Fistfight

Chapter 16

George

Alice stood frozen, her eyes locked on mine like she was trying to fix a puzzle.

Then, without a word, she turned away… her back to me… as tears broke free from her eyes.

“I've had enough humiliation,” she whispered, her voice shaking through her sniffles. “I… I just can’t anymore.”

She turned back around, meeting my gaze, her face streaked with sweat and tears. “Can’t you see, George? My entire empire is hanging by a thread… My name is falling apart because of this same scandal. I don’t have the strength for more drama. I’m barely holding on.”

“I get it, Alice. I truly do.” I reached out, gently taking her hands in mine, our faces just inches apart. “I understand everything you're feeling. But you need to give yourself a little grace. Trust me... your empire will survive this. You will survive this.”

“But how, George?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I'm watching everything I built fall apart.”

“I know,” I said quickly, pulling her closer. “But you won’t lose it all. Not on my watch. We’re in this together, remember?”

She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine, then slowly rested her head on my shoulder, her sobs deepening.

I held her close, one hand cradling the back of her neck. “It’s okay, Alice. You’re not alone in this. I promise, it’s all going to be okay.”

She nodded slightly, wiping her tears as she sniffled. “Thank you… for staying, when everyone else walked away.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” I said softly. “I’m right where I need to be.”

Just then, the loud buzz of my phone broke the silence, jolting us both. I loosened my hold on her and quickly fished it from my pocket.

As I unlocked the phone, my heart dropped. The message flashing across the screen made my blood run cold.

‘Urgent, boss: Thomas just landed. He’s just been spotted at the airport.’

My fingers stiffened around the phone as I slowly looked up at Alice, whose face had tightened with concern.

“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping closer. “You look… troubled.”

I turned to her, dragging a hand across my face with a heavy sigh. “It’s Thomas. He just landed in the city.”

Her face paled instantly, her eyes wide with panic. “He’s coming after us now? What do we do?”

“Exactly what we’ve already planned,” I said, gripping her hands again, my tone calm but firm. “No panic. No changes. Just trust the plan.”

She stared at me for a long second, like she was trying to absorb every word.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Good,” I nodded, releasing her. “Let’s go check on Leo.”

Without another word, we hurried toward Leo’s room… only to stop cold at the sound of a loud scream.

My heart jumped. I listened closely… then froze. It was coming from Leo’s room.

“No, no, no!” I shouted, sprinting ahead with Alice right behind me.

We reached the door… and what I saw made my blood run cold. The door was wide open, bed sheets torn and scattered across the floor like there had been a struggle.

I stood there, frozen. My mind went blank.

Alice stepped past me, her voice trembling. “George… where is he? What happened?”

I swallowed hard and turned to her. “They… they took him.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t waste another second.

I bolted down the hallway… and just in time… at the far end, two men were dragging Leo away.

Anger surged through me.

I tackled them head-on, slamming my fists into their shoulders. They hit the floor with groans of pain. Leo broke free and ran into my arms.

“You bastard!” one of the men yelled, pulling out a gun. But I was faster… I kicked it out of his hand and snatched it up.

I aimed it at them with one hand, holding Leo tight with the other. “This is for trying to take my son,” I growled, firing a shot… but they were already on their feet, scrambling away.

I chased them, but it was too late. They were gone.

Frustrated, I turned back to where Leo stood, trembling. He ran into my arms again, tears streaking his cheeks.

“Daddy…” he sniffled. “Who were those men? Why did they try to take me?”

I knelt down and ruffled his hair gently. “Hey, kid… don’t worry. You’re safe now. No one’s taking you away.”

I was still speaking when Alice burst in, breathless, stopping just in front of us.

Her eyes widened the moment they landed on Leo. “Oh my God!” she gasped, rushing forward and enveloping him in her arms, her eyes scanning his little body as if searching for hidden bruises. “Did they hurt you?”

“No, Mommy,” Leo shook his head. “They just tried to take me. But Daddy came in time and stopped them.”

“Oh, baby…” she murmured, pulling him tight against her chest. She shot me a quick, tight look before settling her gaze back on the boy. “They won’t get you anymore… Mommy’s here now, okay?”

Leo nodded, but the panic still lingered in his eyes.

Alice turned to me then, her face a storm of anger and final resolve. “I don’t think I can do this anymore, George. These people aren’t going to stop. Leo and I… we’re leaving, for good.”

“Alice, wait,” I called after her as she turned to leave, Leo in her arms. When she paused, I stepped forward to stand between them. “I thought we already talked about this…”

“There’s nothing left to talk about, George,” she said, her voice tight. “I can’t stay here and risk my life… or Leo’s any longer. Not now. Not anymore.”

She turned to leave again, but I stopped her before she could go any further.

“How about your empire?” I asked, my voice firm. “Are you really giving up the fight that easily?”