274

274
Alaric’s POV
I sat in my office, fingers steepled as I stared at the map spread across my desk. The Cruz estate was marked with red, the layout burned into my mind. I had spent hours going over every possible entry point, every possible weakness. Alonso Cruz would not see me coming.
I had been waiting for this moment.
A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly gathered the papers, shoving them into a drawer before calling out, “Come in.”
The door opened, and Emilio stepped inside, his expression grim. “We’re ready.”
I nodded. “Good. Lock the doors.”
He closed the door behind him, locking it before moving toward the chair across from me. “Allesio still doesn’t know?”
I clenched my jaw. “No. And he won’t.”
Emilio frowned. “Alaric-”
“No,” I cut him off. “He had his chance to be honest with me. He chose to lie. He chose to protect Alonso.”
Emilio sighed but didn’t argue. He knew better.
I had made my decision.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked after a moment.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He nodded, understanding in his eyes. “Then we’ll handle it your way.”
I glanced at the clock. Emilia would be home soon.
She could never find out.
If she knew what I was planning, she would try to stop me and I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to get justice and revenge for my brother.
Dominic deserved that much.
Another knock came at the door, this time softer. My heart clenched.
Emilia.
I glanced at Emilio, who quickly stood. “I’ll go.” He unlocked the door and slipped out, leaving me alone as Emilia walked in.
She smiled at me, completely unaware of the war raging inside my head.
“Hey,” she said, walking over. “Busy?”
I forced a smirk. “Always.”
She rolled her eyes, leaning against my desk. “You should take a break.”
I studied her, my throat tightening. I couldn’t tell her the truth so I did the only thing I could anyway.
I lied.
“Just some business,” I said, reaching for her hand. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
She arched a brow. “You say that every time.”
I chuckled, bringing her hand to my lips. “That’s because it’s true.”
She hummed, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t push.
Good.
Emilia let out a small sigh and studied me, her eyes searching for something I wasn’t ready to give her. “You’ve been tense lately.”
I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. “You would be too if you had a dozen men depending on you every second of the day.”
She rolled her eyes, but I saw the flicker of concern beneath her teasing expression. “It’s not just business, Alaric. I can tell. You barely talk to Allesio anymore, and you look like you’re one wrong move away from snapping.”
I stiffened. She was observant, too observant. “Allesio made a mistake,” I said, keeping my tone even. “I’m handling it.”
Emilia crossed her arms. “Handling it how?”
I forced a lazy grin. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, angel.”
She huffed, clearly frustrated, but before she could push further, Francesca’s giggles echoed from the hallway.
Emilia turned her head toward the door just as Francesca came running inside, her little feet padding against the floor. She had something clutched in her tiny hands, her face lit up with excitement. “Daddy, look!”
She ran straight to me, holding up a drawing. I bent down, scooping her up effortlessly and settling her on my lap. “What do we have here, piccola?”
She grinned. “It’s us!”
I took the paper from her and studied it. It was a child’s drawing-messy lines and bright colors-but the figures were unmistakable. A tall figure in black, a smaller one in pink, and a third with blonde curls.
Me. Emilia. Francesca.
My chest ached.
“Do you like it?” she asked, her big brown eyes wide with anticipation.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and nodded. “I love it, princess.”
She beamed, throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, breathing in the familiar scent of baby shampoo and innocence.
My little girl.
“Daddy?” Francesca pulled back slightly, her tiny fingers brushing against my cheek.
I forced a smile. “What is it, princess?”
She hesitated, then whispered, “Are you sad?”
Emilia watched us closely, her brows furrowed.
I exhaled, pressing a kiss to Francesca’s forehead. “Never, piccola. Not when I have you.”
Her smile returned instantly, and she curled into my chest.
Emilia leaned against my desk, her arms crossed. “You really should talk to me, you know,” she said softly. “You don’t have to carry everything alone.”
If only she knew.
I couldn’t tell her-not yet.
Not about Francesca.
Not about what I was planning for Alonso.
So I gave her another lie, another carefully crafted excuse. “I just have a lot on my mind, angel. But I’ll be fine.”
Emilia studied me for a moment longer, then sighed. “Okay,” she said, but I knew she didn’t believe me.
The moment Francesca dozed off in my arms, I carefully handed her over to one of the maids and turned back to Emilia, who was still watching me with that unreadable expression.
“You’re still keeping things from me,” she said, not accusing but firm.
I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face. “Emilia, I have a lot going on. Work, business deals, keeping everything from falling apart.”
She arched a brow. “So you’re just going to throw ‘business deals’ out there and expect me not to ask?”
I smirked despite myself. “You ask too many questions, angel.”
“And you dodge too many of them.”
She wasn’t wrong, but there were things she didn’t need to know-things that were far too dangerous.
Before she could push further, a knock on the office door interrupted us.
Allesio stepped in, looking hesitant. He was still trying to earn back my trust, but I wasn’t making it easy.
“We need to discuss the shipments,” he said.
Emilia glanced between us, clearly sensing the strain in the air. “I’ll leave you two to it,” she said, though I knew she didn’t want to.
She pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before walking out, and I waited until the door clicked shut before turning to Allesio.
“What?” I said flatly.
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “We got word that Alonso’s men have been sniffing around the docks.”
I tensed instantly. “How close?”
“Too close,” he admitted. “We reinforced security, but it’s only a matter of time before he makes a move.”
Of course he was. Alonso had no idea I was already planning to take him down, but it seemed he wasn’t waiting around either.
“Triple the guards at the docks,” I ordered. “I don’t want a single rat getting through.”
Allesio nodded. “There’s more. The Russians are getting restless. They’re demanding to renegotiate their deal.”
I narrowed my eyes. “They agreed to our terms.”
“Well, now they suddenly don’t like the numbers,” Allesio said. “They’re stalling shipments, claiming we need to adjust our end of the bargain.”
I scoffed. “They think they have leverage.”
“They think we’re distracted.”
Because we were.
Between Alonso, the truth about Dominic’s death, and keeping Emilia in the dark, things were slipping through the cracks.
“Set up a meeting with the Russians,” I said. “Tomorrow night. I want to make it very clear that we are not the ones they should be testing.”
Allesio hesitated. “You sure you want to handle this personally?”
I gave him a cold stare. “I don’t trust anyone else to.”
He swallowed, nodding. “Understood.”
I stood, adjusting my suit. “And the businesses?”
“No issues for now,” Allesio said. “But we need to make a move on the new club location soon. The permits are still pending.”
“Grease the right hands. I want those permits in the next forty-eight hours.”
Allesio hesitated again. “Alaric-”
I knew that tone. I cut him off. “Don’t.”
He sighed. “You can’t avoid talking about it forever.”
I clenched my jaw. “Watch me.”
Allesio rubbed his temples. “You’re my brother, Alaric. I know you hate me right now, but you’re spiraling. You’re planning something, and I know it has to do with Alonso.”
I remained silent.
“Don’t let revenge blind you,” he warned. “Not when you have more to lose now.”
I clenched my fists, forcing my expression to remain neutral. “Get out,.”
Allesio exhaled but didn’t push further. He simply nodded, turning toward the door.