James looked up while the man standing behind Amelia was Adrian.

For a second, James froze.

Not because Adrian was stronger than every enemy he’d faced, but because this fear came from before the Tower, before Team Zero, before Floor 9. This was the boy who used to bully him when they were younger while fire danced around his fingers and made James feel small and powerless.

James remembered being shoved into walls with enough force to leave bruises. He remembered being mocked in hallways where other students would laugh or look away because nobody wanted to become the next target. He remembered being forced to lower his head and apologize for things he didn’t do because Adrian decided James was worth less than nothing and had no one to protect him.

The worst memory was the day Adrian had burned James’s hand in the school bathroom while holding his wrist over a sink and letting fire lick across his palm until the skin blistered. James had been fourteen. Adrian had been sixteen. Nobody believed James when he reported it because the Ganner family was too powerful and James was nobody.

Adrian still had his hand near Amelia’s neck while James noticed the faint heat rippling around his fingers in the same way it used to ripple before he’d hurt someone. Amelia was stiff with confusion and fear because she didn’t understand why she’d suddenly become part of this or what James had done to make a Ganner heir target him.

James forced himself to stay calm before asking, "Why are you asking me where Derek is?"

Before Adrian could answer, the room began to react.

"Wait, is that—"

"That’s one of the Ganner heirs."

"Holy shit."

"Which one?"

"Adrian. The second son."

The classmates and customers recognized him as one of the Ganner heirs connected to Ganner Corp and one of the biggest guilds in Ireland. This wasn’t a random man causing trouble but someone wealthy, powerful, and famous enough that people knew his face from news coverage, guild events, and business publications.

Phones started coming out while people angled for the best view.

"He’s Adrian Ganner, right?"

"The fire specialist?"

"Why is he here?"

"Isn’t James also a Ganner?"

"The article said James was connected to Ganner Corp."

Some people whispered his name while others whispered about James being connected to the Ganners too. The confusion spread because the news articles about James’s Floor 9 clear had made it seem like his connection to Ganner Corp might be useful or friendly, but the way Adrian was looking at James made it clear there was nothing friendly here.

Someone in the back muttered, "This looks bad."

Another voice said, "Should we call someone?"

Nobody moved to call anyone because they were too busy recording.

James heard the whispers but kept his eyes on Amelia’s neck where the heat continued building while Adrian’s fingers remained close to her skin.

Adrian looked around the room before speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Everyone out."

At first, no one moved.

Some people were too shocked to process the command. Some were still recording because this was too good to miss. Some thought he wouldn’t do anything in public because too many witnesses were watching and someone this rich wouldn’t risk the scandal.

Then Adrian slowly removed his hand from Amelia’s neck.

When his hand left her skin, a burned handprint remained around her neck like a strangling mark with red blistered skin where his fingers had pressed and charred flesh where the heat had been strongest.

"Ahhhh!" Amelia gasped while touching the burn before her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees while trembling.

Mia screamed.

Someone else shouted, "Oh my God!"

James’s fear began turning into anger, but he still didn’t rush forward because Amelia was too close and Adrian was clearly baiting him into making the first move that would justify whatever came next.

Adrian raised his hand while letting fire wrap around his fingers until flames coiled and danced across his skin with enough heat that people near him stepped back instinctively. "I said leave. If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll burn this place down with you inside it."

That broke the room.

Customers rushed toward the exits while knocking over chairs and tables in their panic. Staff abandoned their posts and ran without looking back. James’s old classmates scattered in every direction while pushing each other aside.

Ethan and Mark, who’d acted tough earlier when confronting James about the old days, were among the first to run while nearly trampling someone slower.

Ryan stumbled over a fallen chair.

Chloe screamed when someone stepped on her foot.

Amelia was pulled away by Mia while holding her burned neck and sobbing with pain. Mia kept saying, "It’s okay, it’s okay," but her voice shook because nothing about this was okay.

Within seconds, the lounge was empty except for overturned furniture and scattered phones that people had dropped in their rush to escape.

James and Adrian remained inside while everyone else gathered outside with their phones raised toward the windows.

Outside the building, people clustered near the windows and doors while nobody wanted to stay inside but nobody wanted to leave either because the confrontation was too big to miss.

One popular influencer who’d been inside had already gone live while pointing his phone toward the building as his viewer count climbed rapidly.

StreamKing_IE is live: — 8.4K watching

The comments moved fast.

@TowerNewsDaily: Is that really one of the Ganner heirs???

@DublinWatcher: The one asking about Derek is Adrian Ganner

@FloorClearFan: Wait James is connected to them?

@IrishGuildWatch: Adrian Ganner is the second son, fire specialist, guild enforcer

@ChallengerDB: They don’t look close at all

@NewsHound92: Who’s Derek?

@LocalDublin: Derek is the third Ganner son, the spoiled one

@TowerGossip: Haven’t seen Derek in weeks actually

@GlobalFeed: This might be about a missing Ganner

@StreamKing_IE: Adrian just burned someone’s neck holy shit

@DublinLocal: That girl needs a hospital NOW

@TowerWatchGlobal: Why is Adrian asking James about Derek???

@ChallengerNews: James looks scared

@IrishFeed: No way James knows where Derek is

@GlobalTowerFeed: This is going to be everywhere in minutes

The audience started realizing this wasn’t a normal argument but potentially a fight between two Ganners where one of them was asking about a missing son while the other looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.