Chapter 23 Chapter 23 1288 Vouchers The rain intensified, washing away the blood staining Alexander's hands. But it also drenched him completely. He glanced at Olivia beside him-her face untouched, but her body was a grue- some tapestry of gnawed wounds. The blood pooling on the ground now reached Alex's feet. He turned away decisively and got into the car. The sudden storm and the car's temperature shift made him nauseous, his face flushed unnaturally. Still, Alexander started the engine, speeding straight toward the Buddhist temple. Inside, he played that nursery rhyme Sophie loved most. At the temple, Alexander found the abbot. The autopsy report was ready. The coroner handed him documents detailing every wound's cause. Alexander scanned the pages, each injury meticulously listed. Electrocution, dragging, assault, lash marks, skin graft injuries, brutal bruising... Too many. "Do you still wish to see her?" The abbot didn't need to read the report; the sheer number of pages spoke volumes. These weren't just documents-they chronicled years of a girl's agony. "My life was always hers to take." With a bitter laugh, Alexander ordered his men to gather the instruments. Locking himself in a small room, he booted up a battered computer, cross-referencing each wound with correspond- ing video footage. He couldn't let others see these recordings. So be matched them himself. Sophie's face was blurred in the videos, but the sounds alone made his scalp prickle and blood run cold. Those animals! 00% 12:41 Chapter 23 1 288 Vouchers He saw them starve her-Sophie's outstretched hand as thin as a withered tree branch. He watched them drag her repeatedly while roaring with laughter. He witnessed her transition from desperate screams to hollow silence, unresponsive even to fresh torment. He saw her with over a dozen men in that cramped room, subjected to acts more vile than rabid dogs. Filthy. Disgusting. Agony rivaling Drawing and Quartering. Alexander felt Sophie's despair crushing his chest, suffocating him. His fingernails dug bloody crescents into his palms. He hated himself. More than anything. By dusk, the instruments were ready: electrocution gear, starvation protocols, dragging harnesses, whips-all straight- forward. The assault reenactment? No one dared mention it. Even the other torments would break most people. "Mr. Alexander, should we treat your hand first?" "No need." Alexander sat on the electrocution chair, his skin already feverish. "Mr. Alexander, are you certain? You're running a fever-" "Begin." Alexander's voice held steel. Sophie floated silently, staring at Alexander, deliberately hovering before him. She gazed coldly at the Alexander before her. Hoping to glimpse something more in his expression. "Sophie " The flouting Sophie froze, so close she could almost believe his eyes met hers Through the downpour, Alexander spoke. "I'm sorry" 49.79 12.41 Chapter 23 "I didn't protect you.' Sophie's eyes shimmered faintly before she turned away. The rain intensified violently. It pounded harder and harder. 1288 Vouchers GS 1 X 12.41