All Chapters of Bound by Contract to the Ruthless Billionaire : Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

Ethan’s Point of ViewThe scream got me confused.It wasn’t Alessia.It was Panicked in a way that made your heart stop even before your brain caught up.The glass in my hand slipped. Hit the floor. Rolled under the couch. I didn’t bother picking it up.I was already moving.When I got to the living room, Teis was standing like he’d forgotten how to speak. His face was unreadable. one hand was still holding his phone, and the other trembling at his side.“What the hell is going on?”He turned slowly. “It’s your mother, sir… there’s been an incident.”I didn’t blink. Just stared.“What kind of incident?”He swallowed. “She collapsed. At the foundation site. Looks like a stroke.”Of course. Of course she picked tonight. Of all nights.Before I could say anything else, Alessia appeared behind me. Quiet steps. Still in nightwear. Hair loose. Eyes wide. “What happened?”I didn’t answer her.“Get the car ready,” I said to Teis.“Right away.” He vanished.Alessia reached out just lightly to

Alessia’s Point of ViewThe bar was quiet. With dim lights, and the kind of music that wrapped around you instead of pulling you in.I didn’t come to drink. I just came to breathe.The weight of the hospital still clung to my skin. Ethan’s voice still echoed in my bones. And his mother’s eyes… that last, bitter stare… it wouldn’t leave me alone.So I sat at the corner, my coat still on, and my hands wrapped around a warm glass of ginger tea the bartender offered when I said I wasn’t drinking.And then I heard him.A man’s voice behind me.Low. Familiar.He said my name like it wasn’t the first time.“Alessia.”I turned slowly.He was tall, well-dressed and too nice for this kind of place. But it wasn’t the clothes that caught me, it was the voice.That voice.I’d heard it once before.Over the phone. Months ago.The same man who warned me.“Your father isn’t who you think he is.”“Do I know you?” I asked, eyes narrowing.He smiled, but it didn’t make his face bright. “Not properly. Bu