Chapter 4

The bodyguards rushed forward and helped Henry to his feet.

Henry touched the burning handprint on his cheek, glaring at Ares with fury, and said through gritted teeth, "You dare hit me?"

Ares's eyes turned cold. He stepped forward and drove his foot hard into Henry's chest.

Henry was already old and frail. The kick made him spit blood on the spot, and he collapsed into a bodyguard's arms, nearly losing his life.

Ares let out a cold laugh. "Hit you? So what if I did?"

The sheer arrogance of it made every guest in the room draw a sharp breath.

Who the hell was this guy? He didn't even show Henry the slightest respect!

"I bet everyone around you just tells you what you want to hear, and that's made you overestimate yourself. I can kill you whenever I want. Don't you dare lecture me again. Are we clear?"

Henry's eyes turned dark and menacing. He held back his rage and said, "Young man, don't get too full of yourself."

"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet!"

Ares's expression hardened as he stepped toward Henry.

After taking two brutal hits, Henry finally showed a flicker of fear.

Then, Monica's voice came through Ares's earpiece, urgent and alarmed:

"Boss! The Chaykos family is here — they've taken Alyssa!"

Ares's brow furrowed sharply. Before he could respond, a large group of heavily armed Chaykos family operatives poured into the hotel.

Leading them was Amir Chaykos.

Henry's eyes lit up at the sight of him. He cried out with relief, "Oh thank God! Amir, you're just in time!"

Amir gave Henry a nod, then fixed his cold gaze on Ares.

"You're Ares McKay? Evelyn McKay's brother, right?"

Before Ares could answer, Paul screamed at the top of his lungs, "Yes! That's him! Amir, take him out! Do it now!"

The guests looked on with anticipation.

The Chaykos family's elite fighters, combined with the Antonelli family's bodyguards — and this young man had shown up alone to cause trouble at the Hilton. He had a death wish.

He'd be torn apart and thrown out in under three minutes.

But Ares just smiled faintly, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"The Chaykos family? I was actually looking for you."

Henry quickly warned, "Amir, this guy is insane. He's planted C4 bombs all over the hotel. Watch yourself!"

Amir laughed it off. "So what? Does he really think he's going to blow himself up too?"

He looked at Ares with contempt.

"Ares, I know about you. You killed someone five years ago, and the police are still after you. You disappeared right after. Where have you been hiding all this time?"

"Sounds like you're very interested in my personal life," Ares said flatly.

"Just making conversation. Doesn't matter if you answer or not — you're dying here today." Amir sneered. "Hand over what you have, and I'll make it quick."

"And if I don't?"

Ares didn't have the USB drive, but saying so was pointless now — they were convinced he had it, and they'd been hunting him for it.

Amir's eyes narrowed. "So it is on you!"

"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't?"

"Give it to me!"

Amir's tone left no room for argument. "Hand it over right now. Otherwise..."

Ares didn't flinch. "Otherwise what?"

Amir gave a cold smile, and two of his men shoved a woman forward — her hands bound behind her back. It was Alyssa.

"You care about Ms. Wilson, don't you?" Amir said. "And what about your people outside? Are you really willing to let them die too?"

Monica and Andre were unharmed, but Amir's men had blocked them outside and cut off any chance of backup. Only Alyssa had been grabbed.

Ares gave a quiet response, then suddenly spun around and lunged straight for Henry.

The bodyguards nearby reacted fast, moving in to shield him.

But they were no match for Ares.

He dropped two of them with two punches, then shot his hand out and grabbed Henry by the throat.

"Go ahead and touch her. I don't think her life is worth more than Henry's."

Henry's face went pale.

"No! Ares, don't do anything rash. You have your whole life ahead of you. You're still young..."

"Shut up!"

Ares snapped, then looked at Amir, his voice cold and absolute. "Go ahead. We all go down together. My one life for Henry, his son, you, and everyone in this room — that's a trade I'll take."

Amir's face darkened. He stared at Ares, and a slow, sinister smile crept across his lips.

"Alright, Ares. You've got guts."

He began to step back, his smile growing colder. "Since you want to die so badly, I'll give you what you want. But you can take them with you — not me."

Henry's eyes went wide with shock. "Amir, what are you doing?"

"Mr. Antonelli, I apologize. For the sake of our family's honor, we can't back down to a madman. The more we give, the bolder he gets. I'm afraid you'll have to suffer for it."

The moment those words landed, not just Henry — every single guest in the room went pale with terror.

Amir was willing to sacrifice everyone here.

"No! Amir, you can't do this!"

"Amir, we have a business arrangement with the Chaykos family — how can you just leave us to die?"

"Are you out of your mind? There are over a thousand people in here! You want us all to die?"

The room erupted into panic. The hall filled with cries of fear and desperation.

"Boss, what's happening in there?" Andre's voice came through the earpiece, urgent and strained. "We're trying to find a way in. Hold on!"