Until We Burn to Ashes
Until We Burn to Ashes
Alrigo King POV
"What the hell is she playing at, Alrigo?" Dominic bit out, his voice a harsh whisper. "What is that girl cooking up now?”
I took my seat behind the desk, unbuttoning my jacket. "Watch your tone, Dominic.”
“Watch my tone?” Dominic scoffed, "I don't understand you anymore. First, you let her brother live, and now you're ready to hunt your own family line because of her? You have really fallen for that girl??”
I heaved a sigh, my dark eyes locking onto his with a cold, lethal stillness "I called you here to discuss syndicate security, Dominic, not to dissect my personal life.”
“Right, and I don't believe her, at all. She’s playing you. She’s trying to throw suspicion off her brother by throwing your own cousin under the bus!”
I rested my elbows on the armrests, interlacing my fingers as my eyes locked onto his with cold, unyielding precision. “So are you telling me to completely dismiss it without even investigating it?"
“I didn't say–”
I cut him off, “Whether Ivery's lying or telling the truth, an allegation involving a Surñios leak inside our bloodline gets investigated. We do not ignore a potential rat, Dominic. If we get Evan a small doubt it's best to investigate it..”
“You think it's that simple?" Dominic leaned across the mahogany desk, his knuckles turning white against the polished wood. "Elias isn't just some soldier on the street, Alrigo…he's your father's nephew!”
“His side of the family controls half of our territorial logistics in the north. His father will call it a hostile power grab if we touch him. We can't drag a family into the cellar without concrete, undeniable evidence. We can't move on him based purely on the word of an assassin’s sister, this syndicate will split straight down the middle.”
"Then get me the proof," I commanded softly, “Put a ghost tail on Elias. Audit his offshore feeds, clone his burn phones, and trace every contact he’s made in the last three months. If she is lying to me, I will handle her. But if my cousin has crossed over to Surñios... I will bleed him dry myself.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened, a frustrated breath escaping his nose. "Digging into Elias quietly without tipping off his father isn't going to happen overnight, Alrigo. It’s going to take days. Maybe weeks to gather evidence clean enough to show the family."
"Then start digging right now," I said smoothly, picking up my glass of bourbon. “And double the guard around her brother. If Elias really is pressing her through Rowan, I want my men standing in the shadows the second he makes his move. And listen…this mission should be known only by you and a few trusted ones, I don't want any traitors lingering.”
Dominic stared at me for a long, suffocating moment.
A heavy, bitter chuckle escaped his throat as he slowly shook his head, pulling himself up from my desk.
"You've changed, Alrigo," Dominic said, his voice dropping into a somber, ominous register "Mark my words... that girl will bring us all to doom one day.”
Turning on his heel, Dominic walked toward the exit, the heavy mahogany door shutting behind him with a sharp, final click that echoed through the quiet room.
I sat alone in the dim light of my study, staring at the closed door.
I didn't argue with Dominic's warning. Perhaps he was right. In our world, a heart was a liability, and caring for someone was equivalent to handing your enemies a blade directly to your throat. I had spent my entire life building an empire on cold logic, absolute control, and unyielding ruthlessness. I didn't soften. I didn't bend.
But since Ivery came…she had dismantled every defense I possessed without even realizing it.
It wasn't just desire, nor was it a passing obsession. It was deeper, far more dangerous…a quiet, suffocating devotion that had settled into my marrow.
I was deeply, irretrievably in love with her.
Loved her enough to spare an assassin who tried to take my life simply because she told me to.
Loved her enough to risk a civil war within my own family lineage on the weight of her tearful confession.
If she was playing me, she had already succeeded in ruining me.
If protecting her and saving her brother meant pulling down the very empire I built, I would burn it to the ground myself.
That's how much I'm crazy in love with her.
Taking a final, slow sip of the amber liquid, I set the empty glass onto the desk. The burn down my throat was nothing compared to the violent, possessive instinct clawing at my chest.
I heaved a deep sigh and picked out the phone, dialing the number.
The line rang once before a guard answered. "Boss."
"What is she doing?" I asked, my voice low and authoritative.
"She's in her room, sir," the guard reported immediately.
“Good," I said, leaning forward to rest my weight on the desk. “I'll be up in a few minutes.”
I hung up the phone, grabbing my jacket off the back of the chair and heading straight out.
The night air was crisp as I stepped into my car, pushing the engine hard as I navigated the winding roads back to the estate.
When I finally reached the mansion, I bypassed everyone and pushed open the door to her bedroom
The sight of her nearly stopped me in my tracks.
Ivery was an absolute emotional wreck. Her shoulders were hitched high with ragged, terrified breaths, her eyes wide and glossy with unshed tears as she stared at the door.
The moment her eyes met mine, a soft, broken sound escaped her throat.
"Alrigo... you're here…”
She didn't hesitate. Before I could even bridge the gap between us, she moved, stumbling forward and throwing herself directly into me.
I caught her instantly, my arms wrapping tightly around her waist and pulling her flush against my chest.
“I was scared. I thought you wouldn't come to see me. But you're here..”
She was shaking so violently I could feel the tremors rattling through her small frame. She buried her face into the crook of my neck, her fingers digging desperately into the back of my jacket like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline.
”I'm here,” I murmured, my voice dropping into a low, steady rumble as I slid one large palm up to cup the back of her head, pressing her closer. “How could I possibly ignore you ?”
I tilted her chin up and captured her lips in a deep, consuming kiss.
She melted instantly. Her gasp dissolved into my mouth, her terror shifting into an urgent, needy hunger as she returned the kiss with equal intensity.
Her hands slid up to tangle in my hair, holding me close as if I were the only solid thing anchoring her in the dark.
Breaking the kiss just enough to draw breath, I scooped her up into my arms. She wrapped her legs instinctively around my waist, clinging to me as I crossed the room and sat down on the bed, setting her gently onto my lap.
“I have started the investigation, Ivery," I murmured softly, my eyes locking onto hers with absolute, unwavering certainty. "My men are already on it.”
Ivery's eyes were glassy with fresh tears that shimmered in the dim light of the bedroom.
"You... you believe me...?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath, fragile and trembling as if she were waiting for the illusion to shatter.
“Why shouldn't I?" I murmured, my tone low and grounded. "Didn't you say we should start anew?”
She nodded desperately, burying her face into the crook of my neck for a second before looking back up at me.
"Yes..." she breathed, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, Alrigo. Thank you.”
My lips brushed against the corner of hers. My dark eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous, velvet warmth dancing in their depths.
“Just 'thank you'? After I'm putting my whole syndicate on the line for you, little bird?"
A low, quiet chuckle rumbled deep in my chest, when a furious flush of crimson spread across her cheeks.
“W-What do you want me to do?”
God, she is breathtaking.
I brushed a gentle kiss against her forehead, letting my lips linger against her skin before pulling back to look into her eyes.
"I'm just kidding," I murmured, my thumb gently caressing the warm skin of her jaw. “Take some rest, Ivery, you must be very tired.”
"Starting tomorrow, you don't have to stay trapped in this room panicking," I said smoothly. "You're coming with me. You should start working at the office.”
She blinked, a flicker of surprise washing over her flushed face. "I... I can move around?"
"Yes," I replied, kissing her lips. “You win, Ivery. I am giving you my trust…don't disappoint me…because if you burn me, we will both burn to ashes.”