MasukShare
Chapter 22
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-05-06 20:28:22LOUIS
Even though it hurt, I knew Elias took a separate car to avoid me. I guess he was well within his rights by doing so.
This can’t happen again.
That’s the only thing he ever says after every of our encounter. But this time around, we kissed. And though I probably should remove him from my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he held me close to me like I was his to possess.
And for a second, I let my pitiful self believe that there was a universe where that could happen.
“Where to sir?” The question snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to the driver. It’s weird that someone is referring to me as sir, but I’ll just take it like that.
“The casino.” The driver nodded his head in reply. Regardless of the fact that Elias was ignoring me, I still needed to go to work.
Later, the man dropped me off at the casino. Since I hardly took anything with me to Italy, I just walked in with my bag and dropped it off at the staff area.
Work went as usual: cleaning tables, taking orders and the likes but then I noticed something amiss.
The guards looked tense. I mean, they always did, but this was different. They seemed like they were watching for something.
Curious, I focused on them, watching them discreetly. I used the guise of the passing servers, and ducked behind one of the tall velvet pillars.
I knew I should be minding my business, but something in me pushed to know what was going on.
Besides, I might finally see Elias. My heart skipped a happy beat at that thought.
I kept watching them but then I saw Elias.
He emerged from the restricted hall, his coat open and shirt sleeves rolled up. His eyes looked dead.
And when I say dead, I mean empty. It was the kind of emptiness that doesn't come from grief but from rage. Cool, contained and ruthless rage.
And somehow, I just knew, he had done something terrible.
That should have been enough reason for me to turn away. I should have gone back to work. But I didn't.
So I waited for the guards to move and they did eventually.
I moved as quietly as I could, the noise in the lobby dulling my footsteps. My pulse slowed just enough for me to fake being composed.
Then I followed the blood.
Not actual blood—though God knows it wouldn't have shocked me. But there was a presence, something… rotting beneath the marble. Something wrong.
When I came out of the lobby, the only plausible way to go was the kitchen so I disguised myself as one of the kitchen staff by swiping a jacket. With my head kept down and trays in my hands, I knew how to be invisible—years of surviving my brutal existence had made sure of that.
I got through the back corridor, through the service door. I kept walking past the kitchens and down into the storage corridors. Until finally, I saw what I was unintentionally looking for.
A door I'd never seen before made of reinforced steel was there. It possessed neither a label or a handle. The alarm bells started ringing in my head, but I ignored them for just a glimpse of what was behind that door.
It creaked open with a hiss when a guard emerged, wiping his hands on a rust-red-stained towel. He didn’t see me but I saw him.
I held my breath and slipped inside before the door shut.
I regretted my decision instantly.
The room smelled of copper and charred flesh. Metal lockers lined the walls along with chains and numerous hooks. I wasn't sure if I'd walked into a freezer or a slaughterhouse.
But it wasn't meat hanging from that chair.
It was a man.
He was semi-conscious and some of his fingers seemed missing. The face of the man wasn’t even recognizable. His sobs were desperate—like he wasn't crying for mercy, but for death.
And in the corner?
In the corner were tools: Scalpels. Blades. A fucking blowtorch.
My stomach roiled. I backed away, hand to my mouth, eyes wide in terror.
Who the fuck were this people?
So this was Elias's secret. This was the monster under the designer suits.
And I'd kissed him.
I remembered it in vivid, agonizing detail—the warmth of his mouth, the slow burn of his breath at the back of my neck, the weight of his palm on my hip.
I'd wanted him. So badly. So stupidly.
But now all I wanted was… I didn't even know.
Him?
Escape?
Both?
Because the part of me that should have been horrified… was trembling for a whole different reason.
And that made me even sicker.
Bab terkait
The Price Of Us Chapter 23
LOUISMy legs trembled with terror as I backed out into the hall, my pounding heart sounded like a war cry in my chest. The sound the man made—his tortured screams—would not escape my mind. I had seen it. Everything.The blood. The broken body. The cruel callousness of it all. Mercy wasn’t shown.Mercy wasn’t shown, mercy wasn’t shown, mercy wasn’t shown.I slapped a hand over my mouth, bile rising in my throat as I turned to escape. Elias… Elias wasn't simply powerful, or menacing, or mysterious. He was a monster cloaked in silk suits and quiet smiles. And I—I had kissed him. Wanted him. Let him touch me. The thought sent a fresh wave of nausea through me. "Where do you think you're going?"The voice was a low, smooth, growl with a deadly undertone that made my blood freeze. A steel-hard hand clamped around my upper arm, yanking me back with terrifying ease. I crashed into a wall of muscle and stared up into eyes so green, they glowed like lanterns in the half-light of the corridor.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 24
ELIASI leaned against the tall window in my study, a half-finished bourbon swirling in my glass, the harsh burn of the drink was not nearly strong enough to quiet the regret churning in my belly. The room was dark, except for the faint glow of the city diffusing through the glass. Somewhere below, Louis was in one of the guest rooms—my prisoner, technically. My responsibility now. My choice.God, what had I done?The sight of him there—lips parted in shock, eyes wide with betrayal and fright—burned behind my eyelids like a hot brand. He had looked at me like I was a monster. Because I was. I still am.I ran a hand through my hair and settled behind my desk, jaw clenched tight. Cathan was too damn close to killing him. One word and it would have been done. And the terrifying thing was—I almost did do it. Because it would have been easier. Cleaner. Safer.He wouldn’t have to be dragged into my word.But I didn't.Why?"Why?" I said to myself out loud, slamming the glass down on the tab
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 25
LOUISI couldn't breathe. Not because I was winded, not because I was hurting—God only knows I'd had my share of that—but because Elias was kissing me like he needed to possess every breath in my lungs. I don't know who moved first. Maybe we both did. All I knew was that one second I was staring into his eyes in the dim hallway, and the next our lips slammed together like we had been starved. His hand wrapped tightly around the back of my neck, tugging me close until I could feel every inch of him pressed against me. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling and gripping like I needed him to survive.The kiss wasn’t gentle. There was nothing careful or tender about the way our mouths collided—just hunger. Raw, dangerous, unfiltered need. I moaned into his mouth and was shocked by how natural it felt. How right and wrong collided in my chest like a storm.His hands roamed my body with practiced ease. He slid one down the curve of my back and folded his arms around my waist like he was
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 26
ELIASI should have walked away.Goddammit, I should have turned my back and left him there in the warm golden light of the library, looking at me with those wide blues. I should've listened to the fading piece of me that still knew restraint was worth more than ruin.But I didn't.Louis took a step closer and I didn’t bother stopping him.His breath mixed with mine, uncertain, tasting of fear and desire. I saw it in his eyes then—the doubt and the hunger for me. And when our lips met, it was as though he set fire to every last scrap of control that I had. The kiss wasn't shy this time (when had it ever been). It was deep, desperate, and completely damning.I was going to drown in this boy.His fingers slid into my hair and tugged gently, pulling a sudden groan from my mouth. I backed him up until the edge of the desk hit the back of his thighs, and he gasped softly. That sound from his lips was the final straw. My palms traced the curve of his face, then down the gentle slope of his
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 27
LOUISThe quiet that followed Elias as he left the room clung to my skin like sweat—thick, heavy, and unwelcome.I sat on the edge of the couch, my shirt half untucked, lips still swollen from the kiss that had started it all. My fingers trembled slightly. His touch on my skin remained, especially the way it was hesitant at first but grew possessive—like he needed to own me. And maybe, for a fleeting moment, I needed to be owned.But he’d left. Just like that. He pulled away with a coldness that contrasted the fire we’d just shared. And even though I had a feeling that call was very important, I couldn’t help but feel the way I feel.I ran a hand through my hair, expelling a breath I hadn't realized I’d been holding. I still reeked of him—cologne, sweat, heat, need. His ghostly presence lingered on me, the way he'd gasped when I sucked him in my mouth was thrilling. It was like he didn’t expect it, like it broke something in him.And then he just walked away.I stood and took the walk
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 28
ELIASChaos tasted bitter, like iron. Its sharp metallic taste was something I’d tried to avoid. Like the blood pooling at the back of my mouth as I staggered through the smoky corridor of my own goddamn office complex.When Cathan called, I drove as quickly as I could to the warehouse where he was waiting for me but the compound had been breached.Not the outer gates. Not the surveillance blind spots we kept loose on purpose to confuse amateur spies.No—this was intentional. Planned out. Whoever attacked knew the layout. They knew the shift changes. They knew exactly when to strike.There was a spy among us."Get down!"A rough voice growled out of my earpiece a fraction of a second before a spasm of gunfire ricocheted off the marble pillar inches from my head. I ducked behind it, my heart pounding, the sear in my left side throbbing with each breath.I had been hit. It didn’t happen often but when it did, it hurt like a motherfucking bitch.The wound wasn’t fatal, I hoped. It was a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 29
LOUISThe room was too quiet.Not peaceful—never that—but the kind of quiet that crawled on your skin. I lay extended over the sheets, the lamp casting a warm amber glow against the gold-ornamented walls, the silk of the pillows was cool along my spine. Still dressed, I folded my arms over my head, my eyes half-closed but sleep nowhere in view.I hadn't seen Elias since that morning. Since the kiss. Since he'd vanished and left me in a palace that was beginning to feel rather like someone else's living museum.But I could still taste him. Still feel the pressure of his hand mashed on my jaw. That fire that'd burned between us—it hadn't gone out. It'd just. simmered.But then I remembered how he’d been watching me and those lustful thoughts vanished and, in their place, anger consumed me. Anger and betrayal. It didn’t make sense for me to feel betrayed, yet, I did.I was hovering in the twilight region between annoyance and tiredness when I heard it. A sound.It was a muffled thus, bar
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 30
LOUISNot once had the house ever felt this quiet.Not even in the dead of night, or even during those first lonely nights after I'd been swept into Elias's life. Tonight, the quiet buzzed—tension curled through the walls like a drawn wire, vibrating against the seams of my skin.I didn’t even bother sleeping.Elias hadn't spoken a word since Cathan and I escorted him up to bed. He'd gone limp in our arms halfway up the grand staircase, blood seeping into his shirt and flowing down onto the marble like plummeting stars—dark, sharp, and unending. We'd placed him in bed. I'd removed his tattered clothes. Wrapped the worst of the wounds with shaking fingers. He hadn't stirred. Had only stared at me with veiled eyes as if I were something distant and receding.But then he'd fainted. And I think that was what shook Cathan because apparently, he didn’t do that.Cathan had vanished a little later with a grumbled, "I'll take care of the rest."I should have slept. Should have curled up alongs
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-06
Bab terbaru
The Price Of Us Chapter 30
LOUISNot once had the house ever felt this quiet.Not even in the dead of night, or even during those first lonely nights after I'd been swept into Elias's life. Tonight, the quiet buzzed—tension curled through the walls like a drawn wire, vibrating against the seams of my skin.I didn’t even bother sleeping.Elias hadn't spoken a word since Cathan and I escorted him up to bed. He'd gone limp in our arms halfway up the grand staircase, blood seeping into his shirt and flowing down onto the marble like plummeting stars—dark, sharp, and unending. We'd placed him in bed. I'd removed his tattered clothes. Wrapped the worst of the wounds with shaking fingers. He hadn't stirred. Had only stared at me with veiled eyes as if I were something distant and receding.But then he'd fainted. And I think that was what shook Cathan because apparently, he didn’t do that.Cathan had vanished a little later with a grumbled, "I'll take care of the rest."I should have slept. Should have curled up alongs
The Price Of Us Chapter 29
LOUISThe room was too quiet.Not peaceful—never that—but the kind of quiet that crawled on your skin. I lay extended over the sheets, the lamp casting a warm amber glow against the gold-ornamented walls, the silk of the pillows was cool along my spine. Still dressed, I folded my arms over my head, my eyes half-closed but sleep nowhere in view.I hadn't seen Elias since that morning. Since the kiss. Since he'd vanished and left me in a palace that was beginning to feel rather like someone else's living museum.But I could still taste him. Still feel the pressure of his hand mashed on my jaw. That fire that'd burned between us—it hadn't gone out. It'd just. simmered.But then I remembered how he’d been watching me and those lustful thoughts vanished and, in their place, anger consumed me. Anger and betrayal. It didn’t make sense for me to feel betrayed, yet, I did.I was hovering in the twilight region between annoyance and tiredness when I heard it. A sound.It was a muffled thus, bar
The Price Of Us Chapter 28
ELIASChaos tasted bitter, like iron. Its sharp metallic taste was something I’d tried to avoid. Like the blood pooling at the back of my mouth as I staggered through the smoky corridor of my own goddamn office complex.When Cathan called, I drove as quickly as I could to the warehouse where he was waiting for me but the compound had been breached.Not the outer gates. Not the surveillance blind spots we kept loose on purpose to confuse amateur spies.No—this was intentional. Planned out. Whoever attacked knew the layout. They knew the shift changes. They knew exactly when to strike.There was a spy among us."Get down!"A rough voice growled out of my earpiece a fraction of a second before a spasm of gunfire ricocheted off the marble pillar inches from my head. I ducked behind it, my heart pounding, the sear in my left side throbbing with each breath.I had been hit. It didn’t happen often but when it did, it hurt like a motherfucking bitch.The wound wasn’t fatal, I hoped. It was a
The Price Of Us Chapter 27
LOUISThe quiet that followed Elias as he left the room clung to my skin like sweat—thick, heavy, and unwelcome.I sat on the edge of the couch, my shirt half untucked, lips still swollen from the kiss that had started it all. My fingers trembled slightly. His touch on my skin remained, especially the way it was hesitant at first but grew possessive—like he needed to own me. And maybe, for a fleeting moment, I needed to be owned.But he’d left. Just like that. He pulled away with a coldness that contrasted the fire we’d just shared. And even though I had a feeling that call was very important, I couldn’t help but feel the way I feel.I ran a hand through my hair, expelling a breath I hadn't realized I’d been holding. I still reeked of him—cologne, sweat, heat, need. His ghostly presence lingered on me, the way he'd gasped when I sucked him in my mouth was thrilling. It was like he didn’t expect it, like it broke something in him.And then he just walked away.I stood and took the walk
The Price Of Us Chapter 26
ELIASI should have walked away.Goddammit, I should have turned my back and left him there in the warm golden light of the library, looking at me with those wide blues. I should've listened to the fading piece of me that still knew restraint was worth more than ruin.But I didn't.Louis took a step closer and I didn’t bother stopping him.His breath mixed with mine, uncertain, tasting of fear and desire. I saw it in his eyes then—the doubt and the hunger for me. And when our lips met, it was as though he set fire to every last scrap of control that I had. The kiss wasn't shy this time (when had it ever been). It was deep, desperate, and completely damning.I was going to drown in this boy.His fingers slid into my hair and tugged gently, pulling a sudden groan from my mouth. I backed him up until the edge of the desk hit the back of his thighs, and he gasped softly. That sound from his lips was the final straw. My palms traced the curve of his face, then down the gentle slope of his
The Price Of Us Chapter 25
LOUISI couldn't breathe. Not because I was winded, not because I was hurting—God only knows I'd had my share of that—but because Elias was kissing me like he needed to possess every breath in my lungs. I don't know who moved first. Maybe we both did. All I knew was that one second I was staring into his eyes in the dim hallway, and the next our lips slammed together like we had been starved. His hand wrapped tightly around the back of my neck, tugging me close until I could feel every inch of him pressed against me. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling and gripping like I needed him to survive.The kiss wasn’t gentle. There was nothing careful or tender about the way our mouths collided—just hunger. Raw, dangerous, unfiltered need. I moaned into his mouth and was shocked by how natural it felt. How right and wrong collided in my chest like a storm.His hands roamed my body with practiced ease. He slid one down the curve of my back and folded his arms around my waist like he was
The Price Of Us Chapter 24
ELIASI leaned against the tall window in my study, a half-finished bourbon swirling in my glass, the harsh burn of the drink was not nearly strong enough to quiet the regret churning in my belly. The room was dark, except for the faint glow of the city diffusing through the glass. Somewhere below, Louis was in one of the guest rooms—my prisoner, technically. My responsibility now. My choice.God, what had I done?The sight of him there—lips parted in shock, eyes wide with betrayal and fright—burned behind my eyelids like a hot brand. He had looked at me like I was a monster. Because I was. I still am.I ran a hand through my hair and settled behind my desk, jaw clenched tight. Cathan was too damn close to killing him. One word and it would have been done. And the terrifying thing was—I almost did do it. Because it would have been easier. Cleaner. Safer.He wouldn’t have to be dragged into my word.But I didn't.Why?"Why?" I said to myself out loud, slamming the glass down on the tab
The Price Of Us Chapter 23
LOUISMy legs trembled with terror as I backed out into the hall, my pounding heart sounded like a war cry in my chest. The sound the man made—his tortured screams—would not escape my mind. I had seen it. Everything.The blood. The broken body. The cruel callousness of it all. Mercy wasn’t shown.Mercy wasn’t shown, mercy wasn’t shown, mercy wasn’t shown.I slapped a hand over my mouth, bile rising in my throat as I turned to escape. Elias… Elias wasn't simply powerful, or menacing, or mysterious. He was a monster cloaked in silk suits and quiet smiles. And I—I had kissed him. Wanted him. Let him touch me. The thought sent a fresh wave of nausea through me. "Where do you think you're going?"The voice was a low, smooth, growl with a deadly undertone that made my blood freeze. A steel-hard hand clamped around my upper arm, yanking me back with terrifying ease. I crashed into a wall of muscle and stared up into eyes so green, they glowed like lanterns in the half-light of the corridor.
The Price Of Us Chapter 22
LOUISEven though it hurt, I knew Elias took a separate car to avoid me. I guess he was well within his rights by doing so.This can’t happen again.That’s the only thing he ever says after every of our encounter. But this time around, we kissed. And though I probably should remove him from my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he held me close to me like I was his to possess.And for a second, I let my pitiful self believe that there was a universe where that could happen.“Where to sir?” The question snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to the driver. It’s weird that someone is referring to me as sir, but I’ll just take it like that.“The casino.” The driver nodded his head in reply. Regardless of the fact that Elias was ignoring me, I still needed to go to work.Later, the man dropped me off at the casino. Since I hardly took anything with me to Italy, I just walked in with my bag and dropped it off at the staff area.Work went as usual: cleaning tables, taking orders a
