All Chapters of Bound By Duty, Captivated By Love: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Alethea didn't clean herself in Sebastian's room because she felt unworthy. After wiping away her tears, she put her work clothes back on and tidied up the room as if nothing had happened. Once she was sure Sebastian's room was spotless, she took the soiled sheets out and headed straight for the laundry room.Fortunately, she didn't run into anyone inside the villa while she made her way to the storage area. Perhaps Helen had taken her place looking after Shareeza while she was away. As for Pierre, he would undoubtedly remain by Sebastian's side.After loading the laundry into the washing machine and turning it on, Alethea walked back to her room. Just like on the first night when Sebastian took her virginity, she scrubbed her body over and over again, washing herself harshly. But this time, she no longer cried.Sitting at her small vanity while drying her damp hair, Alethea studied her own reflection. Her face looked bare without any makeup. She appeared exhausted, with dark circles

The car Alethea was riding in passed through a tall gate that opened automatically.A palace, Alethea thought to herself, stunned as she gazed at the grand building towering before her. She realized that even if she lived for hundreds of years, she would never be able to build something as luxurious and massive as that. Perhaps, just one of the sturdy pillars standing before her already cost far more than the house her parents currently lived in.The vehicle carrying Shareeza, Pierre, and Sebastian turned toward the front of the palace. Meanwhile, the car with Alethea and Helen inside continued on toward the side of the main building, finally stopping at a parking area where rows of luxury cars were neatly lined up.Several uniformed male attendants came out through a door and immediately approached Alethea’s car. They automatically opened the trunk and began unloading the suitcases inside.One of them let out a playful whistle when he saw Helen wasn’t alone."Who’s she? Is she a new

Alethea had just learned that Mr. Sebastian worked actively at the office whenever he was in the city. She found this out from a sheet of work schedules she received as his personal assistant at the Tarcisio residence.The schedule listed her duties in detail: from the time she had to wake Mr. Sebastian—if he hadn’t woken up on his own—preparing his bath and work clothes, to getting his breakfast ready and following his entire agenda until the end of his workday.Unlike other attendants who worked in shifts, Alethea’s hours were full-time. However, there were specific slots allocated as her personal break time. These could be used for a nap or personal activities, with one exception—phone usage was still prohibited.At 4:30 a.m., Alethea was already seated at the dining table with several other attendants assigned to the morning shift. She had started opening herself up to the new environment and was trying to follow the advice Helen had previously given her. That morning, Alethea cho

Pierre opened a dark-tinted glass door. Inside the fairly spacious room, there were two work desks, each equipped with two large computer monitors. Behind those desks, a man and a woman were seated, both focused intently on their screens.After passing the two desks, Alethea was directed to another room, where a table roughly twice the size of the previous ones stood. The table was empty, and Alethea assumed it belonged to Pierre.Pierre then opened a set of double glass doors. The room beyond was larger and furnished with various pieces of furniture. Inside, Alethea saw Sebastian touching something with his hand, while a device—what she assumed was a headset—was attached to his ear."Your lunch has arrived, Sir," Pierre announced. But Sebastian simply raised his right hand, signaling Pierre not to continue. He appeared deeply focused on whatever he was listening to."Just put the food over there," he instructed, pointing toward a long table with several chairs, which Alethea guessed

Alethea lay sprawled on the bed in Sebastian’s private lounge, her body utterly exhausted. She chose to ignore the stickiness on her skin and the lingering traces of their intimacy—because even after they had been together in the shower, Sebastian had reached for her again on the bed, while their bodies were still half-wet.What had gotten into that man? Where did Sebastian get all that energy from, especially when he had barely touched his lunch?But Alethea didn’t want to think about it any further. Fatigue weighed heavily on her eyelids, and Sebastian had allowed her to rest. So without overthinking it, she accepted the opportunity and let herself drift into sleep.“Beautiful.” That word had been used by two different men today. “Fair-skinned. Perfectly shaped in all the right places.” Other comments—especially from Aithan—lingered in Sebastian’s mind, unsettling him. And now, thinking about Toni—a young, single, and rather attractive man—only reinforced Sebastian’s suspicion that