All Chapters of Under His Control: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

That morning, Emma arrived far too early.The clock on the office wall hadn’t even reached eight when she walked in and stopped in front of her old desk—a small table beside Jenny’s, near the window overlooking the back courtyard of the building. The desk that technically no longer belonged to her since she had been reassigned as Alex’s personal secretary.But this morning, without thinking twice, Emma sat there.The chair felt unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.She let out a slow breath, staring at the empty surface of the desk. Back then, she could work while joking with Jenny, line up for lunch at the cafeteria, complain about deadlines, laugh at trivial things. Now, all of it remained only as shadows of the past.Since working in the same room as Alex, her life had seemed to shrink. Her time was constantly tied to that man. Her schedule followed Alex’s rhythm. Even lunch was no longer free—not the cafeteria, not coworkers’ laughter, only closed rooms and endless meetings.E

Alex led Emma out of the club with quick strides. The girl’s body was almost completely leaning against him; her steps were unsteady, her head occasionally falling onto Alex’s shoulder. The scent of alcohol mixed with her faint perfume made his chest feel tight for reasons he couldn’t quite understand.He didn’t speak.Didn’t scold her.Didn’t get angry.During the drive to his apartment, Emma drifted in and out of consciousness. From time to time her lips moved, murmuring names Alex didn’t recognize. He only tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw hardening.He shouldn’t care this much.When they arrived, Alex carried Emma inside. She was light—too light for a woman who always appeared strong and upright in the eyes of the world. As he laid her down on the sofa, she suddenly felt nauseous and vomited onto her own clothes.Alex froze for a moment.Then, without thinking twice, he cleaned it up with a damp towel. His movements were calm, controlled, as if he’d done this many

Smack!The slap came without warning.Emma’s head snapped to the side, her body stumbling back a few steps before finally stopping. The sound echoed through the large, cold living room—louder than the steady ticking of the wall clock that had been quietly counting time.Emma didn’t turn right away. Her cheek burned, the pain spreading all the way to her jaw. But what hurt the most wasn’t the sting on her skin—it was her father’s gaze. Sharp. Furious. Completely unfamiliar.“Shameless woman!” William Swan shouted. His chest rose and fell, his breathing rough. “Do you think I’m blind, Emma?!”Emma slowly lifted her face. Her eyes shimmered, but no tears fell. Her stare was empty, cold—as if something inside her had just died.“Everyone is talking about you now,” William continued, his voice trembling with rage. “Those photos are everywhere! You’ve disgraced this family!”On the sofa, Shopia crossed her legs casually, as if she were enjoying a show she had long been waiting for. Rose sat

“You don’t need to come down. Thank you for driving me home.”Emma said it without turning around. Her hand was already on the door handle, her voice flat—too flat for someone who had just gone through the worst day of her life.Alex didn’t answer.He only watched Emma’s back as she slowly walked away. Her steps looked calm, but he knew very well she was completely shattered. The car door closed softly, and Emma walked into her apartment lobby without looking back once.Edward drove the car back onto the main road. Silence hung heavily inside the cabin until Alex noticed something on the seat beside him.A white plastic bag.A pharmacy bag.Alex frowned. He picked it up and looked inside. Painkillers, bruise ointment, and vitamins. Everything he had bought for Emma—left behind.Unease settled in his chest.“Edward,” Alex said suddenly. “Turn around.”Edward glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Sir?”“We’re going back to Emma’s apartment. Now.”There was no room for questions in

Emma’s phone alarm rang repeatedly.She let out a soft groan, shifted under the covers, then reached for the phone on the nightstand with half-closed eyes. Her fingers swiped the screen to silence the noise—until her gaze accidentally caught the numbers in the corner.9:00 a.m.Emma shot upright.“Oh God—”Instinctively, she threw off the blanket and was about to jump out of bed in a rush. Her heart was already pounding, like someone running late for work. The habit was still deeply ingrained, even after everything that had happened.But then she froze.Slowly, reality settled in.She wasn’t working today.Not tomorrow either.And not for who knew how long.Her resignation letter had never truly been accepted by Alex. Instead, she had been forced to take an extended leave—until the gossip about her and Alex died down, until the office returned to normal, until people stopped looking at her with eyes full of speculation.Emma hadn’t been given a choice.And at that moment… she had been