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Chapter 26
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2025-05-06 20:36:13
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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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 2025-05-06The Price Of Us Chapter 1
LOUISSince Mama left Father and me when I was ten years old, all I’ve ever known is suffering and pain. Father had always been cruel to me, even before my sorry excuse for a mother left—but her absence carved a chasm so deep in his already blackened heart that the only way he knew how to fill it was with fists.Each. And. Every. Day.And this morning was no exception.“You sorry excuse of a man,” he roared, driving his heavy boots into my stomach again and again. The pain burned through me, but I didn’t dare cry out. Just like I hadn’t for the past seventeen years.“Twenty-seven years and you still can’t even stand up to me,” he spat, delivering a final kick to my shin. “Such a disgrace.” Then he turned and stomped up the stairs, likely to drown himself in whiskey or whatever poison numbed the void inside him.I stayed on the cold, cracked kitchen floor, blinking back tears of frustration. I was pathetic. Helpless. A man who couldn’t even defend himself in his home. I’d tried over t
Last Updated : 2025-04-15The Price Of Us Chapter 2
ELIAS“Sir, you have to understand—the stocks are plummeting. We need to do something about it, and fast.” I tuned out the voice of the financial manager. I hadn’t even wanted him in this board meeting, but somehow the rat managed to weasel his way in. I wasn’t in the mood for any of this. In reality, all of this—the real estate holdings, the casinos—was just a façade. A convenient mask for my true kingdom.The mafia empire my family had built over the last sixty years. There were more pressing matters to attend to in that world. And though this company was the perfect front for our darker dealings, I was growing increasingly sick of pretending to care about its surface-level issues. Rising from my chair, I turned to my second-in-command, Cathan, and gave him a single look—one he immediately understood. He addressed the board without missing a beat. “Mr. Montgomery will ensure these matters are resolved. For now, he has urgent business elsewhere.”“So, the fact that stocks are cr
Last Updated : 2025-04-15The Price Of Us Chapter 3
LOUISA splitting headache greeted me when I opened my eyes. The weak morning light streamed through the curtains at the other end of the room, causing me to shield my face—though the sharp aches coursing through my body made even that small motion feel unbearable.A pained whimper slipped past my lips.I didn’t even want to see what I looked like. A few feet away, the knife I’d brandished at my father lay on the floor, speckled with dried blood. A clear sign that he’d enjoyed himself last night. The familiar sting along my ribs confirmed the fresh cuts he’d left, some already scabbed over.New scars for the collection. Yay, I thought bitterly.I exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the ceiling. A single tear slid down my temple. Then another. And another. Until they flowed freely, silently.I was tired. So damn tired. And the worst part? No one would believe me. Who would believe that a twenty-seven-year-old man couldn’t defend himself against his own father? To the world, I was weak. Pathe
Last Updated : 2025-04-15The Price Of Us Chapter 4
ELIASMy twin sister, Elaine, was as annoying as ever during my short visit to her place. She never missed a chance to needle me about “settling down,” even while I bounced her youngest on my knee and pretended not to hear. The woman had a mouth like a whip and the subtlety of a jackhammer.Annoying.Her children were equally chaotic. I left with more hair pulled from my head than I cared to count. They’re the only ones who could bring me to my knees—literally and figuratively speaking. I loved them, of course, but my tolerance had its limits.So, I left earlier than usual.I had work to do anyway—my bimonthly check-in at Allure, one of my more legitimate fronts, though anyone in Chicago with half a brain knew better than to think that was all it was. Cathan had also just closed a deal with an arms supplier we’d been circling for months. Not many people could convince a man like Jakob Huber to sign anything, let alone trust again after what happened in Prague. But Cathan? He could tal
Last Updated : 2025-04-15
Latest chapter
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
