272

272
Alaric’s POV
Rage was a living, breathing thing inside me. It burned through my veins, consuming every rational thought, leaving only the raw, seething anger that had taken root in my soul since the truth came out. The Cruz family. Those bastards had killed Dominic. And Allesio-someone I trusted, someone who was supposed to be my right hand-had known all along. He had kept it from me. Lied to my face.
I gritted my teeth as I sat in my office, gripping the armrests of my chair so hard that the leather creaked beneath my fingers. The image of my brother’s face flashed in my mind-Dominic, who had always had my back, who had always put family first. He was gone. And the people responsible had been breathing easy all this time.
Because Allesio let them.
I slammed my fist onto the desk, sending a glass of whiskey toppling over. The amber liquid spilled across the wood, but I didn’t give a damn. My chest heaved as I forced myself to calm down. It didn’t work.
The sound of heels clicking against the floor made me lift my gaze. Emilia stepped into the office, a slight frown on her lips. Oh God. Even she couldn’t quiet the fury inside me today.
“Alaric,” she said cautiously, eyeing the spilled whiskey before meeting my gaze. “You need to stop doing this to yourself.”
I scoffed, rubbing a hand over my face. “Doing what, Emilia? Being furious that my brother’s murderer has been walking free while the people I trusted fed me lies?”
She frowned. “What do you mean? Who has been feeding you lies?” She asked with a raised eyebrow and I kept quiet. “And what do you mean by your brother’s murderer? You’re still into that theory that my dad is the one who killed Dominic?”
I remained quiet.
“This has something to do with Allesio, doesn’t it? It’s why you’re mad at him?” I still didn’t say anything.
She let out a soft sigh, stepping closer, placing her hands on my desk. “You can’t change the past. But you can decide what to do with this now. Letting it eat you alive isn’t going to help Dominic.”
I stared at her. How could she be so calm about this? How could she not be shaking with rage, demanding justice just as I was?
My jaw clenched. “You don’t understand, Emilia. This isn’t just about justice. This is about respect. About making sure the Cruz family pays for what they did.”
Her eyes darkened. “And what does that mean, Alaric? Are you planning to kill Alonso? Because if that’s what you’re thinking-”
I pushed back my chair and stood abruptly, towering over her. “What do you expect me to do? Shake his hand? Thank him for taking my brother away from me?”
Her lips pressed together, frustration flashing across her features. “I expect you to think before you act. I expect you to not let your anger cloud your judgment and turn you into someone Dominic wouldn’t even recognize.”
The words stung. I hated that they did.
Before I could respond, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly, as if bracing herself for my reaction to what she was about to say next. “I’m going to see Alonso.”
A slow, dangerous silence filled the room.
I didn’t move. Didn’t blink. I just stared at her, my mind barely processing the words.
She was going to see Alonso.
The man who was responsible for Dominic’s death. The man I had sworn to put six feet under.
A muscle ticked In my jaw. “What?”
She held my gaze, unflinching. “I need to talk to him.”
Talk to him? Talk to him?
My vision went red for a second. The blood in my veins turned to lava, searing through me, burning up any logic that remained. She knew how I felt. She knew what I was planning. And she was still choosing to go to him?
“You’re not serious,” I said, my voice low, deadly.
“I am.”
I took a slow step around the desk, trying to suppress the fury clawing at my chest. “You’re going to walk into his house-into the home of the man who killed my brother-and what? Have a chat over tea? Maybe tell him he’s forgiven?”
“Alaric-”
“No.” My voice was sharp, final. “I won’t allow it.”
She exhaled sharply, her own frustration growing now. “I wasn’t asking for your permission.”
My hands curled into fists. I had never wanted to control Emilia, had never wanted to dictate her actions. But this-this was insanity.
“You don’t get it,” I ground out. “You’re walking into the lion’s den, Emilia. Do you think Alonso is suddenly a good man just because you’re bonding with him? He’s still the enemy. He’s still the reason Dominic is dead.”
“He’s my father,” she shot back. “And whether you like it or not, I can’t just cut him out of my life!”
I clenched my jaw so tightly it ached. “You think that means anything to me? That blood tie?” I shook my head. “It doesn’t erase what he’s done.”
She sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m not asking you to forgive him, Alaric. I’m just asking you to let me handle things my way. This doesn’t have to be a war.”
I laughed bitterly. “It already is a war, Emilia.”
Silence stretched between us. She searched my face, as if looking for any sign that I would change my mind. That I would understand.
But I couldn’t. Not about this.
Her expression softened slightly, and for a brief moment, her fingers brushed my arm. “I love you, Alaric,” she whispered. “And I know you’re hurting. But please, let me do this. Let me try to fix this before you destroy everything in your path.”
Something cracked in my chest. A deep, aching thing that I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I wanted to stop her. I wanted to lock her in this house and never let her set foot in Alonso’s world again. But I also knew Emilia. Knew that if I pushed too hard, she would push back even harder.
So I did the only thing I could.
I turned away.
“Go, then,” I said stiffly. “But don’t expect me to wait patiently for things to magically fix themselves. That man is living on borrowed time.”
She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else. But she didn’t. She just nodded and left, leaving me alone with my rage.
I stood there for a long time after the door shut behind her, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
Allesio had lied to me. The Cruz family had taken my brother. And now, my fiance was willingly walking into their territory, thinking she could smooth things over.
I didn’t know how much longer I could hold myself back.
But I knew for sure that Alonso Cruz wouldn’t be breathing for much longer.