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Chapter 17 : A Deal with the Devil
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2025-03-06 19:32:27
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Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 18 : A Dangerous Truth
โNo.โ. The word slips out before I can stop it, sharp and final.Ethanโs brow lifts slightly, like he wasnโt expecting me to refuse. โNo?โDespite the constant heartbeat, I maintain my composure. This game is finished, Ethan.' His eyes become sharper, their hues becoming unreadable. A risky situation. Isabella, this isn't a game. My head shakes, my fists compelled towards me. "Unfortunately, it's not true.". You have been weaving around me since the moment we first met.'". His jaw tightens. That's the embers of something he doesn't want me to see. Guilt. But I push on, he keeps pushing the walls between us. โYou didnโt just pop in here, did you?โ My voice cracks as I continue thinking: โWe both knew what to do with each other.โ Then there were the words that followed. You've known all along.โ. He experiences a muscle tick in his cheek. His silence is my answer. My stomach twists. Despite my need for distance, Ethan follows me, his presence too strong to resist. "You have be
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-06Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 19 : A Name That Kills
โWho?โ. I can barely contain myself.'"... I feel a fast pulse, my hands resting on the ground. Looking up, Ethan's eyes grow sharper and more determined. "You're not prepared.". My laugh was intense and unfunny. "Not ready to do anything?". I was told by you that my life is not worth living because my father has been murdered and I am now the next one to be killed. Can you please let me know when you're ready?". "This isn't about you, it's about me." Ethan ejaculates forcefully. I raise my voice. "What the fuck is?" What does she mean? His teeth tighten. "As for your dad, he was Alexander Moretti.". "I twitch back like I got hit by him.". That's notโโ. โIt is.โ. The name lingers in our minds, heavy and asphyxiating. Moretti. I know that name. Everyone does. The family's ownership of power was not their own. Deals made in shadows. People who crossed them disappearing overnight.? A name that is whispered like a curse. My stomach knots. โThat's impossible.โ. With a keen eye
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-06Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 20 : Nowhere to run
The bullet rips through the air.I donโt have time to reactโonly to feel the sting of shattered glass slicing my cheek.โDown!โEthanโs voice is sharp, commanding.I donโt think. I just obey.Another shot. The window explodes behind us. Wind rushes in, carrying the distant hum of city traffic.โSniper,โ Ethan mutters, dragging me down behind the couch. His grip is firm, unyielding.I duck lower, chest heaving. โWho the hellโโโNot the time, Isabella,โ he cuts in. His eyes scan the room, calculating.Another shot. The lamp beside us bursts into pieces.โMove!โI donโt hesitate. Ethan yanks me up, shielding me with his body as we sprint toward the hallway.โWhere are we going?โ I pant.โOut.โA bullet slams into the wall beside us. Plaster rains down, dust stinging my eyes. My heartbeat is a violent drum, my breath shallow.Ethan doesnโt stop. His grip tightens as he pulls me forward, moving with ruthless efficiency.We reach a door. He punches a code into the keypad.โHurry,โ I hiss, g
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 21 : A Step Ahead
Ethanโs grip tightens around the phone, his knuckles going white. His entire body goes rigid, the tension rolling off him in waves.โWho the hell is this?โ 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.โCome on, Sinclair. We both know I donโt need to introduce myself.โElias.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.โYouโre getting sloppy,โ Elias continues, his voice laced with amusement. โI expected better from you.โEthanโs jaw flexes. โWhat do you want?โOutside, 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. โYou took something from me,โ he finally says. โNow Iโm taking something from you.โMy stomach twists.Ethan leans forward, his voice
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 22 โ Too Late
Ethanโs foot slams against the gas pedal, the growl of the engine barely masking the storm raging beneath his exterior. His knuckles whiten against the wheel, jaw set like stone, his entire frame locked with tension. The city blurs past, neon lights streaking against the dark as we race toward the inevitable.But I canโt think about the speed, the reckless urgency.All I can see is that image.Elias, standing in Ethanโs penthouse, a smirk stretched across his face like he owns the place.The text beneath it chills me to the bone.Youโre too late, Sinclair. Hope you said your goodbyes.Ethanโs hand jerks as he grips his phone, hitting the dial for Damien. The moment the call connects, his voice is sharp, controlledโbut barely.โTell me youโve got men there already.โDamien doesnโt hesitate, but thereโs something in his tone that sets my nerves on edge.โI sent them as soon as I traced the location. But, Ethanโโ He exhales sharply. โHeโs not alone.โA cold fist wraps around my stomach.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 23 โ A Game of Blood
โMaya, stay with me.โEthanโs 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. โMaya,โ I whisper, my voice breaking as I reach for her trembling fingers. โLook at me.โHer 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.Ethanโs 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.โDamien,โ he growls into his earpiece, his voice sharp as a blade. โWhere the hell is that medic?โThe radio crackles. โTwo minutes out,โ Damien replies. โBut, EthanโโA pause. The kind that makes my stomach drop.โThis was never about Maya.โI already know what he
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 24 โ The Cost of War
โCover her!โEthanโs roar barely cuts through the chaos, but I donโt need to hear it twice.Gunfire shreds through the air, rapid and unrelenting. Bullets splinter furniture, shatter glass, punch through walls, turning the penthouse into a battlefield. Smoke thickens, swirling in the flickering emergency lights. My ears ring from the sheer force of the blasts, but thereโs no time to stop, no time to think.Maya.I drop to my knees beside her, my pulse thundering in my ears. Her face is pale, her lashes fluttering weakly. Blood seeps through my fingers as I press down on the wound in her side. Itโs warm. Too warm.โMaya.โ My voice is barely a whisper. โStay with me. Please.โShe doesnโt respond.Her breathing is too shallow. Her skin too cold.Panic claws at my chest, but I shove it down, forcing my hands to stay steady. I canโt lose her. Not here. Not like this.Ethan moves like a machine, his expression hard, his jaw clenched as he fires shot after shot, each one precise, lethal. His
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 25 โ Ethanโs Move
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. Mayaโs blood stains my hands, warm and sticky, seeping into the fine fabric of my dress. I canโt look away from it.The second the helicopter touches down on the private rooftop of Ethanโs 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 surfaceโsomething raw.โGet the doctor here. Now.โ 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
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13
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Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 49 โ Unseen Chains
โThe woman at the center of the storm.โLogan Pierceโs words hung in the air like an omen, sinking into the dimly lit room like a fog, thick and suffocating.I forced my expression to remain neutral, though every nerve in my body was on edge. The way he said it, like he already knew me. Like I was some predetermined piece in a game I hadnโt agreed to play made my skin crawl.โThatโs dramatic,โ I muttered, keeping my voice flat.Loganโs smirk deepened, the corners of his mouth curving with something that wasnโt quite amusement, wasnโt quite malice. โIsnโt it?โEthan wasnโt amused. โSit.โHe didnโt direct the order at Logan. He meant me.For a moment, I considered defying him. Just to remind him I wasnโt some pawn he could push around. But the weight of exhaustion settled deep in my bones, and I knew I had to pick my battles. So, I sank onto the leather couch, my arms crossing over my chest.Logan, completely at ease, took his time settling into the chair across from me, stretching out
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 48 โ Into the Lionโs Den
The SUV sliced through the night like a silent predator, devouring the miles between us and the city. The hum of the tires against the road was the only sound filling the tense silence inside the car. Ethan sat beside me, his jaw tight, his fingers drumming against his knee in a steady calculated and controlled rhythm. His mind was somewhere else, far ahead of us, mapping out the next move, anticipating every possible threat. I stared out the window, watching as the towering skyscrapers and flickering neon lights of New York faded into darkness, replaced by vast stretches of highway and dense, looming trees. The further we drove, the more it felt like we were leaving civilization itself. A cold knot twisted in my stomach. Finally, I exhaled, breaking the silence. โWhere exactly is โhomeโ?โ Ethanโs gaze flicked to me, but his expression remained unreadable. โSomewhere safe.โ I let out a hollow laugh. โSafe? Thereโs no such thing anymore.โ He didnโt argue. He didnโt need to
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 47 โ No Safe Haven
The room felt like it had been drained of oxygen. I stared at the phone in my hand, my fingers curled so tightly around it that my knuckles turned white. The screen flickered, casting a pale glow on my face, but all I could focus on was the image. The bold, jagged letters scrawled across my apartment door like a bloody warning. Nowhere is safe. A shiver crept down my spine. The words werenโt just a threat. They were a promise. I sucked in a shaky breath, but the air felt thick, heavy, as if the walls were closing in. Ethan moved first. His hand shot out, snatching the phone from my grasp. His grip was tight, controlled, but the muscle in his jaw ticked. A sign that the control was hanging by a thread. His gaze flicked over the image, scanning every detail, and then, with a sharp inhale, he turned to me. โPack a bag.โ I blinked, my mind still trying to catch up. โWhat?โ โYouโre not staying here. Youโre not going back to your apartment.โ His voice was clipped, edged with
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 46 โ The Line We Canโt Cross
โLet go of me, Ethan.โ I kept my voice steady, but my body betrayed me. My hands trembled. My pulse hammered against my ribs, each beat screaming at me to run. Ethanโs grip on my wrist didnโt tighten, but it didnโt loosen either. His fingers, warm and solid, were the only thing anchoring me in place. He stood rigid, his jaw ticking, his body wound so tight it looked like he might snap. โI canโt.โ A shiver rippled down my spine. Elias let out a low whistle. โOh, this is getting good. Whatโs next, Sinclair? You gonna lock her up in your penthouse?โ Ethan didnโt even spare him a glance. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unyielding. โIf thatโs what it takes to keep her safe.โ A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. โYou donโt get to decide that.โ His grip flexed. Just a twitch of his fingers but I felt it everywhere. โI do when Damien Cross is hunting you.โ Elias exhaled dramatically. โAnd there it is. The Sinclair control complex.โ He smirked, shifting against the des
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 45 โ The Truth That Shatters
The room felt like it was closing in. The walls seemed narrower, the air thick with something I couldnโt name. The grainy video on the screen played in an endless loop, the scene burned into my mind. Ethan. A silencer. A body collapsing to the floor. Blood spreading like ink across white tiles. My breath came fast, uneven. It was like my brain refused to process what Iโd just seen. โTell me that wasnโt you.โ My voice barely sounded like mine. It was strained and fragile on the verge of breaking. Ethan didnโt move. He didnโt speak. His expression was unreadable, but his eyesโฆ God, his eyes. I had seen them dark before, filled with anger, with lust, with unspoken emotions I never had the courage to name. But this? This was different. His gaze was a void. Hollow. As if the man I thought I knew was locked somewhere inside, just out of reach. Something inside me cracked. I stepped back, shaking my head. โSay something.โ Ethan finally exhaled, slow and control
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 44 โ Torn Between Devils
โPut the gun down, Ethan.โ Eliasโs voice was smooth and calculated like a snake slithering through the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He stood in the doorway with the ease of a man who owned the world, his fingers lightly brushing against the frame. His other hand was tucked in his pocket, casual, almost lazy, but I knew better. Nothing about Elias Carter was ever lazy. Every move was deliberate. Every word, a weapon. Ethan, however, was a fortress. His stance was unwavering, shoulders squared, his gun aimed with lethal precision. He wasnโt just holding a weapon. He was a weapon. โYouโre trespassing.โ His voice was razor-sharp. Elias smirked. Smirked. Like none of this mattered, like he hadnโt just shattered the world Iโd built with his sudden presence. โAnd youโre holding something that belongs to me.โ The words sliced through the air, thick with meaning. My breath caught. Me. Ethanโs hold on the gun tightened. โShe doesnโt belong to you.โ
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 43 โ Shadows of the Past
I shook my head, my chest rising and falling too fast. โNo.โ Ethan didnโt move. Didnโt blink. โYes.โ My pulse pounded against my ribs like a trapped animal. I took a step back, needing distance, but Ethan was relentless, closing in, his presence thick like a storm cloud about to break. โElias is gone,โ I whispered. โHe has to be gone.โ Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying me like he was waiting for me to figure out the truth on my own. โDo you really believe that?โ I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But Ethanโs voice carried the weight of something inevitable, something unshakable. I clenched my fists at my sides. โHe used me. Lied to me. Left me.โ I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. โWhy the hell would he want me back?โ Ethanโs eyes flickered with something unreadable before he spoke. โBecause youโre the only thing he ever lost.โ The words slammed into me. For a moment, the room faded, replaced by the ghosts of memories I had fought to bury. Eliasโs hands
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 42 โ The Only Way Out
I stumbled back, shaking my head, my breath coming too fast. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs, a wild, frantic rhythm that made my chest ache. โYouโre lying.โ Ethan didnโt move, didnโt blink. โAm I?โ His voice was maddeningly calm, like he was talking about the weather and not completely tearing my world apart. I wanted to believe that. Needed to believe that. But the video kept replaying in my mind, every detail slicing through me like a serrated knife Elias smirking, rolling that damn cigarette between his fingers like I had been nothing more than a business deal, an asset. A job. My stomach lurched. โHow long have you known?โ My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. Ethan exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his jaw like he was debating how much to say. โLong enough.โ I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. โAnd you just let me keep believing he cared?โ He arched a brow. โWould you have believed me if I told you earlier?โ I opened my mouth, ready to snap ba
Bound by deception ย ย ย Chapter 41 โ The Target
The walls of Ethanโs hidden room closed in around me, suffocating, too full of secrets I wasnโt ready to face. My pulse pounded in my ears as his words echoed inside my skull. โYou were a job.โ It wasnโt possible. It wasnโt real. I took a step back, gripping the edge of the desk to steady myself. The folder with my name on it sat between us like a loaded gun. My life, reduced to paper. Dates. Records. A complete history. Ethan watched me with maddening patience, as if waiting for me to process the truth or waiting for me to break. I wouldnโt. I lifted my chin. โYouโre lying.โ He sighed, rubbing a hand along his jaw. โI donโt lie, Isabella.โ Something in his voice made my stomach churn. He sounded tired, almost resigned, but there was an underlying certainty that terrified me. I turned my back to him, gripping the folder so tightly my knuckles ached. I flipped through the pages again, my eyes scanning too fast, desperate for something. Anything to prove him wrong
