All Chapters of Bound By The Desk : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

103 Chapters

71: Answers at Home

Vorian's POV Zephyr rests on the sofa with his legs stretched out. His shirt is partly opened. His hair is wild from my hands. The room still smells like us; sweat, sex, coffee that went cold hours ago. The city lights glow behind the glass walls.I lean back in my chair. My body feels heavy but satisfied. Calm for the first time in days. Zephyr watches me with soft eyes.My phone buzzes on the desk. I glance at the screen. My mom, Lillian Rex. My chest jumps high to my throat. I have not talked to her since the board meeting. I have not told her about the picture. I have not shared anything with her..Zephyr notices my face. “Your mom?” he asks.I nod. I answer the call.“Vorian,” Mom says. Her voice is calm but tight. The way it gets when she is holding something back. “I need you to come home. Tonight.”I sit up straight. “Mom,” I say. “What is wrong?”She breathes in. “I have been hearing things,” she says. “A photo. People talking. No one will tell me anything. I want answers. Fr

72: Family Table

Vorian's POV It is Saturday evening in the suburbs. The week has been long and heavy. Zephyr went back to his house last night. He needed time with his family and I needed time to breathe.More like his sister called him to come home, that was after she went on and on about how Zephyr is abandoning them. I still do not understand sisters. Thank God I do not have one. Little do I know my brother is going to bring me out of the closet soon.The penthouse felt too empty after he left. I drove alone tonight. My elder brother, Cassian, is hosting the family dinner tonight. The road is quiet, the street lights pass in slow rhythm. The rain from earlier left the asphalt shiny. I pull into Cassian and Elena’s driveway. Their house is lit warm and the windows glow yellow. I hear laughter before I reach the door.Elena opens the door with a big smile before I even get to know and hugs me tight. “You made it,” she says. “Lila has been asking for you since four.”I laugh as I hug her back. “I w

73: Mama Knows

Vorian's POV “Vorian,” my mom calls out. Her voice is small and shaky. “Come to the kitchen. We need to talk.”I set Lila down. I stand. I follow her.The kitchen is warm. The oven light is on. Mom leans on the counter. She looks at me.“Is it true?” she asks.I wait in the doorway. The floor is chilly beneath my socks and causes my feet to feel numb after a long day. The scent of baked chicken still lingers in the room, blended with garlic and a little rosemary from dinner. Mom’s fingers grip the counter edge tightly. Her joints are pale from gripping so tight. Her eyes are swollen and puffy. Tears stay on her lashes.She inhales gentle and trembling, her shoulders lift and drop as if she is trying to keep calm. The timepiece on the wall clicks softly behind her. The house feels very silent following all the noise at the table. I wait. I do not move. I let her have the moment she needs.“Yes,” I say.She breathes in sharp. The sound is loud in the quiet kitchen. She looks away and l

74: Welcome Home

Zephyr’s POV Vorian picks me up from my parents’ house just after six. The evening sky is soft and grey. I climb into the passenger seat of his black car and close the door. My hands feel a little cold. I am nervous. Meeting the full Rex family after everything feels big.Vorian looks at me and reaches across. He takes my hand and holds it firm on the gear stick. “They already know,” he says. “You are safe. I promise.”I squeeze his fingers and nod. “Okay,” I say. “I trust you.”The drive to Cassian and Elena’s house is quiet. Street lights pass slowly. Rain from earlier still sits on the road. Vorian keeps my hand the whole way. When we pull into the driveway, the house windows glow warm yellow. My heart beats a little faster.We walk up the path together. Vorian knocks once. The door opens almost right away. Lillian stands there in a soft grey sweater. Her eyes move from Vorian to me. She looks at me for a long second. Then she steps forward and pulls me into a strong, warm hug.“

75: Quiet After

Vorian's POV The drive back to the penthouse is quiet. The city lights slide past the windows. Zephyr sits beside me with his hand resting on my thigh. I keep both hands on the wheel, but my mind stays at Cassian’s house. Lillian’s words still echo in my head. Lila’s small voice still sits in my chest. The streets feel softer tonight. Even the usual city noise seems farther away.We step into the penthouse. The lights are low. The big windows show the dark lake and the scattered city glow. I drop my keys on the table and loosen my tie. Zephyr takes off his jacket and hangs it over a chair. He looks at me for a long second. The silence between us feels comfortable, not empty.“You are very quiet,” he says.I nod once. “I am thinking,” I say.He walks closer and takes my hand. “Come sit,” he says.We move to the long couch. I sit first. He sits close beside me and leans his shoulder against mine. The city noise stays far below us. For a while we just breathe together. I can feel th

76: The Boardroom

Zephyr’s POV The morning air feels heavier than usual when we walk into NexusVibe. Vorian and I arrive at the same time, but we keep a careful distance in the lobby. People already whisper near the elevators. Their eyes follow Vorian longer than normal. I keep my face calm and walk two steps behind him the way a secretary should. Two junior staff members stop talking the moment we pass. One of them looks at me and then quickly looks away. The whole building already knows something is different today.Silas is already waiting in Vorian’s office when we step inside. He closes the door behind us and lets out a long breath. The office feels smaller than usual. The city outside the windows looks grey and cold.“Miles forced the meeting,” Silas says. “Nine o’clock. Emergency session. Official reason is leadership concerns and recent public speculation about the CEO.”Vorian loosens his tie a little. “Of course he did,” he says.I set my tablet on the desk. “How many board members already

77: Locked Door

Vorian's POV The board meeting ends with the usual polite words and closed folders. I stand first. Zephyr and Silas rise with me. We walk out of the room without speaking to anyone. The hallway feels longer than usual. The polished floor reflects the cold overhead lights, and the air smells faintly of paper and coffee that’s been sitting too long. People step aside when they see my face. I do not look at them.We go straight to my office. The hallway cameras blink as we pass. I wait until both of them are inside, then I close the door and turn the lock. The click sounds loud in the quiet room. It echoes once against the glass walls before the sound deadens. I walk to my desk and rest both hands on the wood. The grain is cool under my palms. For a few seconds none of us speak. The only noise is the low hum of the building’s HVAC and the distant traffic twenty floors down.“You both saw it,” I say.Zephyr nods. “Yes,” he says. “The red envelope fell from Miles’s folder.”Silas leans

78: Office Claim

Zephyr's POV The lock is still turned. Silas is gone. The office is quiet except for the low hum of the city outside the windows. Vorian sits behind his desk, shoulders tight, jaw set. The anger from the board meeting still sits on him like a second skin. His tie is still perfectly knotted. His shirt is still crisp. He looks every bit the CEO who just walked out of a fight without losing.I walk around the desk slowly. He looks up at me. I do not give him time to speak.“Stand up,” I say.He looks at me and raises his eyebrows but stands up anyway. I push him back against the desk hard enough that the papers shift. A pen rolls off the edge and hits the floor. My hands go to his tie. I pull it loose, then yank it free from his collar. The silk slides through my fingers.“Turn around,” I say.He turns. I take both of his wrists and pull them behind his back. I wrap his own tie around them tight and knot it. He tests the binding once. It holds. His shoulders tense, but he does not ask

79: After

Vorian's POVThe office still smells like us. I stand there for a second with my shirt half-buttoned. Zephyr already fixed his tie.My legs feel weak. My hands are still shaking a little. The red marks on my wrists are fading. I rub them without thinking. Zephyr looks at me. “You good?” he asks. I nod. “I’m good,” I answer. He picks up my pen from the floor. “You left this,” he says. “Thanks,” I reply. We both look at the desk. There are wet spots on the wood.Zephyr clears his throat. “We should clean that,” he suggests. I walk to the side cabinet and grab tissues. “Yeah,” I agree. We wipe it down in silence. When we’re done, Zephyr checks the lock. “Still holding,” he says. “Good,” I state. He turns to me. “You have that meeting at four,” he reminds me. I glance at my watch. It’s 2:30. “I canceled it,” I tell him. “You did?” he questions. “I did,” I confirm. “I’m not in the mood for board politics today.” Zephyr smiles a little. “Fair,” he says. I sit on the

80: Next Morning

Zephyr's POV I wake up earlier than usual. The house is still quiet. My sister’s door is closed. My parents are not up yet. Soft light comes through the curtains. I sit on the edge of the bed for a moment and rub my face. My body still feels the memory of yesterday. The way Vorian’s wrists looked when the tie held them. The way his voice cracked when he lost control. I push the thought away and stand up.I shower, get dressed, and leave before anyone can ask questions about why I came home late yesterday. The train is crowded. I stand near the door and stare out the window.My mind keeps going back to Vorian’s office. The way his hands looked tied behind his back. The way his voice broke when he said my name. The way he stayed quiet after, like the whole world had shifted for a few minutes. I shift on my feet and force the memory down. Not here. Not now. A woman next to me glances at me once and then looks away. I keep my eyes on the moving city.When I walk into NexusVibe, the lo

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