Without warning, the middle-aged man struck a palm through the air toward Felix.

Caught off guard, Felix barely had time to raise his arms to block. The impact sent him, chair and all, staggering several feet back with a loud thud.

Blood spurted from Felix's mouth, and his face turned ashen.

"Felix!" Melissa cried out in panic, rushing toward him. The middle-aged man, however, didn't even flinch. He simply turned around and left, making no further moves.

"I'm fine. I don't think he was trying to kill me," Felix said, shooting Melissa a meaningful glance as he spoke.

Was he telling her to keep quiet? Feeling confused, Melissa said, "Despite the situation, you're still worried about me saying too much?"

"Are we just going to let this slide? Call the police!" she suggested, trying to play along, even if she didn't fully understand his intent.

"There's no need for that. Just help me sit down," Felix replied.

A street away, Asher and Aiden sat in the back seat of a car. The middle-a