Time freezes as Alex holds the letter opener to his own throat. The boardroom fills with a silence so complete I can hear my own pulse hammering in my ears. Geneva's face, usually a masterpiece of control, cracks with something I never thought I'd see—genuine fear for her son.
"You wouldn't," she whispers.
Alex's laugh is soft, dangerous. "Try me. After everything you've done? This seems poetic."
I catch Carlos Rodriguez's eye across the room. The man who orchestrated his own death to protect his company now watches his son risking actual death for the same cause. The pride and terror warring on his face mirror the storm in my chest.
"Twenty seconds," Alex says, pressing harder. A thin crimson line appears beneath the blade.
"Alex..." I step forward, but security holds me back.
Genev
