When you hear about someone, be it anything, even the smallest of details about them, you form an image of them in your mind.
The image depends on what you hear or what you believe, and it takes quite a lot of time to place someone so high that you would respect them.
But to make your opinion about the same person falls low, it just takes a single word.
That's what happened here.
Just as Alex's voice fell, all the respect Damien had for Alex crumbled, while Max started to doubt as well.
But Alice and Ann knew that Alex had no interest in provoking or taunting someone who didn't do anything to him, which meant a single thing: Something else was going on.
"So, you were no-" Damien was about to say something as anger flashed in his voice, but it seemed like Alex was not done yet.
"Why should I do any one of those things for a guy who sold his own friend for some kind of profit."
The words that were about to come out of Damien's mouth got stuck in his throat as he looked at Alex with his brows frowned.
Alice and Ann were now looking intently at Damien while Max who was patting Damien on the back also stopped as he looked at Alex with the most serious face he could have.
Other than Lily, no one here was stupid enough to not get what Alex's words implied.
"What do you mean, Alex?" Max spoke as he looked at Alex with an expression that clearly said that he was not believing Alex's words.
Max knew that there was no permanent friend in this world, and everyone had a price that they would even sell their best of best friends for, but Max didn't think that Damian would do that.
It was not a simple matter; Alex was directly accusing his childhood friend of betraying him.
But Alex kept looking at Damien who was frowning in confusion as he looked at Alex.
'I see...' Alex muttered inwardly.
"Well, my bad, looks like it's not you," Alex spoke with a shrug, but Damien still didn't know what was happening.
"What do you mean?" Damien asked the same thing Max asked and now, Grace, Max, Alice, Ann, and Lily were all looking at Alex as well.
Alex looked at everyone before he nodded his head and waved his hand.
Damien, Max, Alice, Ann, Grace, and Lily could feel something pass over them, some kind of thin barrier-like thing.
"I just made an air barrier," Alex spoke, gathering their attention.
"What is an air barrier, big brother?" Lily spoke for the first time as she looked around curiously.
'Why can't I see it...' She wondered inwardly.
Lily felt something pass over her, just like others, but she couldn't see it.
Although she knew about raiders, she had never seen one use a skill from this close as she was a sheltered daughter of the Steele house.
"Oh, are you curious?" Alex smiled as he asked that.
"Yes!" Lily nodded her head vigorously.
"An air barrier has many functions, but right now, I'm using it for soundproofing," Alex nodded as he spoke.
He somehow couldn't stop himself from talking to Lily.
'Is he really an SS-ranker?' Max had just one question in his mind.
But then both Max and Grace suddenly remembered something, and their heads snapped toward Lily.
"Please stop releasing the pressure, my daughter is not powerful enou-" Max exclaimed even before he looked at Lily but he stopped his words as he saw Lily sitting there beside Grace, looking at him in confusion.
"I am sorry for raising my voice, I was just worried about my daughter, and thank you for sparring her of the pressure," Max bowed his head to Alex just after he saw Lily.
"It's all right, I understand, and you don't need to thank me, I would never harm someone as cute as Lily," Alex spoke as he smiled at Lily.
"Hehe..." Lily just giggled.
She didn't know what was happening but she understood that Alex complemented her.
"I will try searching for the bomb along with my subordinates," Damien who had been frozen for a while finally spoke as he moved out of the barrier but Max stopped him.
"Wait."
Damien looked at Max with a questioning gaze.
"Use my subordinates, we can't trust anyone right now," Max didn't say much, but Damien got what he meant.
Damien knew about Max's ability after all.
"I will do that," Damien spoke as he moved out.
"Grace, take Lily and get wait in the car outside," Max then turned toward Grace and spoke.
"All right," Grace said as she stood up.
"Let's go back to the car, Lily, we will come back in a while, Daddy needs to do some work."
Grace then spoke to Lily who nodded her head but then she turned toward Alex.
"You won't come with us, big brother?" She asked as she looked at Alex with her big watery eyes.
"I can't, but don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, and I will be waiting for you here, just wait for your father to call you back," Alex just smiled at Lily.
"Ok!" Lily nodded happily as she moved out of the room with Grace holding her hand.
"Excuse me," Max spoke as he moved out as well.
He needed to look into it after all, and since Alex didn't tell them where the bomb was, he needed to search for that as well.
Max didn't ask for Alex, Alice, and Ann to move out as well since he knew that they were not his to command or order, they would do what they think is right.
"Now that they are gone, are you going to tell us where the bomb is?" Alice questioned just as she saw Max leaving her sight.
Alex looked at both Alice and Ann, from looking into their eyes he could that they were dying of curiosity.
"Well, it is...."
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