Semua Bab Bound by deception : Bab 21 - Bab 30

Ethan’s grip tightens around the phone, his knuckles going white. His entire body goes rigid, the tension rolling off him in waves.“Who the hell is this?” His voice is sharp, controlled, but I can hear the fury simmering beneath the surface.A low chuckle filters through the speaker. Smooth, confident. Mocking.“Come on, Sinclair. We both know I don’t need to introduce myself.”Elias.A chill creeps down my spine, slow and suffocating. My fingers curl into the leather seat, my nails digging in as my heartbeat thunders in my ears.“You’re getting sloppy,” Elias continues, his voice laced with amusement. “I expected better from you.”Ethan’s jaw flexes. “What do you want?”Outside, the city blurs past in streaks of neon and shadow, but inside the car, the air feels stifling, thick with unspoken threats.Elias hums, as if considering his words carefully. “You took something from me,” he finally says. “Now I’m taking something from you.”My stomach twists.Ethan leans forward, his voice

“Maya, stay with me.”Ethan’s voice is raw, stripped of its usual control. He crouches beside her, pressing down hard on the wound in her side, his hands already slick with blood. It spreads fast, soaking into the expensive carpet, dark and unforgiving.I drop to my knees, my pulse hammering. “Maya,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I reach for her trembling fingers. “Look at me.”Her lashes flutter, barely lifting. Pain clouds her dark eyes, but she tries to focus. Her lips part, a weak, breathless sound escaping, but the words never form.Ethan’s jaw tightens, the muscle ticking as he glances down at the growing pool of blood beneath her. His eyes darken with something lethal, something dangerously close to losing control.“Damien,” he growls into his earpiece, his voice sharp as a blade. “Where the hell is that medic?”The radio crackles. “Two minutes out,” Damien replies. “But, Ethan—”A pause. The kind that makes my stomach drop.“This was never about Maya.”I already know what he

The helicopter blades slice through the night air, their rhythmic hum a stark contrast to the chaos still echoing in my head. My breath is uneven, my pulse a frantic drumbeat in my ears. Maya’s blood stains my hands, warm and sticky, seeping into the fine fabric of my dress. I can’t look away from it.The second the helicopter touches down on the private rooftop of Ethan’s penthouse, he moves. Fast.He jumps out first, cradling Maya against his chest as if sheer willpower could keep her alive. His jaw is tight, his movements sharp, controlled. But I see the flicker of something beneath the surface—something raw.“Get the doctor here. Now.” His voice is a lethal growl as he storms toward the rooftop entrance.Damien is already pulling out his phone, muttering something into it as I scramble out of the helicopter, my legs weak and unsteady from the crash of adrenaline. My heart pounds so violently it hurts, but I force myself to move, to follow Ethan down the stairs and into the penthou

The sound of the gunshot still rings in my ears, even though the call has long since disconnected. It’s like the echo of something irreversible, something that can’t be undone.I turn to Ethan, my chest tight. “What did you do?”He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he takes his time, exhaling slowly like he’s savoring the moment. The tension in the room is thick, suffocating. Then, finally, he meets my gaze, his voice low and calm. “I sent a message.”My stomach knots. My hands curl into fists at my sides. “That was a man’s life.”Ethan steps closer, his presence dominating the space between us. “That was a warning.”Across the room, Damien stands with his arms crossed, unreadable. He’s watching, waiting, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on all of us. After a beat, he speaks. “Elias won’t take this lightly.”Ethan smirks, a slow, dangerous thing. “I’m counting on it.”My breath feels too shallow, my heart pounding against my ribs. “You just turned this into a war.”Ethan d

The world narrows to the man in front of me.Ethan Sinclair.A man I thought I knew. A man who just told me he’s known me far longer than I’ve known him.I stare at him, my pulse a violent drum against my ribs. My hands tremble, but I curl them into fists, forcing myself to stand still.“What do you mean you knew me before?” My voice is tight, laced with something dangerously close to panic.Ethan doesn’t flinch. His expression is unreadable, a mask so carefully placed that I can’t tell what’s behind it.Elias shifts beside me, stepping forward. His presence is like a dark cloud pressing into the moment, heavy and foreboding. “That’s what I’d like to know too.”Ethan exhales, slow and measured. “Not here.”Elias chuckles, but it’s sharp, humorless. “Where, then? Your penthouse? A private island? Somewhere you can control the situation?”Ethan’s jaw tightens, a flicker of something flashing in his eyes. “You know damn well this isn’t something to discuss in the middle of a hotel lobby.