Chapter 187 Are You Taking Me for an Idiot?
Alexander slowly lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Armando.
Armando's mouth twisted into a cold sneer. Then he barked an order.
"Take him!"
The moment the command fell, the bodyguards surrounding him surged forward, cutting off every possible escape route--front, back, left, right.
Black gun barrels gleamed coldly under the harsh lights, all trained on Alexander.
The air froze. Tension spiked. A fight was about to explode.
But Alexander, trapped in the center, didn't panic the way Armando expected.
He didn't even look at the closing circle of guards. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and peeled off the disguise from his face.
He met his father's icy stare and smiled--slow, deliberate, dangerous.
"Take me?"
Alexander let out a low laugh.
His voice was flat, almost indifferent, but it cut through the air like a blade. Every nerve in the courtyard went taut.
Armando's brow furrowed. A flicker of confusion crossed his face.
A bad feeling began to crawl up his spine.
"Father, did you really think I'd be stupid enough to stake everything on one maintenance tunnel? That I'd plant people around you, set up escape routes, and then bet it all on something that pathetic?"
Armando's pupils contracted sharply.
The unease exploded into full-blown alarm. He realized something--too late.
"What are you talking about?!"
Almost before the words left his mouth, gunfire erupted outside the courtyard.
The bodyguard closest to Alexander dropped like a stone.
Armando's head snapped up. On the rooftop of the main building, a sniper had appeared--God knew when.
That guard had been close enough to Alexander that one wrong move would've hit him instead. But the sniper had fired anyway.
It was a warning. One Alexander had clearly authorized.
The message was clear: if Armando kept pushing, the cost wouldn't just be steep--it would be a bloodbath.
"You're insane!" Armando roared.
Alexander ignored him.
As Armando's shout echoed, more of Alexander's armed men poured into the courtyard from outside.
Leading the charge was a modified armored SUV that smashed straight through the gate.
Armando's men descended into chaos.
"Ambush! Take cover!"
"Protect Mr. Armando Hamilton!"
The estate erupted into pandemonium.
Alexander's team showed no mercy.
Armando's bodyguards were elite, but most of their focus had been on capturing Alexander. They were completely unprepared for the sudden assault.
Several outer guards went down immediately, their screams punctuating the gunfire.
"What the hell?! Where did they come from?!"
A few close-protection agents tackled Armando to the ground and dragged him behind the black limousine for cover.
His face was ashen--shock and fury warring for dominance.
He whipped his head around to stare at Alexander, still surrounded in the center of the courtyard. Disbelief flooded his eyes.
"How could you get people in here?! This is my territory!"
"Yours?"
Alexander shifted slightly, dodging a spray of bullets.
His voice stayed cold as ice.
"Father, you seem to have forgotten--this estate was one of my mother's properties. And I'm her only son. You've been so busy expanding the Hamilton empire, fighting Linus, grooming new heirs... I doubt you've bothered checking the staff roster or security protocols here in years."
He paused, watching his father's face darken.
"Besides, did you really think the people you control with money, power, or blackmail are unbreakable? You buy loyalty with leverage. So can I. And what I'm offering? It's probably more than you think. And it lasts longer."
As if to prove his point, sporadic gunfire erupted from inside the main house.
Alexander's people hadn't just attacked from outside--they'd already infiltrated deep into the estate.
"Bastard! Traitor! You dare--!"
Armando shook with rage.
He ripped a handgun from one of his bodyguards and aimed it at Alexander, murder blazing in his eyes.
"I'll kill you myself!"
But before he could pull the trigger, heavier fire rained down from the main gate.
Armando spun around, stunned.
Alexander had brought light machine guns?
Was he planning to turn this estate into a slaughterhouse?
The cold reality hit Armando hard--this was only the beginning.
"Sir! Their firepower's too heavy! They've got serious hardware! We're pinned down! Requesting backup!"
The head bodyguard shouted into his earpiece, but all he got back was static and the sound of even fiercer gunfire from the main building.
Right now, no one could help them.
"Move! Protect Mr. Armando Hamilton! Fall back through the side! Get to exit two!"
Another guard made the call, returning fire while covering Armando's retreat deeper into the estate.
The formation surrounding Alexander shattered instantly.
Zaid, the man at Alexander's side, flashed a sharp look and barked, "Sir, go!"
He yanked two handguns from his waist and fired with both hands, dropping two guards who tried to close in. He tore open a gap in the crossfire through sheer force.
Alexander didn't hesitate. He bolted.
"Stop him! Don't let him get away!"
Armando, being dragged backward by his guards, caught sight of Alexander's escape. His eyes went bloodshot.
"Stop him!"
Several bodyguards swung their weapons toward Alexander, but the suppressing fire from outside kept them pinned.
Armando couldn't take it anymore. He raised his gun and fired.
A muffled crack.
Alexander's body jerked violently mid-sprint.
Searing pain exploded in his left shoulder blade. Blood soaked through his shirt almost instantly.
He staggered, nearly crashing to the ground.
"Sir!" Zaid shouted, trying to turn back.
But Alexander's injury had left Zaid surrounded.