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Chapter 38
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-25 20:22:18
Bab terkait
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 39
Hardin“You think I came all the way here just to drink your overpriced scotch?”He chuckled. “You came because you know I’m the only one crazy enough to put that kind of money on the table.”“I don’t care about the money,” I said flatly.Marcello raised a brow. “Then what do you care about?”“Control.”Marcello leaned forward, the amusement slowly fading from his eyes, replaced by something more serious. He rested his elbows on his knees, the glass of scotch dangling from his fingers. “Alright, Kingpin. You want control. Then let’s talk terms. I want protection. We both get what we want.”“You’ll get protection,” I said. “But I won’t babysit your entire operation. If I back you, you tighten your crew, clean your routes, and stay off my radar unless it’s about business.”Marcello scoffed. “You think I run a sloppy crew?”I gave him a cold stare. “I think your men talk too much, and your borders are loose. If the feds sniff this trail, I’m out.”He tapped his fingers against the glass
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-25Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 40
Luna I adjusted the chart in my hand, explaining the patient’s vitals to Dr. Ramirez, who nodded along as he listened carefully.“Her blood pressure has stabilized to 120/80, and her heart rate is within normal limits,” I said, flipping the page. “We’ve also reduced her oxygen support since her last reading was strong enough to sustain her breathing on minimal aid.”Just as I was about to continue, a soft chime interrupted the flow. I muttered a quick, “Excuse me,” and slipped my phone from the pocket of my white coat.The screen lit up with a new message — Hardin.A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it.“Hope you’re not too busy, Mrs.DeVante. Thinking about you.”That man had been bombarding my phone with messages since I stepped foot into the hospice this morning. And even though I hadn’t replied to a single one, it didn’t mean I hadn’t been checking them, grinning like an idiot every time.I caught Dr. Ramirez glancing curiously at me, and quickly tucked the phone away
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-26Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 41
HardinI couldn’t explain what I was feeling. Bitterness clawed its way up my chest, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.He’s just a friend. Luna’s words kept replaying in my head like a broken damn record.Friend. After everything. After the way I’ve been dragging my soul bare for her, the way I’ve been trying—hell, the way I feel about her.And she introduced me like I was nothing.And the worst part? She left with that asshole.Walked right past me without a second look, like I didn’t even exist.I sat there, leaning forward on the edge of the couch. My fingers locked together so tight they ached. I stared at the front door, waiting.For what, exactly? I didn’t know.For her to come back and fix it, maybe.For her to make it make sense.The front door clicked open. My head snapped up. Luna stepped in, hesitating for a second when her eyes met mine.She shut the door quietly behind her.Took a breath.“So we’re friends now?” I asked.failing—to hold back the bitterness biting at every w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-27Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 42
Luna"So you told Jason you and Hardin are friends," Rachel said, her voice dripping with disbelief.I sighed, stabbing my fork into the pie on my tray. The hospice cafeteria buzzed quietly around us, but it felt like all the noise faded as Rachel stared me down."I couldn't think of anything else to say," I mumbled, taking a bite and trying not to meet her eyes. The flaky crust crumbled on my tongue, but it tasted like guilt. "I can't just... tell Jason the real deal."Rachel let out a breath, leaning back in her chair. "You realize that's going to blow up eventually, right?"I knew it. God, I knew it.But what was I supposed to do? Tell my boyfriend that I married someone else out of desperation, tied myself to Hardin in the most reckless way possible, and now couldn’t figure out where the hell my heart was?Yeah, that would go well."I’m just buying time," I said quietly, pushing the pie around my plate. "I need to figure things out first."Rachel gave me a long look, like she want
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-27Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 43
LunaIt took me a moment to process his words. My heart was pounding in my chest. The next moment, I found my voice, though it came out colder than I had intended."I'm not yours, Hardin," I said, my eyes locking with his. "We both know this."His expression didn't falter, but I could see the flicker of something in his eyes—something dark, something stubborn. He wasn’t willing to back down. And somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to back down either."I don’t want to be committed to someone who lies," I added, my voice steady, though the words felt heavier than I had anticipated.Hardin’s gaze never left mine, but his jaw tightened. He took a step closer more to me, closing the space that had been between us, his presence demanding. "When have I ever lied to you?" His voice was low, almost a challenge, but there was something else beneath it—something I couldn’t quite place.I let out a bitter chuckle, a small, humorless sound. It was almost as if I couldn’t help it. "You want me to lis
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-27Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 44
HardinI was fucking angry.This isn’t how any of this was supposed to turn out. I sat there in the middle of the room, still trying to make sense of it—still trying to fucking breathe through the fact that Luna had walked out on me with tears in her eyes.The same eyes that used to look at me like I was worth something. Now all they held was disappointment.I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching at my sides.How the hell did it get to this?My phone buzzed on the nightstand, Theo’s name flashing on the screen. Perfect. Just fucking perfect.I swiped to answer, “What?”Theo didn’t waste time.“We’ve got a problem," he said. "One of the guys used our name to carry out a job for a private client. Went completely rogue."I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay calm. But the rage was bubbling, unstoppable."Who?" "Markus," Theo said. "We just got the intel. You want me to handle it?"I stood up so fast."I’m coming over. Don't do a damn thing until I get there."I ended the call and stalke
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-28Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 45
LunaNot even a single message. Not a call.Nothing.I hugged my arms tighter around myself, wondering how I'd been so foolish to let it bother me. Wasn’t this what I wanted?Space? Distance?Yet here I was, checking my phone like some lovesick fool, hoping—needing—to see his name light up my screen. It never did.I told Rachel I was fine. I even forced a laugh or two at dinner, pretending like my heart wasn’t breaking inside my chest. But the truth was, I wasn’t okay.Not even close. I didn't know it will bother me this much.While Rachel slept soundly, I stared at the ceiling all night. My mind an endless reel of everything that had gone wrong.How my life had flipped the night I found him—Hardin—wounded and bleeding, desperate for help.How, maybe if I hadn’t been so generous, so stupidly kind, I would’ve still been with Jason, planning our future like any normal couple.Instead, I betrayed a good man. A man who loved me with pure intentions.And worse—I fell for the one man I shoul
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-28Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 46
LunaI didn’t know how we made it back to the house. I didn’t remember the drive or even stepping through the front door. All I knew was that Hardin’s mouth was on mine and my hands were in his hair, tugging him closer like I couldn’t get enough of him—and I couldn’t.By the time he kicked the front door shut behind us, I was already wrapped around him, my legs locked around his waist, my arms clinging to his shoulders like he was the only thing holding me together.His lips crushed mine in a way that was both desperate and tender, like he was trying to pour every unspoken word into the kiss. My back hit the wall with a soft thud, but I barely registered it. All I could feel was him—his hands gripping my thighs, the hard lines of his body pressed against mine, the way he kissed like he needed me just as badly as I needed him.“Fuck,” he groaned into my mouth, pulling back just long enough to meet my eyes. His voice was hoarse, raw with emotion. “You don’t even know what you do to me.”
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-29
Bab terbaru
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 48
LunaThe door to the director’s office closed behind Hardin with a dull thud, and I found myself standing there, staring at the polished wood like I could somehow hear what was going on inside.My pulse hadn’t settled since he walked in. No one said a word to me, but I could feel their eyes on my back. The whispers, the curious glances—none of it mattered. Not right now.What mattered was why Hardin showed up looking that intense. What had brought him here so suddenly?I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, trying to steady the storm swirling inside me. I should’ve been used to it by now—Hardin’s unpredictability, the way he moved through the world like a force of nature—but I wasn’t. Every time he stepped into a room, he pulled my focus, my breath, my entire sense of calm.“Still think those black cars were just here for a patient?” Rachel asked as she walked.up to me her tone quiet but pointed.I glanced at her. “I don’t know. Maybe something came up with the investment deal. Or m
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 47
LunaHardin wouldn’t let me breathe. Not for a second.First, he had the audacity to turn me on in the kitchen—with that smug grin and cocky words—only for Alice to walk in a moment later with a knowing smile on her face like she’d walked into something she’d already predicted. I could barely meet her eyes, and Hardin? That bastard just smirked like he’d won a damn trophy.But it didn’t end there.We ended up showering together… which, let’s be honest, wasn’t about getting clean. It was steam, hands, lips, and the kind of moaning that echoed off the walls. I told myself it was a bad idea. I really did. But the second his mouth met my skin, all rationality drowned under the weight of need.Now here I am, sitting in his car, trying to act like I wasn’t just completely wrecked and put back together by this man. Again.Hardin leaned over, that familiar scent of his crawling into my lungs like poison—dangerous and addictive. “You sure you want to go in like that?” he asked, his voice low a
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 46
LunaI didn’t know how we made it back to the house. I didn’t remember the drive or even stepping through the front door. All I knew was that Hardin’s mouth was on mine and my hands were in his hair, tugging him closer like I couldn’t get enough of him—and I couldn’t.By the time he kicked the front door shut behind us, I was already wrapped around him, my legs locked around his waist, my arms clinging to his shoulders like he was the only thing holding me together.His lips crushed mine in a way that was both desperate and tender, like he was trying to pour every unspoken word into the kiss. My back hit the wall with a soft thud, but I barely registered it. All I could feel was him—his hands gripping my thighs, the hard lines of his body pressed against mine, the way he kissed like he needed me just as badly as I needed him.“Fuck,” he groaned into my mouth, pulling back just long enough to meet my eyes. His voice was hoarse, raw with emotion. “You don’t even know what you do to me.”
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 45
LunaNot even a single message. Not a call.Nothing.I hugged my arms tighter around myself, wondering how I'd been so foolish to let it bother me. Wasn’t this what I wanted?Space? Distance?Yet here I was, checking my phone like some lovesick fool, hoping—needing—to see his name light up my screen. It never did.I told Rachel I was fine. I even forced a laugh or two at dinner, pretending like my heart wasn’t breaking inside my chest. But the truth was, I wasn’t okay.Not even close. I didn't know it will bother me this much.While Rachel slept soundly, I stared at the ceiling all night. My mind an endless reel of everything that had gone wrong.How my life had flipped the night I found him—Hardin—wounded and bleeding, desperate for help.How, maybe if I hadn’t been so generous, so stupidly kind, I would’ve still been with Jason, planning our future like any normal couple.Instead, I betrayed a good man. A man who loved me with pure intentions.And worse—I fell for the one man I shoul
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 44
HardinI was fucking angry.This isn’t how any of this was supposed to turn out. I sat there in the middle of the room, still trying to make sense of it—still trying to fucking breathe through the fact that Luna had walked out on me with tears in her eyes.The same eyes that used to look at me like I was worth something. Now all they held was disappointment.I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching at my sides.How the hell did it get to this?My phone buzzed on the nightstand, Theo’s name flashing on the screen. Perfect. Just fucking perfect.I swiped to answer, “What?”Theo didn’t waste time.“We’ve got a problem," he said. "One of the guys used our name to carry out a job for a private client. Went completely rogue."I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay calm. But the rage was bubbling, unstoppable."Who?" "Markus," Theo said. "We just got the intel. You want me to handle it?"I stood up so fast."I’m coming over. Don't do a damn thing until I get there."I ended the call and stalke
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 43
LunaIt took me a moment to process his words. My heart was pounding in my chest. The next moment, I found my voice, though it came out colder than I had intended."I'm not yours, Hardin," I said, my eyes locking with his. "We both know this."His expression didn't falter, but I could see the flicker of something in his eyes—something dark, something stubborn. He wasn’t willing to back down. And somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to back down either."I don’t want to be committed to someone who lies," I added, my voice steady, though the words felt heavier than I had anticipated.Hardin’s gaze never left mine, but his jaw tightened. He took a step closer more to me, closing the space that had been between us, his presence demanding. "When have I ever lied to you?" His voice was low, almost a challenge, but there was something else beneath it—something I couldn’t quite place.I let out a bitter chuckle, a small, humorless sound. It was almost as if I couldn’t help it. "You want me to lis
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 42
Luna"So you told Jason you and Hardin are friends," Rachel said, her voice dripping with disbelief.I sighed, stabbing my fork into the pie on my tray. The hospice cafeteria buzzed quietly around us, but it felt like all the noise faded as Rachel stared me down."I couldn't think of anything else to say," I mumbled, taking a bite and trying not to meet her eyes. The flaky crust crumbled on my tongue, but it tasted like guilt. "I can't just... tell Jason the real deal."Rachel let out a breath, leaning back in her chair. "You realize that's going to blow up eventually, right?"I knew it. God, I knew it.But what was I supposed to do? Tell my boyfriend that I married someone else out of desperation, tied myself to Hardin in the most reckless way possible, and now couldn’t figure out where the hell my heart was?Yeah, that would go well."I’m just buying time," I said quietly, pushing the pie around my plate. "I need to figure things out first."Rachel gave me a long look, like she want
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 41
HardinI couldn’t explain what I was feeling. Bitterness clawed its way up my chest, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.He’s just a friend. Luna’s words kept replaying in my head like a broken damn record.Friend. After everything. After the way I’ve been dragging my soul bare for her, the way I’ve been trying—hell, the way I feel about her.And she introduced me like I was nothing.And the worst part? She left with that asshole.Walked right past me without a second look, like I didn’t even exist.I sat there, leaning forward on the edge of the couch. My fingers locked together so tight they ached. I stared at the front door, waiting.For what, exactly? I didn’t know.For her to come back and fix it, maybe.For her to make it make sense.The front door clicked open. My head snapped up. Luna stepped in, hesitating for a second when her eyes met mine.She shut the door quietly behind her.Took a breath.“So we’re friends now?” I asked.failing—to hold back the bitterness biting at every w
Bound To The Kingpin Chapter 40
Luna I adjusted the chart in my hand, explaining the patient’s vitals to Dr. Ramirez, who nodded along as he listened carefully.“Her blood pressure has stabilized to 120/80, and her heart rate is within normal limits,” I said, flipping the page. “We’ve also reduced her oxygen support since her last reading was strong enough to sustain her breathing on minimal aid.”Just as I was about to continue, a soft chime interrupted the flow. I muttered a quick, “Excuse me,” and slipped my phone from the pocket of my white coat.The screen lit up with a new message — Hardin.A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it.“Hope you’re not too busy, Mrs.DeVante. Thinking about you.”That man had been bombarding my phone with messages since I stepped foot into the hospice this morning. And even though I hadn’t replied to a single one, it didn’t mean I hadn’t been checking them, grinning like an idiot every time.I caught Dr. Ramirez glancing curiously at me, and quickly tucked the phone away
