CHAPTER 11

FIORA

I lean in even more,my ears pressing against the door of Alder's office

“Make sure you keep an eye on him..I want daily update on what is going on at his firm, don't let him out of your sight “his stern voice comes from the other side and I have no doubt that his words have something to do with me or my family

I can't shake off the eerily feeling that he's planning something.something big which is why I need to get out of here so I can warn my sister and uncle…I don't care if they don't want to listen,I'll find a way to make them.

The door gives way and that's when I realise I'd been putting all my weight on the door’s handle

I loose my balance and fall unto his office’s floor face first.A giggle breaks free and I immediately bite my lower lip in an attempt to stop it

Shit

“Get it together Fiora”i whisper to myself.Maybe getting drunk before coming to confront this man was a terrible idea

The room is exactly what I expected: sleek, sophisticated, and entirely too cold. Dark floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves line the walls, filled with neatly arranged legal books and business manuals in a systematic pattern.A massive glass desk sits at the center, polished to perfection, not a single item out of place. Even the air feels controlled, carrying the faint scent of leather, cedarwood and jasmine.

And then, there’s him.

Alder stands behind the desk, his muscular arms crossed, watching me with an unreadable expression and I swear for a moment surprise flickers in the depth of his silver eyes.

My eyes take in his entire face—the lines in it, the handsomeness of it and that is why I have come to the conclusion that evil has a face. It is breathtakingly beautiful…and belongs to my husband.

“I think you made a wrong turn,your bedroom is that way” His attention goes back to the files sprawled on his desk

“I’m sure I made the right turn” I stare him square in the face. “Your floor is surprisingly comfortable”

I force myself onto my feet,wobbling slightly before regaining my balance

“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing in my office?”His cold,unfeeling eyes clings to my face, heating my skin.I force myself not to react, not to let him see the way my pulse flutters in my throat

I square my shoulders,willing the room to stop it's slow druken tilt as I meet his gaze head on"Maybe I just wanted to see what my dear husband is up to" I say, coating my words with false sweetness as I bat my lashes at him

His silver eyes assess me as if weighing whether I'm worth engaging with at all.Then with a lazy precision of a man who controls everything around him,He reclines against his chair,arms crossing over his broad chest.

"And you thought the best way to do that”he muses, voice laced with condensation “was by falling flat on your face?”

Heat prickles my neck.

Bastard

I scowl,lifting my chin"That w..was an accident."

His lips twitch at the corners"Of course it was"

Silence blooms between us, dense and oppressive. Neither of us move, but something in the air shifts,crackling with tension. He’s watching, waiting for me to make a move so he can split me open.he knows I won’t be able to help myself. And damn him, he’s right.

"You're planning something" I search for the slightest flicker of a reaction. A part of me wants him to deny it,to tell me that i'm just overthinking things

But Alder doesn't flinch,doesn’t even blink.Just studies me with the same unbearable calm,his icy icy gaze never leaving mine.For a moment,I'm convinced he is never going to respond.

Then finally–

“I see you've been eavesdropping”

His voice is softer now, but the undercurrent of danger in it scrapes against my skin like the blade of a sword.

I should've known better.Trusting him was a big mistake on my part

I grit my teeth so hard,my jaw hurts “We had a deal. you promised not to harm my family if I married you”

Anger and frustration mounts in me and my heart hammers against my ribs so hard, I'm surprised it doesn't break free

Because I already know where this is going.

He’s going to remind me that deals with the devil are never honored the way you expect them to be.

Alder tilts his head slowly, clearly savouring this moment. “Did I?”his smooth,deceptively casual voice sends a ripple of unease through me.i bet he's enjoying every second of watching me unravel.

Heat rises to my face, anger burning beneath my skin like a lit fuse. “Don’t play games with me, Alder”I hate the way my voice wavers at the edges.

He exhales a slow, measured breath, as if my defiance is a mild inconvenience. Then, with the kind of unhurried precision that makes my stomach coil, he rises from his chair.

The distance between us shrinks quickly. His presence pulls on the air around us making it feel like the walls are closing in.

I force myself to stay rooted even as my legs threaten to betray me, shaking like a leaf in autumn.

“I haven’t laid a hand on them, have I?” He stops just short of touching me, the heat of his body brushing against mine like a phantom threat.

“Tell me, Fiora—has Enrique suffered anything at my hands after our wedding?”

“You’re still coming after them” I bite out. “I heard you.You’re watching them,waiting for the right moment.You think I don’t know what that means?”

His eyes hold mine hostage, appearing dark and soulless. Then, without warning, he lifts a hand—his long gentlemanly fingers ghosting over the edge of my collarbone before trailing up to my throat. Not squeezing. Just resting. Just enough to remind me of his power

My breath stutters,but I refuse to break eye contact. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing the way my body reacts to his touch.

“You’re more perceptive than I gave you credit for,” his thumb grazes the line of my jaw in a way that elicits zap-like sensations from the bottom of my stomach “Good. I like my wife sharp.”

A shiver threatens to betray me, but I mask it behind a smirk. “Then you should also know I won’t sit back and watch you destroy them.”

Alder’s grip tighten by merely a fraction,but it's enough to send a pulse of heat through my veins. Not fear. Something far more dangerous.

“And what exactly will you do, wife?” His voice drops lower,brushing against my skin. “Run to your uncle? Plead for him to listen?.They want absolutely nothing to do with you and would kick you out the minute they see you.They think of you as an enemy and the sooner you realize that,the better it would be for you”

The words hit harder than any physical blow, sinking into my chest like rusted nails.Alder watches me, eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. He knows exactly where to strike, how to exploit the fractures in my life. I should be used to it by now,the way he dissects me with nothing but his words, peeling back every layer until I feel raw, exposed.

“You're wrong,” I say,my voice colder than I feel. “i won't let you plant seeds of doubt in my mind.i know they love me and I know that one day they would find it in their hearts to forgive me”

Alder takes another step forward so his front grazes mine “Judging by the conversation you had with your sister earlier,I would say forgiveness is the last thing on her mind”

My stomach drops. Ice trickles down my spine, freezing me in place. “You... you were spying on me?”

His lips curl into another one of his maniac smiles “I like to keep tabs on my investments.” He lifts his other hand and brushes a stray lock of hair from my face.“Especially the ones that seem eager to betray me.”

“Face it Fiora,they won’t protect you” Alder continues,his voice gaining an edge“They’ve already abandoned you.You’re nothing but a disposable piece in their little game”

My chest constricts, my heart aching with a pain I can’t express as his words rip through my defenses.

That’s not true,” I whisper,the words sounding weak even to my own ears.“You don’t know anything about them... or me.”

“I know enough. I know they blame you for Enrique’s coma.you’re nothing but a traitor to them”

Alder’s voice seeps into my thoughts like poison, corroding my convictions, making me question everything I thought I knew.

I hate him. I hate him for doing this to me, for twisting the truth until I can’t tell what’s real anymore.

What I hate even more is the way his words burrow under my skin,feeding on my fears, whispering that maybe he’s right.Maybe they would never forgive me

But I don't let that deter me.i don't let it bring me down because it doesn't even matter if they don't want me in their lives anymore.They are still my family,I love them and nothing Alder or anyone else says would ever change that.

With my last resolve,I meet his unfeeling eyes “You can throw your words at me like knives, but it doesn’t change the fact that I will never stop fighting for them”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that, wife? You have no allies,no resources,no escape. You’re locked in a cage of your father's making and the only person with the key…” He releases me and takes a step back “Is me.”

I swallow the clog that lodges in my throat. “I don’t need an escape,because I’m not running. I'm not a coward,I'll fight you until my last breath if I have to”The words tumble out with a type of determination I have never felt before.

Something I thought I would never ever get to see clouds Alder's gaze...Respect.

Without another word, I turn and attempt to walk out of his office.I don’t make it two steps before the world tilts—before his hands seize my waist and I’m lifted clean off the ground. A startled gasp rips from my throat as my back slams against his chest, knocking the breath from my lungs.

“Alder—”

“Enough,” he murmurs, his hard,muscular chest vibrating and rumbling against me.

The feeling of being completely taken by something overwhelms me. It’s like losing control of my actions, emotions,and everything in between..A red hue covers my cheeks as my mind tries to access the situation

“W..what are you doing? Let me go”I protest breathlessly

He aligns his mouth with my ear until his hot breaths are the only thing I feel on my skin

“Oh, I will,” he muses

“But not before I punish you”