All Chapters of Against all odds : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Elliott Immediately I went back home from Luca place. It started with a dinner invitation, or rather, a summons.My father isn’t the type to casually invite me to dinner unless he has an agenda, and the text message I receive in the afternoon makes it painfully clear.Dinner at the penthouse. 8 PM. Don’t be late.No explanation. No pleasantries. Just a command, like always.I debate ignoring it, pretending I never saw the message, but I know that won’t work. My father has a way of making things miserable when he doesn’t get what he wants. If I don’t show up, he’ll track me down at work tomorrow and make a scene in front of the board. That’s how he operates, control through pressure, appearances, and power plays.So at 7:58 PM, I step into the private elevator leading up to my parents’ penthouse, feeling like I’m walking into an ambush.Dinner is as extravagant as always, crystal glasses, candlelight, expensive wine that I barely sip. My mother, ever the graceful hostess, asks me abou

Elliott Luca opens the door before I even knock. His apartment smells like coffee and cedarwood, warm and familiar. He’s wearing a loose hoodie, his dark curls slightly tousled, like he just woke up from a nap. Normally, I’d take a second to admire him, but tonight, my mind is a mess.He takes one look at me and frowns. “Elliot?”I don’t answer right away. I step inside, running a hand through my hair as I pace the length of his living room. My heart is hammering, and I can’t tell if it’s from frustration or fear. Probably both.Luca watches me with quiet concern before shutting the door. “Okay. What happened?”I let out a sharp breath, finally turning to him. “They’re forcing me into an engagement.”He went numb for a second.Then he blinked, he blinked again and again, then raised his eyebrows as if waiting for me to say it’s a joke. When I don’t, his expression hardens.“What?” His voice is dangerously low.I swallow. “My parents. They’re making me marry some girl… Cecilia Lauren

Elliott The Next MorningI woke up to the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the blinds, casting streaks of warmth across Luca’s small apartment. My body felt heavy, my limbs tangled with his as we lay in bed, still wrapped in the lingering warmth of the night before. For a moment, I didn’t want to move, I just wanted to stay in this cocoon of safety, away from the expectations waiting for me at home, but I know I don't have that's luxury.Luca stirred beside me, his arm tightening around my waist as he murmured something incoherent against my shoulder. I smiled faintly, running a hand through his messy hair.“You’re awake,” he muttered sleepily, his voice husky from sleep.“Yeah.” I sighed, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. It was past nine, my father was going to be furious.Luca must have caught the change in my expression because he propped himself up on one elbow, studying me. “You don’t want to go back, do you?”I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. “

Elliott’s POVEven after everything, after the punishment, after the pain, after the bruises that still burned across my skin, I couldn’t stop thinking about Luca.I didn’t want to stop thinking about him.I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, my body aching from the beating my father had given me the night before. My ribs throbbed with every breath, and my cheek was still swollen, but none of that mattered. Not really.What mattered was the way Luca had touched me. The way he had kissed me, made me feel like I wasn’t just someone trapped in a life he didn’t want.I needed to see him.But my father would lose his mind if I stepped outside without permission again.I turned my head to where Cecilia sat by my bedside, quietly dabbing ointment onto a cut near my temple. Her brows were drawn in worry, but she didn’t say anything.I shifted slightly, wincing. “Cecilia?”She looked up at me, her expression cautious. “What is it?”“I need you to cover for me.”Her hands froze. “Elliott…”

Luca I couldn't take it anymore.The entire night had been a blur of frustration and anxiety as I sat on the edge of my bed, phone in hand, watching the screen light up, only for it to be notifications that weren’t from him. The missed calls, the unread messages, the radio silence, it all added up to one thing. Elliott was ignoring me.My chest tightened with every passing minute. Had I pushed him too far? Was he angry? Or was something actually wrong? My mind spun with possibilities, each one worse than the last. The longer I waited, the more suffocating the silence became, swallowing me whole.I should have just told him the truth from the beginning. The moment I found out, I should have just told him when he came earlier, I should have looked him in the eyes and confessed everything. Maybe then he wouldn’t be shutting me out now. Maybe then he would still be talking to me instead of making me feel like I no longer existed in his world.But I couldn't undo the past.What I could d