Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: An Illegal Firearm**

Bryce felt an intense heat radiating from his chest, as if a dagger had pierced through him, twisting and turning with each agonizing heartbeat.

“What’s wrong?” Bella’s voice broke through the chaos, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the tension in his grip around her waist.

“Nothing… it’s nothing,” he managed to mutter, his throat suddenly parched, words barely escaping his lips.

The very idea that Riley could actually end things between them was unfathomable. It must have been a figment of his imagination, a cruel trick of the mind that played on his deepest fears.

The thunderous gunfire gradually faded into an eerie silence, only to be replaced by the swift arrival of the Torres family’s security personnel. They surged forward, a formidable wall of muscle and authority, surrounding the middle-aged assailant in mere moments. Yet, the gunman’s weapon remained unwaveringly aimed at Sebastian, a deadly threat that hung in the air.

A palpable tension enveloped the room, time stretching as everyone held their breath in anticipation.

“Sebastian… my brother lost everything because of your Torres family. You destroyed his life, and now I’m here to make you pay!” the man bellowed, his voice laced with a fury that echoed against the walls.

“Is that so?” Sebastian replied, his expression betraying no hint of fear, his face a mask of indifference.

Even with a gun aimed directly at him, he stepped forward, his demeanor exuding an unsettling calmness that unnerved everyone around him.

“Plenty of people want me dead. Think you can pull it off?” he taunted, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

“Don’t… don’t come any closer!” The gunman’s bravado faltered, panic creeping into his voice. “Take one more step and I’ll shoot!”

But Sebastian didn’t hesitate; if anything, he quickened his pace, closing the distance between them with an unsettling confidence.

The crowd around them collectively inhaled, the air thick with unspoken dread as they witnessed the unfolding confrontation.

With Sebastian advancing, the man finally lost his composure. In a desperate attempt, he pulled the trigger.

In an instant, Sebastian’s hand shot out, locking around the gun with a vice-like grip. The bullet veered off course, harmlessly embedding itself in the wall behind them.

The gunman’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face draining of color as he stammered, “How did you…”

In a fluid motion, the weapon changed hands, and now it was Sebastian who held it, the barrel pressed firmly against the man’s forehead.

“What… what are you going to do?” The man’s voice trembled, fear evident in every syllable.

“You tried to shoot me, and yet you didn’t consider the consequences?” Sebastian’s tone remained eerily calm, his long fingers curling around the trigger, applying pressure slowly.

The gun clicked ominously as it cocked, and a collective gasp rose from the onlookers, a mixture of horror and fascination.

The man turned ashen, his bravado evaporating. “You… you wouldn’t dare. You can’t just kill me in front of all these witnesses. You’ll go to jail.”

“We’ll see if I end up in prison. Too bad you won’t be alive to find out,” Sebastian replied flatly, his voice devoid of any empathy, as if the man before him was nothing more than a mere insect to be squashed.

“Drop the gun!” A woman’s voice sliced through the tense atmosphere like a knife.

In that very moment, a weapon was pressed against the back of Sebastian’s head, a shocking twist that no one had anticipated.

Something flickered in Sebastian’s previously lifeless eyes—a glimmer of surprise, a spark of life that had been long extinguished.

Lara stood frozen, her mouth agape, her gaze glued to the unfolding drama, disbelief etched across her features.

When had Riley even managed to get there? And now she was holding a gun to Sebastian’s head? Was she truly willing to risk her life like this?

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