What are you hiding, Miss Ivery?

**Ivery Clark POV** 

My stomach plummeted. 

The tension—razor-sharp, curling around me like unseen chains.

“I said,” Alrigo drawled, his voice cutting through the stillness. “Come in, Miss Ivery.”

My stomach twisted violently. With slow, hesitant steps, I entered the office, the heavy door shutting behind me like a prison gate.

And the moment I crossed the threshold, the room seemed to darken and all eyes turned to me. 

But then, in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, but carried the weight of absolute authority, she spoke.

“A little girl..?” 

My eyes shifted to the old woman draped in an elegant black coat, sitting in the center of the room, her presence an unspoken command that demanded submission. 

Everything about her radiated power—not the loud, boastful kind, but the type that had been sharpened through decades of control and blood-soaked decisions. 

And her cold, calculating eyes were trained on me—assessing, dissecting—like a hawk deciding whether or not its prey was worth the effort.

“What could a little girl like her possibly be doing at King Enterprise? And...*what's her relationship with you?*” 

Alrigo however simply stood there, composed, unshaken, as if her words barely registered.

"She’s an intern," he said, his tone even, almost indifferent. "King Enterprise takes in new talent every year. She is no different."

"An intern you say." The way she said it made my stomach tighten, as if the word itself didn’t quite fit. "And yet, she stands here trembling as if she has something to hide."

I swallowed hard.

I was trembling.

Alrigo’s gaze flicked to me, unreadable, his dark eyes settling on mine with quiet scrutiny  and also something else beneath the surface. 

Amusement.

“Oh, does she..?” He tilted his head, gaze never leaving mine. "Are you hiding something, Ivery?”

The air in the room turned suffocating.

My breath stilled. My pulse slammed against my ribs. And I knew what he was doing.

He was putting me in a corner.

"You’re shaking," he observed, his tone slow, deliberate. "Why? What could you possibly be hiding, Ivery?”

I wanted to shake my head, to say no, to clear my name with the same ease that Alrigo spoke, but the weight of guilt was a noose tightening around my throat.

Please don’t, I begged silently, my wide eyes locked onto his, pleading. Please don’t say it.

I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat. My vision blurred for half a second—tears welling at the sheer weight of fear pressing against my ribs.

Alrigo noticed.

His gaze sharpened, the cold calculation in his eyes flickering with something else. A silent confirmation of what he already knew.

I had ruined the contract.

And now, he had the power to expose me in front of people who would eat me alive if they knew.

The moment stretched unbearably long.

Then—

"*Answer me*," he said, his voice softer now, but somehow even more dangerous. "What could you possibly be hiding, Ivery?"

"I... I—” I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat felt tight, my hands were ice-cold, my entire body locked in place as if frozen in time.

Alrigo let out a slow, sharp exhale —something between disappointment and amusement. Then, in a voice edged with quiet bitterness, he murmured,

"I knew it.”

My stomach dropped.

“Doesn't even have the courage to speak. You can't even form a sentence. How do you expect to survive in King Enterprise with that attitude?”

Shame crawled up my spine, hot and suffocating. I wanted to disappear.

Then, just as I braced myself for whatever cruel punishment he had in mind, Alrigo let out a slow, almost exasperated sigh.

"Take Madam Morelli’s dog outside.”

I blinked. “What..?” 

For a full second, I couldn’t process his words.

“I said, take Madam Morelli's dog and wait outside while we discuss the meeting. Take care of it. And don’t come back until I tell you to.” He said, his voice low and edged with ice.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. But then my eyes fell onto a chihuahua which was beside Madam Morelli’s feet.

He was letting me go? Just like that?

Alrigo didn’t spare me another glance. The suffocating weight in my chest didn’t ease, but I wasn’t foolish enough to question him. My legs moved before my brain caught up, stiff and mechanical as I walked towards the dog.

"As you go," Alrigo murmured, his voice taking on a chilling softness. "Reflect on yourself."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

"I'll be soon expecting you after this meeting is over, Miss Ivey."

A shudder ran through me.

I didn’t know what was worse—the fact that he was letting me leave now, or the quiet promise in his words that this wasn’t over.

"Stella is going nowhere," Madam Morelli’s voice cut through the room like a blade making me freeze. 

“Why should I send her with this little girl..?”

Alrigo’s secretary took an urgent step forward, “M-Madam, please give us a chance. We have prepared new design pieces, we’re confident they will meet your expectations. Please allow us the opportunity to present them to you.”

A dry, humorless scoff left the old woman’s lips. “New designs. What’s the point of seeing them when I have no intention of signing the contract?”

A cold weight settled in the atmosphere.

“None of you have the privilege to use my diamonds," she sneered looking at Alrigo. “I'll never sell my stock to you. *Not now, not ever*.” 

“This place has become a circus. Look what your father’s company has come to? Pathetic designs, pathetic CEO. Hiring little girls instead of men who can actually do their jobs? No wonder you can’t handle simple business negotiations. You’re too preoccupied entertaining women, I see.”

The words felt like a slap, even though they weren’t directed at me. Alrigo stiffened and his gaze went dark. 

“Madam Morelli. I suggest you be careful with your words. You're crossing the line.”

Madam Morelli arched a brow, her expression unfazed, but something in the room shifted.

“I have been trying for months to please you. I have been putting in a lot of effort for you. But what will it take to impress you..?” Alrigo exhaled slowly through his nose, his jaw tightening.

"You hate me. Blatantly. No matter what I do, no matter how much I build, it’s never enough for you.”

“*Arrogant brat*...” Miss Morelli sneered, "What do you even know about work? About this company? You act like a king, but you’re still just a boy playing with his father’s empire.”

The secretary sucked in a breath, visibly tensing. No one dared to speak.

"Maybe I should talk to your father." The words fell like a stone in water. “I should speak to him about your dismissal from this company.”

*What..!?*

I wanted to look at Alrigo, but I was too afraid.

Too afraid to see the storm gathering behind his silence.

"You just wait," she mused, her voice dripping with venom. "I’ll arrange a director’s meeting to have you removed. This will put you in place.”

My pulse pounded in my ears. No, no. This can’t be happening. 

“Ma'am, please don't say this. It's not Mr. King's fault.” Alrigo’s secretary panicked. My own breath came short and sharp.

Desperation clawed at my throat. Before I could stop myself, my knees hit the floor.

"It’s my fault."

The room stilled.

A heavy, suffocating silence.

Morelli turned slowly, her voice going dark, "What?”