Little girl harmful to Valarie King?

**Ivery Clark POV**

My heart slammed against my ribs, wild and out of control, each second stretching out, pulling me without mercy.

They were going to turn me into a living corpse, paralyzed and helpless, but fully aware of every ounce of pain they were going to inflict.

"No, stay away from me! I said, stay away from me." I cried out as my eyes scanned the room again, desperate.

But I found nothing. No escape.

"We'll show you what it's like to play with La eme. You made my
brother bleed, I'll crank up your pain to a thousand that you wish you were never born at all."

Sophia flicked the syringe, making sure there were no air bubbles, and I couldn’t stop the panic from flooding my body again.

The fear was everywhere now, crawling up my spine, twisting in my chest, like a vice that wouldn’t let go.

"No, someone help me please. I beg you, I want to live." I cried out and all I could hear the low hum of voices — a mixture of laughter and conversation, as if torturing me was something they could joke about

How could they be so heartless?

"Pick her up and spread her on the table. Let's begin the torture." Sophia ordered the goons.

"No, don't touch me !" I cried out but they yanked me from the chair, dragging me toward a metal table, my feet barely scraping against the floor.

I struggled, kicking out at them, but they were too strong. My body hit the table with a hard thud, and the restraints were locked around my ankles and wrists before I could even thrash again.

A male laugh came from behind and to my horror it was Carlos. I turned my head just enough to see him holding a scalpel. A hooked scalpel.

Holy fuck.

"You look so good laid down, Ivery. Helpless, so wretched. Now it's going to be even more exciting." Carlos laughed in a mocking tone.

“You know what this is for?” he whispered, leaning close to my ear. His breath was hot against my skin, and I swallowed hard. “It doesn’t cut deep. Just enough to peel your skin back. Bit by bit. Savouring each and every burn and pain we're going to give you."

"No, please!" I cried, my mind teetering on the edge of breaking as he brought the scalpel near.

My body was trembling vigorously. I think this was my end.

But then the door slammed open, cracking against the wall with a force that sent a jolt through me like lightning.

My whole body jerked, heart hammering against my ribs as I whipped around, eyes wide.

For a split second, I didn’t even recognize what was happening. Just noise — too loud, too sudden, filling the room like an explosion.

"Everyone get down now!" I could hear men yelling, spreading all over.

"What the fuck, who are you all !?" I heard Aurelia's shriek and I could hear many sounds of footsteps closing towards me.

"Wait, aren't they the ones who we encountered on the way!?" One of the goons near me bellowed.

Encountered on the way!?

*Wait, is it....!*

Suddenly the atmosphere felt heavy, like the air was sucked completely out.

"I didn't know I had a sly rat lurking in my mansion all along." A cavernous voice echoed in the room like a non- mortal ghoul.

A malignant shadow loomed over Sophia, his large muscular frame almost engulfing the area.

"A..Alrigo!" Sophia's voice trembled in horror and she dropped the syringe she was holding in fear.

"H- How did you....what are you doing her, my lord. Y..You were supposed to be out of the country." Sophia said, her voice tight, controlled, but there was something underneath it — fear. Pure raw fear.

Alrigo's eyes delved towards me, his jaw going rigid. The dark eyes of his were morphing into something deranged.

At first, I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t. It had to be a trick, another cruel twist of fate to push me further into the abyss. But Alrigo was here, right in front of me.

"What have you done, Sophia. You dared touch, what's mine? Looks like I have let you live your life so recklessly for you to pretentiously act like this." He growled in a low, dark tone.

"It’s not what you think. I was only...only trying to protect you, Alrigo." Her voice quivered, barely masking the panic. "Can't you see ? She's dangerous, she is harmful to you."

"Harmful? That little girl is harmful to me, the Alrigo Valerie King?" Alrigo laughed out like he was mocking her.

But then suddenly his laugh dropped, his face hardening, his jaw clenched tight. It was a nerve- wrecking sight to see.

"Do you take me for a fool, Sophia?" His voice came out demented. "Shouldn't it be you the one who is fucking harmful? I know who you are....a sly rat of Valcaro Gang."

"A fucking rat who was sent as a spy to my territory, to leak all the information of my gang. That's who you are."

Sophia gasped, her eyes wide like death flashed in front of her. Because the grim reaper was here. Right. In front. Of her.

"I- Im..."

"You think I wouldn't fucking know, what you have been doing?" Alrigo growled like a ferocious beast, the weight of his fury pressing down on the room.

"A..Alrigo please! I...I only did it to survive! They threatened me! They would have killed me if I didn’t comply! But I was loyal to you, I swear it." Sophia cried, noting desperation in every word.

"Loyal?" Alrigo’s voice was cold, cutting through her words like a blade. "Don't make me laugh."

"In my territory, we speak two languages," he began, his voice carrying a quiet intensity. "Blood and honour."

"Blood — because it is the price we pay. It is the currency of our loyalty, our sacrifices. Every man in this room has spilled blood, given it, or taken it." He stepped ahead, making Sophia take a step back, trembling vigorously.

"And honour," he continued, his voice deepening, "because without it, the blood we shed means nothing. Honour is meant to be our creed. It is what keeps us standing when the world tries to bring us to our knees."

"You neither had sworn to me by blood nor honour. You dare to call yourself loyal ?"

I could feel it— the tension thick and suffocating.

I could see it on her face — she was trying to figure a way out, a way to manipulate Alrigo like she always did. But this time, it wasn’t going to work.

"Alrigo, I —"

"Enough." His voice was final, cold. There was no more room for her lies, no more room for escape.

"You’ve made your choice, Sophia," he growled. "Now you’ll face the consequences."

"Drag them to our territory and dump them into the dungeon. Torture each and every fucking one until they reveal everyone. If no one obliges, kill them." Alrigo sneered in a malignant tone.

"No! You're making a mistake, Alrigo!" Sophia yelled when two Alrigo's men grabbed her by her hair to drag her out.

"If you kill me, the Valcaro Gang will come for you. They won’t stop until you’re dead. Do you hear me? I’m the only reason they haven’t already ripped you apart. And you're turning your back on me for her? That little wench !?"

"I’ve been with you for years, Alrigo!I love you. I’ve always loved you, always protected you! And for what? So you could throw me aside for this… this little girl? You're making a grave mistake, Alrigo!"

"If you touch me, if you even think of hurting me, they’ll come for you. And for her.” Her gaze snapped to me, and I saw the hatred simmering beneath the surface. “She’ll be the first to die. The one you are protecting will bring doom to you and herself."

A chill ran through me as she bellowed.

Alrigo stared at her, "Is that a threat, Sophia ?"

"No, it’s a promise, you'll all die !” she hissed, her eyes wild. I couldn't stop trembling because I knew I fucked up. I had drawn into a trouble which was far more dangerous.

But then Alrigo’s voice cut through the tension like a knife, "You underestimate me, Sophia..I don’t need you to protect me. And I sure as hell don’t need your threats."

"Do one thing, leave Sophia to wild dogs. Let those dogs tear her apart, her muscles, her bones, everything. Film it and send it to the so called Volcaro Gang. Let them know....what's it's like to fuck with my territory."

"As long as there’s fear in the air, as long as people keep looking for a way out, we’ll keep getting stronger. Because at the end of the day, the weak always need someone to fear more than their enemies. And that’s us." Alrigo’s voice was like ice, God he scares me.

"No ! No ! Let me go !" Sophia screamed and kicked as they dragged her out of the room.

And then Alrigo's eyes fell into mine. I froze, my heart a wild, stuttering thing in my chest.

The ropes around my wrists seemed to vanish as his soldiers helped me untie me.

I let out a sob of relief, the tears coming fast and hard now, shaking as I felt the cool air on my bruised skin.

Alrigo’s hands cupped my face, "Did you realise the weight of my words now, Ivery? The world around us is dangerous. Look what you have gotten yourself in?"

"I'm sorry." I blinked through the blur of tears, my heart stumbling in my chest as something I hadn’t felt in so long — a hope so fierce it hurt — bloomed inside me. It burned away the numbness, the despair.

"Shhh. You're safe now," he said, his voice low and rough as he scooped me in his arm, lifting me up.

I buried my face in his chest, my fingers clutching his shirt as if he might disappear if I let go. But he didn’t.

He held me, his arms wrapping around me with a strength that made me feel whole again. I felt safe for the first time and my body gave out, I passed out.

By the time I got up, it was already dark. And I found Alrigo driving the car, his jaw clenched.

"You got nerves, ma bella. You seem to be sleeping peacefully despite causing so much trouble."

"Alrigo, I'm s..sorry. I didn't mean to..." My voice trembled.

Alrigo suddenly swirled his steering wheel, turning his car towards the forest area, making me yelp internally.

He stopped the car in the middle of the forest area with a screech that my lungs balked in terror.

He got out of the car. He looked beyond angry. No, beyond Lethal.

"Come out !" Alrigo growled in a dangerous tone that makes me want to snap out of my skin.