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Chapter Six: Beneath The Surface
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2024-11-29 15:40:12Lexi’s pov:
I couldn’t stop thinking about the message. It was burned into my mind. “Get out. Now. Before it’s too late. He’s not the man you think he is. Julian Blackwood will drain you.” “Lexi.” I looked up, meeting Julian’s eyes. They were sharp, assessing. “You’re quiet.” “Nothing’s wrong,” I said quickly, though my voice didn’t sound convincing. I shoved the phone in my pocket. He stepped closer. “Don’t lie to me.” “I’m not.” He didn’t believe me. I could see it in his eyes. “You’re shaking.” “I’m fine,” I repeated, but I could feel the panic bubbling under the surface. His gaze lingered on me for a long moment. He was waiting for me to crack. I didn’t. “Now remember, We’re leaving for Paris tomorrow,” he said, his voice cold. “I need you ready.” “Of course Julian, I will be ready “. The flight to Paris was silent. Julian barely spoke, his focus on his phone, the air thick with the kind of tension that always followed him. When we landed, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The car ride was just as quiet. No one spoke. No one had to. The mansion was massive. I was immediately out of my depth. Julian didn’t glance back as he walked inside, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being led straight into something I wasn’t prepared for. “Lexi.” His mother. She was standing there, waiting for us, her eyes as sharp as Julian’s. She didn’t smile. She didn’t greet me. She just watched. “Mother,” Julian said, stepping past her without a second glance. “This is Lexi.” I held my ground, not letting my nerves show. “Nice to meet you.” She didn’t respond right away. Her eyes flicked over me, studying, judging. “You think you belong here?” she asked, voice low. I blinked. “What?” “You think you can handle this?” Her gaze was piercing. I looked at Julian, but he didn’t offer an explanation. “I’m here,” was all I said. “That’s enough.” Julian’s mother let out a small, almost amused laugh. “You think you’re just going to walk through this world unscathed? Just because you signed a contract?” My stomach dropped. This wasn’t just a game. This was something darker. I felt it in my bones. Before I could respond, Julian’s phone buzzed. He checked it, his face turning stone-cold. “We need to go,” he said, his tone suddenly serious. “Where?” I asked, my voice unsteady. “Stay here,” he said, without explaining. The door slammed behind him as he left, leaving me alone with his mother. She finally spoke. “You have no idea what you’re walking into, do you?” I said nothing. I didn’t need to. Julian came back a short while later, but he wasn’t alone. He was talking to someone on the phone, and his eyes were hard—dangerous. “Get in the car,” he said, without offering any explanation. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” He looked at me, then at his mother, who was standing in the corner of the room, watching. “Not now, Lexi,” he said, his voice laced with a warning. “You’ll know soon enough.” I didn’t ask again. I followed him out the door, my mind racing with a hundred questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answers to. The ride was quick, but the tension in the air felt suffocating. I was about to ask where we were going when the car pulled into a dimly lit building. “What is this place?” I asked, unable to stop myself. Julian didn’t answer. He opened the door and stepped out, his back to me. “Stay in the car.” “What? No.” I tried to protest, but he slammed the door before I could finish. I sat there, heart pounding, my mind spiraling. Every instinct told me to run, but I couldn’t. Not now. Minutes passed. Then hours. The feeling of being trapped, waiting, gnawed at me. Finally, Julian opened the door again, his face unreadable. “We’re leaving,” he said. “What happened? Who were you talking to?” I asked, my voice sharp. He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. His eyes said it all. “Let’s go,” he muttered. But something in his tone told me that whatever came next, I wasn’t going to like it. The car pulled back onto the street. Where were we going? What was happening? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know…but I needed to, after all, I now belong in his world too.Related chapters
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Lexi’s pov: Waking up to the piercing light spilling through the heavy curtains, and my head pounding as if I’d been hit by a freight train. The sheets beneath me were luxurious, far too smooth for what I could ever afford. Blinking rapidly, I tried to focus on my surroundings, an upscale hotel room. Panic gripped me instantly. Where am I? What happened last night? Sitting up too quickly, I clutched my head as a wave of nausea rolled over me. Bits and pieces of the previous night surfaced, drinking, dancing with that mysterious man, and then… nothing. Did I have a one-night stand? With who? I looked down and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that I was still fully dressed. But the fear hadn’t left. I needed to get out of here. Fast. I hurriedly grabbed my things and dashed out of the hotel room, praying no one would recognize me. The moment I got home, Kayla was already up. “Well, look who’s finally home,” she teased, raising an eyebrow at me. “Where the hell were you?”
The Billionaires Pawn ChapterTwo :Desperate Bargain
Lexi’s pov: I woke up in a dark, cold room. My head throbbed, and my wrists were sore from the rough bindings that had left faint red marks. I tried to sit up, my body aching from being crumpled on the hard floor. “Help!” I screamed, my voice echoing off the walls. I waited for a reply, a sign that someone was nearby. Nothing. “Please, someone—help me!” My voice broke, but still, no one answered. I wrapped my arms around myself, curling into a ball as the reality of my situation sunk in. The mafia… Kayla… I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling tears welling up. I can’t break down. Not now. Time passed, minutes, hours, I couldn’t tell. I screamed until my throat was raw, but the only response was the eerie silence. It was suffocating. I felt trapped in my own thoughts, memories flashing of what brought me here. The threats. The fear in Kayla’s eyes. The suffocating grip of debts we could never repay. Finally, I heard the creak of a door opening, and I jerked my head up. Two men stepped
The Billionaires Pawn Chapter one: The proposal
Lexi’s Pov: The room was suffocating, thick with tension and fear. My pulse hammered in my ears as I stared at the man sitting across from my father’s desk. Giovanni Santino. His name alone made my stomach churn with dread. He lounged in the chair, far too relaxed for someone who had just issued a death threat. His eyes gleamed under the dim lights of the study, cold and calculating. “I’m a patient man, Ms. Thompson,” Santino said, his voice calm, almost casual. “But patience only goes so far. Your father owes me twenty million dollars, and I’m here to collect.” I swallowed hard. My father sat slumped in the corner, a near-empty glass of whiskey dangling from his fingers, his face ashen and hollow. He wouldn’t even look at me. Twenty million. How the hell were we ever going to pay that? The debt had started small,a few bad bets here and there,but it had snowballed into something monstrous. And now… now it was life or death. “Please,” I croaked, stepping forward to shield Kayla, w
