Sinfully Bound

The rain poured like judgment from the heavens, soaking Liara Kane to the bone as she stood in the hallway outside ICU Room 12, clutching the cracked screen of her phone while the nurse repeated the words she’d already heard too many times.“Miss Kane, without the surgery, your brother won’t make it through the week.”Her throat burned. “I—I understand. Can I just have a little more time to settle the bill—”“I’m sorry,” the nurse said, her voice softer now. “We’ve given you two extensions already. We have hospital policies.”Policies. As if a policy could save Noah.She looked down at the thin plastic bag containing her last few crumpled bills—just enough to buy one more dose of the medication her brother needed to survive the night. Her fingers shook so badly she almost dropped it.Liara turned away, heart pounding, and her heels clicked unevenly against the linoleum as she paced down the corridor. She shoved open the stairwell door and gripped the rusty railing for balance, her che

Liara walked beside Asher, her fingers tightening around the sleeves of the coat a maid had handed her. The fabric was soft—too soft. Nothing about this felt real. She wasn’t ready for what came next, but Asher Kane never waited.He led her to a black luxury car parked in front of the estate. The driver opened the door, and Asher slid in first.“Get in,” he said coolly.She did.The engine purred to a stop outside a boutique that looked more like a piece of art than a store. Sleek black glass, golden signage etched with the name Maison du Lys. Liara glanced up, overwhelmed by the opulence.his phone buzzed. Asher glanced at the caller ID and muttered, “Grandfather.” Then he turned to her. “I need to take this. Go ahead inside. Someone will assist you.”She nodded and stepped out alone.Two women behind the counter barely glanced at her. One wrinkled her nose, whispering something to the other, who snickered.Liara swallowed her pride and approached politely. “Excuse me, I—”their expre

The Kane mansion loomed like a fortress carved from old wealth and untouchable power. Ivory stone walls gleamed under gold lighting. Black-suited guards stood in pairs every few feet, forming a silent, intimidating corridor from the front gates to the double doors—each pair bowing their heads the moment the sleek black car approached. Liara’s breath caught as Asher stepped out first. His presence, sharp in a tailored black tux, seemed to darken the air around him. The moment he straightened, every pair of eyes snapped to attention—not out of admiration, but reverence. Fear. Then his hand reached out, silently commanding. Liara took it, stepping into the night, the subtle click of her heels swallowed by the grand estate’s silence. She clutched her bejeweled clutch tighter as more guards moved to flank them, like wolves shielding their alpha. “Don’t speak unless you have to,” Asher murmured, voice quiet but firm. “Don’t look away when they stare. And if anyone insults you—” “I smil

Liara woke to silence.The luxury of the sheets still smelled like him—dark spice, expensive cologne, and something colder she couldn’t name—but the space beside her was empty. No warmth. No trace of his body. Just the unsettling stillness of a mansion too quiet for comfort.Her hand brushed over the spot where he should’ve been, her fingers tightening in the sheets.He didn’t say he would leave.She sat up slowly, the silk robe slipping from her shoulders as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains, casting sharp gold slashes across the marble floor. Everything felt… too perfect. Too still.A knock. Then a pause.Before she could answer, the door opened quietly. A maid stepped inside—young, nervous, and clearly uncomfortable in her black Kane-uniformed skin.“Good morning, miss,” the girl said softly, eyes not quite meeting Liara’s. “Mr. Kane instructed me to assist you today. He said you’d be needing something appropriate to

When the meeting finally adjourned, chairs scraped back slowly. Some left without a glance in her direction. A few eyed her warily, like a variable they couldn’t quite solve.And then they were alone.The doors clicked shut behind the last advisor, and silence swallowed the room.Liara didn’t look at him.Not at first.She stood slowly, palms pressed to the polished table. The same spot where twelve heads had once turned to silence her. Not one of them had succeeded.“I woke up and you were gone,” she said, her voice calm but not cold. “No note. No word. Just an empty bed.”Asher said nothing.She finally turned, eyes meeting his. There it was again—that flicker of sadness buried beneath the fire. But now it wasn’t alone. Now it danced with anger.“Was that deliberate?” she asked. “Was I meant to feel forgotten?”His gaze didn’t flinch. “You were meant to be tested.”“And what did I prove, Asher?” Her voice was softer now, but laced with something bitter. “That I can still walk into a