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Chapter 23: Unmasking the Shadows

ผู้เขียน: Djanati
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-01-14 22:34:55

The silence of Blackwood Manor felt suffocating as the night stretched on, the shadows of the ancient walls seeming to close in with every passing second. The flickering of candlelight cast unsettling shapes across the grand hallway, and Sophia could feel the weight of Adrian’s tense silence beside her as they moved toward the west wing.

She clung to his arm, the chill of the evening air creeping under her skin, amplifying the fear that had been building ever since the moment they had heard the first crash earlier. Her heart thudded in her chest, its erratic beat mirroring the urgency of the situation. What kind of game were they playing now?

Adrian's grip on his gun was steady, his movements precise as they moved through the manor. His face remained a mask of determination, but she could see the strain in his eyes—an anxiety that only grew with every step they took deeper into the darkness of Blackwood Manor.

“Do you think it’s him?” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath
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  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 24: The Depths of Deception

    The moment the envelope dropped to the floor, Adrian’s mind was already processing the implications. The cryptic message inside seared through him like a lightning bolt. "The game is just beginning. Trust no one. Your every move is being watched." The words clung to his thoughts, threatening to drown him. But he refused to let fear cloud his judgment.Sophia stood beside him, her eyes wide, pulse racing. "Adrian... What does this mean?""Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to," Adrian said, his voice cold and steady. He pocketed the envelope without hesitation. "We’re moving now."Before she could respond, Adrian was already leading her down the hall, his senses on high alert. The manor felt alive, its vast, old walls whispering secrets. His mind was a whirlwind of theories, every possibility flashing before him. Who was behind this? How much did they know? What did they want from him?Another thud reverberated through the walls. It was close. Too close. Adrian’s hand insti

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-15
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 25: The Edge of Darkness

    Adrian tightened his grip on the gun, his body coiled like a spring ready to snap. The footsteps outside the library door grew louder, more deliberate, each tap of the soles an unspoken challenge. His jaw clenched as he took a step forward, placing himself between Sophia and the danger creeping ever closer.Sophia’s voice wavered behind him, low but urgent. “Adrian, we can’t just wait here. We need to—”“I know,” he cut her off, his tone sharp but not unkind. His eyes scanned the room, calculating. “This isn’t about fighting. It’s about control. They’re trying to rattle us.”“Adrian,” she whispered again, clutching his arm. “What if this is a trap?”“It is a trap,” he replied grimly, his voice steady. “But they underestimated us.”The door to the library creaked, a faint sound that sent Sophia’s pulse into overdrive. Adrian raised his hand in a silent signal, and she stilled immediately. He stepped closer to the door, his movements smooth, controlled.The footsteps stopped.For a hear

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-16
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 26: Into the Fire

    Adrian stood, his hands tightening into fists as he scanned the room. The air inside the safehouse was charged with tension, the silence punctuated by Sophia’s ragged breaths. He paced toward the window, peeking out between the curtains. The woods loomed dark and silent, but he knew better than to trust the quiet.“Adrian.” Sophia’s voice cut through his focus, soft but firm. She stood from the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. “You need to tell me what’s really going on. Who’s behind this? What are they after?”He turned to face her, his jaw tight. “It’s not that simple, Sophia.”Her eyes flashed. “Then make it simple. You dragged me into this—our lives are falling apart. I need answers.”Adrian sighed, his expression softening as he crossed the room to her. “You’re right,” he admitted. “You deserve to know everything. But first—”A sudden beep interrupted him. Adrian’s head snapped toward the corner of the room where a satellite phone sat on a small table. He rushed over, grabb

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-17
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 27: The Final Gambit

    Adrian and Sophia burst into the cabin, slamming the door shut behind them. The sharp click of the lock echoed through the small space, but the momentary safety did little to ease the storm raging in their hearts.Adrian holstered his gun, his movements quick and precise as he scanned the room for anything they could use. “We don’t have much time,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Vincent’s men will regroup and come back stronger.”Sophia nodded, pushing aside the lingering fear. “What do we do? We can’t keep running.”“We don’t,” Adrian replied firmly. He opened a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards, revealing a second laptop, additional weapons, and a stash of documents. “It’s time to take the fight to him.”Sophia crossed the room, her eyes narrowing. “How? Vincent has the resources, the connections... everything.”Adrian smirked, the edge of his lips curling into something cold and determined. “Not everything. He doesn’t have you.”She blinked, startled by the intensity

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-18
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 28: Breaking the Chains

    The room erupted into chaos as Vincent's guards raised their weapons, the thunderous sound of gunfire ricocheting through the air. Adrian grabbed Sophia, pulling her down behind the heavy oak desk as bullets whizzed past, shattering monitors and sending sparks flying.“Stay low!” Adrian barked, his voice sharp and commanding as he returned fire, taking down one of Vincent’s men with a precise shot.Sophia’s heart pounded in her chest as she fumbled for her own gun, her fingers trembling. She peeked around the edge of the desk, her mind racing with panic and adrenaline.“Adrian!” she shouted over the chaos. “We’re outnumbered!”“I know!” he yelled back, reloading his weapon with practiced ease. “We just need to hold them off until the virus finishes uploading!”Sophia risked another glance at the computer screen. The progress bar on the monitor crawled forward agonizingly slowly, sitting at 68%.Another explosion of gunfire forced her back down as one of the guards advanced toward thei

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-18
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 29: The Final Gambit

    The sun broke through the horizon, painting the sky in fiery streaks of red and gold, but the weight of their victory was fleeting. The winding road stretched endlessly ahead as Adrian tightened his grip on the wheel, his jaw clenched in silent determination.Sophia sat beside him, her body aching from the night’s chaos but her mind refusing to rest. She kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting Vincent's men to appear at any moment.“How long until we reach the safehouse?” she asked, her voice hoarse.“An hour,” Adrian replied, his tone calm but edged with tension. “It’s remote, secure. We can regroup there.”Sophia nodded, though unease prickled her skin. She’d learned by now that no place was truly safe, not with Vincent’s shadow looming over them.Her phone buzzed in her pocket, jolting her from her thoughts. She pulled it out and froze at the unknown number flashing on the screen.Adrian noticed her hesitation. “Answer it,” he said firmly, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirro

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-19
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 30: The Last Move

    The golden hues of the setting sun filtered through the towering trees surrounding the battered cabin, casting long shadows across the ground. Sophia’s breathing was shallow as she pressed her back against the wall inside the cabin. Her hand clutched the cool metal of her gun, and every nerve in her body screamed for her to stay alert.Adrian was crouched near the window, peering out through the cracked glass. His face was a mask of focus, his gun resting on his thigh as he scanned the treeline. The tension in the air was palpable—Vincent was coming, and this time, there was no escape.“Adrian,” Sophia whispered, her voice barely audible. “What if he’s already here, watching us?”Adrian didn’t look at her, his voice calm and steady. “He wants us to feel trapped, to second-guess ourselves. That’s how he works. But he’s not going to win this time.”Sophia’s grip on the gun tightened. “I just... I don’t want to lose you.”Adrian turned to her, his piercing eyes locking onto hers. “You wo

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-20
  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 31: The Truth

    The clearing was eerily quiet as the sun disappeared entirely, leaving only the flickering remnants of the explosions to light the scene. Adrian stood over Vincent's unconscious body, his gun still trained on the man as if expecting him to leap up in defiance. Sophia remained at his side, clutching her own weapon with trembling hands, her gaze fixed on the horizon where sirens began to wail in the distance.“They’re coming,” she said, her voice hoarse from the chaos they’d just endured.Adrian’s lips tightened into a grim line. “Good. This ends tonight.” He crouched, zip-tying Vincent’s wrists with practiced efficiency, ignoring the faint groan that escaped the villain’s lips as he stirred. Adrian wasn’t taking any chances. Vincent wouldn’t escape—not this time.Sophia scanned the bodies littering the clearing, a sick feeling coiling in her stomach. “What if there’s more? What if this isn’t all of them?”Adrian stood, brushing off his hands as he looked her in the eye. “If there’s mor

    ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-01-21

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  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 74 – Shattered Trust, Steeled Hearts

    The silence in the hospital room was thick—too thick.Sophia sat by Adrian’s bedside, her fingers curled around his, her thumb tracing circles over his knuckles. He hadn’t spoken since they brought him in. Not much, anyway. Just mumbled fragments in between waves of pain and morphine.But now, in the sterile quiet of the private recovery suite, there was no distraction left. No tunnel walls. No gunfire. No one but the two of them—and the questions that hung in the air like ghosts.Adrian stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the dim light. His gaze found hers instantly, like a magnet to steel.“Hey,” she whispered.He tried to smile. It was more of a grimace. “Hey.”Sophia leaned in, brushing his damp hair back from his forehead. “You scared me. Again.”“I know.” His voice was raw, raspy. “I’m sorry.”“You don’t have to be sorry for getting shot,” she murmured, voice trembling with the effort to stay light.His eyes searched hers, dark and unreadable. “Not just for

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 73 – Ashes and Aftermath

    Rain fell softly.Not a downpour. Not a storm. Just a quiet drizzle, like the world was trying to wash away the blood and lies that had soaked too deep into their bones.Sophia sat by Adrian’s hospital bed, a thin blanket draped around her shoulders. Her clothes were still damp from the forest, her knuckles scraped, her body sore. But none of that mattered. Not when the man lying unconscious beside her had nearly died—for the second time in as many weeks.The machines around them beeped with steady rhythm, his chest rising and falling with every breath. Each one was a small victory. Proof that he was still here.Still hers.Her fingers hovered near his, close enough to feel his warmth but afraid to touch him, as if contact would shatter the fragile peace that hung between life and loss. The room was dimly lit, shadows cast by the blinking monitors. The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air, mixing with the faint aroma of rain from the window left slightly ajar.It reminded her

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 72 – Ties That Choke and Threads That Break

    Sophia couldn’t move.Her back was against the damp stone wall, Adrian beside her, barely upright, bleeding and pale. But it wasn’t his condition that stole her breath this time—it was the gun pointed straight at them.Lauren stood just feet away, framed by the flickering tunnel light, dressed in her usual tailored black but with an edge to her presence that Sophia had never seen before. Her cool, professional poise was still intact, but her eyes… they were wild. Sharp. Dangerous.Adrian's jaw tightened. “Lauren. You’re working with Mercer.”Lauren smiled, slow and cold. “Well, someone had to clean up after your messes. And Mercer offered a better position.”Sophia’s voice was barely a whisper. “You were his assistant. You said you believed in Adrian. That you chose him.”“I did.” Lauren’s expression faltered—just for a second. “But belief only gets you so far when you're treated like you’re invisible. Disposable. Do you even remember the last time you actually thanked me, Adrian?”Ad

  • The billionaire's secret vows     Chapter 71 – Fragile Hearts, Dangerous Promises

    The tunnel stretched on endlessly, winding through the cold earth like a forgotten secret. The only light came from Simon’s flashlight, flickering against the damp stone walls. Sophia kept her hand entwined with Adrian’s, though his grip had loosened—his steps slower, staggered. She could feel it now more than ever: his body was failing him.“Adrian,” she said softly, her voice barely rising above the echo of their footsteps. “You’re bleeding again.”“I’m fine.” His answer was mechanical, like it had been all night.She halted, refusing to move until he turned to face her. “No, you’re not.”He tried to tug her forward, but his strength faltered. The moment his weight shifted, he stumbled against the wall, groaning under his breath.Simon spun around. “That’s it. We’re stopping. He’s losing too much blood.”“I said I’m—” Adrian’s protest faded as his knees buckled.“Adrian!” Sophia caught him, her arms wrapping around his waist as he slumped into her.Simon moved fast, shrugging off hi

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 70 – Shattered Shields

    The air in the underground tunnel was thick with tension, a suffocating mix of fear, urgency, and uncertainty. The faint echo of footsteps reverberated off the stone walls as Sophia tried to match her pace with Adrian’s, but it was hard to focus on anything other than the weight of his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. The force with which he held her was almost as if he were trying to pull her into his strength, into his battle, to shield her from everything that was coming.But she knew—she knew—that it wasn’t going to be that simple. Not anymore."Adrian…" Her voice was a whisper, but it seemed to echo in the thick darkness of the tunnel.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he continued to lead them forward with a steady, determined stride, his jaw clenched and his back rigid. His eyes—those eyes that had always held a storm, even in the calmest of moments—were darker now, filled with something raw and dangerous. She could see it in the set of his shoulders, the tension in

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 69 – Betrayal’s Shadow

    The hallway of Blackwood Manor felt like a labyrinth. The walls, adorned with heavy tapestries and portraits, closed in on her as she paced, unable to shake the sense of impending doom. Sophia’s thoughts were clouded, her heart a chaotic swirl of emotions. The memory of Adrian’s promise to keep her safe lingered in her mind, but she couldn’t push past the fear that clawed at her insides. What had happened to him? she wondered desperately. Where was he? The echoes of gunfire still rang in her ears, and the explosion of chaos that had unfolded downstairs was fresh in her memory. Adrian’s face, that cold determination, still burned in her mind—an image of him fighting with all his strength, all his rage. But what had it cost him? What had it cost them both? She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing. Adrian had always been a man who kept his emotions buried, his plans hidden behind walls of stone. She had learned that much in their time together. But ton

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 68 – Shadows of Vengeance

    Darkness still clung to the edges of the room, the scent of gunpowder lingering in the air like a ghost of the chaos that had unfolded. Sophia’s breath came in shallow gasps, her fingers trembling as she clutched Adrian’s hand.His grip was firm, steady, but his eyes… they held something dangerous. A storm of fury.She swallowed hard, forcing herself to focus. "Adrian… what did you do?"Adrian didn’t answer right away. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, an unspoken promise in the gesture, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.Simon stepped forward, his face grim. "She should rest. We need to get her somewhere safe."Adrian finally exhaled, his voice a low growl. "She’s not staying here."Sophia struggled to sit up, wincing at the sharp pain in her ribs. "Adrian, you can’t keep running from this. You can’t fight every battle alone."His jaw clenched. "This isn’t just about me anymore, Sophia. Mercer sent men to kill you. This war just got personal."A shiver ran down her

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 67 – A Debt in Blood

    The room was bathed in shadows, broken only by the dim glow of the bedside lamp where Sophia lay unconscious. The scent of antiseptic mingled with the lingering metallic tang of blood, creating a suffocating weight in the air.Adrian crouched low, his gun steady in his grip, his heart a relentless drum in his chest. His every instinct screamed at him to eliminate the threat, but the voice from the hallway froze him in place."Come out, Blackwood. Let’s finish this."The voice was familiar—too familiar.Adrian’s blood turned to ice. His grip tightened around the gun, his knuckles whitening."No. It can’t be—"Simon moved with the precision of a trained soldier, gun raised as he positioned himself by the shattered window. His jaw was tight, eyes scanning for movement. "Adrian," he murmured, "you need to get Sophia out of here. I’ll handle this."Adrian shook his head. "No," he said, voice low and lethal. "This ends tonight."The tension in the air crackled, an electric charge before a s

  • The billionaire's secret vows    Chapter 66 – Reckoning in Blood

    Adrian’s pulse thundered in his ears as he clutched Sophia’s limp body against him."No, no, no—stay with me," he rasped, pressing his palm to the wound at her side. Blood seeped through his fingers, warm and unforgiving.Sophia’s lashes fluttered, a faint whimper escaping her lips. Her breathing was shallow—too shallow."Hold on, baby," Adrian whispered. "I need you to hold on."Simon cursed under his breath, stepping into the room, his gun still raised. His gaze locked onto the pool of crimson spreading beneath Sophia."Shit," he muttered. "We need to move. Now."Adrian’s head snapped up, fury burning through the despair clawing at his chest. "Who was that?!" he demanded.Simon didn’t answer immediately. His lips pressed into a grim line as he checked the bodies in the hall. "They were professionals," he said darkly. "Not just hired thugs. Someone sent them knowing exactly what they were doing."Adrian’s jaw clenched. His world was unraveling. His enemies were no longer content with

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