C8 Allies

"The Queen has begun the game

but so has the king"

If she thought her life had been difficult before then Alistair made sure it was overbearing now and with the amount of kindness running in Karma's veins she made sure to return the favor with ten folds.

It had been two weeks since they crossed paths and it already felt that they were amidst war.

"Ma'am," she looked up from the piles of work he had thrown into her office. With all the meetings, small or big, ten years older, he wanted her to examine files and report if there was any theft or money was taken under the rug.

Mr. Caleb had two office staff standing behind him having black bundles of stacks and papers.

"Mr. Alessandro had requested you to go through these as well and see if there is any employee in this building who is eating money from Arkalos." She sighed.

There were three thousand employees in the building he wished her to go through every single thing. He thought that she was a girl who freshly moved out of college, so such work would make her furious and step out of her line.

Not only that but she would whine like a baby to him and only then he would be satisfied. In a way she respected him and Alistair respected her cruel attitude to retaliate when he saw she wasn't whining anytime soon. He truly was ruthless, but not blind to not be able to see a brave streak of rebellion in her spirit.

Men usually treat women like porcelain dolls at first,making them believe that they are her pillar, a never-ending support system and they could truly rely on. But later as the woman finallybelieved it, her doom starts.

Karma was irreplaceable. Nothing like those who would sit and cry. An eye for an eye is what she believed in.

As it is said...the most beautiful flowers usually have poison. Atleast Alistair had enough respect to challenge her and not weave a delusion of care and sympathy.

He didn'tsympathize with her and it showed in his every step.

"Mr. Caleb, keep all those files here and take me to your boss. Aiden while I am away, look at these files for me." His secretary nodded respectfully while Caleb opened the glass door for her.

As soon as she stepped out, all eyes followed her. It wasn't a secret that the two most prominent identities of Arkalos were in a cold war.

Half of the people sided with Alistair while others defended Karma but among all mayhem was a group of people who thought something was budding between the two forces.

An enchanting beauty with such a lethal mind and a man defining masculinity with power and strength at his feet.How was it possible that they didn't felt anything towards each other?

Such people are meant to be with another. Perfectly molding into each other's personality and heart. The women staff sighed. If they had to lose Alistair to someone, it could only be this tigress and none other.

A slight knock on Alistair's chamber couldn't distract him, so he just hummed allowing the person to enter.

"Such a shame....so handsome and yet so arrogant." Alistair's face adorned a genuine smile as he looked at Karma. She used his previous words on him and her heart jumped once before she collected herself.

He was truly a god.

But she smirked seeing his condition was no better than her. His silky locks jumbled and disheveled while his face showed signs of tiredness and those bronze eyes of his were diluted with a hazy mist forming in those irises with the lack of sleep.

Ofcourse, she had sent him all the legal files. No matter how small, even if it was related to a small water pipeline outside Arkalos, he had to make a report.

It was in a way funny that none of them accepted defeat.

"Miss Karma, to what I owe a pleasure? Please have a seat. By the way, I know how to treat my colleagues, unlike some people who let their seniors stand. I even let those below my authority sit infront of me."

"I have not encountered a single senior since I have stepped foot in the office Mr. Alessandro, but unlike you, I don't let my juniors sit so casually infront of me.Atleast not those who know nothing about mannerisms and barge into my cabin.

Mr. Alessandro, I would suggest you to punish such impudent beings because such people would only ruin our reputation."

Alistair watched Karma calmly. In a day her cheeks have lost their rosy hue and her jade blue irises had become dull but the fire still burned fiercely.

"When will you learn respect, Karma?"

"The same day you learn it." Alistair leaned back at his chair without care.

"If you are here to argue with me, you can leave Miss Develle."

"No, but I am not here to look after petty issues either. I am here to offer a deal, Alistair. I would not restrict your arms trade but in return, you have to inform me in advance.

You have my word that the trade would prosper nevertheless, but I want to know each and every detail."

"In the era where people forge contracts you want me to believe your word?"

"As you wish but once I made my mind about this nothing will stop me... Not even you. If I reported to the finance ministry that you have refused to lessen the arms trade. They would be suspicious and there is only me who could assure them."

"Mr. Caleb, leave us alone and pull the binds as well."

Karma's breath hitched as Caleb moved pulling the binds down and thereafter moving out closing the door softly. Alistair got up from his emperor chair, circling Karma like a prey.

"I hateliars, Karma. I give you this one chance. I trust you with this for Arkalos but I know you would not do it without an ulterior motive. Tell me what you want... What will you get out of this?"

He went behind her seat, his hands caging her as he held the armsets of her chair tightly. Revolving the seat he looked into her eyes filled with vengeance.

"The thing I want is not out of your reach neither too big to be a bother. Cassius, one of the business tycoons in Los Angeles, who illegally deal indrugs, has a son. I want to know everything about him. From the time he gets up to the time he sleeps. I want every single thing.

I cannot do it myself because Cassius is a paranoid dog.His bodyguards would sense a spy send among them. But if you arrange a meeting with them he would be overjoyed and come running here like a moth to the flame. His defenses would fall and I would be able to extract the information.

I know your strength so I want to do it. Our mutual dislike to one another can wait and be carried out simultaneously but if you just get me this piece of information I will not create any obstacles for you."

He closed their distance watching her intensely.

"Tell me Karma, if you are ready to play with the authorities and establish Arkalos just for a piece of information, what will you do if I will help you in whatever you are planning, basically if I will be an ally?"

"You are the president Alistair. A position equal to a CEO but it's not permanent is it? The founder of this empire is Darius Stone, a man of character with a wife but unfortunately no heir. His daughter has become an artist and the son is least interested.

Why do you think he had appointed you as a CEO? Yes, you are the greatest fighter of date but there have always been your rivals.

He knows you. Your power inside and outside the boxing ring besides your degree from Yale shows how impressive you are. But that's just the cover...he knows you're disinterested in a dirty power-play and one day or another would leave the seat of Arkalos' without a second argument.

I will make sure that he not only declares you his heir for this company but also gives you indisputable power. I will multiply your arm trade by hundreds and there would be no one challenging your strength ever, besides, if you give ten percent of your shares to the government they will back you anytime and everytime.

Karma's eyes widened as Alistair traced his finger across her cheek.

"Since how many days are you spying on me? I thought you had a sense of boundaries and limits, but let me tell you, even if I help you, I am not a hungry animal... I don't want Arkalos."

"As if I could play you, you are not as simple as you look....." She dry chuckled.

"..... I have been nothing but attentive to the files sent to me and that included yours too so I didn't even need to dig for your secrets, they were presented to me on a silver platter and I am not going to only the one digging, I cannot imagine the lengths you must have gone to know about me so now I will be honest to you.

I am an extremely simple person Alistair, I don't manipulate those who have not wronged me one way or another so I won't play a game with you.

If you remember the previous world champion, tell me who was he? Where is he now? Where did he disappear all these years?"

"He met an unfortunate accident and was paralyzed but now he is well running a garage of his own." Alistair never believed this story himself so he personally went to check but found no clue at all, the matter was too suspicious. How come there was an accident and not a single trace was found?

"You know this already Alistair....there was no accident at all, it was a deliberate attempt to remove him from power. This is a cruel world.If you don't establish your true power someone else will snatch it away."

She clutched onto his arm to gain his complete attention.

"You say this now, that you don't want this empire but tell me, what was Arkalos ten years ago when you joined? A measly company that didn't even generate enough revenue to support a hundred staff... This fame, you earned for them. Now it is time to claim your throne."

She placed her dainty palm on his chest making him take a step back as she rose from her seat then letting her palm fall beside her.

"It's just a suggestion, a deal. I will help you rise if you help me in my enemy's fall, but it's not a necessity for me to have you as an ally. What I want is what I will have sooner or later."

"Tell me, little girl, what will you do if I betray you?" His liquid chestnut irises clashed with her icy jades.

"If I would have known that you would betray me I would have never opened so many secrets infront of you, but if you ask in general that what do I do with traitors..... I bury them alive."

"Are you threatening me?" His head dipped down resting on her shoulders as she stiffened.

"What if I am?" A kiss on her forehead was an answer to that.

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