The God of War Comeback

Chapter 8

He grabbed Julius by the tie and slammed his head down against the desk so hard the wood cracked beneath the impact. Julius groaned in agony, blood already pooling beneath his nose.

Gerald stumbled backwards in shock, nearly tripping over his own chair, and Angela screamed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

Alfred yanked him upright again and drove two sharp punches straight into his nose. Blood poured freely down Julius's face as he crumpled, thrown forward, landing hard on the floor at Angela's feet.

Then Alfred turned toward Gerald. He seized his hand and twisted his fingers back until a sharp, sickening crack echoed through the room. Gerald let out a scream, doubling over, clutching his hand against his chest.

"You broke my fingers!" he shrieked, tears already welling in his eyes. "You'll pay for this, I swear. I'm calling the police right now."

He fumbled for his phone with his uninjured hand, but Alfred caught his wrist before he could reach it, twisting the next finger just as fast, just as hard, just as unforgiving.

Gerald let out a raw cry, certain in that moment that he was about to die right there on the office floor.

"Julius, call for help! Somebody call someone!" he screamed, his voice cracking with panic.

But Julius was still on the ground, clutching his bleeding, broken nose, barely able to lift his head off the carpet.

Angela stood frozen in place, watching a man she thought she knew fully transform into someone she barely recognised. A cold thread of fear crept into her chest, and she took an involuntary step back without meaning to.

The office door flew open; Julius's secretary froze in the doorway at the sight of her boss bleeding on the floor, then let out a piercing scream and lunged for the intercom on the wall.

Angela's mind raced through every possible outcome. If the police showed up now, both of them could be arrested on the spot. Alfred could be dragged straight back to prison, and this time, he might never walk out again. Her son needed his father; she couldn't bear to lose him a second time.

"Please," she begged, grabbing his arm with both hands and pulling with everything she had. "Let's leave before the police get here. I don't want you arrested; I can't watch you go back to that place."

"Run if you want to, Alfred," Julius wheezed from the floor, blood dripping steadily. "This whole building is already on lockdown; the police are already on their way. You're going back to prison for the rest of your miserable life."

Something inside Alfred snapped at the sheer audacity of it. He grabbed Julius by the collar and slapped him twice across the face, hard enough to split his lip open.

Angela threw herself between them, grabbing his arm with both hands. "Stop! You're going to kill him! Please, I'm begging you, don't make this any worse than it already is!"

"This bastard deserves to die," Alfred growled, his voice trembling with rage. "How can a man in his position be this senseless, this shameless? Does he think I'm one of his weak, powerless clients he can bully into silence? How dare he speak to my wife that way, right in front of me."

At that exact moment, the door burst open again. Three uniformed police officers stepped inside, followed closely by a crowd of anxious bank staff who had been alerted to the chaos unfolding on the executive floor.

Gerald's face lit up with relief despite the searing pain radiating through his broken fingers. "There he is! That's the lunatic! Arrest him, now!" he shouted, pointing a shaking hand at Alfred.

The lead officer's eyes swept across the room, taking in the blood on the floor, the overturned chair, the fear etched into every face watching from the doorway.

"Officer, what are you waiting for? Arrest him!" Gerald screamed again, louder this time, desperation creeping into his voice.

The officer stepped forward, his hand already reaching for the cuffs at his belt.

"Stay away from him."

A voice cut through the chaos from somewhere near the door, sharp and commanding enough to freeze every single person in the room where they stood.