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Chapter 10
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-01-05 01:54:32
Bab terkait
Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 11
ELENA'S POVI felt my hand make contact with Karen's cheek, the sharp sound of the slap echoing through the tense air. A stunned silence followed as Karen stared at me, her hand pressed to her reddened skin.It didn't take long for her minions to jump to her defense. "How dare you slap Karen?" one demanded, their voice filled with outrage. "You think you can get away with anything just because you're someone's mistresse?"Another chimed in, their words dripping with malice. "Yeah, you should be ashamed of yourself. Don't you have any respect for Mr Hawthorn's fiancée?"Their accusations felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head, freezing me in shock. The world seemed to slow down around me, their words repeating in my mind over and over again. 'Adrian's fiancée?'The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Here they were, accusing me of being a mistress, completely unaware that I was, in fact, Adrian's wife. Even if it was a contracted marriage, it still
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-06Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 12
ELENA'S POV "Elena, are you alright?" he asked, concern etched on his face. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled me into a warm embrace, his arms encircling me protectively.I clung to him, my tears soaking into his shirt as I tried to catch my breath.Lucas held me tight as I sobbed into his chest, my body trembling with emotion. After a few moments, he gently pulled away, his expression a mix of concern and tenderness."Elena, you have to be more careful," he scolded, his voice firm but gentle. "You almost got hit by a car! What were you thinking, crossing without looking?"His words, meant to be caring, only served to make my tears flow harder. I clung to him tighter, burying my face in his chest as I let all my pent-up emotions out.Lucas, realizing the gravity of my distress, wrapped his arms around me once again, holding me close as he stroked my hair. "It's alright, Elena. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Just take your time."Lucas, sensing that I was in no state t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-07Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 13
LUCAS POVLucas took a deep breath, steeling himself for the difficult conversation ahead. "Elena, I ran away because I had no choice. My father passed away, and his family was after me and my mother for our inheritance. They were willing to kill us both, so I had to make the decision to run away and protect my mother."He paused, reliving the painful memories. "It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make but I knew that if I stayed, we would both be in danger. So I left everything behind and started a new life in a different city. I couldn't risk contacting you or anyone else for fear that it would lead them straight to us."Lucas looked into Elena's tear-filled eyes, his expression sincere. "I never stopped thinking about you, Elena. I missed you every day, but I couldn't come back until I was sure it was safe. And now, I have the resources to protect myself and my mother. That's why I came back, to make things right and to try to win back your trust."I stared blankly at
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-08Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 14
ELENA'S POVElena stirred awake to the sound of a gentle knock on the door. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes, she sat up, her mind still foggy with the remnants of her dreams."Come in," she called out, her voice still thick with sleep.The maid entered with a warm smile on her face. "Good morning Miss Elena. Mr. Lucas has requested your presence for breakfast, and he would like to accompany you home after that."Elena's heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Lucas again. She nodded, "Thank you, please tell him I will be down soon."The maid nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.Elena took a deep breath, running a hand through her dishevelled hair. She felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension at the thought of leaving the safety of the room and facing the world again. But she knew that she couldn't hide forever, and she was ready to take the next step.After freshening up and getting dressed, Elena made her way downstairs to the dining room where bre
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-08Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 15
LUCAS POV I sat at my desk, the sunlight pouring in through the windows and warming my skin. My thoughts were consumed by the financial reports in front of me, but my mind kept drifting back to last night. Elena had been captivating, her intelligence and wit shining through in every conversation. I found myself replaying our interactions in my mind, a small smile forming on my lips.As much as I wanted to focus on work, I couldn't shake the thought of her. I knew she was dealing with a difficult situation with Adrian, but I couldn't deny the connection I felt. Just as I reached for the phone to call her, my assistant's voice buzzed through the intercom."Mr. Lucas, there's someone here to see you."My heart skipped a beat at the thought that it might be Elena, but I quickly composed myself. "Send them in," I replied, setting down the phone and turning my attention to the door.Alicia burst into the room, her energy palpable as she rushed towards me. I braced myself as she wrappe
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-09Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 16
ELENA'S POV I woke up early, the morning sunlight filtering through my curtains. I stretched and sat up in bed, preparing myself for another day at work. After getting ready, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, making my way towards the office.I had walked away angrily from Adrian's presence last night and surprisingly he let me go.Why would he have me followed? It's enough he's ruining my life with the contract marriage!As I approached the entrance, I noticed Karen and her minions standing there, a smirk on their faces. I knew they were up to no good, and sure enough, they intentionally blocked my way, trying to make me late and lose a point."Excuse me," I said, trying to keep my tone polite as I attempted to squeeze past them.Karen stepped in front of me, her eyes glinting with malice. "Oh Elena, we didn't see you there," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You should watch where you're going. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"I gritted my teeth, know
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-09Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 17
ELENA'S POV Just then, the lights in the office flickered and went out, plunging me into darkness. I felt a cold breeze blow past me, and a shiver ran down my spine.Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. I turned, my heart racing, but I couldn't see anything in the pitch blackness."Who's there?" I called out, my voice echoing off the walls.There was no response, just the sound of footsteps growing closer and closer. Fear gripped me as I realized I was not alone in the office.I took a step back, feeling for the door behind me. But as my hand closed around the knob, I felt something cold and metallic against my neck."Don't move," a voice whispered in my ear. "Or you'll regret it!"" P.pplease let me go," I stammered,trying to get the stranger to reason with me.I felt something cold press on my back, and I froze in shock and fear ran down my spine.' He was pressing a gun on my back! Fuck he has a gun!' I thought thinking of a way out for myself. " Please what
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-10Bound by debt; Freed by love Chapter 18
LUCAS POV I drove as fast as I could to Elena's office, my heart pounding with worry. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Adrian's car parked haphazardly near the entrance. A sense of dread washed over me as I rushed out of my car and towards the building.As I approached, I saw Adrian coming out of the office, Elena in his arms. She looked unconscious, her head lolling against his chest. Anger and fear coursed through me at the sight.Adrian looked up and noticed me, a smug smirk crossing his face. It was as if he was proud of what he had done, showing off his conquest like a trophy."What have you done to her?" I demanded, my hands balled into fists at my sides.Adrian chuckled, shaking his head. "Just a little sleeping aid, nothing to worry about. I'm taking her home with me."I took a step forward, ready to take Elena from his arms, but Adrian stepped back, out of my reach."Don't even think about it, Lucas," he warned, his voice hard. "You've had your chance with her, now
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-11
Bab terbaru
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 138
ELENA'S POV My eyes flurried open, gradually adjusting to the soft beams of sunlight resting on my face. I stretched more comfortably, suddenly pausing as my body finally sensed the unfamiliar surface where I laid. Turning my face to take a look, my lungs gave way to a shrieking sound but thankfully, sighting Dave laying peacefully on the sofa opposite mine made me swallow the panic rising to my throat. How could I have done this? Yanking the covers off my body, I jerked into a sitting position trying to make sense of the situation with a lot of questions buzzing around my head. How had I fallen asleep in a stranger's house? How did I not scream myself awake somewhere in the middle of the night? This was all too much for me, I had to get out of here. With light and careful steps, I finally stepped outside racing all the way to my house and collapsing on my couch, breathing hardly. “Elena?”, Eloise' voice came from behind me, circling me with suspicion in her eyes. “Oh Elly, w-wh
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 137
LUCAS' POV Not so surprisingly, the recordings from the cameras in my office had been wiped out, making me order for all the cameras to be removed. There was no use for them anyways since their locations had been found already. The culprit could have been Henry or any other pawn and despite how impatient I felt in digging out the root of the case, I knew it would only do the opposite of the results I really wanted. ‘patience, patience, Lucas’, I chanted repeatedly underneath my breath with my knuckles resting on my desk as I watched them dispose all the cameras, not knowing whether to be angry or sad. Despite my tough and cold exterior that night as I threatened him - meaning every of those words still, the sting from the betrayal still hurt deeply more than anything. I'd thought giving him a promotion and making him the acting CEO during times when I was out the country for a meeting or business dinner would make him realize my sole trust in him and recognition as my brother.
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 136
ELENA'S POV Dear Miss Elena, we sincerely appreciate your offer to design the hall for the party. Please take a look at the contract details below and let us know if you need any clarifications. We'd be happy to help! I blinked twice at my screen still in awe at Dave's commitment to helping me soothe my frustrations and bring my dreams to life. How come he still went ahead with this plan even when I'd asked him to stay away from me? No. This was just too unfair. He didn't have to do all these because my response was still the same. The past few years of my life had been traumatic and still overwhelming at the slightest thought of it. No one, not even Eloise knew about my constant nightmares and the pills stacked up under my pillow that helped me sleep soundly. That's right! I had ran out of those and needed to restock soon. “Hey Lena”, Eloise said, jumping in on the bed and snuggling up to me. My eyes froze into the empty space in front of me, surprised at her sudden entrance whi
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 135
NATHAN'S POVThe Brooks family was among the top five wealthiest in Atlanta - a city known for its beautiful summer sights and most times, a substitute of Vegas. Casinos, drugs and trafficking thrived bountifully underneath the beautiful women and all the fun you could find there. Despite my family always emphasizing my addiction to fun and lots of women flicking around me, somewhere deep down inside my heart accused them for bringing me up here in the first place. My father for instance, was never a better example than any of us as we - my brother and I grew up to see different shades and sizes of women leaving his bedroom every morning. At a very young age, we made countless trips to the casino watching how he handled deals with a few of his ‘businessmen’ and how we feared he might lose his life sometimes. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get used to the tense atmosphere mixed with thick smoke and the smell of pipes and drugs in the air. Not so surprisingly, it soon became m
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 134
ELENA'S POV Wine didn't seem to work on me anymore as I tossed uncomfortably throughout the night, unable to get any sleep. Seeing the soft sunlight reflect through my curtains, I decided to get some work done; more like continue from where I'd left off last night. With Eloise nowhere in sight, I quickly assumed she was off to work doing something meaningful with her life anyways. Going at this pace for me, would probably take me long, painful months to get any real clients. “Fuck it”, I cursed, jogging all the way to my kitchen to make some breakfast while listening to Eloise' cover on the said David Thompson's song. David Thompson. Right. I had to do some background check on him so I swiped out my phone, typing his name and meticulously reading every article, every headline written about him. And just as I expected, there were a few terrible news about him especially concerning his divorce and scandals about his record label company. My heart skipped a beat skimming through th
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 133
ELENA'S POVIt was exactly three days since I went out for a run again, not because I was scared to see Dave again but…okay, I was scared to run into him again. So here I sat by the window with a hot coffee in hand, and my work laptop on my laps anonymously pitching my offers to potential clients; most of which were the rich people in the city. Unfortunately, the only few replies I got was them stating their need for a housekeeper. “What the fuck is wrong with these people?” I muttered to myself angrily, forcefully closing the laptop shut and heading towards the kitchen for another round of coffee. “Can I have one of that too?”, Eloise asked cheerfully behind me, a hint of amusement in her voice. Humming lowly in response, I filled an extra cup and handed it to her by the time I was done. “What's causing all the mood swings Elena?”, she asked, settling into the chair opposite me. I hissed in irritation, shifting restlessly in my chair as I seethed with frustration. “These rich peo
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 132
LUCAS' POV Tonight was just as gloomy as the last one when we met up at this very bar, somehow hoping to meet the girls here - at least for Nathan and I. James on the other hand was unusually quiet and brooding over his third glass tonight, detached away from himself. “What is happening to us?”, Nathan questioned, stretching his arms with multiple lines of frustration running across his face. “Just when I thought I didn't matter to them and I'm happy, he just ties me to that slut?”, he ranted, yelling above the loud music blaring around us. Too occupied in my own emptiness to offer any real response, I simply nodded in understanding, acknowledging his frustrations even more clearer as I was in the same position. How convenient for my late father who never even had a glimpse of me from the time of my birth to seal my future with a devil in human form - Mr. Anderson. “Welcome to a man's world Nathan”, I finally answered, after long minutes of silence. Nathan scoffed in response, fo
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 131
ELENA'S POV Since things had gone haywire the last time I stepped into the city, I'd decided to stay away until I was sure of what to do with myself. But for now, I bit into a slice of toast and grabbing a bottle of water to take a long for my morning jog. In the past few days, I was starting to become too relaxed staying indoors and it had somehow made my brain lazy. So I opted to go for exercises, starting with a morning run every morning. I stepped out of the house with a determined glint shining in my eyes, staring ahead through the light fog hovering the neighbourhood. “Good thing it’s not fully dawn yet”, I muttered underneath my breath, a smirk playing at the corner of my lips in satisfaction as I didn't feel ready to be known by anyone here.Apart from Eloise and perhaps Luci, I hardly ever had a good relationship with anyone. From high school until college, everyone always acted like I was a threat around them or just something they couldn't stand. Back in high school, I
Bound by debt; Freed by love CHAPTER 130
ELOISE' POVIt was all fun and games until I saw it before my very own eyes. The very girl I loathed and just like that - the solid bricks of reassurance built somewhere in my heart crumbled slowly. His love for me was never a doubt but accepting it was harder than I wanted it to - still, the end came too quickly even though I'd always known it. Expected, even. I took a quick glance at my phone longing for that familiar name sliding through the screen but none came - for days. Just to make sure, his contacts were all unblocked, and I knew he knew that. I wanted to listen to his own side of the story, yearning to believe them even if my mind fought it. Nathan had never lied to me, and he never would but it didn't make any difference in what I believed, especially now.“Please give this to him when you see him”, I said in a downcast tone, handing his black card to his house keeper who obviously had a lot to say but my shielded aura was enough warning. I missed her too regardless. Wa
