Page 129 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

Yu turned to Jun. “You are the Laoda. My eldest son. You could have ruled half of my empire, but instead, you tore it down by going around my back to feed your own ego. Then again by leaving the job unfinished. I taught you better than that.”

Yu scowled and raised his weapon at Adrian’s chest, intending to destroy the evidence and the one who held it.

“Don’t!” someone shrieked.

Fuck. No. Not that voice.

Not her.

Adrian turned, oblivious to the gun aimed at his heart or to the fact that he was about to die by the same people who had murdered his father.

Ivory pointed his gun at Yu. Risking her life for his. Shedding her innocence in order to preserve his own tarnished, corrupt existence.

The gentle features he’d grown accustomed to were replaced with hardened determination, arms unwavering and locked in position. She leveled her gaze on her target, but he knew her muscles were tuned into his slightest movement.

His heart tore a frantic cadence into his chest, and every moment they’d ever shared flashed before his eyes. He’d die a thousand deaths before he’d sacrifice hers.

You could tell so much about a person from the way you looked at them.

And now, he looked at her as if she were his very soul. Because that was the truth. The only truth that mattered.

There were no options left. He tossed the recording aside and stepped between Ivory and Yu, who regarded him with hard eyes.

Adrian set his jaw. He wouldn’t back down. Not before, and not now.

“You should know,” Yu muttered under his breath. “A father’s honor rests on his son. Yours would be proud.”

Bang.

SIXTY-FOUR

He sucked in one final breath before the end. But the pain didn’t come. Digging his fingers into the fabric over his chest, he found it untorn.

To his left, Jun’s body crumpled to the ground. A shocked expression was frozen over his face, but his eyes went dull and lifeless.

A petrified hush spread through the ruins. Even the wildlife seemed to take pause, crickets and whispers of wind through the trees halting to witness the moment. A cloud passed over the stars and plunged them into a darkness lit only by the crackling, ceaseless fires. Greedy flames consumed the oxygen no one else dared to breathe.

“Let us all rest in peace. Blood for blood.” Yu lowered his gun—the same one that just killed his son. It must’ve hurt like hell to rip his own family apart, but he gave no sign of distress, his grim acceptance unflinching. Even so, a heavy sorrow emanated from his rigid stature. “One life to spare us from another war and set the record straight.”

As head of Red Dragon, a sacrifice had been the most logical option, but that didn’t make it any less astonishing. Yu chose to end the life of one instead of many, to take out his own pawn instead of giving it to the enemy.

After Jun’s confession, Cortez wouldn’t have let the Dragons leave without starting a war, and both sides would’ve taken heavy casualties. Adrian knew his death would’ve faded amongst the rest, but as long as Ivory could make it out alive, he had accepted it. Riley would’ve taken care of her and helped her grieve.

He couldn’t have spared himself only to lose what made his heart beat in the first place. But for some reason, fate had other plans.

Cortez shared a long, tense stare with Yu. Both of their expressions gave nothing away. Without further discussion, Cortez turned his back to Yu and joined the rest of Royal Flush.

The men erupted with cheers. Their howls deafened him, their meaning even harder to grasp.

Was it finally over?

Vengeance had been served—he’d found the man who murdered his father, and now that man was dead. A life for a life. But the gratification he’d been expecting didn’t come. Not until he heard that voice again, breaking through the chorus of gruff shouts and hollers.

“Adrian!”

His heart kicked into high gear, remembering only now what it meant to be alive. She was still here. And so was he.

For the first time tonight, he could smell the scent of smoke in the air, taste the tang of blood that coated his tongue. He saw Ivory through the corner of his eye and turned to capture her in his arms. Then he gave her the kiss she’d been promised. The kiss he’d wanted to give her ever since Halloween night.

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