Lahat ng Kabanata ng Owned By The Enemy : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

The tension didn’t disappear after the confrontation.It shifted.Less suspicion. More proximity.And proximity was dangerous.I. Rafael — FireIt started with an argument.It always did with Rafael.“You think you’re invincible,” he muttered one evening as they stood alone in the kitchen.“I think I’m underestimated,” Ivy shot back.He stepped closer.Too close.“You met him without telling us.”“And you kept history from me.”His jaw flexed.“You don’t understand the kind of man he is.”“And you don’t understand the kind of woman I am.”Silence.Heat.Challenge.His hand caught her wrist — not rough, not gentle.Intentional.“You don’t flinch,” he observed.“Should I?”His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth.When he kissed her, it wasn’t soft.It wasn’t slow.It was tension finally snapping.It was frustration. Fear. Possessiveness.Her back hit the counter.Her fingers fisted into his shirt.This wasn’t tenderness.It was release.And when he pulled away, breath unsteady, he rested

The penthouse felt different after the livestream.Not louder.Quieter.Too quiet.No one brought it up.Not Richard’s words. Not the past. Not the way he had said, “You used her.”But Ivy felt it sitting in the air like smoke.She watched them instead.Rafael was pacing more than usual. Lucien hadn’t taken his eyes off his tablet for nearly an hour. Jaxon’s typing was sharper — aggressive. Sebastian stood near the window, still.They were angry.But not at her.That was the problem.They weren’t looking at her differently.They weren’t treating her colder.And somehow that unsettled her more.Because it meant one thing:They had already justified it.The accident. Emily. Her.Ivy inhaled slowly.No.She wouldn’t spiral.Emotion was noise.And right now, she needed clarity.Without a word, she turned and walked toward Jaxon’s station.He glanced up briefly.“You need something?”“Yes,” she said calmly. “Access.”“To what?”“Historical surveillance archives. The week before Emily’s acc

Sebastian didn’t ask questions immediately.He watched.That was always his first move.Observation before action.Ivy felt it before she saw it.That shift in the air.That quiet weight of attention that didn’t leave her, no matter where she moved in the penthouse.She kept her expression neutral.Focused.Unbothered.But inside, her pulse wasn’t steady.“Stop pacing.”Rafael’s voice cut through the room.Jaxon didn’t look up from his laptop.“Then fix the breach.”Lucien stood near the table, arms crossed, his attention on the reports, but Ivy knew better now.He was always aware of everything.Even when he looked still.Even when he looked uninterested.Ivy stayed near the edge of the room.Not too close.Not too far.Careful.Measured.She had learned.S

Ivy hadn’t slept properly in days. Every creak of the penthouse floor, every whisper in the halls made her heart jump. Her body ached, and something deeper—something she couldn’t name—gnawed at her constantly. She tried to focus on Emily, whose progress in the hospital had been slow but steady. Every message Emily had managed to send her felt like a lifeline in a storm.When she finally slipped out to check on her sister, Ivy felt a pang of fear twist in her chest. Emily was awake, sitting up slightly, fragile but alive. Her eyes flickered at Ivy as if measuring the weight of the world she carried. Ivy stepped closer, careful not to rush her.“Hey… you’re awake,” Ivy whispered, her voice thick with emotion.Emily managed a small, shaky smile. “Told you… I’d pull through,” she said, her voice weak but stubborn.Ivy swallowed, tears threatening to fall. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”Emily’s eyes darted to the side, as if avoiding a memory she couldn’t speak aloud. Then, in

The penthouse didn’t feel like a prison.That was the problem.There were no locked doors.No guards stationed at every corner.No visible chains.And yet—Ivy couldn’t remember the last time she had been alone.Truly alone.It started with small things.It always did.She woke up to find someone already in the living area.Every time.Lucien. Jaxon. Rafael.Sometimes all three.Like they rotated without speaking.Like it was planned.She tested it.Twice.Three times.Each time she stepped out of her room—Someone was there.Watching.Not obviously.Not in a way she could call out.But enough.Enough for her to feel it.By the third day, she stopped pretending it was coincidence.“You’re hovering.”Jaxon didn’t look up from his screen.“I’m working.”Ivy crossed her arms.“In the living room?”“Better lighting.”She stared at him.He didn’t budge.Lucien was worse.He didn’t pretend.“Sit.”The command came low, calm.Ivy didn’t move.“I didn’t ask.”“I didn’t agree.”Lucien’s gaze l