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Confused and Trapped
Last Updated:
2024-11-02 19:58:17
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By Chance, By Fate What? work with him?
8AlexI had barely slept, my mind racing with thoughts of Daniel and the look on his face as he walked away. I needed to talk to him, to explain everything. As I stepped into the hotel lobby, the polished marble underfoot felt like a gauntlet of judgment, each step echoing my anxiety. Part of me couldn’t believe he’d reacted so intensely, almost like he was overreacting.Finding him was easier than I expected. He was in a quiet corner, his back to me, hands shoved into his pockets. I took a deep breath and approached, my heart pounding.“Daniel?” I said, my voice tentative.He turned slowly, his expression unreadable but hurt evident in his eyes. “What do you want, Alex?”“I wanted to explain—”“Explain what?” he interrupted sharply, his voice almost bitter. “How you’ve been lying to me? How you’ve been sneaking around with Liam?”“It’s not like that,” I pleaded, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. “I didn’t mean to keep things from you. I just… I didn’t know how to tell you.”He s
Last Updated : 2024-11-03By Chance, By Fate I Don't Have A Choice
9AlexMy father’s voice was sharp, snapping me back to attention.“One more thing, Alex,” he said, pausing just enough to let the weight of his words settle.“Yes, Dad?”He took a step closer, his face expressionless but his eyes piercing. “I know your feelings toward the Brighmores are… complicated, to say the least. We’ve had our issues with their family, and I understand why you might despise working with them. But put that aside. Focus on the summit and the bigger picture. Can you do that?”I felt my throat tighten, and it took everything to keep my voice steady. “Yes, I understand.”His eyes narrowed, watching me closely. “Don’t just say it. I need you to mean it, Alex. This alliance isn’t just about pleasantries—it’s about solidifying our family’s position. The future of of the presidency, of everything we’ve worked for, depends on this. So whatever history or… personal feelings you might have, I expect you to rise above them.”A bitter laugh threatened to slip out, but I held
Last Updated : 2024-11-05By Chance, By Fate The Tension In The Air
10Alex The tension in the air felt almost suffocating as I was about to respond to Liam when suddenly, a man in a suit appeared at the entrance of the corridor. He cleared his throat, and my eyes flicked to him in annoyance. The last thing I wanted right now was to be interrupted.“Mr. Morgan, Mr. Brighmore,” the man said, his tone formal and clipped, “if you’re ready, we’ve been assigned a private room for the speech rehearsal. We’ll need to start soon.”I glanced at Liam, his jaw set and his eyes dark with something I couldn't quite place. He exhaled sharply, his lips thinning, and I could sense the frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. He must’ve been feeling it too—the weight of our unspoken words hanging between us like an invisible rope ready to snap. I almost wanted to take the man’s offer just to escape the awkwardness.Liam turned to the man, nodding curtly. “Lead the way.”I didn’t even look at him as I followed, keeping a few paces behind as we made our way dow
Last Updated : 2024-11-08By Chance, By Fate Coffee Incident
11Alex“Goddamn it, Liam!” I snapped, standing up so abruptly that my chair scraped loudly against the floor. My voice was louder than I intended, and I could feel the heat rising in my chest. “What the hell is wrong with you?”Liam’s eyes widened as he scrambled to grab a napkin, attempting to dab at the coffee stain on my shirt. His fingers trembled, making the mess worse. “Shit, Alex, I didn’t mean—”I slapped the napkin away, not caring that coffee splashed onto my hand. It burned, but I didn’t even register it. I was too pissed off. “You think this is funny?” I spat, eyes narrowing on him as my voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Is this some kind of joke to you?”“No, I...” Liam’s voice softened, but there was still a trace of amusement in his eyes that only made my blood boil further. “Look, it was an accident. Just calm down.”“Calm down?” I shook my head, my fists clenching at my sides. “You ruin my shirt, and you think I’m supposed to *calm down*? Are you out of your damn
Last Updated : 2024-11-09By Chance, By Fate Coffee Incident 2
12AlexJust as my anger reached its boiling point, ready to snap completely, a sharp knock echoed through the room. The sound was jarring, cutting through the tension like a knife.I froze, my chest heaving as I fought to keep my emotions in check. My fists were still clenched, every muscle in my body trembling with the effort not to unleash what I was holding back.“Seriously?” Liam’s voice broke through, dripping with mockery. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the door. “You’re gonna answer that? You’ve been losing your mind over a damn coffee stain, and now you’re stopping for a knock?”My eyes narrowed, my voice coming out low, barely controlled. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Liam.” The words felt heavy on my tongue as I stood there, wrestling down the fire threatening to spill over. A second passed, and then another, before I forced myself to turn toward the door. “Stay the hell out of my way.”Liam shifted, stepping back with a smug grin. “Whatever. It’s not like y
Last Updated : 2024-11-10By Chance, By Fate Trapped
13AlexThe phone’s shrill ring cut through the tension in the room, a piercing reminder that the world outside our argument still existed.I hesitated, the weight of Liam’s words pressing into my chest like iron. Without looking at him, I picked up the phone and pressed it to my ear.“Prince Alex,” a voice snapped through the receiver, tight with urgency. “We need you both downstairs now. There’s been a security breach.”My stomach dropped. “We’re on our way,” I said, the chill in my voice masking the sudden rush of nerves. I hung up and glanced at Liam. He was watching me, the usual defiance in his eyes replaced with something unreadable.“Security breach,” I said, my tone clipped. “We need to move.”Liam’s expression shifted, a flicker of worry passing over his features before he pushed himself away from the wall. He nodded, the tension in the room between us easing into something colder, more focused.Whatever storm had raged between us was momentarily forgotten as we stepped out
Last Updated : 2024-11-11By Chance, By Fate A Kiss of Deception
14LiamThe sudden lurch of the elevator jerked me back to reality, snapping my thoughts like a rubber band. My heart had been hammering, the aftershocks of the panic attack still lingering in my chest like an open wound. I’d been shaking, but I tried to hide it. I knew Alex could see it, though—he’d been too damn close the whole time, and damn if I didn’t feel that.The crackle of the speaker had broken the silence in the elevator, the voice of some technician saying, “We’ve isolated the issue. Hang tight, we’re getting you out now.”Thank God. I didn’t know how much more of this I could take, the air so tight, every breath a struggle, but it was easing. Slowly. Not fast enough for me, but at least I wasn’t about to lose it again.Alex hadn’t said anything at first. I could feel him watching me, waiting for me to pull myself together. I wanted to tell him to stop looking at me like that, like he was waiting for me to fall apart again. But I couldn’t. He was trying to help. I knew he
Last Updated : 2024-11-12By Chance, By Fate Liam's Feelings
15LiamThe emotions were a chaotic mess inside me, each one fighting for dominance. Anger. Frustration. And underneath it all, a deep, gnawing jealousy that I couldn’t suppress, no matter how hard I tried.The room felt even colder, the air thick with tension. I could barely focus on the discussions about the security threat, my eyes involuntarily drawn back to Alex and Charlotte. She was standing so close to him, her hand on his arm, her face soft with concern. I could hear her voice, gentle, almost intimate as she said, “Are you sure you’re okay? You look tense.”For a moment, I hated how effortlessly they seemed to fit together. It was like everything I had hoped for, everything I had been too afraid to acknowledge, was right there in front of me. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to look away.I heard Alex reply in his usual calm tone, but the words barely registered. “I’m fine, Charlotte. Just a lot going on right now.”I tried to focus on the briefing, on the task at hand, b
Last Updated : 2024-11-13
Latest chapter
By Chance, By Fate Epilogue
Epilogue Four months later,AlexThe day started like any other, though I had this odd sense that something was off. Liam had been unusually secretive for the past week—whispering into his phone, disappearing for hours, and giving me these coy little smiles that made me both suspicious and amused.“Are you hiding something from me?” I’d asked him over breakfast that morning.“Who, me?” he replied, his face the picture of innocence. “Never.”I rolled my eyes but let it go. If Liam had a secret, I’d find out eventually.The day passed uneventfully, and by the time evening rolled around, I was half-convinced he’d forgotten my birthday entirely.“Get dressed,” he said, popping his head into the bedroom. “Something nice.”“Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.“Just trust me,” he said with a grin, disappearing again before I could press him further.---An hour later, we were in the car, heading to a destination he refused to disclose. My curiosity was driving me insane, but I tried to play i
By Chance, By Fate 150
150AlexMoving in with Liam felt surreal, like stepping into a dream I didn’t dare believe I could have. His apartment—our apartment now—was warm and inviting, filled with little pieces of him that I was quickly coming to adore. A framed photo of his childhood dog sat on the mantel, his collection of vintage vinyl records lined the shelves, and a faint scent of cedar lingered in the air.“Home sweet home,” Liam said, tossing his keys onto the counter as we stepped inside.I dropped my bags by the door and glanced around. “It’s still sinking in that this is real.”He grinned, pulling me into a hug. “It’s real, Alex. This is us now.”Just then, the doorbell rang, breaking the moment. Liam sighed, releasing me. “That’ll be Daniel. He insisted on helping us settle in.”“And Sophia?” I asked, half-joking. “Is she coming too?”“Of course,” Liam said, smirking. “Those two are attached at the hip these days.”---Sure enough, Daniel and Sophia arrived with bags of food and a bottle of wine.
By Chance, By Fate 149
149AlexThe morning air was sharp as I stepped out of my car, nerves bouncing in my chest. Daniel was already waiting for me near the café, leaning casually against the doorframe like he had all the time in the world. His calmness was infuriating, especially since I was a mess.“Relax,” Daniel said as I approached. “You’re not going into battle.”“Feels like I am,” I muttered, shoving my hands into my coat pockets. “This isn’t just about me anymore. It’s about Liam… and Sophia, for some reason.”Daniel smirked. “You’ll thank her. Trust me.”I raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. We stepped inside, and there they were—Liam and Sophia, sitting at a table in the corner.They had come here to USA to see us and we took a rendez vous here. Liam looked as tense as I felt, his jaw tight, eyes scanning the room nervously. Sophia, on the other hand, exuded a calm confidence, sipping her coffee like this was a regular Tuesday.When Liam’s eyes met mine, I froze. The weight of everything—the lie
By Chance, By Fate 148
148AlexFew days later,Daniel paced back and forth in my room, a mix of anger and determination etched across his face. His fists were clenched, and I could see he was holding himself back from exploding.“You’re not going to believe this,” he finally said, stopping in front of me.I sat on the edge of my bed, my heart sinking at his tone. “What is it?”He hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “Charlotte’s lying. She’s not pregnant, Alex.”My stomach dropped. “What?”“She’s lying!” Daniel repeated, his voice louder this time. “I overheard her on the phone with one of her friends. She was laughing about how she tricked you into staying. She said it was the only way to keep you from running off with Liam.”I stared at him, my mind reeling. “Are you sure about this?”“Positive.” His jaw tightened. “I even recorded part of the conversation. I figured you’d need proof.”He pulled out his phone and played the audio. It was Charlotte’s voice, clear as day, bragging about her manipulati
By Chance, By Fate 147
147AlexAfter everything that happened, I could barely think straight—well, no pun intended. I couldn’t shake the chaos of the past few weeks. Liam was miles away in Norway, dealing with his own mess, while I was stuck here with Charlotte, pretending like my life wasn’t falling apart.It wasn’t like I didn’t think about leaving her. I did. Every single day. The problem was, Charlotte knew how to play the game better than anyone. The moment she sensed I was pulling away, she dropped the bomb.“I’m pregnant.”Those two words stopped me dead in my tracks.“What?” I stammered, blinking at her as if I’d misheard.Charlotte crossed her arms, her lips twisting into that smug smile she always wore when she knew she had the upper hand. “You heard me. I’m pregnant, Alex. So whatever you’re thinking about doing, just stop. You’re not going anywhere.”I stared at her, my mind racing. “You’re… how? When?”She rolled her eyes like I was the dumbest person alive. “Do you really need a biology lesso
By Chance, By Fate 146
146Liam After Alex left, I immediately booked a business-class flight to Norway. My head was spinning, and my chest felt tight as I made my way through the airport. The scandal had erupted faster than I could comprehend, and now everything was unraveling.The messages from Sophia, my wife, wouldn’t stop coming. My phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket, and each time her name lit up the screen, I felt another wave of frustration. She knew why I’d gone to the USA. She knew I’d gone to see Alex. But being caught? That was the part she couldn’t handle.Her last message burned in my mind: "You’ve humiliated me, Liam. Fix this. Now."As if fixing this was as easy as flipping a switch.I leaned back in my seat as the plane took off, closing my eyes in a futile attempt to relax. But the stress kept clawing at me. My mother had called too, several times. I refused to pick up. Not now. I couldn’t deal with her fury and the barrage of accusations over the phone. Whatever was coming, I’d face i
By Chance, By Fate 145
145AlexI paced the room, my phone clutched so tightly in my hand that my knuckles had turned white. My breathing was shallow, and my chest felt like it was being crushed under a massive weight. The headlines were everywhere, and the notifications on my phone wouldn’t stop. Every second, there was another call, another message, another piece of my life falling apart.“Alex, you need to calm down,” Liam said, his voice steady but soft. He reached for me, but I stepped away, shaking my head.“Calm down?” I snapped, my voice trembling. “Are you kidding me right now? Do you see what’s happening? My parents are going to kill me! My dad already hates that I’m even remotely involved in politics, and now this? A scandal with a prince? God, Liam, what were we thinking?”“We weren’t thinking,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “We were just… feeling. And I don’t regret it, Alex. Not for a second.”“Well, I do!” The words came out before I could stop them, and the moment they did, I
By Chance, By Fate 144
144Alex's POVI was so shocked to see him standing there. Of all the places, of all the nights, Liam showed up here. At first, I thought I was imagining things—the dim lighting of the bar, the soft hum of alcohol in my veins. But no, it was really him. His face, those familiar blue eyes that haunted me for years, the slight stubble along his jaw that hadn’t been there before.To be honest, I’d missed him.Not that I’d admit it, at least not right now. Not after everything. But seeing him in the flesh brought back memories I had buried so deep I thought they’d never resurface. The way he used to laugh at my stupid jokes. The way he’d look at me like I was the only person in the room. And, of course, the way he shattered me when he left.I tried to keep my composure, but my voice betrayed me as I asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"His answer was almost laughable in its simplicity. "I needed to see you," he said, as if that excused everything."To say what?" I shot back, narrowi
By Chance, By Fate 143
143LiamThe moment we stepped through the grand doors of the palace, the heavy aroma of fresh lilies greeted us, mingling with the faint scent of polished marble. Queen Ingrid, my mother, stood at the foot of the grand staircase, her regal demeanor faltering for a moment as she took in our unexpected return. Her icy blue eyes, so much like mine, narrowed slightly, betraying her shock.“Liam,” she began, her voice laced with surprise. “And Sophia. Back so soon? I thought you were supposed to be in Bora Bora for another week.”I forced a smile, trying to keep my composure. “Ah, yes, Mother. There was, uh, an issue with the resort,” I said, fumbling for a plausible excuse. “Something about a mix-up with our accommodations. It wasn’t… ideal.”Sophia, ever the composed partner, chimed in seamlessly. “It was a shame, really. The resort was stunning, but the management couldn’t seem to get anything right. Liam thought it would be better if we cut the trip short.”Queen Ingrid’s brows lifted
