Semua Bab Bound to the Cruel Billionaire: Bab 21 - Bab 30

“I—” Her voice cracked, her lips trembling. “Kael, my love, please listen—”“ANSWER ME!”“FINE!!” she suddenly shrieked as the mask finally shattered all at once and the tears began to stream down her cheeks not from sorrow, but rage.“I never loved you! I never wanted to marry you!”Kael’s world instantly went still.“…What?” he breathed, barely audible out of his own disbelief.Alina let out a bitter and broken laughter.“I hated Thalia. I loathed her. She had nothing...no money, no name, no power. But she had everything. People loved her. They listened to her. Even you… you think she was different than everyone. You saw something special about her.”Her voice turned venomous. “But me? I had the grades, the connections, the looks. And yet, next to her, I was lesser.”She glared up at him, her expression twisted.“So when I found out she was in love with you… I took you. Just like that.”Kael recoiled slightly.“I seduced you. I made you mine. I stole you. Just to prove I could. I wa

It had been a week and though the bruises had faded and Thalia's limbs felt lighter, she still carried the weight of her grief. A grief that settled deep in her chest like a stone, unmoving, unyielding. Some days it dulled into a silent ache. Other times, it surged so violently she feared it would tear her in half.And beneath it all burned a rage. One she dared not voice aloud, was anger against Kael, against what he had done, and against the hollow space inside her where a heartbeat once lived.She wanted to hurt him. To see him brought down, shattered, and ruined.But what could she possibly do now? She's alone and powerless. Sheltered in a stranger’s home, in a town she didn’t even know by name.Despite the kindness Conrad and Hana had extended, she couldn't shake the fear that she was overstaying her welcome. She hadn’t asked how long they were planning to keep her. She hadn’t asked for much of anything. Most days she barely spoke. They never pressured her but that only deepened

Evening had settled quietly over the McKenzies’ residence, and the warm yellow lights in the hallway flickered on as the front door creaked open.“We’re back!” Hana sang out with arms full of paper bags and clinking bottles. “I got her that sweet red tea she liked last time. And those dumplings from the stall near the bookstore.”Conrad followed behind, juggling a box of takeout and a dessert bag. “Let’s hope she’s hungry tonight.”But as they stepped into the living room, they both stopped.There, sprawled out on the couch with one arm hanging off the edge and his coat draped lazily across his chest, was Keith Callaghan—fast asleep.Hana blinked, then slowly grinned.“Oh. My. God,” she whispered, fishing out her phone like a gunslinger from an old Western. “He’s actually drooling.”“Hana,” Conrad said with a snort. “Don’t you dare.”But she had already begun taking pictures.“This is gold. He never sleeps outside his own condo. What happened, did someone insult his shoes?”Conrad set

“Come in,” Kael said in a low voice as a knock echoed from outside of his study room's door.One of his men stepped inside, rain still clinging to his coat. He looked uneasy, as though he felt like he was about to be executed.“You sent for me, sir?”Kael turned halfway as his eyes narrowed on the man. “Tell me what happened that night. All of it. No skipping.”The man hesitated, then nodded. “It was around one-thirty in the morning. Nana Marie came rushing out of the west wing, screaming for help. We—me and the others ran in and saw her dragging Miss Thalia's limp body. She was unconscious. There was blood all over her wrist, sir. A towel was wrapped tight around it, but it was already soaked through. I'm guessing Nana Marie tried to stop the bleeding with it.”Kael’s jaw locked as his grip on the glass tightened.“She was barely breathing. Nana Marie was in full panic."“And then?” Kael’s voice was strained and clipped. He felt like there was still something missing in the story.Th

It was small, barely more than a breath, but unmistakably real.Thalia chuckled.Keith looked up sharply, startled by the sound. He hadn’t expected it—least of all from her.She looked down almost immediately, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of the placemat. “Sorry,” she murmured, her voice still tinged with faint amusement. “It’s just... I didn’t expect that from you.”He tilted his head. “What, the apology? Or the part where I admitted my mother would’ve smacked me in the head?”“Both,” she admitted with a quiet smile, then shook her head. “You don’t exactly strike me as the type of man who lets anyone do that. Not even a mother.”Keith’s lips twitched just barely. “She was the exception. She had this habit of making grown men feel like ten-year-olds. Especially when they were being idiots.”Thalia smiled faintly. That image was oddly comforting.Silence fell between them again. But it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. Then, with careful fingers, Thalia picked up her spoon again bu