Alex hung up, his face cold and his brow slightly furrowed.
He understood Barry, just as Barry understood him. Barry could not be blamed for failing to guard against Al Swan and trusting him too easily.
Barry had always been someone willing to believe in others, in the goodness of others, and in the goodness of the world. Though he had suffered painful experiences as a child, what was especially rare was that he had not fallen into darkness because of that pain. Instead, he believed even more deeply in the truth, kindness, and beauty of human nature, and respected life.
Alex admired that quality, but admiration was admiration. When Barry needed a beating, he would still beat him hard. When Barry deserved to be called an idiot, he would still curse him out.
Because he did not agree with Barry's values or his way of dealing with people.
To Alex, the world had always been dark at every moment.
But this was no longer something that could be solved by blaming anyone.
Al Swan had seen through Barry's kind nature and exploited it to fish information out of him.
"Al Swan..."
A cold glint flashed through Alex's eyes. He had never considered Al Swan worthy of his attention.
Just as he had seen through Barry, Alex had also seen through Al Swan's sensitive, arrogant, glory-seeking heart—one unwilling to remain beneath anyone else.
He would stop at nothing to take revenge on him.
Al Swan was absolutely not broad-minded, especially after Alex had kicked him down from the pedestal where he had been admired by thousands, the towering future star of the police department, and sent him to a place like Lower City—a stink ditch.
To him, it was humiliation at the absolute depths of disgrace.
Now that he had