Ch 498 - It’s Just a Flesh Wound

Jonah glared at the newcomer. If he didn't do what he was told, then the man would order his men to open fire on him.

His face grew red. He desperately wanted to yell at the man, but he knew he couldn't. The man barely acknowledged him, not seeing him as a threat.

He gritted his teeth and raised his hands once more, furious about being forced to back down in front of everyone.

"That's what I thought," the man said. "I knew you'd see it my way."

All the masked people burst out laughing.

Jonah's face was scarlet now. "Who are you?" he asked again. "Tell me so that I can have you all killed, one by one."

"So, you're Jonah Walton from the Chamber of Commerce," the man said, ignoring Jonah's question. "You're a big man around Baltimore, and yet you surrendered straight away. That's not very impressive."

The other men laughed and jeered at him.

Within a few minutes, Jonah and Michael were ushered into a car, and then they were driven away peacefully.

The man came down from the roof and rushed into the building.

"Alex, I'm sorry I'm late," he said. "Are you okay?"

Alex recognized his voice straight away. "Clark?" he asked.

"That's the first time you've used my name rather than calling me Mr. Fairfax," Clark said. "As you should, after saving my daughter's life." He took off his mask and grinned at Alex.

He had been in a good mood since his daughter had recovered, but when he noticed Alex's expression, his smile slid away.

"You're hurt!" he said, looking closer at Alex. "I'll call an ambulance."

"It's nothing," Alex said, dismissing Clark's concern. "It's just a flesh wound." He sighed and looked over at Neil's body, regretting what had happened.

Then he spotted Rose and rushed over to check on her. She was still lying on the floor, with her hair draped over her face. He pushed it back and spotted blood coming from her nose. A strange smell overlaid her breath, and Alex stared at her in shock, realizing she had been poisoned.

Although he didn't really like Rose, she had risked herself in an attempt to save him, and he was grateful she had tried.

He also felt a little guilty. When Rose had been kidnapped, he had assumed she wouldn't be hurt because they were only using her as bait. He had been convinced they would keep her alive until they had dealt with him, so he had pretended to be indifferent to her fate.

"What poison is it?" Clark asked, squatting down to examine her.

Alex gently lifted Rose's eyelids and looked at her eyes. Then he took her wrist and checked her pulse. "It's probably the same thing they gave Joe," he said. "Most likely something developed by the Ghosts."

He took out the remaining tonic, gave some to Rose, and then he swallowed the rest himself. It would take time to recover all his inner strength, so he was still very weak. He had tried to do his best for the Hall family, but it had still ended badly.

He didn't bother asking Clark how he knew to come here. All he cared about was leaving, but just as he stood up, Rose opened her eyes and looked at him. It seemed like the poison had completely dissolved.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, keeping his voice gentle. Rose had changed a lot since he had first met her. She was much less vain now, and her behavior had greatly improved. It made her even lovelier than before and much more approachable.

He didn't know Rose only acted that way in front of him. Around everyone else, she was as mean as ever.

Rose was now in love with Alex. Since Alex's fight at the waterfall, she had developed a big crush on him, but her feelings were unrequited.

When Rose had rushed to protect him from Neil, she had hoped she and Alex would die together.

"Alex?" Rose asked quietly. Then she grew excited. "Are we dead?"

"No, we're alive," Alex said. "Why are you so happy about dying? Are you confused?"

"Oh." Rose flushed. "Are you all right?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Alex said. "We all survived."

Rose saw the blood on his clothes and burst into tears. "Alex, they said they wanted to kill me, and you didn't say anything!" she cried. "Don't you have a conscience?" She punched his arm. "Don't I matter to you at all? I admit that I didn't treat you very well when we first met, but I was still one of your classmates. Were you really going to let them kill me?"

Then, she sniffled. "You evil swine," she said. "You're completely heartless, Alex. I can't believe I wanted to be your friend."

Then, sobbing, she threw herself into his arms. "You bastard!" she said. "I almost died, and you don't really care."

Clark was confused. Was the girl reprimanding Alex or hugging him? She kept switching between laughing, crying, and yelling.

Alex frowned. Rose was holding on tight, probably to stop him from leaving, and it was making him uncomfortable.

"Please have some self-respect, Rose," Alex said, firmly removing her grip and setting her away from him. His expression remained indifferent. "Yes, we were once classmates, but I went to university with a lot of people. It's not as if we were friends. In fact, we didn't get along at all. You were vain and judgmental, and you were obsessed with marrying a rich man. You acted like everyone else was beneath you."

Rose was deeply hurt. She straightened up and wiped the tears from her face. "Is that really how you see me?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes," Alex said, his tone cold. "What do you want from me? I saved you because it was the right thing to do, not because I have feelings for you. All I feel for you is pity."

"Well, thank you for your evaluation of me," Rose said stiffly. "It's good to know what you think of me." She shivered. "Goodbye, Alex. Don't worry. You won't see me again."