He must have left as soon as I fell asleep.
I didn’t even catch a glimpse of him, and it was already night. His whole day was spent in the basement. I tried not to think about that.
I acted as if he was out, dealing with some other kind of business.
Just not that type of business. The one I knew he was dealing with right now.
I still shuddered when I thought about what I did to Alberto. It might have been only one bullet, but his screams still resonated through my ears.
All the pain he was going through at the moment at the hands of Alessio was almost unthinkable.
The thought of it should have been revolting. Even if it scared me, I didn’t feel bad. He deserved it. After everything he had done, Alberto deserved it.
His end was here.
When I reached the landing, I paused, taking a deep breath. Rubbing my aching back, I made my way to the piano room.
“Phoenix, it’s okay. You can go now. Alessio will be here soon,” I said when I reached the door.
“Boss said—” I cut him off with a shake of my head.
“I know what he said. But it’s only for a few minutes. Please go and take some rest. You must be tired,” I said, sending him a smile.
Phoenix shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you are not to be left alone. It’s a strict order from Boss, and I have been assigned as your bodyguard for the moment.”
A frustrated sound came from my throat. It had been like this since Alberto was captured and Alessio spent most of his time in the basement.
I was followed everywhere. If it wasn’t Phoenix, then it was either Viktor or Nikolay.
They were always behind me, keeping an eye.
“Alessio will be here any moment now,” I tried to reason with him. There was an uneasy feeling inside of me, having the men always following me around.
“I will leave when he gets here and you are in his protection.” Phoenix placed his hands behind his back, his legs widening in a protective stance. His face was expressionless. In that moment, he reminded me of Nikolay.
They were related after all, and the resemblance was there. Especially when Phoenix was serious in a matter.
“Stubborn men,” I muttered under my breath.
“His mind will be at ease if he knows you’re safe and under our watch. Grant him this wish, Ayla.”
My shoulders dropping in defeat, I sighed. I understood his point, but it didn’t mean I agreed. I had a strange feeling inside me, my chest feeling impossibly tight at the thought of these men protecting me.
It was almost like they didn’t care about their own lives. It was always about…me. My safety. My needs.
It saddened me to think they might care less about themselves.
Phoenix must have noticed my change of emotion because he sent me a kind smile. “You are carrying our future, Ayla. I don’t know if you understand this, but this baby will continue the Ivanshov’s legacy. Your protection and her protection are our first priority. We don’t protect you only under Boss’s order. We protect you because we want to.”
Everything he said made sense. “I understand,” I murmured, my eyes going to the staircase.
I felt him before I even saw him. His presence already made my heart beat faster. My stomach fluttered, and I felt giddy. Was that what they called butterflies? I felt it every time I thought of Alessio or saw him. Even at the mention of his name.
When I finally saw him, my lips stretched in a smile. Like my body wasn’t my own anymore, I glided toward him. He opened his arms for me, and I curled into his embrace. Alessio had this effect on me.
The pull I felt toward him was too strong to fight. And I didn’t want to fight it. Instead, I wanted to bask in his presence and live in him.
“You can leave,” Alessio said, his voice hard and grating to my ears. My eyes snapped open, my arms tightening around his waist.
“Boss.” Phoenix acknowledged his Boss’s order with a nod and walked away, but not before slightly bowing in our direction.
I stared up at Alessio to see his face emotionless. That was when I noticed the dark aura around us, the air feeling chilled. His face was hard, his eyes gleaming dangerously. There was a sense of viciousness around him.
When he looked down at me, his eyes meeting my own, his expression didn’t change. His head descended until our lips were inches apart. Our lips met in a breathy kiss. It started slowly before he pressed his lips harder to mine, demanding access.
My lips parted, his tongue sliding against the seams of my lips before meeting my own. I moaned into his kiss, standing on my toes, wanting to be closer to him.