บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaire's Runaway Bride: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

(Elena POV)Later that evening, Noah guided me to the guest lounge while Damian handled “internal matters.”Which I assumed meant interrogations, threats, or worse.I wandered into a nearby study—just to escape my thoughts—and that’s when I saw it.A folder.Black. Unlabeled.Resting on the desk like it wanted me to find it.Something tugged at me. Familiarity?Or fear?I opened it.The first page hit me like a truck.“Lawson Debt Agreement — Blackwood Industries.”My father’s name.Damian’s signature.Dates that made no sense.“No…” I choked.The documents detailed financial pressure, default notices, corporate buyouts… and losses my father never told me about.To me, it looked like proof—proof that Damian destroyed my father’s business.My breathing hitched.A shadow fell across the table.I turned to see a man I didn’t recognize leaning against the doorway.“Well,” he said smoothly, “looks like you found the truth.”My chest tightened. “Who are you?”He smirked.“Someone who cares

(Elena POV)I didn’t stop running until my lungs burned.The hallway blurred past me, my heartbeat thundering so loudly it drowned out everything else. I slammed my bedroom door shut and locked it, pressing my back against it as if Damian himself might burst through.My head is spinning.I couldn’t breathe.The folder.The lies.The silence. Why did he lie to me? Or was it a lie? My thought process was no working at the moment.My hands shook as I shoved clothes into a bag—anything, everything. I didn’t care if it matched. I didn’t care if I forgot things. I just needed out.Out of his mansion.Out of his control.Out of the fear curling in my chest. Out of his life.He ruined my family.Or maybe he didn’t.That uncertainty was worse than the truth.Tears streamed down my face as I grabbed my phone. No signal. Of course. The walls here swallowed freedom whole.I wiped my face roughly and moved to the balcony. The night air hit me, cold and sharp. Below, the garden stretched into dark

I woke up coughing, my throat burning, my body shaking uncontrollably. Damian was there. Holding me. His arms were tight around me, his face pale, eyes wild with fear. something in me shifted just for a little bit. “You came,” I whispered. “Of course I did,” he said hoarsely. “There was never a world where I wouldn’t.” Tears slid down my face. “I almost—” My voice broke. “I know,” he said softly, pressing his forehead to mine. His body hugging mine felt like a safe space “But you didn’t.” I clutched his shirt weakly. “They did this,” I whispered. “Didn’t they?” His jaw hardened. “Yes.” “For you?” “For us,” he corrected quietly. I swallowed hard. “Damian… I didn’t know where else to go.” His arms tightened. “You never run alone again,” he said, voice trembling with suppressed rage. “Never.” As I drifted back into unconsciousness, I realized something terrifying. Running away hadn’t saved me. Damian had.Beep Beep Beep... I woke up to t

A BACK STORY OF HOW IT ALL STARTED...It wasn't always like this you know..Years ago, before Elena. Before Thomas’s debt. Before the fire. Damian Blackwood and Anton Varesco were not enemies. They were allies. Not friends. Allies. After Damian’s parents were murdered in a corrupt trade deal, he inherited Blackwood Industries at twenty-three. He was young. Angry. Ruthless. Anton was older. Smarter. Already building an underground empire through weapons smuggling, shipping routes, and political bribery. They met over a territorial dispute. Instead of fighting, they negotiated.Damian controlled legal logistics and international shipping ports.Anton controlled the black market routes moving through them.It was simple:Damian kept his public image clean.Anton moved goods through hidden channels.Both profited. It was really good times for them.For three years, their alliance was untouchable.Money flowed.Enemies disappeared.No one questioned Blackwood’s expansion.But Da

ELENA POV The room felt different after his confession. Not lighter. But clearer. Like the fog between us had finally lifted. Damian still held my hand, though I wasn’t sure he realized it. His thumb brushed absentmindedly against my knuckles, slow, grounding, almost like he was checking that I was real. My heart is all I can hear at this moment and its not out of panic but a different feeling that I am starting to accept. “You chose me,” I repeated softly. His jaw tightened slightly. “I would do it again.” there my heart goes again... There was no arrogance in his voice. No dominance. Just certainty. The kind that makes your chest ache. “Even if it costs you everything?” I asked. He finally looked at me fully. “It already has.” Something in my heart shifted. All this time I thought he controlled everything. That he stood above it all — untouchable. But sitting here now, he didn’t look untouchable. He looked human. And tired. “Damian,” I whispered. He leaned closer