Ch. 311..315: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 311-315

Chapter 311: She was right

Sandra had just finished her household chores before she joined Tori in bed. It had been a tiring day but the thought of the next morning made her giddy. Her heart pounded inside her chest when she imagined herself confessing her love for Tristan.

A smile tucked her lips as she turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around Tori who didn’t seem to fall asleep.

"Why are you still awake?" Tori asked as she watched her smile to herself and that made her a little curious.

The life they had been leaving after their father left them without a word, Tori had never seen her sister smile wholeheartedly. Their mother lost her mind as she couldn’t handle the fact that her husband left them. It was her sister who stood like a rock taking care of her mother and her forgetting about her happiness.

She didn’t remember her father’s face as she was too small to recall him, but the people in their old neighborhood would always bully them calling their father a thief. She was too small to understand a few things but as she grew up, Sandra told her who her father actually was.

He was a dealer, who worked for underworld people and his this profession landed him into big trouble for which he had to run for his life. But even after he left, the misery they went through didn’t stop there, due to which they had to leave their old neighborhood and find a new one.

They finally found peace, when no one in this new place recognized them and their life turned out to be better than before away from all the hateful words and stares.

"Why are you smiling so much?" she asked snapping Sandra out of her thoughts and she crane her neck down to look at her sister who too smiled back at her.

"Nothing. I am just happy" she answered. Tori was small to understand a few things but once she grows up, then she would definitely tell her everything.

"Is it because tomorrow is your birthday?" Tori asked flashing a sweetest smile and watched her sister nod her head.

"I knew it. How about we celebrate it this year?" she asked getting excited. The thought of having a cake to cut on their birthdays was something unusual for them as they hardly celebrated it.

"Sure we will but for now go to sleep. Did you forget you have school tomorrow" Sandra smiled accepting Tori’s request and pulled her closer as she slowly caressed her back and let her fall asleep.

Sandra has also closed her eyes slowly drifting to sleep when suddenly her phone buzzed and she snapped open her eyes. She thought it must be from her friends but when she opened her phone, the unknown number took her by surprise and she pulled herself up as she opened the text message to read.

[ I know it’s you who killed Alexa and if you don’t want me to disclose your little secret then meet me at your university playground]

Sandra dropped the phone in her hand as a cold sweat broke all over her body after reading the message inside it and she suddenly found herself trembling.

’Who could it be’ she thought looking at the cell phone on her lap. She felt her entire body lose its strength. She couldn’t comprehend anything because her mind was a complete mess.

She had made sure that no one had seen her tailing Alexa in that restroom, so how can she get caught?

’Someone might be joking’ she thought to herself as she brought her palm close to her face and rubbed the sweat bud.

"Y-yes, someone might be pulling a prank on me" she mumbled to herself and quickly kept her cellphone said and laid down next to Tori.

There was no way, anyone had witnessed her do the crime. She had been careful all the while from the beginning till the end.’ Do not panic Sandra, it’s just a prank to scare you. Don’t fool yourself’ she concluded and closed her eyes as she fell asleep.

Back in the playground, the boys had been hiding in a secluded place with their eyes focused on the main gate as if they were waiting for someone’s arrival.

"Dude, I think we should drop the idea. I don’t think she would come" Noah who was now feeling sleepy patted Tristan’s shoulder.

They had been hiding for an hour and yet the girl didn’t show up. Tristan planned to text Sandra using an unknown number stating that he knew it was her behind Alexa’s death.

He just wanted to confirm if Mia was right or if it was just some kind of stunt she was pulling to trap Sandra. He didn’t want any innocent to get punished and just wanted to confront them.

"Noah, just shut up and stand there" Karl whispered getting annoyed with Noah.

Even he wanted to know the truth. Something about Alexa’s death had left them confused and not to forget Mia’s claim about Sandra. Just like Tristan, even he was now adamant to know if the accusation was true or if it was just some kind of Mia’s jealousy towards their friend.

An hour had passed since they send her the text, but there was no sign of Sandra anywhere. Tristan made sure to sound confident just so, his words wouldn’t get neglected into some kind of prank. But it didn’t seem to scare her or maybe, he was wrong about her.

Staring at the entrance for some moment, he said," Let’s go. I think we misjudge her" he concluded.

They knew if it was Sandra, then she would’ve come to meet that person who knew her secret, but even after so much time passed by, she didn’t show up, which only meant that it wasn’t her and Mia was just trying to manipulate them for her benefit.

Noah and Karl bobbed their head and were about to turn when they heard a creaking sound of the playground gate open and they stopped turning back their attention toward the entrance.

"She was right" Noah mumbled looking at his friends and then back at the person who just entered the gates.

Tristan’s eyes darkened when he saw Sandra walk through the gates like a thief, cautious about her surroundings. He couldn’t believe Mia’s claims were right and that it was Sandra who killed Alexa.

"Does, it means, she is also that secret bully whose rumor had been circulating the campus?" Karl asked in shock moving his eyes towards Tristan and watch his palm clutch into a tight fist.

Chapter 312: There is an emergency

Sandra walked taking quick steps after she entered the huge playground gates. She had accepted that someone was trying to fool her and was ready to let go, but something inside her screamed of not being stupid to let anyone expose her secrets.

’What if it wasn’t a prank and someone was really keeping an eye on her’ with this fear, she got up and left her house secretly.

All this while she had been very cautious about the bullies she carried on to the girls who tried to pursue Tristan. She had been secretly threatening them, keeping her identity disclose, and was never once got caught.

But with Alexa, it turned out to be the worst. She didn’t realize that she had hit the girl multiple times on her head, and that led to cause her death.

Stopping right at the center of the ground, Sandra looked around eyeing her surrounding before she slide her hand inside her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

She opened the text message and looked at the number before she opened the compose tab and started typing something on it before she pressed the send button.

’BUZZ’

Tristan’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled out before he read the message Sandra, texted him.

[ I am here. Come out and show me your face]

"Dude, she wants to meet you. Now, what should we do?" Noah asked as he too read the text and gaped at Tristan in shock.

Before coming here they only wanted to confirm their doubts but now when Sandra was here and their suspicions turned out to be true, she wanted to meet the person behind the text.

Tristan thought for some time before he typed something and then send it to her.

[ What if I show up and you try to harm me too]

Sandra let out a humorless chuckle as her grip on the phone tightened. This person was purposely provoking her into doing something worse. She had taken the risk to show up and now this unknown sender was trying to play with her.

Shutting her eyes close, she then opened them and typed something before sending the text to him.

[Don’t worry, I won’t cause any harm unless you try to act smart]

"Dude she is threatening you" Noah couldn’t believe his eyes. The girl who they assumed to be their friend turned out to be a serial killer, who was now warning them too.

"I think we should inform the cops Tristan. We just can’t let her see us. What if she tries to cause harm? We don’t have any backup with us" Karl was not sure if they should confront her or not because of the way she was threatening them though the text made them think twice about their actions.

"I think he is right. It’s better to let the cops handle her" he stated agreeing with Karl.

"But what will we tell the cops and on what basis they will arrest her" Tristan’s words took both Karl and Noah by surprise. They both didn’t think about it and fell silent.

"It’s better if I go and confront her," he said with a determined tone.

Tristan wanted to know, why was she doing all this and what was her purpose behind it. She had always appeared to be kind and friendly in front of them, then how come she changed so much or was it all a façade from the beginning?

Tristan felt betrayed but what made him feel more sorry was for Gabriel. That boy had been madly in love with her. He fell for her innocent and kind behavior and just like them even he was fooled.

When Gabriel first extended his hand for friendship, they gladly accepted it. Just liked them even he had been a little skeptical to talk about his personal life and they didn’t force him either. He had a good heart and he genuinely cared for his friend which was why Tristan felt so bad for him.

He fell in love with a girl who wasn’t even true to herself and now, they cursed the day, they met Sandra for the first time.

Tristan’s eyes never darted from the girl who stood there at the center of the ground waiting for him. He had to confront her and make her accept all the crimes she did so far. It was the only way for them to get the proofs.

Unlocking his phone, Tristan was about to turn on the voice recorder when suddenly they heard Karl’s phone buzz.

"Guys... we need to leave. There is an emergency" his panicked voice caught both of their eyes on him. Just the look on Karl’s face was enough to pull them back from their plan.

Paying a last glance at Sandra, Tristan cursed mentally before they jumped down the fence behind them and ran to their car.

Sandra on the other hand was getting impatient as she didn’t hear back from the sender. Twenty minutes had passed but the person never replied.

"Argh! Why isn’t he texting back" she snorted looking once again around her surrounding. She just wanted to find out how much that anonymous person knew about her and according to that, she was going to execute her plan.

Bringing her hand to the back of her waist, she checked the knife underneath her top and straightened up. Yes, before leaving the house she carried a knife along just in case the person try to act smart with her.

She stared at the cell phone in her hand before she decided to make a call to the number. As soon as her thumb hit the call button, she brings the phone close to her ears and hears the person say, ’The number you are trying to reach is currently out of reach’

"What the hell-" Sandra cursed as she raised her hand to throw away the phone in her hand in fury but stopped when something clicked in her mind.

"What if my assumption earlier was right? What if it was just a prank that someone tried to pull on me? If not then why didn’t the person show up when I asked him too" she kept mumbling to herself trying to connect the dots and it only concluded that someone was fooling with her.

A sigh escaped her mouth and she looked at the phone in her hand thinking of why someone will try to blackmail her by sending these texts and ask her to come and meet him unless and until he had any evidence with them.

Her thoughts changed within a second and she was about to take a stroll around when she heard a faint whistling sound and her steps halt. She forgot the guards would be patrolling around the campus and that make her retreat out of the gates as quickly as possible before they caught her.

For now, all she could think was to leave but that doesn’t mean she would stop her hunt to find the person who tried to threaten her. ’She will find it soon’ with this thought in her mind she left.

The moment she reached home, she found that Tori and her mother were still sleeping. Quickly placing back the knife on the stand, Sandra joined her sister in bed.

Sandra recalled being a crazy girl when it came to Tristan. She was mad at him and always wished to have him at any cost. She wasn’t a bad girl in the first place, but when it came to Tristan, she would turn into a psycho.

Her eyes looked at her mother and then recalled her father’s face. She had inherited her parent’s traits within herself but she promised to change herself once Tristan accepts her as his girl.

She was a caring sister and daughter to her sister and mother but only she knew what kind of demon reside within her.

Looking at the ceiling above for some time, a smile made its way to her lips, and she blushed. It was her birthday and also the day when she was going to profess her love to Tristan.

She didn’t want to hide her feeling from him anymore, not when she found he had been planning to celebrate her birthday together. With contentment on her face, she slowly closed her eyes and let sleep engulf her mind.

****

Moore Mansion

Gabriel woke up with a bright smile on his face. More than Sandra, he was the one who seem to be more excited to celebrate her birthday. But he couldn’t help as he lost his heart to her and now he couldn’t wait to confess his feelings for her.

Climbing down from the bed, Gabriel rushed into the bathroom and got changed. He was about to call Tristan when someone knocked on the door.

"Yes," he said and the door opened with one of his father’s trusted men stepping into his room.

Gabriel stared at the man for a few seconds before he heard him say." Young master, leader expects you to attend your first meeting as the successor of the Sticker Clan" the man said with his head down and failed to notice the change in Gabriel’s face.

"Now!" he asked and watched the man bob his head.

"Tell him I don’t have time" Gabriel bluntly rejected him taking the man by surprise.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel’s threatening eyes scared the man and he bobbed his head before he turned and left the room.

Gabriel was in no mood to change his plans just because his father expected him to attend his so call underworld meeting. Yes, he agreed to him but that doesn’t mean he was free to control him.

Chapter 313: I have to make you agree

Alphonse clench his jaw when he heard Gabriel decline to attend the meeting. He thought he had his son convinced, but he was wrong. Gabriel wasn’t someone he could command.

"This boy, why can’t he obey me once" tossing his phone aside, Alphonse rubbed the bridge of his nose when the door of his room opened and one of his men entered, informing him about Dante’s arrival.

The corner of his lips curled into an evil grin and he got up from his seat as he looked at the time," Way earlier than the due time. I am quite impressed"

Dante was given a day to come to a decision, but as expected the man was too quick into making settlements when it came to his beloved daughter. He had finally found his weakness after all.

"Let’s not make out guest wait" with a cunning smile Alphonse adjusted his coat and walked out of the room.

The meeting was going to take place in the Tower lake villa which was also one of Alphonse’s hideouts and his mini secret base. The place was guarded with tight security with each hallway monitored by Alphonse’s most skillful men.

Inside the huge living hall, both Alphonse and Dante settled down in front of each other taking their respective seats. It was a surprise that Dante only bought his devoted man Ace alone and no one else.

Did he really believe in his words so much, Alphonse thought as he eyed the man in front of him in amusement.

After a long pause, Dante finally bought up the topic." What do you want me to do?" his voice was as calm as ever and that made Alphonse arch his brow.

He had been observing Dante since the moment he step into his territory, but found no sign of anguish in his aura which was quite surprising. Dante being this submissive was like a storm before the calm and Alphonse suddenly felt intimidated.

"Why so rush Dante? Let’s negotiate a few things before I state my points" Dante glared at his words and watch him smirk. So much like a cunning fox, Dante told to himself and straightened up o his seat as he crossed his one leg on another and leaned back on his chair like a king.

"I should’ve seen this coming" Dante let out a chuckle, obvious of Alphonse’s scheme.

" Go on, tell me whatever you have in your mind" Dante gave Alphonse the chance to speak all of his demands. It wasn’t like he would let him leave just like that in return for his daughter’s life.

Alphonse was shocked once again but concealed it quickly with a smile. "You surely know me very well Dante but unfortunately there is still something about me you aren’t familiar with" letting out a humorous chuckle Alphonse gawked at Dante trying his best to read what was brewing inside this old man’s mind, but now this extreme calmness from his side was slowly irking him.

Not able to control his annoyance, Alphonse snapped his finger indicating the man standing next to react to his small signal.

"As stated earlier. I want you to clear all the allegations imposed against me by joining hands with me" Alphonse kept a straight face as he glared at Dante letting out an authoritative aura. He will never let this old man dominate him.

"But what if I deny it?" Dante’s deep voice amazed Alphonse and he let out a chuckle.

"You won’t do it. Did you forget I still have my men following your daughter" Dante clutched his palm tightly making Alphonse finally senses the tension within him.

"I know you love your daughter very much Dante and you don’t wish her to die so early. Do you" Alphonse was purposely provoking Dante to get out any reaction from him and to his surprise, it was working.

The calm persona he had been carrying all this while was slowly crumbling. Thanks to Grace.

"You know it had been very hard for me to convince you all these years, but you old man, you are too stubborn to bend down. What advantage do you get by doing charity, huh? Underworld had never been a good place, then why are you trying to change it" his words made Dante fall silent.

Dante had set the bars high for an underworld organization. The man was a merciless leader, who didn’t think twice before killing his target. But that’s what makes them different because the ones he ends up killing have always carried ill intentions.

Dante had sworn to change his ways after Sera left him taking Grace along. She wanted him to leave everything behind and live an ordinary life, but it wasn’t possible. Once you step inside the pit of mud, you step out getting tainted and for him, the underworld was that bit and it tainted him too deeply.

But everything changed when he was left alone. It was that time when he realized how lonely he was. He had everything a person would want but he lost that one person who made him feel things he thought he wasn’t aware of.

He tried to change his ways just so he would get his happiness back, but he was wrong. The enemies he made all along never let him find that happiness and it only let Sera pull away from him.

"People like us can’t have a good heart. We are born to be merciless and violent" Alphonse’s cold word snapped Dante out of his thoughts.

"But goodness can make wonders. Don’t you see my one good intention made me gain the trust of thousand people" Alphonse lips twitched at his words.

"But I don’t want to be good. I want people to be scared of us and that’s how we can make them obey us" Alphonse was against this change Dante was trying to bring the underworld and what made him more pissed was he was able to get there but not anymore.

If he had to rank on the top, he had to get this man out of his way.

"And for that, you have to let go of your goodness and join hands with me. Trust me, we both can rule the world if we don’t let any kindness get in our way" Alphonse extended his hand with a maniac smile stretching his lips, waiting for Dante to accept it.

"And what if I don’t agree" the shine in Alphonse’s eyes dimmed and his face turned ugly.

"Then I have to make you agree" the words that came out of his lips were threatening and Dante could feel the chills around him.

Chapter 314: There was no forgiveness

Suddenly the screen in front of them turns on and Grace appears in front of them.

Dante’s eyes popped out of their socket in shock to see his daughter in such a vulnerable state." What have you done to my daughter.." a loud roar echoes inside the silent hall that alert the men around pull out their guns and point at Dante.

Lifting his hand midair, Alphonse signals his men to step back, and just the puppets they were, they quickly pull back the guns.

Dante so wanted to kill the man in front of him with his bare hands, but his conscience stopped him from doing so.

Grace was held captive and he had no idea of it until now when he watched her helpless state. She was tied to the wooden chair and her head fall to the side showing that she wasn’t conscious. The view was enough to break Dante’s heart into pieces.

His bloodshot eyes glare at Alphonse with pure rage and his thoughts run wild thinking if it was all pre-planned knowing it won’t be easy for him to change his mind.

"See I told you, that there is still something about me you don’t know yet" Alphonse let out a cunning smile as he watched Dante break the calm walls around him.

He always wanted to see this fear, in Dante’s eyes and luckily he got to witness it. Ace who had been watching everything was just as shocked as his boss. They did the mistake to come unprepared knowing how wicked Alphonse could be to get his work done.

Without wasting a second, he quickly takes a step and bents down whispering something into Dante’s ears. As if his words cast some magic, the murderous look in his eyes slowly dimmed, confusing the person in front of him.

Since they had no backup, they had to play it cool without letting them hurt Grace at any cost.

Composing himself, Dante leaned back and this time was when he looked at Alphonse, something inside those gazes told him to get alert. His calmness was long gone, replacing his entire existence as murderous and dark, just the way everyone have known Dante Corner.

But what bothered him the most were the words he was going to spill. He couldn’t anticipate after whatever his loyal dog muttered into his ears secretly.

’Is there something I am not aware of’ he thought as he stared back at him keeping the same blank face. Masking your reaction wasn’t hard for the people in the underworld, it came naturally to them, but sometimes people tend to act strong even though internally they were hell scared.

Alphonse was one of them. He had always used people for his benefit but when his time to face Dante arrived the man played with his mind. Erasing a few clans was like a plaything for him, just brainwash them against your sole enemy and everything was been taken care of. All he had to do was to play safe.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Alphonse waited for the man to speak, and when he did, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

"I will give you everything you want but first let my daughter go" Dante knew it would be lame to negotiate this way but trying didn’t cost him anything. He knew Alphonse was desperate to get his life back on track and the one who could help him was him.

"And why do you think, I should agree with your words? What if you change your mind after I release your daughter" Alphonse eyes turned dark.

’Did he think of him as some kind of stupid man, who will give in to his words? No, things don’t work this way, at least not for him’

"You have my words, Alphonse. I won’t repeat myself" Dante sticks to his words without changing his mind. His eyes kept glancing at the screen ahead and it pained to see his daughter being held captive.

"And so do I. There is no way I could change my mind when it comes to affirmation. It’s a give-and-take deal, Dante. Your daughter over my miserable state. I can’t toy with it" Dante clenched his fist as tight as possible until it turned white.

Alphonse was enjoying the expression on Dante’s face. He finally was able to get that scariness out of him. He loved watching his target fear. It gave him the satisfaction of being superior somehow.

Dante was now genuinely feeling hopeless. He knew his one wrong move can cost his daughter’s life, and he couldn’t imagine what will happen to him after that. Maybe he would follow her.

"Fine... I’ll do as you say but after that I want you to release my daughter. No foul play Alphonse or else I won’t hesitate to burn your life into ashes" Dante warned ready to accept his proposal.

Though he was hesitant knowing the consequence of his decision, he had no choice until he was assured Grace was out of their clutches. He cursed himself for being this reckless. But he was bound by his daughter’s life. He knew after knowing that he was once again the reason for her abduction, she would hate him even more.

But now he doesn’t care. If that is what wrote his destiny, he would gladly accept it.

Alphonse raises his hand as a promise.

Staring at him for a moment, Dante pulls out his phone and is about to make a call to the head of the police department when suddenly a loud gunshot stops him.

Before anyone could react, numerous sounds of gunshots echoed around alerting everyone present inside the hall.

"Betrayal..." Alphonse jumped up from his seat looking at Dante in shock. ’He tricked him all this time,’ he thought and quickly pulled out his gun aiming at Dante.

"Secure the place" he yelled and four men rush to guard him while the rest marched out of the hall.

Even with the highly secured places, Dante’s men were able to break in. Alphonse couldn’t help but smile at his stupidity.

"You are really something old man. I didn’t expect you to backstab me" he said looking at Dante who acted all shock and surprise. Why did he act when he got everything in his control?

Alphonse had let his guard down after he found Dante had not tagged his team along but he assumed it all wrong. He surely came prepared.

Dante didn’t utter a word understanding the situation. He, himself was shocked by the change of events. He just came for a casual meeting, but everything turned different. Not only was his daughter abducted, but his only way to convince Alphonse was also now ruined.

His eyes move to meet Ace’s and to his surprise, he had the same confused glint in them. Shaking his head, Ace assure Dante he had no idea what was going on. He had followed his leader’s words, then how come things change around?

He was now standing in front of Dante with his gun pointing at Alphonse. He knew that five against two will never fall in their favor but being the loyal man he had to protect his boss, as he swore his life to him.

The firing sound was so high that it took a while for it to stop. Alphonse was confident that it was his men who must’ve tackled the enemies but when he turned his head and looked at the door, the victorious smile dropped from his lips and his eyes widen in horror.

Tristan and Karl walked holding the guns in their hand but they were too lazy to point them at them because their men had already crowded them.

"Drop your guns" Karl ordered and the men who were protecting Alphonse, immediately let go of the weapon in their hand surrendering to them.

"Ahem..." a voice pulled their attention to the screen that was still on and the camera moved from Grace’s face to Noah’s.

"Sorry to disturb you, but Mr. Moore did you like our surprise" Noah waved his hand at them taking everyone by surprise.

It took Alphonse to remember the boy’s face but when he did his eyes widen in realization. He was the same boy, who was with Gabriel in that picture.

Blood began to boil inside his body as he couldn’t contain his anger and he forced his gun ahead with the intention to shoot Dante.

"Don’t!" Tristan’s chilling voice made him look in his direction.

He walked towards them like a devil ready to rip off his body into two just with that murderous gaze.

Alphonse dared to kidnap his mother to use her as a pawn against his grandfather, forgetting that he had been two steps ahead of him.

After disclosing his every illegal activity to the cops, he had assumed somehow, Alphonse would seek help from his grandfather and he also knew after getting rejected, he would somehow try to target his family to make him agree with the deal.

So he came up with a plan along with his friends and Ace and asked him to assign some guards who will follow their family members secretly disguised as normal people. And just as he assumed Alphonse had his men tailing behind Grace knowing that she was Dante’s only weakness.

They had everything under control but Alphonse’s men got suspicious about being followed and before they could take any action they abducted Grace from their eyes bringing her to one of their hideouts in country X.

If not for Noah’s brilliant tracking skills they wouldn’t have found Grace.

"One wrong move and I will break your skull," he said as he walked to him and stood right in front of him with the gun his hand pointing right at his forehead.

Tristan was in no mood to spare Alphonse after what he had done. He tried to get on his nerves by involving his family membered especially his mother who had nothing to do with any of this and there was no forgiveness

Chapter 315: Tristan NO...

Tristan’s eyes held no emotions in them and it was the first time Dante realized, his grandson was no less than a devil himself. He looked so different from his original persona that Dante couldn’t recognize his own grandson.

’Was it a mistake to let him into this dark world? Did he make his grandson like him’ guilt crept into Dante’s heart. His one selfish move landed his grandson into a big mess.

"Tristan step back" Dante voiced out loud but Tristan didn’t move his eyes away and kept glaring at Alphonse making him gulp.

His plan was ruined in no time and here it was ready to face hell. The man in front of him was like a grim rapper with no ounce of emotions in those blue eyes and it was enough for Alphonse to see his life running backward.

’He didn’t want to die at least not like this in the hands of his enemy. He can accept this defeat’

Tristan never blinked his eyes as he kept glaring at Alphonse. If looks could kill Alphonse would’ve died a thousand deaths. His forefinger slowly moved on the trigger ready to pull it when suddenly he heard Grace’s voice and his body stilled.

"Tristan NO..." her voice trembled as she spoke the very first words after she woke up.

Tristan didn’t dare to turn her way as he wasn’t ready to see the hurtful look on her face. He knew how much Grace hated violence, yet he chose to go against her.

Sensing the hurt in her sound made Tristan slowly lose his hold on the gun and his hand slowly began to drop down.

Alphonse frantically moved his head at the screen and the moment he turned saw Tristan immobilize on his spot, he took it as an opportunity to run away.

Pulling the gun from his hand Alphonse rushed towards Dante and wrapped his arm around his shoulder before pointing the gun at his temple.

"Put your guns down or else I will shoot him" he warned pressing the gun against Dante’s temple as he motioned his men and they quickly freed themselves and picked up their guns pointing at Dante’s men.

Everyone was shocked by the change of events. One weak moment and everything took a U-turn.

Everyone dropped their hand in defeat. They didn’t want Alphonse to harm their leader, so they did what he said.

Dragging Dante along, Alphonse made his way out of the living hall with his men surrounding them as they carefully fled away from there.

*****

[Outside]

The group kept on moving until they stepped out of the building. They were only a few steps away from the van when suddenly the man on Alphonse’s right fell limp shocking everyone.

Before they could function, the other men who were guiding Alphonse and Dante fell dead on the ground.

"What’s going on?" Alphonse shockingly mumbled, looking at all his men falling dead on the ground one after the other and that was when he heard a voice.

"Drop the gun, Alphonse. You are surrounded by the cops"

Alphonse looked ahead and watched cops stepping out of the hideouts one by one with their guns pointing his way.

Everything happened so quickly that he wasn’t able to react, but his hands around Dante didn’t loosen nor did he pull away the gun from him. He was determined to escape without losing against them.

"I won’t. If you try to act smart I will kill him" he pulled Dante aggressively not ready to give up.

Alphonse had completely lost his mind. He knew there was no way he could escape and this stubbornness of him is not going to help him either.

"You are acting foolish Alphonse. You have been surrounded from all around. There is no way you could run" the head of the cops stated.

Before coming here, Tristan had already informed the cops about Alphonse’s secret hideouts and if they wanted to arrest him red-handed then they should help him.

Alphonse chuckled humorlessly but soon turned silent." I know, that’s why I am keeping him with me. I know you won’t let him happen anything," he said looking at Dante.

"You are digging your own grave" Dante muttered making Alphonse fume in rage.

"I won’t. There is no way I will lose to you. I will take you down with me" pure hate dripped out from his mouth as he said those words to Dante.

Alphonse moved his eyes ahead and yelled," If you shoot me, then I will shoot him. It’s as simple as that"

Dante shook his head, "Don’t listen to him and just shoot. He is just trying to manipulate you all"

"Shut your f**king mouth you son of a bit**h" gripping his arms around Dante’s neck he yelled.

Alphonse was losing his patience because of Dante’s annoying words. He was again trying to ruin his plan.

"I am telling you all if you don’t let me go, I will kill him" Alphonse was now choking Dante until the man rolled his eyes up as if he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

"N-no don’t l-listen to him" Dante struggled with his words as he tried ruining the situation and that was enough to irk Alphonse more.

Without giving it a second thought Alphonse pulled the trigger, ready to shoot.

THUD...

A loud gunshot echoed, turning everything silent around and another body fell.

"Ahh.." Alphonse winced in pain as he lay down on the ground holding his leg. The moment he turned his eyes around he saw Tristan standing at a distance with a gun pointing in his direction.

"Take him away" his deadpan voice instructed the cops and they quickly followed his words and took away Alphonse.

As he was being taken by the cops he looked at Dante and then at Tristan," This isn’t over yet. I swore to destroy you all, just wait and watch" and just like that he was taken by the cops.

Dropping his hand down Tristan looked at his grandfather who stared at him with unexplainable emotions.

After today, everything was going to change and Tristan had somehow seen this coming and so did Dante.