All Chapters of Bound by Fate : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

"I'll be home soon. I'm on my way," Julian's text read, making Leslie beam. She couldn't wait till he came home. Then her mind drifted off to the call she'd received an hour ago, and a smile settled on her lips."Leslie, my dear, how are you?" Arthur said, sounding like his usual cheerful self over the phone."I'm okay, Arthur. How are you doing today?" Leslie asked."I'm ecstatic! I'll be even happier once I share this good news with you," Arthur laughed. Leslie's ears perked up. "Good news? What is it? Tell me!" she said excitedly."The opening for my gallery has been approved, and it'll open next month!" Leslie’s heart felt so full she thought it might burst from happiness. "Really, Arthur? That's the best news I've heard all week! I'm so happy for you!""Thank you, little girl," Arthur replied, feeling proud of himself. "In fact, that's not all.""It isn't?" Leslie squealed."I have an offer for you. I want you to host the first solo exhibit at my gallery with only your pieces."

The taste of betrayal was acrid and sour, and Julian detested it. His face was set in a hard line as he sat at the dinner table later that night, waiting for his “family" to arrive. Leslie had been quietly observing him all evening since he came back."Julian, you know you can talk to me, right?" she asked, placing her hand on his. "What's wrong?"Julian looked at her, his eyes softening briefly. She was in a flowy, soft green dress that matched her eyes, which were filled with worry. He brought her fingers to his lips. "Don't worry, it's nothing I can't fix, Les. Don't worry."As soon as he finished his words, they heard the butler welcoming Eleanor and Alexander. Of course, Vanessa Alexander doesn't seem to go anywhere without her, Leslie noticed."Good evening, everyone," Vanessa beamed.Julian didn’t respond, and Leslie awkwardly smiled in return. "Good evening, Vanessa. Welcome, mother-in-law," Leslie acknowledged and was only met with a nod from Eleanor. They all took a seat.

A few days had passed since the gruesome dinner with Eleanor and company. It was nearing noon already. The incessant ringing of her phone woke Leslie up. She winced as she sat up to reach for it, a dull ache in her middle reminding her of yesterday's escapades with Julian. She looked at the number that had been bugging her phone—it was an unknown number. She frowned groggily as she contemplated picking up or not. She eventually picked up."What took you so long, bitch?" A smooth, loud, cute voice boomed over the phone.Leslie perked up at the sound of the familiar voice, her sleepiness doused instantly, replaced by instant joy. "Betty!" she screeched."The one and only!" Betty cooed."Oh my god, where have you been, jackass? I have been trying to reach you for weeks. Are you some kind of magician? You're always pulling this disappearing act of yours. I'm so mad at you right now," Leslie huffed."I'm sorryyyy! It's not really my fault. I got mugged again, and this time my so-called bo

The week that followed had been busy for both Julian and Leslie. Julian was swamped with handling the CFO position transition to another reliable person while dealing with the aftermath of Alexander’s stupid behavior. While, Leslie was busy preparing her paintings for the art exhibit in a few weeks. Julian focused his attention back on his laptop. He was watching the video of the waiter’s confession that Pete had sent him. The young man looked naive, and the worst part was he couldn’t even describe the lady properly. The only tangible thing he remembered was a golden bracelet adorned with jewels on the woman’s arm.Julian pulled out the CCTV footage again and zoomed in. He saw it—the woman’s hand that tightly held onto the waiter’s neck had a bracelet on it. It looked very elite and expensive too. “Who could this woman be?” he wondered, and was about to call in Philip when his door burst open suddenly. He raised his eyes to the door, his lips set in a thin line when he saw the figure

“Is something wrong, Les? Is Betty okay?” Julian repeated, noticing that Leslie’s eyes were still fixated on her phone.“T-The text isn’t from Betty,” Leslie finally said, tearing her gaze away from her phone to briefly stare at Julian. “It’s from an unknown number.”“Fuck,” Julian cursed, standing up immediately and snatching the phone from her. His eyes scanned the contents of the message, hardening in an instant. The text read:*You think you’ve won, huh? You think just because you’re Mrs. Blackwood now, Julian is yours, right? Well, think again, wretch!. Julian belongs to me and only me. Got it? I will come for you if you don’t stay away from what’s mine. I don’t share. Be warned!!.*“J-Julian, what is the meaning of this text? D-Do you have an ex?” Leslie anxiously stuttered.“No, no, Les, it’s nothing like that, really,” Julian replied, grabbing hold of her hands and sitting back on the plush white couch.“Do you know where this text is from?” Leslie asked, trying to break her h