The truth that whispers through dead.

The truth that whispers through dead.
Ivery Clark POV 

“Okay!” I blurted out, my voice cracking. “Okay, I admit it!”

Silence stretched through the bedroom, thick and suffocating.

Alrigo didn't speak. He simply looked at me.That somehow felt far more terrifying. His thumb continued stroking the frantic pulse at my throat, his expression unreadable.

“Well?” he said at last. “I'm listening.”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second. Fuck it, I don't care anymore. 

“There... wasn't any neighbor. I…lied. There was someone else.” My heartbeat thundered painfully against my ribs as I spoke.  

For the first time since he'd cornered me, he fell completely still. The room suddenly felt far too small. 

“Who then?” The word dropped into the suffocating quiet like a blade. It wasn't shouted. It was barely a whisper, yet the sheer, suffocating weight behind it made my knees instantly buckle.

God help me... I have to tell him.

"Elias," I blurted, the name tearing out of my chest like a piece of broken glass. "Elias was here..."

Alrigo didn't flinch, but the slight tightening around his jaw was instantaneous…a sudden, lethal freeze that made the temperature in the room plummet to absolute zero.

"Elias…? My cousin?" There was no disbelief in his voice. Only a simmering, murderous contempt. “You're saying he came here, Ivery..?” 

I gasped out, tears of pure, unadulterated panic pricking the corners of my eyes as my hands grabbed blindly at the lapels of his jacket, needing him to hear me. "He came to the house earlier, Alrigo. He came here to threaten me.”

“Actually this isn't the first time. He approached me at the boutique too, when your mother and Julia came.”

The silence between us grew heavier.

"He said..." I swallowed painfully. "He said either I become his spy or he'll kill my brother. Actually... Alrigo... Elias is with Surñios. He's working for the opposite gang.”

Alrigo froze.

For two agonizing seconds, the dangerous edge in his eyes flickered, replaced by a dark, dangerous incredulity. The corner of his mouth twitched into a cold, mocking smirk.

“Elias in Surñios..? You're joking, right, ma bella?” His steel-gray eyes searched mine relentlessly, as if waiting for me to laugh and admit this had all been some twisted misunderstanding.

"Because if this is your idea of a joke..." His voice dropped into a dangerously soft murmur. "It isn't funny.”

"It's the truth!" I cried. "I know how impossible it sounds! I also know he's your family. I'm not asking you to believe me just because I said it. Investigate him! Watch him! Follow him! Check everything yourself! If I'm lying, you'll find nothing. But if I'm telling the truth…”

My trembling hands shot up and clutched his tightly, “Please..." I sobbed. "Please protect Rowan. Elias threatened me, Alrigo. He told me not to tell you. He said if I opened my mouth, he'd kill my brother!” 

I shook my head frantically, tears falling faster. "I didn't know what to do. I was so scared. I wanted to tell you so many times, but every time I remembered his words... I couldn't. But I'm telling you now. I'm trusting you."

My chest heaved as another sob escaped me. "Please... please do something before it's too late. Please don't let him kill my brother."

“Hey…breathe.” Alrigo rubbed both of my trembling hands. “You're panicking…!” 

Alrigo pulled me straight into his chest. His arms wrapped around me like steel bands, burying my face into the warm, solid crook of his neck.

“Nobody is going to touch your brother,” he murmured against my hair. “You brought it to me. You did the right thing. I’m handling it now. Don't panic. Let's go from here first. Okay?”

The rest happened in a blur.

We soon got off from the house after I said my final goodbye to mom. 

Sitting in the backseat, I watched him through the tinted window. He was standing a few feet away, phone pressed to his ear, his jaw set in a hard, unyielding line as he gave his orders into the receiver. Maybe to Dominic.

Alrigo was setting things in motion.

And I sat there with my hands clenched tight in my lap, unable to shake the sickening, suffocating dread twisting in my gut. 

Did I do the right thing?

I had handed him Elias’s name, exposed the Surñios connection, and stripped myself entirely raw. I went against every self-preservation instinct I possessed and placed Rowan’s life directly into the hands of Alrigo Valerie King.

I could do nothing but hopelessly stare at Alrigo's broad back through the glass, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his shoulders as he spoke into the phone.

After three hours of journey the car rolled through the iron gates of the King Estate before coming to a smooth stop beneath the grand entrance.

Alrigo turned to me. His expression was unreadable. "Go inside."

I looked at him. "What about you?”

“I need to take care of things, so I need to go. I'll handle what needs to be handled, ma bella. Don't think much, okay?” 

I nodded, “Okay…”

He reached for the door handle before pausing.

"And yeah...Ivery."

I met his eyes.

"Stay inside the mansion. You are not allowed to go anywhere.” 

It wasn't a request. It was an order.

Without waiting for my response, he stepped out of the car, already pulling out his phone as he strode toward another waiting vehicle, barking quiet instructions before disappearing into the night.

I stood there for a long moment, watching him leave. Then, with a heavy heart, I turned and walked into the mansion. 

I had no proof, no evidence. Nothing except the threats Elias had whispered to me.

Would Alrigo really listen to my words? 

Foolish girl…..

Deep inside...the ghost in me doubt whispered.