The Almighty Dominance

Chapter 209

Jessica slammed her hand down on the polished oak table, Her voice echoing through the wide foyer.

"Enough of this!" She glared at Alex, her eyes wild with desperation.

"Hand over the antidote, Alex! We'll count this as our loss, but I won't let Charles die. Not like this."

Alex paused only for a split second, hatred etched into every rigid line of his jaw.

Then he turned away without a word and strode out the grand entrance, his boots pounding hard against the marble floor.

The echo lingered, mocking Jessica's plea.

Jessica's heart sank. She could see it clearly: Alex had no intention of saving Charles.

Charles clutched his side, trembling as unbearable pain crawled through his veins.

Sweat poured down his temples, his face a mask of pure agony.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, his voice shaking as he fought to stay upright. "Please... just give me the antidote, I swear I won't ever cross your path again!"

His pride-once unshakeable-had shattered under the threat of death.

It took everything in him to spit those words out, to humble himself before someone he'd always treated as beneath him.

But Alex was long gone.

Jasmine stood still, her posture poised, her gaze a bladed edge slicing the thick tension.

Alex just whispered to her,

"In a world that devours the soft-hearted, kindness becomes a liability, and mercy a fatal flaw."

Jessica's eyes snapped to her.

"Jasmine," she yelled, "Give your brother the antidote-now."

Jasmine folded her arms, her sigh carrying a lifetime's worth of frustration.

"Must you always defend Charles, Mother? Even now, when he's the one trying to destroy me?"

Jessica's restraint frayed. "Stop it!" she hissed, turning on her daughter. "He is your brother!"

to choose between me or Charles, who would

as she tried

to make. You are both my

waves a knife my way, you stay silent. The moment he's the one in trouble, you rush to

his face ashen, his breath jagged. "Jasmine," he croaked, "I-I never meant to actually kill you. I only wanted to

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the pathetic lies. I might be a 'mere woman' in your eyes,

to summon authority she

what do you want?" she asked. It came out quieter than she intended, almost

him one last chance. But if he ever tries to hurt me again, if I even sense danger from him, I'll go

bacteria pounding inside his skull. His voice shook

vial in her hand-the antidote that Alex had secretly slipped her on his way out. Threatening you? Don't

through the tension, raw and

46

Charles the antidote. Now. If he dies, can you live with that

conscience can bear the thought of murdering me, then mine can just as easily bear the price of returning the

"Enough!" Jessica stopped it.

cost of picking a fight you couldn't finish. Next time, I won't waste mercy. And you," she snapped, turning to her mother with fire in her eyes, "you should've stood between us before Charles tried to put me in a grave. But you didn't. So don't stand there now, pretending you've earned the right to

"He is

"Not after he tried to kill me. Charles started this; now he's on the receiving end, and you're howling in outrage. Tell me, Mother, do you even have a

growled, her composure

to tower over her daughter, to use authority to crush this insolence, but she knew the power Jasmine held was all too real-and protected by Alfred,

insisted, forcing a steadiness into her tone that she didn't feel. "Will you give me

"Only if Charles kneels and

eyes flashed with

single violent shudder, he sank to

bone on marble echoed around them.

the spiral of nausea and

cold, deathly

spat, voice low and venomous. “Because when I stand

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calm. "Do it, then. Look at the floor

your

trembled, every nerve in his body screaming

warred with survival inside

hesitation, he bowed