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CHAPTER 102: CARLISTA'S VULNERABILITY
تاريخ النشر:
2026-07-23 21:30:05
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OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 185: ARREST
CIARA The observation gallery overlooking the Imperial Trust was silent enough for me to hear the rain tapping against the vaulted glass roof.The building smelled of polished stone, old paper, and expensive history. The kind of place where fortunes had been built, protected, and quietly stolen for generations.I sat alone in the shadows of the third-floor gallery, dressed in a slate-gray wool coat that still carried the crisp scent of new fabric. One leg rested over the other while my boot tapped lazily against the iron railing.Below me, bankers drifted across the marble floor in tailored suits, speaking in hushed voices beneath towering pillars and bulletproof glass partitions. The entire place looked more like a cathedral than a bank.Forty-eight hours earlier, I'd emptied every account Eleanor Diamond had ever hidden.Every estate.Every offshore trust.Every private investment.Every diamond reserve.Everything she had spent decades collecting had disappeared with a handful of
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 184: CON
MATHEW The Zurich headquarters of Imperial Trust looked nothing like the scene of a billion-dollar theft. It stood in the heart of the city like an old European cathedral, built to protect wealth that had survived generations. Polished marble floors reflected the warm glow of crystal chandeliers, while towering limestone pillars stretched toward vaulted ceilings. Every door was reinforced, every window bulletproof. I sat in the executive lounge, leaning back against a leather chair that did little to ease the ache in my body. My left shoulder and right collarbone were wrapped tightly beneath my heavy wool coat, each movement reminding me of the bullets Ciara had put into me. The doctors had patched me together, but healing wasn't as simple as stitching flesh. Every breath sent a dull burn through my chest.Oddly enough, the pain barely registered anymore.For the first time in two days, my mind wasn't consumed by fear.Louis had called less than an hour earlier with news that had dr
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 183: JUDGEMENT
CIARA The warehouse that housed Luke's operations was almost unnervingly quiet.The only sound came from the rain pounding against the corrugated metal roof high above us, loud enough to drown out the restless heartbeat of London beyond the walls. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, blending with the soft hum of computers and servers that never seemed to sleep.I stepped out of the darkness and into the glow of blue monitor lights.I'd left the Aston Martin nearly three blocks away in an underground parking garage under a fake registration. Old habits. If anyone was following me, they'd waste hours chasing a car that no longer mattered.My black silk coat was soaked around the edges, cold rainwater clinging to the fabric as it brushed against my boots. The damp material wrapped around my body like another layer of skin, but I barely noticed. Compared to everything else burning inside me, the cold meant nothing.Luke didn't acknowledge me immediately.He remained bent over the cu
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 182: WHERE IS SHE?
MATHEW The temporary private clinic in Mayfair smelled of disinfectant, old floor polish, and medicine. It was clean, quiet, and far too peaceful for my liking. Every heartbeat sent another wave of pain through my shoulder, but the silence bothered me more than the injury.I wasn't staying.One of the surgeons had barely finished checking the stitches across my left shoulder when I ripped the monitoring pads off my chest. The machine behind me erupted into angry beeps as the wires snapped free and dangled from the side of the bed."Sir…""I said I'm leaving."The moment I swung my legs to the floor, agony exploded through my collarbone. White-hot pain shot down my arm, stealing my breath for a second. Ciara's bullets had done their job well.I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached.Pain could wait.She couldn't.I shrugged into my overcoat, ignoring the fresh blood beginning to soak through the bandages beneath my shirt."Mathew."Carlista stood in the doorway with her arms folded. She
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 181: FIND PEACE
CIARA The Aston Martin sliced through the midnight rain, its engine growling as it tore down the M4. Water exploded beneath the tires, the headlights carving narrow tunnels through the storm.My hands were locked around the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had gone white. The leather creaked beneath my grip. Every breath scraped out of my lungs in short, uneven bursts. My heart wasn't racing….it was trying to claw its way out of my chest.I was furious.No. Furious wasn't enough.I was feral.One image kept replaying in my head, over and over, refusing to fade.Eleanor Diamond.The security footage.The look on her face as she pressed that velvet cushion over my mother's face. There had been no hesitation. No guilt. Just cold, entitled satisfaction.Then there was Mathew.My lover.My safe place.Only hours earlier he'd held me on our private jet, whispering promises about the future while his hands explored my body with a tenderness that had made me believe every word. All the
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 180: HER RAGE
MATHEW The private medical suite was unnaturally quiet.I stared at the stark white ceiling above me, its brightness almost painful after hours of unconsciousness. It felt nothing like my study back at the estate. There were no familiar shadows, no scent of polished wood, no warmth from Ciara sitting nearby. Just antiseptic air, cold fluorescent lights, and the steady rhythm of a heart monitor.Beep... beep... beep...The sound echoed through the room like a metronome counting down every second of my recovery.I tried to push myself up.The instant I moved, agony exploded through my chest.A sharp gasp escaped before I could stop it. It felt as though someone had driven a heated blade through my collarbone. Every muscle locked, and my body refused to cooperate. My jaw clenched so tightly my teeth hurt.The shooting replayed in my mind with cruel clarity.Two shots.Precise.Controlled.One tore through my shoulder. The other shattered my collarbone.Ciara hadn't missed.She simply ha
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 2: ABORTION?
CIARA"You are pregnant.""I beg your pardon?""You're pregnant, Miss.""How could I possibly be pregnant? I'm on the pill, and I take the morning-after pill every time despite my IUD. There is no way those test results are accurate."The doctor stares at me for a while "Do you have your pills with
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 6: THE FIGHT
MATHEW I stood in the centre of the ring, my knuckles wrapped in tape, looking at the guy opposite me. Tony. The same guy who had been buying drinks for Ciara at the university bar for months. The same guy who looked at her with those smarmy, possessive eyes and the same idiot who came with her to
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 5: THREAT
CIARAMaggie's eyes narrowed as she took in our dishevelled state-mud-caked shoes, rain-soaked clothes, and the undeniable scent of sex clinging to us like a second skin. I instinctively stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest as if that could hide the evidence of our encounter."Well, isn't t
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 1: ENGAGEMENT
CIARAIf I had walked away the first time, none of this would be happening.But I don't. And now I'm standing here, trapped in something I no longer want."You petty, pretentious bastard. You don't get to do this to me," I snarl. "I'm done. We're done. Marry her for all I care, but I'm moving on wi
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