Chapter 5 Undone By Touch

Days passed, and Alexa no longer seemed bothered by her decision to leave. She had decided to face life as it came. That afternoon, while she was buried in a pile of documents Andre had asked her to sort out, he stepped in, eyes on her.

"Look who's busy. Thought you'd be gone by now," he said, checking the time.

"I'm your personal assistant, remember?" she replied without looking up, still focused on the papers.

Andre smirked. "You're doing great, Alexa. You've got fire in you." He glanced out the window. "It's getting late."

He helped her to her feet gently.

"Okay, let's go," she said, gathering her things.

That night, at East Hampton, Alexa sat alone outside on the pavement, soaking in the quiet. A voice pierced the silence.

"You seem to enjoy the dark," Andre said, strolling over with his hands in his pockets.

"It gives me space to think," she replied, her eyes meeting his. "Maybe even a break from you."

"How possible is that, honey?" he teased, stepping closer. "You're in my world now. I see everything."

She tilted her head. "So I'm expected to play by your rules?"

"Exactly." He smiled.

"And what rule is that?"

He smirked but dodged the question. "We'll get to that. But first,what are your plans now?"

"My plans?" she repeated, caught off guard.

"Yes. Your father. You can't let him see you as weak."

"I don't intend to," she said with certainty. "While I stay here, I'll find my footing. Save up, maybe build my own business. I just need time."

Andre looked at her, surprised.

"You don't plan to stay?"

"I didn't say that." She gave a soft laugh. "Let's see how it goes. But back to your so-called rule..."

He stepped even closer, his voice low. "You sure you want to know?"

Her heart fluttered as he pulled her gently to him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

He moved closer, closing the gap between them with slow, deliberate steps.

Alexa didn't back away. Her body stayed rooted, but her eyes followed him with cautious curiosity.

He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers brush her skin a second longer than necessary.

His other hand lightly grazed her waist, drawing a soft intake of breath from her.

"You always tense up when I'm near," he murmured, his voice low and smooth.

She tried to speak, but the words stayed caught in her throat.

Then, with his gaze locked onto hers, he leaned in,not close enough to kiss, but close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath.

"Tell me you feel nothing right now," he whispered, eyes on her lips.

She didn't respond. The silence said it all.

The air between them heated. He reached for her waist, his touch slow and deliberate. A soft moan escaped her lips.

"You want me to stop?" he whispered, but she said nothing.

He drew her in, kissing her neck tenderly, then deeper. One hand moved to her breast, the other exploring lower. Alexa gasped, unable to stop herself. Every touch ignited her.

In one swift motion, he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.

The door clicked shut.

What happened behind it was fire and thunder.

They explored each other with hunger, lips, hands, skin,no hesitation. She rode him with fierce longing, and he let her lead, lost in the rhythm of her body.

"You taste like a clean slate," he murmured, fingers teasing her until she moaned louder than ever.

"Yes, baby... don't stop..." she gasped, her body arching under his touch.

Their passion burned into the night.

Meanwhile, in Alpine, at the Dominic private estate, Anthony sipped whiskey in his study, the dim lighting casting shadows across the room. A quiet knock at the door interrupted the silence.

"She's still at Andre's place, sir," his informant said.

Anthony didn't flinch. "Let her stay. If she wants to taste his world, let her. When it crumbles, I'll still be here."

"And if it doesn't?"

He smiled coldly. "Everyone pays their price. She will too."

Unbeknownst to them, Aaliya had been standing nearby. She froze, her heart racing.

The man she once loved was playing games with their daughter's life.

Will Alexa be safe? The thought alone shook her.

"Everyone pays their price."

"She will too..."

Anthony's words echoed in her ears like gunshots. Her throat tightened. That cold smirk he wore when he said it like it was nothing, like Alexa was just another name in a game,broke something inside her.

Later that night, Aaliya lay on her side, eyes wide open, sleeping a distant wish. Her daughter was under the roof of a man Anthony called a beast. And yet, all she ever heard about Andre were whispers. Never the full truth. Just polite nods in political circles, and the occasional joke about how "he handled problems silently."

But Aaliya knew that silence was sometimes more dangerous than noise.

Driven by maternal instinct, she got out of bed quietly and slipped into her private lounge, locking the door behind her. She opened her encrypted laptop and dug deeper, much deeper into Andre Williams than she had ever dared before.

She bypassed the surface-level PR-polished articles and found her way into old case files, archived news stories, and restricted-access forums Anthony thought she didn't know about.

And then, she found it.

A thread titled: "The Milan Reaper: The Man Behind the Mask?"

Her fingers trembled as she clicked.

"2016: Two CEOs vanished days before a hostile takeover deal collapsed."

"2018: A government official in Malta found dead with no known enemies. Andre had visited two weeks prior."

"No criminal charges. No direct links. But everyone in that circle knows, if Andre Williams wants you gone, you disappear. Quietly. No blood, just erasure."

Another buried report, barely translated from Russian, mentioned "a private offshore prison funded by one of his companies." No details. No survivors. Just a place rumored to exist, a ghost island where people who crossed Andre never returned from.

Aaliya sat still, the air thick around her.

She went deeper. This time into private surveillance footage that had been leaked on a dark forum,a man being dragged from his hotel room in Monaco. Blurred faces. But the caption read:

"He thought Andre wouldn't find out."

And then came the real blow, an old article she hadn't seen before:

"Andre Williams' younger sister, Elina Williams, reportedly died in a fire set by rivals during a failed business coup. From that moment, Andre changed. More brutal, more calculating. Some say he lives with the ghost of everyone he's erased since. One thing is certain, he doesn't forgive betrayal. Ever."

Aaliya's hand went to her mouth.

This was the man Alexa was living with.

She closed the laptop slowly. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Anthony knew. Of course he knew. That's why he wasn't panicking. He wanted Alexa to taste Andre's world because he believed it would break her.

But now Aaliya wasn't so sure Alexa would come out the same.

She picked up her phone, typing a message but not sending it:

"Sweetheart, are you safe? Is Andre treating you right? Please be honest with me."

Her thumb hovered over the send button. Then she deleted the message and dropped the phone.

Because if Andre was watching... even her concern could become a threat. The thought that she was in the lion's den freaked her out.

She reached for her phone again with shaking hands, hesitating for a moment before texting Alexa.

"We need to talk, alone."