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CHAPTER 151: CONTRACT OFF
publish date:
2026-08-09 13:42:02
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OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 155: CONFESSIONS
CIARA I sat by the edge of the bed in the dark, the silk of my robe pooled around my knees. The safehouse had settled into that strange silence that only comes after everything that went down last night.It was just after three in the morning when the door turned on its hinges.Mathew stepped into the room. He had thrown on a pair of dark trousers after leaving our bed, but his chest remained bare, his skin catching the faint amber glow from the hallway. There was no white medical tape on his knuckles. He looked massive, a towering silhouette against the frame, but the rigid, unyielding armor he usually carried after an interrogation had vanished.He didn't look like an enforcer locking down a perimeter. He looked like a man who had just been wrecked by a train.He walked toward the bed, his bare feet making almost no sound against the polished pine floorboards. He didn't crowd my space. He didn't drop his weight onto the mattress with that familiar, aggressive possessiveness. He si
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 154: A SISTER'S ADVICE
MATHEWThe storm had finally started to lose its fight.I could still hear the distant growl of thunder somewhere beyond the trees surrounding the estate, and every now and then a gust of wind rattled the windows hard enough to remind everyone that nature wasn't finished making its point but the worst of it had passed.The safehouse had settled into that strange silence that only comes after chaos.I walked through the eastern corridor alone.It was just after three in the morning.Most of the house was asleep.My bare feet made almost no sound against the polished pine floorboards as I headed toward Carlista's private wing. I had thrown on a pair of dark trousers after leaving Ciara's room, but my chest remained uncovered.I exhaled heavily.The amber light spilling from beneath Carlista's office door told me she was still awake.Some people drank coffee when they couldn't sleep; Carlista audited entire security networks.I pushed the door open.She was exactly where I'd expected her
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 153: MARRY ME
CIARAThe storm off the North Shore was relentless, throwing sheets of heavy rain against the glass of the master suite until the view of the driveway completely dissolved. From the window, I watched the twin beams of Mathew's headlights finally cut through the dark, washing over the front portico before the engine cut out, plunging the yard back into a shadow broken only by the outdoor security floods.I had left the lamps on downstairs, a quiet trail of warm amber light to guide him inside after a day that had left everyone in this house wired tight and utterly restless.When the bedroom door finally opened, he looked massive against the doorframe, his broad shoulders slightly damp from the quick sprint through the downpour. He had a look in his eyes I hadn't seen in weeks a dark, freezing focus that told me he had just crossed paths with a ghost on the drive up. He didn't say a word as he closed the door behind him. His hands were bare, the white medical tape he usually kept wrappe
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 152: THE CALL
MATHEW Rain hammered against the windshield as I drove up the long road leading to the estate.The storm had settled over the North Shore for hours now, turning the night into a blur of water and headlights. The wipers worked overtime, sweeping back and forth in a steady rhythm that barely kept the glass clear.My left hand rested on the steering wheel, the skin beneath the medical tape still sore from the gym.The dashboard glowed softly in the darkness.Security reports scrolled across the onboard terminal.Perimeter secure.Motion sensors clear.No unusual activity.Ciara's car was already parked beneath the front portico. Even from a distance, I recognized it instantly.She was home.That should have been enough to settle the restlessness sitting in my chest.It wasn't.The terminal suddenly flashed red.I frowned.A restricted communication request appeared on the screen.The encryption signature was one I hadn't seen in months.Maybe longer.Only one person still used it.I exh
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 151: CONTRACT OFF
CIARAI sat at the long table in the private conference suite of Horizon Holdings, thirty-four floors above the rain-slicked pavement of Wall Street. The glass walls of the room gave a panoramic view of the gray Manhattan skyline, but inside, the only light came from the soft, blue glow of my terminal screens and a single brass desk lamp.My right hand was resting on the polished wood, the heavy white medical tape Mary had wrapped around my knuckles yesterday feeling tight and unyielding every time I flexed my fingers. It looked barbaric against the sleeve of my cream silk blouse, but I hadn’t taken it off. It was a reminder. A physical ledger of the price I had paid on Forty-Second Street."The London vaults are entirely dry, Miss Sterling," my chief analyst said, his voice coming through the encrypted speakerphone on the console. "We completed the secondary clearance codes at 0400 hours. Every asset Reinhardt’s proxies were trying to flag has been rerouted through our maritime shell
OWNED IN THE DARK CHAPTER 150: STAY IN CONTRACT
MATHEW The gym smelled like iron, sweat, and old concrete.It wasn't one of those luxury fitness clubs with mirrored walls and spa music playing through hidden speakers. This place sat near the docks, tucked away where nobody asked questions. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a pale glow that made the steel plates look colder than they really were.I lay flat on the bench, my hands wrapped around the bar.Three hundred and fifteen pounds.Normally it felt manageable.Today it felt personal.I unracked the weight and lowered it slowly to my chest.Then pushed.The bar rose smoothly."You're rushing the lockout."James's voice echoed through the room.I ignored him.The weight came down again.Up.Two.James stood behind the bench with his arms folded across his chest. He looked completely out of place down here.His workout clothes were spotless.His sneakers looked brand new.Even his hair somehow looked professionally styled.James Vance belonged in confe
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 4: ARGUMENT
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 3: FORBIDDEN FRUIT
I began pacing around. "Go check out Ciara's movement, and if she's recently made new friends. "Damn .. I need to fix this fast." What did you find?""She's just recently started seeing Tony. She's not made new friends, and she just got out of the hospital."I still go very still at the word hosp
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
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