Chapter 223

I knew smoking was bad for me, and I had put in a lot of effort to quit. Now, I could stop myself after just a few puffs. I stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, leaving a black mark behind. The smoke had eased some of my agitation, but the anger inside me hadn't fully dissipated. "Travis, bring Ryan inside." I said the word "bring" with a heavy emphasis, and my smile hid a dangerous edge. Travis didn't notice the shift in my tone, but Alfie gave me a curious glance. Ryan, to his credit, was persistent. Despite saying he came to visit, he'd been waiting outside the entire time. As soon as he walked in, his first words were a threat. "Mr. Wright, it seems you still haven't learned your lesson from last time." "A lesson?" I stood up and slowly walked toward him. Ryan nodded smugly, and his eyes glinted like a snake behind his glasses. "If your family suffers because of you—" Bam! I grabbed his collar and landed an uppercut. "Ugh... Xavier, you..." His polite facade crumbled