All Chapters of A GAME OF LIES: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

                   The sound of the lock sliding home was final, sharp, and merciless. Amira’s head whipped around. “What are you doing?” Her voice trembled, but anger crackled beneath the fear. She tugged violently at the leather binding her wrists to the carved edges of his desk. “Montez, unlock the damn door!”                He pocketed the key as he set her down, grabbing her hand as he dragged her towards the table and strapped her to his desk. The simple motion screamed dominance as well as finality.                

                At the Office, the skyscraper felt colder than usual. Employees kept their heads down, stealing glances at her as if wondering how long she would last at Montez De Vitalio’s side.               And as the day wore on, she realized she didn’t see him. Not once.               His absence gnawed at her more than she cared to admit. The whole day passed in the quiet monotony of the paperwork he had assigned her. From pages of contracts, figures, and legal jargon. Her pen scratched mechanically across the forms, but her thoughts wandered.

                    The night felt unreal. The restaurant’s golden glow had been replaced by glaring red sirens. Montez lay slumped across the back seat of Enzo’s car, his head pressed against Amira’s lap as she tried to stanch the flow of blood with trembling hands. Every bump in the road jolted his body, forcing fresh crimson through her fingers.                  “Hold on,” she whispered fiercely, as though her words alone could anchor him. “Don’t you dare leave me, Montez. I’m the only one allowed to kill you!”       

The bathroom reeked faintly of bleach and floral air freshener. Rhea braced both palms against the sink, her knuckles white, her reflection pale beneath the harsh fluorescent lights. Her voice cut like a whip. “What the hell were you thinking?” There was a long pause on the other end. “Excuse me?” Her nails dug into porcelain. “Don’t play dumb with me, Nathan. Montez is lying in the ICU right now because of that bullet. You could’ve killed him.” “That was the point,” Nathan said flatly, his tone unnervingly casual. Her chest seized. “No! That was never the plan. We were supposed to break his relationship with Amira. Not put him in the ground before we even got what we wanted! What were you thinking? Are you out of your mind?” Silence stretched. Then came his stiff reply, words clipped like steel. “It wasn’t me. That was Alessandro’s order.” Her stomach dropped.

The heavy curtains had been drawn shut against the afternoon sun, casting Montez’s bedroom in muted shades of gold and gray. The faint sound of the city outside; the distant hum of cars, the occasional honk, was nothing compared to the hush inside these four walls. A hush broken only by the sound of Amira’s footsteps padding softly across the hardwood floor. She carried the glass of water with both hands, steady as though she were afraid to spill a drop. Her brows were drawn together in concentration, that familiar little crease marking the bridge of her nose. She looked… tired. Tired and worried. But determined. “Here,” she said gently, settling herself on the edge of the bed. Her voice softened in a way it rarely did when she spoke to him. “You need to take these before your fever gets worse.” Montez leaned back against the mound of pillows she had carefully arranged for him earlier. Every movement tugged at his