All Chapters of Forced To The Billionaire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

We’d had a tough few weeks. Infact, everything in my life had gotten crazy ever since I got married. We’ll, if we’re being fair, way before that. From ghost marriages, terrorist aunts, crime syndicates, house jacking and mentally ill family members, it’s a wonder I’m still alive.But here I am again, engaged. To the sexiest man in the world, with the life that should be the fairytale of my dreams. But why did I feel apprehensive? Like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it’s cause everything feels so unfinished, like we’re turning the page before closing the chapter. “Morning.” Levi kissed my forehead as his naked body moves under me.I looked up and there was my husband, well fiancé. Or husband. How did this even work? I should’ve asked but instead I looked up and said. “Morning Mr. Vanderbilt.”He chuckled, the smile lighting up his eyes. “Morning, Mrs. Vanderbilt.”The sound of that made my heart skip a bit. He had never called me that. Infact, I just realized nobody h

High above the metropolitan skyline, the restaurant was like something out of a dream. The entire room was filled with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in a sea of sparkling lights below. Somewhere behind me, I could hear the soft hum of a string quartet, their notes drifting through the atmosphere like smoke. Even the room's fragrance was pricey; sandalwood, citrus, and a subtle floral note that I couldn't identify cost more than I'd ever want to know.“Do you always go this far when you’re trying to impress someone?” I asked, breaking the silence.  Levi smirked as he pulled out my chair. “Only when it matters.”  I detested the way his voice sounded, deep and steady, like if it were directly connected to my heartbeat. Knowing that every small concession like this was just another crack in the wall I had spent so much time constructing, I allowed him to push my chair in even though I shouldn't have. 

“Maybe I don’t care about dying.” I finally replied quietly. “Maybe I’m looking for an escape from this.”His eyes darkened, and I knew I’d crossed a line. “Careful, Eliana,” he warned.  “Why? Are you going to add that to the list of things I can’t say?” I spat.  Levi's jaw tensed, and he appeared to be about to speak for a second before simply shaking his head. "Control is not the issue here. It's a matter of survival. In case you haven't heard, these people don't follow the rules.”I responded to that by saying, "Then maybe you should have informed me that your competitors are respawning."I roll my eyes. “Respawning? What is this? A Batman novel? Under a new leader, no less. When were you planning on telling me that, Levi? Or does trust only go one way?”  His silence was answer enough.  I took a step back, m

The bullet shattered the windshield first, a quick, sharp crack that punched through the quiet like lightning splitting the air. Levi barely swerved in time, the sleek black car groaning as it veered off the highway into the shoulder. I was already ducking, heart pounding in my throat, the acrid scent of burned rubber and gasoline filling the air.  “Stay down,” Levi barked, his voice razor-edged with control.  He reached for the steering wheel as if it were the only thing holding him to the present. His dark eyes danced with the chaos outside, and I could see the muscles in his forearm tense as cables.Another round ricocheted off the hood, sparking in the night.  “Who the hell—” I started, my voice breaking.  “Not now,” he cut in.  I felt the car lurch forward, Levi slamming the accelerator hard enough to make my stomach churn. The tires screame

The hours that followed stretched on like a nightmare from which I was unable to awaken. There was a thin layer of mutual trust between Levi and myself, a delicate understanding that could break at any time. This damn syndicate, my mother’s secrets, and the web of lies surrounding everything were suffocating me. I needed air, space, but the walls were closing in.We'd just finished going through the intel from Alan—his confession about feeding information to the syndicate was a cold slap to the face. He'd named names, places, schedules everything that had put us in danger, and more. But there was one thing Alan didn’t know, something that gnawed at the back of my mind.Levi’s betrayal was a double-edged sword. Yes, he'd been hurt, he'd been vulnerable, but he’d also shut down parts of himself that I'd relied on to make him someone I could trust. I knew it wasn’t fair to be angry about it—he was just as much a victim as I was but we were both in deep now. Our bond was forged in the fir