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Chapter 48 – Into the Lion’s Den
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-21 23:37:28
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Bound by deception Chapter 49 – Unseen Chains
“The woman at the center of the storm.”Logan Pierce’s words hung in the air like an omen, sinking into the dimly lit room like a fog, thick and suffocating.I forced my expression to remain neutral, though every nerve in my body was on edge. The way he said it, like he already knew me. Like I was some predetermined piece in a game I hadn’t agreed to play made my skin crawl.“That’s dramatic,” I muttered, keeping my voice flat.Logan’s smirk deepened, the corners of his mouth curving with something that wasn’t quite amusement, wasn’t quite malice. “Isn’t it?”Ethan wasn’t amused. “Sit.”He didn’t direct the order at Logan. He meant me.For a moment, I considered defying him. Just to remind him I wasn’t some pawn he could push around. But the weight of exhaustion settled deep in my bones, and I knew I had to pick my battles. So, I sank onto the leather couch, my arms crossing over my chest.Logan, completely at ease, took his time settling into the chair across from me, stretching out
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-21Bound by deception Chapter One
“Marry me, or your brother dies.” The words slam into me like a gunshot. I grip the armrests of my chair, my nails digging into the leather. My heart pounds so violently I feel it in my throat. The air in Ethan Sinclair’s office is thick, suffocating, closing in around me. He can’t be serious. But the way his ice-blue eyes bore into mine calmly, unwavering, tells me he is. “You’re insane,” I whisper, my pulse hammering. Ethan leans back, completely unfazed, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. He takes a slow sip, savoring it, like we’re discussing stock options and not my life. “Your brother’s medical bills are piling up,” he says, voice smooth, controlled. “The hospital won’t wait forever.” His words strike like a whip. My fingers tighten around the armrests until they hurt. Liam. The image of my little brother flashes in my mind. His pale skin, weak breaths, tubes and monitors surrounding his frail body. The doctors said there was hope
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22Bound by deception Chapter Two
The ring feels like a shackle. I sit stiffly in the middle of Ethan’s penthouse, glaring at the massive diamond he just slipped onto my finger. The damn thing sparkles under the chandelier light, mocking me. “This is ridiculous,” I mutter, twisting it around my finger like I can rip it off by sheer will. “You’ll wear it at all times,” Ethan says, standing over me. “No exceptions.” His voice is calm, firm, as if he’s telling me I’ll breathe air or drink water. As if this is a law of nature I can’t argue with. I scoff, shifting in my seat. “Afraid someone will think your fiancée doesn’t love you?” Ethan steps closer, his presence swallowing the space between us. He doesn’t touch me, but it feels like he does. His energy is suffocating, like a magnetic field trapping me in place. “Afraid you’ll forget this is just business?” His voice drops an octave, smooth as silk but sharp as a blade. His breath warms my skin, and for a terrifying second, my pulse skips. I hate how m
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22Bound by deception Chapter Three
The engagement party is a nightmare in designer clothing. Glittering chandeliers hang like jeweled traps from the ceiling, their golden light reflecting off the champagne flutes clinking in celebration. The air is thick with expensive perfume, murmured conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter. I stand at Ethan’s side, my champagne untouched, my fingers curled tightly around the delicate stem of the glass. My grip is the only thing keeping me steady. I force myself to smile, to act the part of the devoted fiancée. Because in this room—where wealth and power weave together like an unbreakable net, one misstep could ruin everything. Beside me, Ethan thrives in the attention. He shakes hands, trades smirks, and commands the room with the ease of a man born to rule. His hand rests low on my waist, possessive, like a brand. I feel his gaze flicker toward me every now and then. Testing me. Pushing me. I don’t react. Not yet. But he’s playing a game, and I have no
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22Bound by deception Chapter Four
I storm into Ethan’s office, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The room is sleek, modern, just like him. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretch behind a black glass desk, offering a perfect view of the city skyline. A world he owns. A world I’m trapped in. But right now, I don’t care about the wealth or power surrounding him. I care about the lie. The one he’s keeping from me. “What the hell are you planning?” Ethan glances up, completely unfazed. His charcoal suit is crisp, his tie slightly loosened like he’s already settled in for the night. Like he expected me. His expression doesn’t shift. No surprise, no guilt, just a cool, collected mask. He leans back, fingers steepled together. Calm. Confident. Dangerous. “You were eavesdropping?” His voice is smooth, like I’m the one crossing a line. I slam my hands on the glass desk, hard enough to make the papers tremble. Hard enough to show I’m not afraid. “Don’t turn this on me.” His lips twitch in a ghos
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22Bound by deception Chapter Five
I don’t wait for the elevator. I run. Heart hammering, breath short, heels slamming against the marble floors as I tear through the lobby. The stunned doorman calls after me, but I don’t stop. I don’t look back. The note burns in my grip. Your husband-to-be isn’t who he says he is. Those words won’t leave my head. They rattle through my skull, louder than my own thoughts. Someone broke into my apartment. Someone was there. Watching. Waiting. And they left me this, a warning I don’t understand. I reach Ethan’s private penthouse, fists clenching. My chest heaves as I slam my fist against the door. “Ethan!” Silence. I pound harder. “Open the damn door!” Nothing. A cold shiver races through me. Then— Click. The door swings open. Ethan stands there. No jacket. Sleeves rolled up. Hair slightly tousled like he’s been running his hands through it. Calm. Controlled. Like he didn’t just destroy my life. His gaze sweeps over me, settling on the cru
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-22Bound by deception Chapter 6 : Secrets Behind Locked Doors
The folder lingers between us like a ticking bomb. I stare at it. It's thin. Deceptively light. Nonetheless, it feels heavier than anything I've ever held. It makes my fingers shake as I try to grab it. The weight of my heart weighing heavily on my ears.' I shouldn't open it. I am aware of the instincts of animals that alert them to running before a storm. This is their way! But I do it anyway. If I flip that folder open, the air changes in the room. Tighter. Heavier. Ethan doesn't move. Doesn't speak. Pay attention as my world unravels among a collection of meticulously curated documents.'... A photo is included on the first page. Lucas. My breath catches. Pale. Weak. Hooked up to twelve machines in a clean medical facility. His eyes are shut, his body is frighteningly still. I blink. My throat tightens. The next page—his medical bills. Unpaid. Stamped with red warnings. FINAL NOTICE. As I flip through them, my stomach knotters.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-01Bound by deception Chapter 7 : First Test
A hand rests on my wrist. Hard. Unforgiving. Ethan's tuck is like a curse, pressing against the skin. Just as I feel the pain, he pulls me towards him, his arm gripping my waist, and holding me to his side like a sprinter. I should. But I don't. I breathe in deeply, forming a polite smile.? I belong here. My duty is to feel at home in this place.'". The festivity is a lavish affair. Crystal chandeliers shine brightly on the polished marble floors..... The elite of New York possess liquid gold in the form of champagne.. Every moment is composed, synchronized, and effortless. I feel none of it. Because he's here. Elias. My stomach lurches. Wearing a black suit that feels like your second skin, he stands near the bar. There's no doubting his presence, it'll be like he was designed to have any room if. at all. The man had one hand around a bottle of whiskey and the other in his pocket. Unbothered. Untouchable. Afterward, his gaze falls on my face. A spark of recognition. Sho
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-01
Bab terbaru
Bound by deception Chapter 49 – Unseen Chains
“The woman at the center of the storm.”Logan Pierce’s words hung in the air like an omen, sinking into the dimly lit room like a fog, thick and suffocating.I forced my expression to remain neutral, though every nerve in my body was on edge. The way he said it, like he already knew me. Like I was some predetermined piece in a game I hadn’t agreed to play made my skin crawl.“That’s dramatic,” I muttered, keeping my voice flat.Logan’s smirk deepened, the corners of his mouth curving with something that wasn’t quite amusement, wasn’t quite malice. “Isn’t it?”Ethan wasn’t amused. “Sit.”He didn’t direct the order at Logan. He meant me.For a moment, I considered defying him. Just to remind him I wasn’t some pawn he could push around. But the weight of exhaustion settled deep in my bones, and I knew I had to pick my battles. So, I sank onto the leather couch, my arms crossing over my chest.Logan, completely at ease, took his time settling into the chair across from me, stretching out
Bound by deception Chapter 48 – Into the Lion’s Den
The SUV sliced through the night like a silent predator, devouring the miles between us and the city. The hum of the tires against the road was the only sound filling the tense silence inside the car. Ethan sat beside me, his jaw tight, his fingers drumming against his knee in a steady calculated and controlled rhythm. His mind was somewhere else, far ahead of us, mapping out the next move, anticipating every possible threat. I stared out the window, watching as the towering skyscrapers and flickering neon lights of New York faded into darkness, replaced by vast stretches of highway and dense, looming trees. The further we drove, the more it felt like we were leaving civilization itself. A cold knot twisted in my stomach. Finally, I exhaled, breaking the silence. “Where exactly is ‘home’?” Ethan’s gaze flicked to me, but his expression remained unreadable. “Somewhere safe.” I let out a hollow laugh. “Safe? There’s no such thing anymore.” He didn’t argue. He didn’t need to
Bound by deception Chapter 47 – No Safe Haven
The room felt like it had been drained of oxygen. I stared at the phone in my hand, my fingers curled so tightly around it that my knuckles turned white. The screen flickered, casting a pale glow on my face, but all I could focus on was the image. The bold, jagged letters scrawled across my apartment door like a bloody warning. Nowhere is safe. A shiver crept down my spine. The words weren’t just a threat. They were a promise. I sucked in a shaky breath, but the air felt thick, heavy, as if the walls were closing in. Ethan moved first. His hand shot out, snatching the phone from my grasp. His grip was tight, controlled, but the muscle in his jaw ticked. A sign that the control was hanging by a thread. His gaze flicked over the image, scanning every detail, and then, with a sharp inhale, he turned to me. “Pack a bag.” I blinked, my mind still trying to catch up. “What?” “You’re not staying here. You’re not going back to your apartment.” His voice was clipped, edged with
Bound by deception Chapter 46 – The Line We Can’t Cross
“Let go of me, Ethan.” I kept my voice steady, but my body betrayed me. My hands trembled. My pulse hammered against my ribs, each beat screaming at me to run. Ethan’s grip on my wrist didn’t tighten, but it didn’t loosen either. His fingers, warm and solid, were the only thing anchoring me in place. He stood rigid, his jaw ticking, his body wound so tight it looked like he might snap. “I can’t.” A shiver rippled down my spine. Elias let out a low whistle. “Oh, this is getting good. What’s next, Sinclair? You gonna lock her up in your penthouse?” Ethan didn’t even spare him a glance. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unyielding. “If that’s what it takes to keep her safe.” A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “You don’t get to decide that.” His grip flexed. Just a twitch of his fingers but I felt it everywhere. “I do when Damien Cross is hunting you.” Elias exhaled dramatically. “And there it is. The Sinclair control complex.” He smirked, shifting against the des
Bound by deception Chapter 45 – The Truth That Shatters
The room felt like it was closing in. The walls seemed narrower, the air thick with something I couldn’t name. The grainy video on the screen played in an endless loop, the scene burned into my mind. Ethan. A silencer. A body collapsing to the floor. Blood spreading like ink across white tiles. My breath came fast, uneven. It was like my brain refused to process what I’d just seen. “Tell me that wasn’t you.” My voice barely sounded like mine. It was strained and fragile on the verge of breaking. Ethan didn’t move. He didn’t speak. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… God, his eyes. I had seen them dark before, filled with anger, with lust, with unspoken emotions I never had the courage to name. But this? This was different. His gaze was a void. Hollow. As if the man I thought I knew was locked somewhere inside, just out of reach. Something inside me cracked. I stepped back, shaking my head. “Say something.” Ethan finally exhaled, slow and control
Bound by deception Chapter 44 – Torn Between Devils
“Put the gun down, Ethan.” Elias’s voice was smooth and calculated like a snake slithering through the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He stood in the doorway with the ease of a man who owned the world, his fingers lightly brushing against the frame. His other hand was tucked in his pocket, casual, almost lazy, but I knew better. Nothing about Elias Carter was ever lazy. Every move was deliberate. Every word, a weapon. Ethan, however, was a fortress. His stance was unwavering, shoulders squared, his gun aimed with lethal precision. He wasn’t just holding a weapon. He was a weapon. “You’re trespassing.” His voice was razor-sharp. Elias smirked. Smirked. Like none of this mattered, like he hadn’t just shattered the world I’d built with his sudden presence. “And you’re holding something that belongs to me.” The words sliced through the air, thick with meaning. My breath caught. Me. Ethan’s hold on the gun tightened. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
Bound by deception Chapter 43 – Shadows of the Past
I shook my head, my chest rising and falling too fast. “No.” Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t blink. “Yes.” My pulse pounded against my ribs like a trapped animal. I took a step back, needing distance, but Ethan was relentless, closing in, his presence thick like a storm cloud about to break. “Elias is gone,” I whispered. “He has to be gone.” Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying me like he was waiting for me to figure out the truth on my own. “Do you really believe that?” I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But Ethan’s voice carried the weight of something inevitable, something unshakable. I clenched my fists at my sides. “He used me. Lied to me. Left me.” I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “Why the hell would he want me back?” Ethan’s eyes flickered with something unreadable before he spoke. “Because you’re the only thing he ever lost.” The words slammed into me. For a moment, the room faded, replaced by the ghosts of memories I had fought to bury. Elias’s hands
Bound by deception Chapter 42 – The Only Way Out
I stumbled back, shaking my head, my breath coming too fast. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs, a wild, frantic rhythm that made my chest ache. “You’re lying.” Ethan didn’t move, didn’t blink. “Am I?” His voice was maddeningly calm, like he was talking about the weather and not completely tearing my world apart. I wanted to believe that. Needed to believe that. But the video kept replaying in my mind, every detail slicing through me like a serrated knife Elias smirking, rolling that damn cigarette between his fingers like I had been nothing more than a business deal, an asset. A job. My stomach lurched. “How long have you known?” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. Ethan exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his jaw like he was debating how much to say. “Long enough.” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “And you just let me keep believing he cared?” He arched a brow. “Would you have believed me if I told you earlier?” I opened my mouth, ready to snap ba
Bound by deception Chapter 41 – The Target
The walls of Ethan’s hidden room closed in around me, suffocating, too full of secrets I wasn’t ready to face. My pulse pounded in my ears as his words echoed inside my skull. “You were a job.” It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t real. I took a step back, gripping the edge of the desk to steady myself. The folder with my name on it sat between us like a loaded gun. My life, reduced to paper. Dates. Records. A complete history. Ethan watched me with maddening patience, as if waiting for me to process the truth or waiting for me to break. I wouldn’t. I lifted my chin. “You’re lying.” He sighed, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “I don’t lie, Isabella.” Something in his voice made my stomach churn. He sounded tired, almost resigned, but there was an underlying certainty that terrified me. I turned my back to him, gripping the folder so tightly my knuckles ached. I flipped through the pages again, my eyes scanning too fast, desperate for something. Anything to prove him wrong
