All Chapters of An Illicit Obsession : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The only thing I could do was look down at the gun. Then, he kissed my temple. A warmth spread through me—a complete contrast to the feeling of cold metal in my hand. “Remember, don’t do anything Adeline says or let her take you anywhere. Tomorrow, the driver will bring you to me in the afternoon, so don’t be shocked if you find yourself taking a detour.” With that, he walked out of my room. The way he had appeared in front of me was like a dream, a ghost, a shadow. But the way he was leaving made him feel so real that I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around it. He clearly hadn’t broken into my room through the door. If that were the case, he might have heard everything—the conversation between Kevin and me. He had come from the balcony. I knew I didn’t need to worry about him getting caught, but something about him sneaking out of here made me nervous. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to shake off the feeling, then looked down at the gun still in my hand, r

A different kind of heat flushed under my skin at my own epiphany, arrogant as it was. “As for the driver,” he continued, “he is under your command. You can go anywhere you want and do as you please. He won't tell me anything, and I won't ask. You have all the control.” I could only stare at him, speechless. “And if you’re worried that I’ll hurt one of the Andersons, I will only do it if you command it. You have my word.” I clenched and unclenched my hand, unsure what to do with it. “I know you’re in conflict with your morals, but believe it or not, you’re about to enter the battlefield. Showing mercy won’t work in your favor,” he whispered, brushing his fingers down to my chin, leaving a heated trail behind. I was pulled toward him, drawn closer to his face, his eyes holding me spellbound. My gaze fell to his lips. Realizing how close I was, I snapped out of it. Swallowing, I pushed him aside. “I need to go,” I managed to say, my heart pounding, my face an

Our eyes were locked for several minutes. The tension thickened around us as someone came up to clean the table. I quickly looked away, feeling another wave of guilt, even though I didn’t know the story behind his scars. I didn’t know how he truly felt about them—he looked unbothered. But the ice-cold gaze he gave whenever he saw a cigarette made me wonder if he was more human than most people I had met. I was the first to look away. "What would you like to do next?" he asked. His expression was neutral—neither angry nor light. "It’s better if I return. I’ve already pushed my luck today." I glanced outside at the balcony, where the orange glow of the setting sun bathed the tall buildings of upstate New York. I wiped my hands with a tissue and set it down again. He nodded, then stood up and came over to me. When I looked up, I met his gaze. I thought he would be angry at my statement or that I might have hurt his ego, but all I saw was a sense of resignation in his

When I landed on my feet successfully after dangling from a tree branch for a full six minutes, I silently thanked God. I had done this alone when I was sixteen to eighteen, but it had been a while. Still, this was the most effective escape, since this part of the mansion opened directly to the backyard. I sighed in relief, adjusted my backpack, and pulled up my hood. But just then, the sound of footsteps made me freeze. Quickly, I hid behind the tree. Under the garden light, a tall shadow appeared on the ground. First, I saw a pair of black shoes—not shiny, low-key. My gaze traveled up, and the man was unfamiliar. He had rust-colored skin and sharp, dark eyes. He wore simple black trousers and a t-shirt. Then I saw the gun at his side. I immediately slipped my hand into my hoodie's pocket, clutching the handle of the gun Killian had given me. Killian… then it hit me. This must be the guy assigned to keep an eye on this place. He looked just like David—ordinary. The ki

The one in the back pressed the earpiece against his ear and muttered under his breath. I caught a few words— "A woman," "doesn't seem to be holding a weapon," "alone." After a few seconds of waiting for a response, I scratched the back of my ear, watching them. Then, they all stepped away from me. The man in front extended his hand, gesturing toward the door. Well, at least they weren’t going to shoot me—if I was right about what Killian wanted. Or maybe I had finally hurt his pride, especially if someone from my side had followed him. I took a step toward the door, but the man behind me pressed a gun against my back. "My apologies, but this is just a precaution," he said. He actually sounded sorry. I nodded. "Understandable," amusement clear in my voice. "If you have any weapons on you, please surrender them." "Oh, so you get to have precautions, but I don't?" "We mean you no harm. If this goes as planned, you might get out of here alive."