Mike suddenly grabbed a knife and held it against my neck. He did not hesitate.
"Sign the damn documents, you backstabbing creature, or I will kill you!" he shouted.
He stared at me with rage.
"So, you called the police? You want me to rot in jail, and yet you claim you are my blood brother?"
Mike called out to his goons, but, to his surprise, they had already been captured.
Then the police and Detective Invisible broke through the door and surrounded the entire building.
Detective Invisible stepped forward.
"Finally. The greatest assassin—the most dangerous killer we have been searching for. We have finally caught you. So even someone as powerful as you has a weakness."
Mike laughed.
"You can never catch me."
At that moment, Detective Invisible was only buying time, giving his people an opportunity to rescue the children and the other hostages.
Mike continued, "I may have made a mistake, but you still cannot catch me. Imagine if I kill a man in front of you who controls forty percent of the economic growth in Cancer City. What do you think would happen? The whole country would be thrown into chaos."
Detective Invisible tried another approach.
"Would you like us to cooperate? You can do whatever you want, but do not hunt William. We will let you go."
Mike laughed.
"You expect me to believe that nonsense? I am getting away, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."
He injured my finger and forced me to sign the documents. He pulled the papers away and placed them inside his bag with one hand. Then he began moving toward a hidden passage.
Before disappearing, he looked back at me.
"You know the old saying—blood must be paid with blood."
He pushed me aside, put on his mask, and raised his gun toward me.
Before he could fire, Maria suddenly jumped in front of me.
The shot struck her, and she fell.
The police immediately fired at Mike, but he managed to escape. They tried to stop him at the passage, but the door was fireproof, and he disappeared beyond it.
I rushed toward Maria.
She looked at me through tears.
"William…"
Her voice was weak.
"I am not a good person. I had bad intentions from the beginning. But the way you treated me made me fall in love with you. I became willing to do anything for you."
She struggled to speak.
"I only need one favour from you."
"What favour?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"Can you kiss me? I have never truly been close to any man in my life."
My heart broke as I looked at her. Despite everything she had done, I could see the regret in her eyes.
With tears filling my face, I leaned toward her.
But before I could kiss her, she closed her eyes.
Maria was gone.
I stared at her in disbelief. Anger and pain overwhelmed me.
I screamed into the silence:
"WHY, GOD? WHY DO YOU TAKE THE PEOPLE I LOVE?"
Everything went dark.
I fainted.