The Beginning of War
The Beginning of War
Ivery Clark POV
Two months.
It had been two months since Alrigo stepped out of the study and left the mansion.
Every single time I had managed to get through to him over the last few days, he brushed me off with the exact same cold, distracted excuse: he was busy.
At first, I told myself to be patient.
But hours bled into days without a single word, a single call, or a single glimpse of his dark frame returning through the front gates.
I set the phone down on the coffee table with a light click and picked up my cup of tea, taking a slow sip while looking out at the sunlit courtyard.
Suddenly, the doors flew open with a deafening bang, startling me.
Julia stormed into the room, fuming, her cheeks flushed with a dark, wild anger.
“You…what did you do?!" she snapped, her voice trembling with explosive fury. “Have you gone completely out of your mind?!”
My eyes narrowing into a cold glare. "Julia?…what on earth are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Julia hissed, her face contorting with sheer disdain, “The entire compound is in total chaos and high red alert! Alrigo is out there making a massive scene, directly confronting Elias's family in the main hall. It's an absolute uproar!”
My breath caught directly in my throat, the quiet calm of the room shattering instantly.
“What..!?”
“Alrigo and his men just dragged Elias into the subterranean holding sector."
"Elias...?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, "Elias is caught?!”
“Not officially! But they've uncovered suspicious evidence, enough to drag him in for interrogation!" Her lips curled into a bitter sneer.
"Right now, he's the prime suspect, and Alrigo intends to squeeze every answer out of him! He's taking a risk that could destroy the entire syndicate! And it's because of you, isn't it?"
Julia hissed, pointing a sharp finger at my chest. "You did something!”
My stomach twisted into knots. So... this was what had kept him away. He hadn't abandoned me…but had been hunting.
"I don't understand you, Julia... shouldn't that be a good thing?" I said. “Elias is a traitor, it's only natural that he'd be dragged in for questioning. And it's only a matter of time before Alrigo uncovers the truth.”
“Do you honestly think this ends smoothly?!” Julia’s voice pitched higher, “Do you have any idea of how this will end?! The family won't just sit back! They will tear this place apart piece by piece! Everyone has already started cornering him, even his own father! If anything happens to Alrigo because of your mess... I will never forgive you.”
What…? His father too…?
A sudden, cold spike of tension shot through my chest at the thought of Alrigo standing alone, surrounded by his own bloodline trying to corner him.
"Come with me!" Julia suddenly blurted out, her demeanor shifting into a desperate frenzy as she reached down and grabbed my wrists tightly. "Only you can stop him before he does something irreversible!”
The sudden contact snapped me out of my daze. A pulse of sheer repulsion kicked in, and I violently yanked my hands back, shaking her off.
"No!" I snapped, taking a step back to put distance between us. “I will not come with you!”
“What? What did you say!” Julia looked at me with wide, disbelieving eyes, but I kept my glare cold and immovable.
"I said I'm not going anywhere with you!" I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing at, Julia, but I am not moving a single inch from this mansion until Alrigo comes back and tells me himself! So back off or I'll call the guards.”
I'm not going to fall for her tricks. Juila was just another snake like Elias, plotting something.
How can I trust her?
Julia’s jaw ticked, her dark eyes flashing with pure hatred. "You arrogant little bitch! You sit there pretending to be innocent, but you love this, don't you? You just want to sit back and watch a family shed blood while Alrigo burns everything down for you!"
She took a sharp step back, pointing a trembling, violent finger straight at my face.
"Fine. Enjoy your little throne while it lasts, Ivery. But mark my words…if this tears the syndicate apart, if a single hair on Alrigo's head is touched because of the war you started, I will personally make sure you pay for it. I will not let this go.”
Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the heavy doors behind her with a sound that echoed through the quiet mansion.
I stood there in the silence, my chest heaving as the tension slowly drained from my muscles, leaving behind a cold, hollow dread.
No, I'm doing the right thing.
My mind was spinning, a chaotic loop of fear and uncertainty. It's been hours now already.
Should I go to him? But I had no idea where he was. He's not receiving his phone either.
Wait, maybe he is in the dungeon my brother was previously in..?
Should I go there? I took a single, hesitant step past the threshold.
"I wouldn't take another step out of this mansion if I were you."
I gasped, a sudden shock pulling a sharp breath from my lungs as I spun around.
Dominic was leaning against the stone archway of the corridor, his arms crossed, his posture quiet and immovable.
“Dominic," I looked at him surprised, "You scared me. What's happening? Where is Alrigo?”
“You don't need to worry, he is there where he needs to be," Dominic replied, his voice a low, immovable rasp. “And you…don't cause trouble. There's already high tension, I am only standing here because Alrigo told me to. But if you take one more step toward that door, I will carry you back inside myself. So stay put.”
I tensed, “S-So, is it true? Did he actually catch Elias?”
"Well, there is a lot of evidence which points at him." Dominic replied, his voice dry and cold, "Nothing airtight enough to execute him on the spot, but more than enough to drag him down to the ground level and make him bleed for answers.”
What…?
Dominic eyes sharpened, “But I'll give you credit though…I didn't expect you to actually be useful, especially your brother.”
I stiffened, the blood running cold in my veins. "My brother...?"
"Yes," Dominic said, a sharp, humorless smirk cutting across his face. "He’s the reason Elias is trapped. Rowan is the one who handed over half of the evidences, you see. I don't know what you said to him, but you did a hell of a job convincing him. Guess you're not completely useless after all.”
I stood there, shell-shocked, the room spinning around me in a blur.
Rowan?
My mind scrambled to piece the fragments together, but nothing fit. I hadn't told Rowan a single word about Elias.
How did he get to know in the first place...?
No. Something wasn't right.
I couldn't explain it, but an unbearable sense of dread gripped my chest so tightly I could barely breathe.
"Dominic," I called out abruptly. “I... I need to see Rowan."
His brows knitted together. "What?”
"I need to see my brother." My voice trembled despite my efforts to steady it. "Please. Just once. I don't know why, but... I have this terrible feeling. I need to know he's alright.”
Dominic's expression darkened.
"No. You're not moving a single inch. Alrigo ordered you to remain inside this mansion, and that's exactly what you're going to do.”
"No! I want to see my brother right now! I don't care how you do it, but I need to know he's safe!" I cried out.
His jaw hardened. He strode toward me, his towering frame casting a long shadow over mine, making me flinch.
“You shut your mouth before I put a bullet on you! Do you think I'm Alrigo who indulges your tantrums?”
“Did you forget I hate you more than anyone in this mansion," Dominic sneered without a trace of warmth. "Don't do anything which creates Alrigo trouble, he's dealing enough because of you already.”
So, stay in this room. Lock the door. If I catch you wandering, I won't be this polite.”
His words stung, but I refused to back down.
"Then bring my brother here," I shot back, meeting his glare. "If I can't go to Rowan, then bring Rowan to me. I just want to know he's safe.”
“Otherwise..." I swallowed hard, my voice firm despite the fear clawing at my chest. "I'll find a way to go to him myself, without you knowing.”
“You…” Dominic glared at me. Then he exhaled sharply through his nose.
"Fine...Stay here."
He turned toward the door. "I'll bring your brother.”