All Chapters of Bound By The CEO's Contract : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Bells restaurant as usual was comfortably packed today, a mixture of professionals unwinding after a long day and couples sharing quiet dinners.Sophie was opposite me leaning back in her chair, pulling out her phone with a casual flash of her wrist.I sat across from her, with distant eyes and my thoughts distant, scattered. The noise of the restaurant soon faded into a low buzz as I stared blankly into space absently tracing the rim of my glass with my thumb.Sophie had her phone glued to her ear. “Hey, Matt,”She was saying to the other person on the line who was infact her immediate younger brother Matthew.“Yeah, I’m still at Bells with Natalie. No, I didn’t forget ” She rolled her eyes, with her cheeks lifting slightly.“I said I’ll send it when I get home. Just chill.”She listened for a second, her expression shifting into something between amusement and mild exasperation. “Seriously, what do you even need it for right this second? You’re not” She stopped, sighing. “Fine

(NATALIE POV)The car had barely stopped before Sophie leaned over with her fingers lightly drumming on the wheel."See you tomorrow Babe"I nodded, reaching for the door handle. "First thing.""And don’t overthink it tonight, Ellie." Her voice was softer now, heavy with a knowing kind of concern.I forced a small smile, pushing the door open. "I won’t."Sophie didn’t look convinced, but she let it go with a small shake of her head. "Alright. Just go inside before your mom decides to send a search party."With a final wave, I stepped out, feeling the caress of the late evening breeze as Sophie started to pull away. The front yard was soon before me, but I wasn’t quite ready to go in just yet.I exhaled slowly, wandering toward the stone bench beneath the large sycamore tree at the far left. On getting there, I lowered myself onto the bench, tilting my head back to stare at the dark sky. Alexander’s voice on the phone about an hour ago was still ringing in my ears, edged with u

The morning light filtered in gently through the curtains, I stirred beneath my sheets, blinking as my eyes opened into the calmness of the new day. My hand, still half-asleep, fumbled along the side of the bed as it brushed against my phone, which was still lying face down gainst the mattress. Right where I had dropped it last night before sleeping off.I lay still for a second, breathing in the fresh air.The ceiling above my head was still faintly blurred by the remnant of sleep in my eye, but I wasn’t groggy. Not really. All I felt was this rare stillness, the kind that made me realize I hadn’t tossed or turned during my unconscious state.It was even unbelievable that my sleep had not come with the usual nightmares and that alone was almost unsettling.I stretched out my limbs slowly, the joints of my shoulders and spine cracking with a satisfying pop, letting out a yawn that nearly unhinged my jaw. My chest was steadily rising and falling as I let the quietness settle in

The silence between us stretched even more.It wasn’t the kind of interval that lingered lightly, this one was beginning to grow heavy and awkward, coiling itself around my ears in a way I did not like. I could hear Natalie breathing faintly, the intake of air that spoke volumes, it was making my doubt grow by twice.Then finally, Natalie’s voice returned, almost as if she hadn’t realized the call was still connected. Then it picked up, carrying something…a strange. tone that bore a hint of surprise. Not the innocent kind, but something thinner, calculated… or maybe not. Maybe I was just reading too much into it. But how could I be sure?“I….I don’t even know who that is,” she said. “I’m just…hearing the name now, same as you.”I swallowed, hard. My Adam’s apple bobbed oncel as I forced out my next words, “Swear,”. I began with a voice that scraped low. “Swear on everything you hold dear that you’re just hearing the name… right now.”There was another inhale from Natalie but

I looked up slowly.My eyes meeting my mother's own squarely and for a moment, everything else, including from my now fallen phone faded into the background.Mom was still standing just a few feet away, arms folded tight,Her brows were furrowed, not in anger, but in that subtle way that mothers do when they’re trying to read your soul. She was trying to reach the part of me I wasn’t saying out loud, She was searching for something in my expression.And I knew exactly what she thought she was seeing.Something around the threshold of guilt.And from her side of the picture, it probably made sense. I was looking like a mess, and to her, that was probably enough clue to fix her puzzle.I felt my chest tighten, as a new wave of frustration found its way to my throat.“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head like I could toss the very thought out of the room “It’s not” I repeated..I saw her lean forward slightly, instinctively, like she didn’t want to miss a word.And that almost made