desperate to cate the powerful Dupont heir, chorused their threats and pleas, knowing full well that justice was irrelevant-only power mattered.
Henry, emboldened by their support, sneered triumphantly despite Alex''s grip around his neck.
"You hear them, Alex? Your strength means nothing here! So what if Kelly''s behind you? She''s a novice, a fleeting shadow of authority. You''re nothing but her insignificant pawn."
"Cross me, and I''ll erase your bloodline from existence! Bow to me now, beg for mercy, and maybe, just maybe, I''ll let you live!"
Alex chuckled darkly, unbothered and amused.
"What makes you so confident I wouldn''t snap your neck without hesitation?" His gaze swept the petrified crowd. "And you-every cowardly snake here-what makes you think I won''t ughter everyst one of you for daring to betray Governor Kelly? What makes you think she won''t order me to purge your entire worthless ns?"
A shiver of dread silenced their bravado, though Henry, blind to danger, erupted into hystericalughter.
"You? You think you''d dare touch a single hair on my head? Try it! Go ahead, hero! Prove to everyone you''ve got the guts! I dare you, show me what you''re made of-!" Henry shrieked defiantly, his rant brutally silenced by Alex''s savage strike across his
face.
"All of you-pay close attention!" Alex thundered, thrusting Henry''s battered, trembling body into the air.
"Witness what happens when you betray Kelly Kingston! Let this pathetic fool''s fate serve as a stark warning. The era of Dupont dominance ends today."
"Henry Dupont,” Alex said coldly, tightening his grip, "I''m giving you onest chance to pray - maybe next time you''re born, you won''te back as such a miserable bastard."
Henry trembled, defiant to hisst breath, gasping, "I don''t buy your fairy tale reincarnation crap. You don''t have the guts to
"Then go to hell forever,” Alex smirked cruelly, his eyes alight with ruthless satisfaction as he twisted Henry''s neck sharply, the sickening crack echoing through the stunned silence.
Henry''s lifeless body dangled by the neck for a moment, his arms and legs hanging limp,pletely drained of life.
The crowd exploded into screams – a raw, panicked chorus of terror and disbelief.
Their earlier arrogance shattered in an instant, leaving behind only naked, trembling fear.