A Kiss of Ruin

**Ivery Clark POV** 

The door clicked shut behind the last person, and just like that, the atmosphere changed.

The lingering warmth of praise and admiration from the others evaporated in an instant, replaced by something colder—something suffocating.

Alrigo turned to me, his dark eyes burning with restrained fury.

"You seem proud of yourself." His tone was calm—too calm. A deceptive quiet before the storm.

I lifted my chin. "Shouldn’t I be? I saved the deal we almost lost."

His gaze darkened instantly. 

"Oh is that all?” Alrigo took a step forward, his presence suffocating, his eyes burning with something dark and dangerous. “You still don’t understand what you’ve done.”

I stiffened. "What do you mean?”

“You put your life on the line recklessly." His voice was low, dangerous. “You think this was just about impressing Morelli? You got lucky, Ivery. *Lucky*. If she hadn't been amused, if she hadn't liked what you did, this wouldn’t have ended with applause—it would have ended with you being crushed.”

I straightened my spine, refusing to be intimidated. “But she was impressed. I did what needed to be done. I saved the deal. And I knew I could do it."

He laughed—a dark, humorless sound.

"*You knew?*" His eyes locked onto mine, sharp enough to cut. "Or did you just throw yourself into the fire and hope you wouldn’t burn?"

His words clawed at something inside me, but
I held his gaze, refusing to let his words shake me.

"Maybe I did." My voice was steady, but my heart pounded against my ribs. "But sometimes, you have to step into the fire to prove you can survive it.”

The air between us crackled with unspoken words, thick with something heavier than anger. 

He stood too close—too imposing, his dark eyes cutting into me, searching, accusing.
"And if you had burned?" 

"Then I would have burned for you." The words left my lips before I could stop them, raw and unguarded.

Alrigo froze. 

"Why..?" His voice was rough, almost broken. "You could’ve left me there. Let Madam Morelli have her way. Let me suffer.”

I met his gaze, unflinching. "Because I don't have any ill intentions for you, Alrigo. No matter how much you brand me a traitor, no matter how many times you try to convince yourself otherwise, I would never hurt you for what you didn’t do." My voice was steady, unwavering. "Unlike you."

And there I saw the flicker of something in his eyes—pain, doubt, a crack in the unshakable walls he’d built around himself.

"I have never betrayed you, Alrigo." My voice softened, but the fire in it remained. "And I won’t hesitate to prove it again.”

Something shifted in him, something deep. But then his jaw clenched, his hand gripped my arm, “You’re lying.”

His gaze burned into mine, unreadable, dangerous. “You always do. Everyone does. And you’re no special.”

His breathing was heavy, like he was barely holding himself together. "You say all the right words, make all the right moves, but in the end, you’re no better than the rest. You’re using me for your favor, because it benefits you.”

“I don't know what your talking about.” 

He took another step closer, the heat of his anger pressing against me. "You don’t care about me. You never did. If you did," his voice dropped, almost a growl, "you wouldn’t have chosen that son of a bitch against me.”

I flinched at his words, “He’s my family, Alrigo—”

“And I’m what?" he interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, his expression contorted in anguish. “Nothing? Some pawn in your family’s game? Were you ever going to tell me? Or would you have let him slit my throat while you cried crocodile tears at my funeral?”

“Alrigo—” 

“I trusted you, bella. Against every instinct I’ve ever had, I trusted you. And what did you do? You brought death to my doorstep and called it love. So stop acting like some pathetic savior of mine.”

My hands clenched into fists as anger warred with my resolve. Every time I thought I had endured the worst of his wrath, he found a new way to strip me of what little control I had left. 

"Why do you hate me so much?" My words trembled, barely above a whisper, but in the silence of the room, they struck like thunder.

"Why can’t you just—just be normal with me for once?" My voice cracked, and the tears I had stubbornly held back spilled over. "Why can’t you just appreciate me for once? Show me something—anything—that isn't rage or suspicion? Why does it always have to be this way?”

His jaw clenched, his fingers curling into fists at his sides, but he said nothing. That silence—that silence—was what finally shattered me.

"You’re right," I whispered, voice shaking with anger and something deeper, something raw. "I should have left a bastard like you to die.”

"I don’t even know why I keep yearning for you," I spat, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "Why I keep hoping—why I keep fighting—when all you ever do is tear me down.”

Forget it. It's no use…

I turned sharply, my heart pounding and before I could take another step, a rough hand seized my wrist and yanked me back. A gasp escaped me, but before I could protest, his mouth was on mine.

Fierce. Unrelenting.

The world tilted.

His hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him as his lips claimed me—demanded me. There was no hesitation, no restraint, just raw, consuming need. 

He tilted my head and kissed me deeper, making me almost moan. The fire in my veins roared to life, threatening to consume me whole. 

For one terrifying second, I almost gave in. Almost let myself drown in him, in this.

Then reality slammed back into me like a cold slap. With all the strength I could muster, I shoved him away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Here in the office..?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glaring at him with every ounce of fury burning inside me. 

Alrigo didn’t look the least bit remorseful. If anything, he looked amused. Dark eyes glinting, “Why, didn’t you say it before..?” He stepped closer again, slow and deliberate. “That you yearn for me?”

Heat rushed to my face. "I—I didn’t say it like that—”

"But you did," he murmured, stepping closer, closing the distance I had just fought to create. 

“And what are you shy for? Isn’t this our relationship..? Isn’t this what we do?”

Before I could react, he seized me by the waist and lifted me effortlessly onto the table. My breath hitched, hands gripping the edge as I stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Shh.” His lips curved, but there was nothing soft about it. It was pure arrogance, pure control. He leaned in, his hands spreading over my thighs, trapping me in place. 

“Tell me, ma bella,..what will you do for me now? How much are you willing to give?”

His eyes were molten, dark and unreadable, but I felt the heat behind them, the raw energy crackling in the air between us. 

“Who knows,” he murmured, his voice like velvet, dark and inviting. “Maybe I’ll go lenient on you in whatever you wish for.”

What..? What I wish for..!?