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CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-23 20:25:26
Bab terkait
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
Sophie barely slept. She had spent the night curled up in bed, her pillow damp with tears she hadn’t wanted to shed. She hated that she felt this way, that she cared this much. She should have expected it. Should have known that whatever this was between her and Drake had an expiration date. But the pain still came, sharp and suffocating, as if someone had reached inside her chest and squeezed. When she had told him she wanted a divorce, she had expected something, anger, relief, maybe even indifference. But not this. “No.” That was all he had said. A single word, spoken with the kind of finality that made her stomach drop. Sophie had stared at him, waiting for him to say something else, waiting for an explanation. But he had just looked at her, before walking away as if the conversation had never happened. And that had shattered something inside her. She wasn’t going to beg him, she was calling outs on this marriage. She stepped out of her room, pulling her robe tightly ar
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-23BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
Sophie wasn’t going to cry again. She had already wasted enough tears on a man who refused to choose her. But no matter how many times she told herself she didn’t care, the sight of Freddie draped over Drake burned in her mind. She wasn’t stupid. Freddie was playing a game, a cruel and disgusting game and Drake was letting her. Why? Did he enjoy watching her suffer? Did he want her to beg for his attention? What was his intentions exactly? She scoffed at the thought. Not happening. If he wanted to play, she’d show him she wasn’t one to lose. The atmosphere at dinner was unbearably tense. Vivienne, ever the perfect hostess, had arranged a lavish meal, ensuring that Freddie had a seat right beside Drake. Of course she had. Sophie knew Vivienne wanted her gone. Knew she had been against this marriage from the start. But this? This was war. And Sophie wasn’t backing down. She sat at the other end of the table, pretending to be unbothered as Freddie giggled beside Drake,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-24BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
Sophie adjusted her blazer, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles as she stood in front of the towering glass building. She had spent days applying for jobs, sending out her portfolio, and attending interviews. And finally, finally—she had landed one. A design assistant position at one of the most prestigious fashion companies in the city. The AH Group. She hadn’t even thought about the name when she first got the call. The company was massive, with branches across various industries, and she had assumed the fashion division was just another business under their umbrella. It wasn’t until she stepped out of the taxi and saw the large silver letters on the building’s entrance that her stomach dropped. Hazelwood Enterprises. She clenched her jaw, gripping her portfolio so tightly her fingers ached. This had to be a coincidence. He wasn’t involved in every single detail of his empire, was he? She took a deep breath. She needed this job. She wanted this job. And it wasn’t like s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-26BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER THIRTY.
Her heels clicked against the pavement as she walked back home, hating herself for deciding not to get a car. The cold air bit at her exposed skin. God, she hated this. The city lights blurred from a distance, neon colors smudging against the night sky, making it all the more beautiful. She was beyond exhausted. Tonight had drained her completely, and all she wanted was to crawl into her bed and pretend the world outside didn’t exist.But the sound of her phone ringing yanked her out of her thoughts.She frowned, pulling it from her bag. It was an unknown number. That was strange .Her thumb hovered over the screen for a while before she finally answered. “Hello?”Silence.Then came a low chuckle. The voice was smooth and cool, like the hypocrite he was.“The great Sophie Hazelwood. It’s quite a pleasure, I must say.”Her spine stiffened. The familiarity of it made her skin crawl. She had heard this voice before. But where?“I’m sorry, who is this?” she asked, her voice calm and cont
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
If only wishes came true, then Sophie wouldn’t have found herself in the condition that she was in today. She was beyond broken, terrified even, to some extent. What had become of her life? Why was fate playing such a cruel game with her?The bomb Maxwell dropped left a huge wound on her heart, one she wasn’t even sure would heal. It ached and, at the same time, suffocated her. She didn’t want to believe what he said because Drake told her how dangerous Maxwell was, but then again, how sure was she that Drake could be trusted?She wiped her tears and decided to steel her heart. She was done giving those men the leverage of trampling on her.She grabbed her phone, which was lying carelessly on the bedside, before she dialed a number. The phone rang for a few seconds before it was answered.“Sophie? Is everything all right?” Lucas said in a soft tone that somehow got to Sophie’s heart.She broke down again at that moment and couldn’t say anything to Lucas. He panicked and asked, “Where
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-08BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
Sophie’s breath caught in her throat as Drake leaned against the edge of the door, his gaze locked onto hers. The air in the room was thick, heavy with something she couldn’t quite name. She had expected him to threaten her again after their exchange of words, to push her further into a corner until she had no choice but to give in. Instead, he smiled, calm, collected, like a man who already knew how this was going to end. “If you want freedom, Sophie, then let’s make this interesting,” he said, his voice smooth, almost amused. “Find solid proof that I killed Edward, and I’ll let you go.” His words settled between them, dangerous in their simplicity. For a second, she didn’t react. Her mind tried to catch up with what he had just said. Then she let out a slow breath, feeling a mix of disbelief and unease creep over her. Lucas, who had been standing stiffly beside her, let out a sharp scoff. “You can’t be serious,” he muttered, shaking his head. He turned to Drake, his glare sharp
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
Sophie sat stiffly in the passenger seat of Lucas’ car, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, nails pressing against the fabric of her dress. The tension inside the vehicle was thick, nearly suffocating, wrapping around them like an invisible force neither could shake. The city outside blurred past in a haze of car lights and distant headlights, but she barely registered any of it. Her mind was elsewhere, tangled in the game of deceit and unanswered questions that seemed to stretch on with no clear end in sight.She had been so sure that this time, she would find something—anything—that would break the case open. But so far, all she had were scraps of information, fragmented pieces that refused to fit together. Drake had given her an impossible task: prove that he had murdered Edward. And yet, despite everything she had uncovered, she was still standing at the precipice of uncertainty, unable to make the final leap.There were financial ties between them. Large transactions. A histor
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
Sophie tapped her fingers against the polished wooden desk, the steady rhythm barely concealing the storm of emotions swirling within her. She had been in this office for what felt like an eternity, listening to legal jargon she barely understood, waiting for the moment when she could finally put an end to a marriage that had never truly been hers.Lucas sat beside her, flipping through his phone, looking as unconcerned as ever. He glanced at her, then back at the screen. “You should drink some water,” he said, tapping on something. “You look like you’re about to strangle someone.”Sophie inhaled sharply, her grip tightening around the armrest. “I just want this to be over, Lucas.”“It will be,” he assured her, setting his phone down. “I found you the best lawyer. This should be quick and painless.”That was the plan. In and out, no drama, no unnecessary delays.But Sophie should have known that with Drake involved, things would never be that easy.The door swung open, and a tall man
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11
Bab terbaru
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FIFTY ONE.
The silence between them was stretching again, heavy like fog, thick enough to choke on if you weren’t careful, and Sophie didn’t know what scared her more, the fact that Drake looked like he was ready to talk, or the fact that it had taken this long for him to decide she deserved the truth.They sat by the fire that night, no food, no glasses of wine, no soft music humming in the background like the last time, just them and the low crackle of burning wood, and for once, no one was pretending things were fine.Drake looked tired, more than tired, he looked worn thin at the edges like a photograph that had been touched too many times, and his fingers were twitching slightly, as if there were words trapped under his skin trying to claw their way out.“I’ve been finding out more than I should,” he said finally, voice low, rough, not from anger but from the weight of everything he hadn’t said—and Sophie didn’t interrupt, just waited, because she knew the dam was about to break.“Everythin
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FIFTY.
Sophie was absolutely restless She lay in the massive bed that never quite felt like hers, she tangled in sheets that were too smooth, and too cold. The letters from Catherine Vale played on a loop in her mind, whispering warnings she couldn’t decipher. A name she didn’t recognize. A woman she supposedly didn’t know. But the familiarity in Miriam’s eyes haunted her, and the unease in Drake’s silence only made it worse.She turned to her side, her eyes drifting toward the window where the moon spilled silver across the carpet. The mansion was quiet—too quiet. Not even the wind dared stir. It was the kind of silence that pressed in from all sides, the kind that made secrets feel like they were breathing just beneath the surface.Her fingers brushed over the edge of her pillow, and she felt it, the softest crunch of paper. She blinked, sitting up slowly. There, tucked beneath the pillowcase, was a folded piece of paper.Her heart thumped as she opened it.“I noticed you didn’t eat much
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY NINE.
Sophie couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling as she sat in the living room, staring at the photograph of Miriam that still rested on the coffee table. The woman in the picture was so beautiful, so elegant, yet there was something deeply familiar about her. Sophie couldn’t deny the growing realization that they looked alike, no, they almost looked like the same person. She rubbed her temples, trying to push the thought away, but it lingered, gnawing at her like a persistent itch.Her breath caught as her mind replayed Drake’s vague answer to her earlier question. “Did Miriam live here?” she had asked, unable to suppress the curiosity bubbling inside her.“Yes,” was all he had said.But then she had pressed him further, and he refused to elaborate. “Where did she stay?” Sophie had asked, her voice quiet yet insistent.Drake’s eyes had briefly avoided hers, and then he’d given an answer that didn’t make sense. “I’ll be in the office. We’ll talk later.”That was all he’d offered before re
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.
Sophie was going through the black box again when she found the an old photograph, It was tucked beneath a bundle of letters, almost like it didn’t want to be seen. But when her fingers brushed it, it slipped free and landed face-up in her lap. She felt the breath left her lungs.The woman in the picture was smiling wide and so bright , like the world was kind. Her eyes held something soft and something so familiar but Sophie couldn’t grasp whatever it was. She wore a pale yellow dress, and the wind had caught the hem, making it lift slightly and behind her, the sunlight spilled across a garden Sophie didn’t recognize.She stared at it with mixed emotions because the woman looked exactly like her. Not a little and definitely not a maybe. The woman looked like a replica of her. With the same eyes, the same jawline and even the same way her lips tilted slightly to the left when she smiled, the curve of her neck looked identical as well.Her body went still and she kept looking at the p
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.
The morning light crept in slowly, but Sophie was already awake, sitting by the window, legs pulled up to her chest, eyes far away. She hadn’t said much after watching the video the night before, just went quiet, her thoughts clearly louder than anything else. Drake had stayed, close enough to make sure she was okay, far enough not to smother her.She turned her head slightly when he walked in, fresh from a shower, towel around his neck, shirt damp near the collar.“We’re going somewhere,” he said.Her voice was hoarse. “Where?”He paused, met her eyes. “Where it all started.”And for a moment, she didn’t even need him to say it—she already knew.Edward’s mansion.Her heart sank a little. That place used to be her entire world. Not just brick and glass and luxury, but memories, laughter, screams behind closed doors, and love too—yes, love that somehow still lingered in the echoes of those walls. It had been home. It had been heartbreak. And Edward… Edward had once loved her so deeply,
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY SIX.
The screen flickered to life, the shaky camera showing Edward’s study dimly lit, the light from the desk lamp casting long shadows on the walls, Edward looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his eyes were bloodshot, there was sweat on his forehead, and his hands trembled as he reached forward and adjusted the camera.“If you’re watching this,” his voice cracked, barely steady, “then I’m probably already dead… or missing.”Sophie froze, her breath caught in her throat, Drake moved closer behind her, staring over her shoulder, both their eyes glued to the screen, not a single sound passed between them except the buzz of electricity and Edward’s shaking voice.“I need you to know… I was never the real target,” Edward said, glancing behind him like someone might burst in any second, “they made me believe I had something they wanted, but this—this is bigger than me, Sophie, bigger than anything I thought I was involved in.”Her heart thumped against her chest like it wanted to escape, she tu
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.
Being in this world alone sucks, but being in this world around people who think you’re a fool is the worst.Sophie was on the verge of insanity, her mind was going in circles, and she trying to make sense of everything in her life. First, there was Lucas, then, definitely not Drake, but he was the only hope she had left, so she couldn’t quite count him out.She huffed out a resolute sigh and walked into his bedroom, finding him sitting and working on his laptop.She sat down next to him.“Drake?” she called softly.He replied with a distracted hum, his eyes still glued to the screen.“Could you keep the laptop aside, please?” she muttered, her tone mockingly sweet.He nodded, closed the laptop, and turned fully to her.Being in this world alone sucks, but being in this world surrounded by people who think you’re a fool? That’s worse.Sophie was on the verge of insanity. Her mind kept going in circles, trying to make sense of everything happening in her life. First, there was Lucas. A
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.
The mansion felt suffocating. Sophie had spent hours trying to find something—anything—that could tell her where Lucas had gone. But the security system was useless. The footage was gone, wiped clean like the night had never happened. Whoever had taken Lucas had planned this too well. She tried again, typing commands into the security system’s console, digging through the data logs. Nothing. The last recorded footage had been from the previous evening. After that? Blackness. Drake was leaning against the wall, watching her with his usual unreadable expression. “You’re wasting your time.” Sophie clenched her jaw. “So we just do nothing?” Drake exhaled through his nose. “There are other ways to find him.” She turned in her chair. “Like what?” Drake didn’t answer. Instead, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and swore under his breath. Without a word, he walked out of the room. Sophie let out a frustrated sigh. She knew one thing—Drake was kee
BOUND BY THE BILLIONAIRE LAWYER. CHAPTER FORTY THREE.
The mansion felt wrong. Sophie had spent enough time there to recognize the subtle shifts in the air, the way silence could stretch too thin, the way emptiness could settle in like a living thing. But this? This was different. She knew it the second she stepped into Lucas’s room. The bed was empty. The blankets had been tossed aside, the pillows slightly dented, as if someone had left in a hurry. The lamp beside the bed was still on, casting weak light across the dark wooden floors. Sophie’s pulse spiked. “Lucas?” Silence. She moved deeper into the room, scanning for anything—any sign of where he might have gone. The window was shut. The closet door was slightly ajar, clothes hanging haphazardly. His shoes were still there. But his jacket? Gone. A sick feeling twisted in her gut. Lucas had barely been able to sit up on his own earlier. There was no way in hell he could have just—walked out. Not without help. Or not without being forced. Sophie’s st
