His tone dripped with rage and desperation, and saliva flew from his lips with every word.


    Xander didn’t flinch. He stood tall and silent, his jaw clenched, refusing to acknowledge the man who had ruined so many lives.


    Mr. Wace’s fury only intensified.


    Then he turned his re to Xavier. "And you—you’re siding with him?! After everything I taught you?!"


    "You taught me nothing!!" Xander exploded, voice cutting through the air like a de.


    His eyes scanned the area quickly, alert.


    "Where’s your partner in crime?" Xander asked mockingly. "Didn’t you bring Bruce to enjoy the show? What happened? Did he finally realize you’re nothing but a bitter old man chasing ghosts?"


    "I’m your father!!" Mr. Wace bellowed, spit flying. "You’re supposed to be at my mercy! But look at you! None of my sons respect me. Not you. Not Xavier. And definitely not Kace!"


    Mr. Wace didn’t look like a powerful patriarch anymore. He was filthy, his usually pristine suit crumpled and stained. His once polished shoes were caked in dirt. Days of unshaven stubble darkened his jaw, making him look like a deranged fugitive rather than a mafia boss.


    "Let’s just get this over with," Xavier finally said, tone low and t. "You’ve been barking like a rabid dog since you got here. What do you want?"


    Mr. Wace’s eyes twitched.


    Then a slow, smug smile spread across his face. "To think I’d be weed with at least a look of surprise. You blocked every route, locked down every border, but I still got in."


    Xavier and Xander exchanged a sharp nce—but any unspoken message between them was cut short when the rk couple, Jeffrey and Nora, were dragged out of one of the buildings by two unfamiliar men—clearly Wace’s henchmen.


    "Oh, look who we have here," Mr. Wace said, grinning wide. "Nora, my sweetheart."


    From her hidden position in the shadows, Anastasia narrowed her eyes.


    "Such a psychopath," she whispered. Tracie was crouched beside her, loading fresh rounds into her pistol.


    "He really thought Xavier wouldn’t be expecting this," Tracie murmured, rolling her eyes. "Men like him don’t think—they assume."


    Anastasia studied the scene. She counted twelve men. Some were inside the mansion, but those visible were mostly untrained. Sloppy posture. Nervous eyes. Unclean weapons.


    "I bet he picked those thugs straight out of the gutter," Tracie added under her breath.


    "Insane," Anastasia muttered.


    "You’re insane, Thomas!" Nora’s voice rang out clearly. "After all these years, you still can’t let it go!"


    "You betrayed me by choosing him!!" Mr. Wace roared.


    Even Tracie visibly winced at the bitterness in his voice. "Who would’ve guessed old people could have such messy love lives," she said dryly. Anastasia elbowed her.


    Anastasia saw the tiny redser dot appear on one of the thugs. It was her signal from Kace.


    She inhaled sharply.


    "Three..." she whispered.


    Jeffrey and Wace were shouting over each other. The tension was boiling.


    "Two..."


    Mr. Wace’s veins bulged. His eyes were bloodshot.


    "One."


    The first bullet hit home. One of the henchmen holding Nora copsed, his chest a bloody mess.


    Anastasia and Tracie burst from their hiding ce, guns drawn, and ran to their parents, shielding them and ushering them away as the chaos erupted. Same with the men Xavier had instructed earlier.


    More gunfire followed. Mr. Wace’s men didn’t stand a chance. One by one, they dropped—some before they even realized they were under attack.


    From all sides, Wace’s army was being cut down. The men who had stormed the mansion earlier rushed out in panic, only to be met with swift, merciless bullets.


    Within seconds, Mr. Wace was surrounded by corpses. The ground was littered with bodies, blood staining the white stone driveway.


    And yet, Xavier, Xander, and Samantha hadn’t moved an inch. They simply stood and watched, as if the carnage unfolding was inevitable.


    "You came here for a reason only you understand," Xavier said, eyes cold. "But the least you could’ve done wase prepared... Father."


    Mockery coated the word like venom.


    Mr. Wace’s rage exploded. "FUCK YOU, XAVIER!!"


    Without thinking, he pulled the trigger—aimed straight for Xavier’s heart.


    But someone stepped in.


    Xander.


    The bullet struck him squarely in the chest. Blood spurted from the wound. His body jerked violently from the impact. Eyes wide in shock. Then he copsed to the ground.


    Everything stopped.


    Xavier’s breath caught. For a moment, the world went silent.


    "XANDER!!" he screamed, voice breaking.


    Samantha gasped, rushing to Xander’s side, hands trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding. But it was bad.


    Xavier’s eyes turned crimson with fury. His jaw tightened. "Kace," he said into the mic on his cor, "Finish him."


    The red dot shifted.


    "No!" Mrs. Wace cried, running toward Thomas. "He’s still your father!"


    Toote.


    One clean shot. Mr. Wace’s head snapped back as the bullet tore through his skull. His body dropped beside the corpses of the men he had brought with him.


    Silence fell again—this time heavy, final.


    Mr. Wace was dead.