Everything has gone south

The New Era building had never been so tense as when Deborah and Austin met in the first-floor lobby.

Since he received the news that Zane wasn't dead, he had been lying to her to calm her rage, but now that she was glaring into his eyes with what appeared to be genuine anger, his stomach turned over with nerves.

His hands were shaking, and he tightened them into fists as she marched toward him, and when Deborah was a foot away from him, she whispered through gritted teeth, saying, “I just found out that Zane put your little punk into a hospital a couple of days ago.”

“What are you talking about?” Austin asked, trying to maintain some control over the situation.

“The one you plan to kill Zane was Vance, right?... How could I be stupid to trust men with such a delicate situation!”

“Yes, Vance failed. But trust me, Deborah. I can-”

“Shut it, Austin. You are an incompetent, sluggish, lazy idiot with only two brain cells and no backbone!”

Without holding back, Austin raised his hand and