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CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE (ELI'S POV)
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-25 09:00:02I woke up the next morning to the smell of something familiar.
Bacon.And not just any kind, it was the thick-cut kind Luca always insisted on ordering from that small butcher outside Brooklyn. I didn’t move at first, just laid in bed and let the scent drift around me, half-convinced it was a dream. But then came the sizzle of eggs and the faint clang of a pan being moved around from downstairs. My eyes opened.It wasn’t a dream.I got up, showered quickly, and threw on a black T-shirt and joggers. The silence in the hallways was different this morning—lighter. I didn’t trust it.When I walked into the kitchen, I froze.Luca stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, brow slightly furrowed as he flipped pancakes like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he hadn't thrown me into a dungeon not long ago. Like we hadn’t broken each other in every possible way.He turned when he hear
Bab terkait
Bound by blood and lies PROLOGUE
Pain.It wasn't the kind that faded with time.It was a deep, raw and utterly ripping kind. The type that seeped so deep into your skin then settled in your bones. The kind that alters your brain chemistry and makes you question your own sanity.That was how I felt right now, shackled in the cold, hard dimly lit basement. I had expected this, planned for this.But nothing had prepared me for them.The door creaked open and the thick scent of colony and gunpowder that could only belong to one man filtered into the room. Slow deliberate footsteps echoed against the stone floor. I didn't lift my head, I didn't need to because I already knew who it was..Luca Rossi.The man I had been sent to destroy.The man who now owned me.“Still breathing?” His voice was as smooth as silk yet as sharp as steel as it carried authority.The metal cuffs dug into my wrists, it kept digging further into my already raw wrist, blood dripping lazily down my arm. My shirt was gone as well— it had been ripped
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-07Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER ONE (ELIAS'S POV)
Blood.The smell of blood and sweat was thick in the air. I was at the underground auction house which was hot due to the packed bodies. Low murmurs could be heard coming from the dimly lit chamber outside as their victims were being paraded to be auctioned off.I was one of them.Standing there, bruised, shackled, thirsty and shirtless.My wrists were bound in thick iron cuffs that dug into my skin. There was a cut on my lip that bled and made it painful for me to lick it, a victory mark from the handler I had fought because he thought he could try to break me before that auction.A slow smirk crept up my face but I quickly wiped it away, casting my eyes down as I focused on the mission. The crowd outside were cheering. Predators, all of them.My heart pounded as it got to my turn. The auctioneer silenced the crowd with a wave of his hand then began, "Up next, we have something...special." He grinned. "Eli. He's ex-military. Disgraced, abandoned, left to rot by his own family after p
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-07Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER TWO (ELIAS'S POV)
I knew a test when I saw one.And right now? I was being tested.The underground auction was successful but Luca and Matteo weren't fools. They might have bought me but they sure as hell didn't trust me.Not yet.Matteo leaves against the wall of the indoor gym, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his toned, tattooed muscular arm and a silver bracelet that gleamed under the light.“Like what you see?” He asked, teasing.I ignored him, my eyes sliding over to Luca who sat on a sleek leather chair at the aft end of the room, watching us like a king on his throne. A glass of whiskey held in his hand as he swirled it lazily, he acted like he wasn't interested in what we were doing but I wasn't stupid.He was studying me.They both were."Fight me," Matteo said simply, cracking his knuckles.I didn’t rise to the bait. I knew what this was. A way to gauge my strength, to see if I was as dangerous as my fake backstory claimed.They thought I was a former soldier—a man who had been
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-07Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER TWO (ELI'S POV)
This game. I was losing.My days usually started with brutal training. Matteo wasn't going easy on me— not that I expected him to. His strikes were always fast, powerful and relentless, designed to bruise skin and break bones.I took it all.I had to.But what I didn’t expect was the way he pushed boundaries. Teasing touch on my exposed body, brushing his hand against my member, sliding his knee between my legs and brushing his lips against my skin while Luca watches from the sidelines with a drink in hand, always.He was always watching.For what? I didn't know.And I didn’t know if I was passing.***After training one day, I was shoved into a shower but not alone.Matteo, who was drenched in sweat, stepped in after me like he owned the place.No. Like he owned me.Peeling his shirt off his body and looking amused by my reaction.“What are you doing here?"You’re stiff," he said, ignoring my question, his eyes flicking over my body.No shit."There's a lot of tension in his muscles,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-07Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER FOUR (ELI'S POV)
One thing I have come to learn in my story time at the Rossi mansion is that the hallways had ears. If your loyalty is doubted even for a second, you will join the blood of the people used to build the empire.The first step of my mission was to get in, the second was to gain their trust dn from the look of things, I was on the right track.So here I was, standing in front of the dinning table, my body still sore from my training session with Matteo. Bruises had become a part of me now, he always made sure to leave a mark like the masochist that he was. He left marks that wouldn't fade for days and always made sure to add new ones. I caught him staring at them with a sick, twisted smile on his face on several occasions.Luca and Matteo were like fire and ice. One made calculated cold moves while the other ripped things apart.And now, they were both watching me keenly.“You’ve proven yourself,” Luca finally said, his deep, soft voice echoing in the dining room. “You’re an excellent fi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-07Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER FIVE (ELI'S POV)
I stayed in the car until my heart calmed down and my body didn't feel like a burning inferno.Fuck them. I won't let them get me caught and tangled in their web of lies and manipulation.By the time I stepped out of the car, I saw Luca talking to his men that were stationed around the building we had come to. It looked like an old, repurposed factory— such types of buildings were commonly known to be neutral ground for Mafia businesses. No camera, no recording devices. Nothing but blood and business.I could already tell that this was no small meeting.Luca motioned for me to follow them inside with a tilt of his head. Inside, I saw a lot of high ranking Mafia members of the Rossi Mafia that I had been investigating for months. They were all seated around a long, black table under the dim lights.I watched as their eyes flickered over to me, scanning me, sizing me up.I ignored them, playing my role as the perfect bodyguard.“Sir.” A man whom I had never seen before, spoke up.“Yes,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-14Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIX (ELI'S POV)
The gun felt like it weighed a ton. I could see the impatience beginning to crawl into Luca's eyes. Matteo on the other hand was happy about the position I had been put in, he found it entertaining.The man was pushed to his knees before me. He shook violently, his breathing becoming panicked and frantic. He knew that he was going to die either way but the question was whether or not I was going to be the one to pull the trigger.I had killed before but not like this. Not in cold blood.Not to prove loyalty to men that I had vowed to destroy.My mission. That's what I had to focus on.My grip on the gun tightened, time was ticking. My heart raced in my chest so fast that I thought it would burst out. My instincts screamed at me to do something — to move, to run.But I didn't move. I couldn't.Matteo let out a slow airy laugh then walked behind me. He was way too close for comfort as he pressed his chest against my back, letting his heat seep into my bones. His fingers trailed from m
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-14Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVEN (ELI'S POV)
I took a deep breath, running my palm down my face.Luca.The way he looked at me. The way he touched me—deliberate, calculated.His words still echoed in my mind. Congratulations, Eli. Like I had passed some twisted test. Like I belonged here.I didn’t.But fuck if my body wasn’t betraying me. I reached up, brushing my fingers against the spot on my neck where his breath had fanned over. It was still warm. My skin still tingled.I should be thinking about my mission, about how I was closer than ever to bringing these men down. Instead I was thinking about Luca.His touch. His scent.His dominance.I ran a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling inside me. I needed to shake this off. I needed a cold shower.Taking off my clothes, I carelessly tossed them in a corner of the bedroom, trying my best to ignore my lower region which throbbed with need.My member stood erect as the cold breeze touched my naked body, making me shiver. I walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower befor
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-15
Bab terbaru
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE (ELI'S POV)
I woke up the next morning to the smell of something familiar.Bacon.And not just any kind, it was the thick-cut kind Luca always insisted on ordering from that small butcher outside Brooklyn. I didn’t move at first, just laid in bed and let the scent drift around me, half-convinced it was a dream. But then came the sizzle of eggs and the faint clang of a pan being moved around from downstairs. My eyes opened.It wasn’t a dream.I got up, showered quickly, and threw on a black T-shirt and joggers. The silence in the hallways was different this morning—lighter. I didn’t trust it.When I walked into the kitchen, I froze.Luca stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, brow slightly furrowed as he flipped pancakes like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he hadn't thrown me into a dungeon not long ago. Like we hadn’t broken each other in every possible way.He turned when he hear
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR (ELI'S POV)
The halls were just as cold as I remembered.The same marble floors, same glass walls, same suffocating silence. It had been three days since we had landed in New York and walked back through the dark gates of the Rossi estate, and not one of them had spoken to me.Not really, at least.Just a few words here and there—“you’re free to go wherever,” “meals are at seven,” “the guest room’s ready.” All formal. Detached.Matteo’s eyes had flickered toward me a couple of times when he thought I wasn’t looking. Luca had kept his distance entirely by burying himself in meetings, calls, whatever power play he had been running behind the scenes. If I didn't know them as well as I did, I would have said that they were avoiding me out of shame but I knew better.They were watching.Waiting.For what, I didn’t know.I had spent most of the days wandering around the house like a ghost.
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE (RICCI'S POV)
The sun was beginning to dip below the valley when I returned to the villa, the warm golden rays bathed the villa making it even more breathtaking.The issue has turned out to be a minor one but took over a day to resolve and I was more than happy to be home and soon to be in Eli's arms.It was quiet— the type of peace and quiet that I usually craved and cherished after all the blood, movie and chaos but today, something felt different.It was too quiet.Off.Too still.As I stepped into the grand entryway, I called out. “Eli?”Nothing.My pulse kicks up.“Eli?” I say again, louder now.Still nothing.Where’s Eli? I wondered.Pulling off my gloves, I walked into the living room but there was still no sign of Eli. The bedroom? Empty. Bathroom — untouched. The sheets were still rumpled from the previous morning, the pil
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO (ELI'S POV)
The car ride was silent.Only the faint hum of the engine and the crunch of gravel under big, thick tires outside broke the silence between us as they sped down the back roads leading us further away from the railway.I turned to look at the man next to me. Nathan. They had brought him into the car shortly after me, he would be treated and then sent back to America.This made me wonder where they were taking me to.Nathan lay beside me in the backseat, unconscious again, his breathing shallow but steady. The seat beneath him was stained with blood. I’d pressed my jacket against his side, trying to soak up the worst of it.Matteo was up in front, in the passenger seat with a phone to his ear, barking orders rapidly in Italian.Luca sat opposite me, legs crossed, his hand absently adjusting the cuffs of his coat like this was any other day. Like we weren’t running from a crime scene. Like they weren’t
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE (ELI'S POV)
I kept my face calm, even as my mind ran through every possible way to escape. Every breath I took felt like I was inhaling poison—thick with tension and with fear I’d buried but never truly outrun.“I’m not yours,” I said quietly, jaw clenched. “I never was.”Matteo’s smile faded just slightly, the flicker of irritation showing like a crack in stone. “Then why are you here, Elias?”I didn’t answer.Instead, I looked past him. My eyes scanning the shadows behind the platform, the corners of the station, the windows above—anything. Nathan had to be nearby. They don't want me to see him yet. They wanted me to feel the consequences of disobedience.Luca circled me slowly now, like a wolf circling around the prey to be its next meal. “You always had that fire,” he murmured. “Even when we broke you in.”“You tried to break me.”“Hmm. We did more than try.” He leaned in close to my ear. “But
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY (ELI'S POV)
The old railway station looked like the bones of some long-dead giant. Its frame creaked under the slightest weight as it was worn out and old, the iron rails were rusted and bent like fractured limbs. Fog clung to the ground making it more eerie than it already was, they moved around my boots like fingers trying to drag me back.Still, I walked forward.The cab had pulled away minutes ago, its headlight growing dimer until it finally disappeared into the night. I was alone now—no backup, no comms, no tracker. I didn’t even know how long I had been walking. Every step I took sounded too loud as it echoed through the quiet night. My heart thumped against my ribs like it was trying to escape.I scanned the dark.Every instinct screaming at me that it was a trap.And it was. No doubt. But it was a trap I chose to walk into.I walked around the outer wall, sticking to the shadows, eyes sharply scanning
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY NINE (ELI'S POV)
The phone buzzed again.My eyes hadn’t left the photo of Nathan Cole, bloodied and broken, tied to a chair like some animal that had been hunted and caught. His body language said everything—he was near the end of his rope. My throat tightened as I tapped the new message."If you want him to survive the night, come to this location."Another message sent a pin on a map. Rome. An abandoned rail station on the city’s outskirts.It felt like ice begin to flood through my veins.I stared at it, heart pounding so loud it echoed in my ears.They were really doing this. Luca and Matteo had him. And they were playing their sick, twisted game again.I rubbed my face, trying to breathe. Think.Nathan wasn’t just an agent. He was the only reason I’d ever made it out alive. When I was still Elias Carter, drowning under cover so deep I couldn’t remember who I was, he pulled me out. He
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT (ELI'S POV)
The moment the terrace door flew open and Ricci’s man stepped through, everything changed.I could feel it like a sudden drop in temperature. A stillness that wasn’t peaceful anymore—but charged, like lightning had just struck a tree. The man looked like he’d run through hell barefoot—sweat dripped down his temple, he was breathing hard, his eyes were wild and a little bit haunted.He didn’t speak in English. The words tumbled out in fast, clipped Italian—coded, urgent.I recognized a few word from the conversations Ricci had trained me to understand over the weeks, but this wasn’t the usual “check the perimeter” or “bring the car around.” No, this was something else. Something serious.Ricci froze for just a second.Then everything about him changed.He grabbed his phone and his shirt in one swift motion, muscles instantly becoming taunt beneath his skin, his face shifting into that unreadable expre
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN (RICCI'S POV)
The night was unusually still.Even the crickets had gone quiet. The wind barely moved the olive tree branches. The stars looked close enough to touch, glittering over the coastal hills of Tuscany, bathing the villa’s terrace in pale silver light. It was like the whole world had paused—just for us.Eli was curled beside me on the wide terrace lounge, his head resting on my shoulder,a light cotton blanket draped across our legs. The stars stretched endlessly above us, brighter and than I’d ever seen them back in the city, it was beautiful. We were both barefoot, an empty bottle of wine resting near our feet.He smelled like sun kissed skin and saltwater. My hand lazily traced the curve of his arm, stopping occasionally just to feel him—solid, real, breathing. His fingers played lazily with the edge of my shirt. The skin-to-skin contact should’ve felt ordinary by now—but it never did. Not with him.We’d spent the day wrapped in a slow kind of bliss
