All Chapters of Legally Bound : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

110 Chapters

chapter twenty one

Lily stepped into the light.The stage felt larger now, brighter too, as though every bulb in the auditorium had chosen this moment to glow at full strength. Her heels clicked softly against the wooden platform, the sound echoing just enough to remind her how quiet the room had become.She reached the podium and adjusted the microphone with steady fingers.“Good afternoon,” she began, her voice crisp but gentle. “I’m Lily Smith, junior associate at Barton & Myers.”Backstage, Alex had been answering a brief question from a photographer when the name echoed through the speakers.Smith.Lily Smith.“Mr. Cromwell, can we get a quick…” a paparazzo began.Alex cut him off politely, though his eyes were already fixed on the auditorium doors.“Later,” he said firmly. “I have to get back in. I need to hear this speech.”He didn’t wait for a reply. He moved with purpose; long strides as though he were heading into a courtroom he owned. The press watched him go, recognizing a man who didn’t cha

Last Updated : 2025-11-20

chapter twenty two

The chairs were arranged in a wide semicircle across the stage, each one identical except for the small name cards resting on the seats. As the moderator directed the panelists forward, Lily walked with Gillian’s quiet encouragement echoing behind her.She took her seat as she smoothed her shirt. Alex was not beside her. There was another speaker, a senior prosecutor, occupying the seat between them. Good. Just enough distance to breathe, but not enough to forget he was there.The audience murmured with excitement. Phones rose discreetly. A few young associates pointed subtly toward Alex in awe, and a couple towards Lily, whispering about her impressive speech.The moderator tapped the mic. “Welcome back, everyone. We’ll now begin our Q&A session. Feel free to address your questions to any of our panelists.”Lily folded her hands neatly in her lap. A slow breath left her lungs. She was ready.The first few questions came at random, directed to the tax attorney, the senior prosecutor,

Last Updated : 2025-11-20

chapter twenty three

The doors of the conference center slid open, releasing all four of them into the cool Chicago afternoon. The air smelled faintly of rain and city life, cleaner than expected after hours in an overheated hall.Lily hugged her notebook closer to her chest as she and Gillian walked slightly behind the others. Her steps were steady, but Gillian knew her.“You sure about this?” Gillian murmured in a whisper. “We can just go home. You don’t owe anyone anything.”Lily inhaled deeply.“Remember what I said earlier? About forgiving him?”Gillian nodded.“I meant it. I actually… want to try.”Gillian’s expression softened.“Then I’m right beside you.”Ahead of them, Wilson was teasing Alex, claiming he walked like a man who owned Chicago.Alex didn’t respond.When they reached the parking lot, Lily and Gillian automatically drifted toward their own car, but Alex called softly,“You don’t need to take yours. There’s some traffic and it’s not a straight road. Let me save you the trouble”They st

Last Updated : 2025-11-20

chapter twenty four

The ride back to Lily and Gillian’s apartment was quiet but not an uncomfortable quiet.More like… suspended air.A silence thick with everything that hadn’t been said yet.Alex drove with one hand on the wheel, the city lights sliding across his face.Wilson kept stealing glances at him, trying and failing not to smirk.In the back seat, Gillian whispered something to Lily, but Lily barely heard her.Her mind had been replaying the night in small loops.The dinner, his presence, his apology and his overly attractive gentleness. A different Alex from years ago.A different Alex from New York headlines.A different Alex than she’d expected.When they pulled up in front of the apartment building, Lily moved to open the door immediately, anxious to break the tension but Alex’s voice stopped her.“Lily… wait. Just a second.”His tone wasn’t commanding.Just sincere enough to make her pause.Wilson and Gillian stepped out, pretending not to listen but absolutely listening.The night was c

Last Updated : 2025-11-20

chapter twenty five

Alex stood still for a long moment after the call with his father ended.“Tomorrow morning,” he repeated under his breath.A board meeting with clients, partners, collapsing deals…He’d barely unpacked in Chicago.He loosened his tie, exhaled, and walked into the living room where Wilson was already making himself completely at home on his couch.“You look like you just lost a case you didn’t even take,” Wilson said, eyes narrowing.Alex dropped onto the armchair.“I have to go back to New York. Tomorrow morning. Emergency meeting.”Wilson stared.“So I arrive for my well-deserved vacation and you leave me here to suffer in Chicago’s cold? BETRAYAL”Alex huffed out a tired laugh.“Come with me.”“Absolutely not,” Wilson replied immediately.“I’m staying here. I need my break. I’ll hold Chicago down for you”Alex nodded, defeated.His mind was already drifting to a pair of soft eyes and a quiet smile he shouldn’t still be thinking about.He left Wilson to his complaining and went to hi

Last Updated : 2025-11-20

chapter twenty six

The cool New York air hit Alex the moment he stepped out of the airport. Despite barely sleeping, he looked effortlessly put-together; navy coat, crisp shirt, black briefcase in hand as he looked around to find his driver.His driver hurried forward.“Welcome back, sir.”“Ah Mark, here you are. Thanks, Mark,” Alex said, sliding into the back seat.Mark adjusted the mirror. “Might want to brace yourself. The office…erm it’s not good today.”Alex rubbed his forehead. “Define not good.”“Well… on a scale of one to ‘mayday,’ we’re somewhere around… sir-you-should-have-stayed-in-Chicago.”Alex let out a dry laugh. “Perfect.”As they drove into Manhattan, Mark continued:“Partners have been pacing all morning. Someone from finance was crying in the hallway. And your father… well… he’s been in since dawn.”Alex stiffened.His father never came in before 7am unless something was on fire.“Pull up at the side entrance,” Alex said quietly.“Yes, sir.”The moment he stepped out, conversations di

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

chapter twenty seven

Alex stood frozen, staring down at the caller ID glowing on his phone as his phone rang again. Mr. Smith.His father saw the name too this time.Their eyes met for a moment, a silent acknowledgement that this call carried a different kind of heaviness.Alex inhaled, stepped out of the boardroom, and answered.“Alex,” Mr. Smith said immediately, skipping any pleasantries. “I hear you’re back in New York.”His tone was clipped, irritated and definitely too controlled.“Yes,” Alex replied cautiously. “I had to come back because my firm is almost collapsing. I needed to step in. But I’ll return to Chicago soon.”There was a stretch of silence on the other end. Then Mr. Smith spoke in a low, unnerving voice.“Let me tell you something, Alex… no matter how hard you work, things will not get better until you bring my daughter back.”Alex stopped breathing.It wasn’t the words, it was the tone.Like a threat wrapped in concern.Like certainty instead of desperation.“Mr. Smith…” Alex began s

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

chapter twenty eight

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, spilling Alex into the familiar marble hallway of Cromwell & Partners. Despite the early hour, the building felt overly tense and definitely too quiet, too still. Normally, by this time, partners would be pacing, assistants rushing past with coffee trays, legal interns clutching documents like lifelines.But today… silence sat heavily in the air.Alex stepped out, adjusting the strap of his briefcase. He barely took three steps before someone appeared suddenly in front of him.Eileen.Her eyes were wide, her hair slightly frizzed, a dramatic shift from her usual sleek composure.“Alex,” she whispered in a quick, panicked voice. “Good. You’re early. We have a big problem.”He blinked. “What happened now? Another client threatening to”“No. Worse,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the corner so no one overheard. “Auditors. From the State Bar. And compliance. They arrived thirty minutes ago.”His jaw tightened. “Auditors? T

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

chapter twenty nine

Alex pushed open the glass doors of the executive wing the next morning, expecting stress but not collapse.The surprise audit from the day before had unsettled the entire company, but after the auditors surprisingly said things were not as catastrophic as rumored, he expected today to feel slightly lighter.He was wrong.The hallway outside his father’s office was silent. Not calm but eerie.He frowned and knocked but there was no answer “Dad?” he called, pushing the door open.His breath caught.His father, Mr. Cromwell, the man who walked through fire without blinking sat hunched over his desk, pale as chalk, clutching his forehead. His breathing was shallow, uneven.“Dad?” Alex crossed the room in seconds.No response.He touched his father’s shoulder, he was burning hot.“You’re running a fever,” Alex murmured, alarm rising.“I’m fine,” Mr. Cromwell whispered, but his voice cracked.“You’re not,” Alex said. “You can’t even sit up straight.”His father attempted to straighten, bu

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

chapter thirty

Alex woke up before sunrise, the restlessness in his chest dragging him straight to the hospital. The hallway was quiet at that hour, and as he approached his father’s room, he slowed when he saw the lights dimmed.His mother was asleep on the sofa beside the bed, wrapped in a thin hospital blanket. She stirred at the soft creak of the door.“Alex?” she whispered, rubbing her eyes.“Hey, Mom.” He kissed her forehead gently. “You should’ve gone home.”She shook her head. “And leave him in this state? No way”He let out a small grin, he was amazed at how his parents still doted on each other so much even after being married for almost 30 years. Her gaze shifted toward the bed. “He’s been awake for a while.”Mr. Cromwell sat upright against the pillows, alert but still looking pale.“You’re here early,” he said with a tired smile.Alex pulled a chair closer. “Wanted to check on you. You scared all of us yesterday.”His father shrugged weakly. “I’m fine. Just overworked.”“No,” Alex said

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

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