Chapter 24 Chapter 24 The moment the shock button was pressed, a stifled groan escaped Alexander's clenched teeth. Veins bulged uncontrollably along his arms as cold sweat drenched him, his teeth chattering violently. The machine shuddered erratically as the voltage intensified. The sheer power was terrifying. "Boss! We really can't bring ourselves to do this." Alexander lifted his head, commanding: "Continue." "If no one presses it, none of you get paid." His words left everyone exchanging uneasy glances. The bodyguards showed no hesitation, but his longtime brothers couldn't bear it. "Boss, Miss Sophie suffered, but if she'd told you sooner, this tragedy wouldn't have happened." "Right! This isn't entirely your fault!" Voices of agreement rose around him, trying to sway Alexander. He cut them off sharply: "If not for me, she wouldn't have suffered. How could she have spoken up then?" "This is all my fault! Not one word against Sophie!" Snarling the rebuke, he turned to the nearest bodyguard: "Again!" The bodyguard, detached and professional, cranked the dial to maximum. "Ab-" Alexander's scream tore through the air as agony like whips lashing bone seized his body. A single jolt left him trembling and limp. 00% 1288 Vouchers 12:41 Chapter 24 Gasping raggedly, he remained bowed in the rain, face hidden. "Boss! Are you alright?" His brothers crowded around him anxiously.R But Alexander only repeated hoarsely: "Sophie..." The abbot hastily chanted the Prayer for the Deceased, hoping to reach Sophie's lingering spirit. But Sophie remained unmoved, merely watching. This pain was nothing. Physical torment always faded-even skin grafts brought momentary relief under medicated balm. But humiliation didn't fade. Contempt didn't fade. Sweating nervously, the abbot feared Alexander might die right there. His companions looked capable of anything. The whole temple and their families could be destroyed. Noticing the abbot's fear, Alexander gave a strained smile: "They won't touch the temple." "Give your word." This last command was for the brother beside him. The man, around Alexander's age, kept his eyes downcast: "I told you not to bring her back! You insisted!" "All these years-you drove yourself this hard for her. Now you torture yourself?" "Isn't it enough? Will you throw away everything we've built?" Alexander didn't answer immediately, scanning the faces around him before murmuring: "I'm an orphan too. I know how much she endured" 42.2% 12:42 288 iVouchers Chapter 24 11 288 Vouchers "She is the only family I have left in this world." "That career wasn't just mine; it belonged to all of us, so it's no loss." The brother beside him stayed silent, just standing to the side. Alexander was dragged by his ankles across the damp temple floor by bodyguards, the scraping forcing his face un- controllably into the ground, his usually arrogant handsome features now covered in gruesome scratches. Blood streamed out as Sophie watched nearby. 1243 84.39%