读完 Alex 的笔记后,公寓里的寂静并不平静;这是爆炸留下的真空.克里斯托弗揉搓着纸张的声音,在寂静中像枪声一样回荡."现在是我的战斗."这些话是对身体的打击.亚历克斯对农场的内疚和他父亲临终的残忍行为,径直走进了毒蛇的巢穴,他相信野蛮对抗是唯一的答案.克里斯托弗更清楚.王先生在混乱和情绪反应中茁壮成长.Alex 独自走进来,生硬而愤怒,正好在他的手中.
恐慌威胁着他.图片一闪而过:亚历克斯的父亲,在诊所照片中虚弱但有毒;他父亲在电话里的声音中带着冰冷的愤怒;Alex 在消失之前空洞的眼睛.他不能把亚历克斯输给他父亲最后的,扭曲的游戏.不是这样的.
他抓起电话,拨通了马丁的电话."他走了.亚历克斯.留下了笔记.他要面对他的父亲.我猜是在庄园里.现在.克里斯托弗的声音被夹断了,发狂.
"的!"马丁一贯的镇定打破了."那是自杀,情绪化,而且可能是字面意义上的.Falcon 刚刚确认那里加强了安保——新面孔,前军人类型.王的偏执狂.
"你能带我去吗?快吗?Christopher问道,他已经在他的夹克上耸了耸肩.
"五分钟后在楼下见.我比你想象的更近.马丁挂断了电话.
片刻之后,那辆时髦的黑色城镇汽车尖叫着停在路边.克里斯托弗一头扎进去.马丁坐在方向盘后面,脸色阴沉,没有浪费言语."安全带.这不会是一次平缓的旅程.汽车加速,以惊人的速度穿过华盛顿特区的交通,驶向弗吉尼亚州的庄园.
"方垦在争先恐后,"马丁说,眼睛盯着路."试图让眼睛进入内部.但 Wang 被紧紧地锁住了.Alex 的玩法是什么?就冲进来?
"他认为他可以'结束这一切',"克里斯托弗啐了一口,无助的愤怒正在酝酿."他为农场自责.对我来说.
马丁狠狠地瞥了他一眼."你跟着他走进来呢?你的剧本是什么,Christopher?高尚的分心?
Christopher盯着外面模糊的郊区."我是王对付亚历克斯的筹码.也许看到我心甘情愿地走进来,而不是破碎...也许这会打乱他的剧本.他想到了谷仓,想到了恐惧,想到了强迫."此外,Alex 已经无法决定这场战斗只属于他了.我们答应了.不再有单人任务.
马丁匆匆地点了点头."忍住那种愤怒.你会需要它的.
王氏庄园若隐若现,是雄伟的铁门后面的黑曜石巨石.当汽车靠近时,两个穿着深色西装的不苟言笑的男人走上前来.马丁摇下了他的车窗.
"周马丁去见王先生.紧急的家族企业.他的语气不容争辩.
一名警卫对着一个通讯装置说话.一阵紧张的停顿.然后,大门呻吟着打开了."前往正门.你会被护送的.
里面的宏伟是冰冷的,无菌的.另一名守卫领着他们穿过回荡的大理石大厅,来到一个巨大的书房.墙壁上摆满了书籍,原封不动.空气中弥漫着防腐和昂贵皮革的味道.在那里,坐在一张巨大的桃花心木桌子后面,与它相比相形见绌,却散发着可怕的权威,他就是王先生.Alex 僵硬地站在他面前,拳头紧握在身体两侧,他的脸上几乎无法抑制愤怒.空气中噼啪作响,暴力几乎无法克制.
王先生的目光从亚历克斯身上闪过,落在了克里斯托弗身上.他苍白的嘴唇上露出一丝薄薄的,可怕的笑容."啊.被牺牲的羔羊回来了.来见证浪子最后的投降吧?
在亚历克斯爆发之前,克里斯托弗走上前,故意将自己稍微放在他面前,面对着王先生.他无视了自己心中的捶打."我们来是因为我们正在结束这一切.一起.
王先生的笑容没有碰到他的眼睛,冰冷而爬行动物."'我们'?多么古怪.农场男孩和失望.陈先生,您究竟打算以什么结尾呢?我的生活?没有你的帮助,它结束得相当有效.他轻蔑地指了指放在桌子旁边的一个静脉输液架."或者你们的恋情是徒劳的?我向你保证,那已经是灰烬了.
Alex lunged forward a step. "You poisoned it! Like you poison everything! You took his home!"
"You gave it to me, Alexander," Mr. Wang corrected smoothly, his voice like silk over broken glass. "In a pathetic attempt to buy peace you knew I would never grant. Sentimentality is a fatal weakness. One you inherited from your wh*r* of a mother."
Alex flinched as if struck. Christopher felt the tremor run through him. He squeezed Alex's arm, a silent anchor. "Why?" Christopher asked, his voice surprisingly steady. "Why the relentless hate? Why try to break him even now? He's your son."
Mr. Wang's composure flickered. A spark of raw, unadulterated pain flashed in his eyes, quickly smothered by icy contempt. "He is a reminder of her betrayal! Of the weakness that cost me..." He cut himself off, taking a labored breath. "He defies me. He chooses weakness," he spat the word at Christopher, "over strength. Over his birthright. He deserves nothing but the consequences of his failures."
Martin, who had been silently observing, stepped forward slightly. "Consequences like the ones engineered through 'Horizon Ventures', Mr. Wang? The shell company used to funnel funds to that Swiss clinic? The one specializing not in oncology, but in... discreet psychiatric care? For a certain Lin Mei Wang, perhaps? Around the time she supposedly abandoned her family?"
The silence that followed was absolute. Mr. Wang's face drained of what little color it had. The carefully constructed mask of the ruthless patriarch cracked, revealing a glimpse of profound, shame-filled agony. "You... you dare..."
"We dare," Martin said calmly. "Falcon is very thorough. Records of breakdowns. Severe postpartum depression misdiagnosed as hysteria. Payments for long-term, discreet care in Switzerland, not abandonment. Payments you hid, even from your own board. A secret buried deep. Until now."
Christopher understood. The ultimate leverage wasn't money or power, but the truth Mr. Wang had spent decades and fortunes burying: his wife hadn't willingly left. She'd been ill, hidden away. His cruelty wasn't just about control; it was shame and grief twisted into monstrousness, projected onto Alex.
"You broke her," Alex whispered, the fury replaced by a horrified understanding. "And then you broke me for reminding you of her."