All Chapters of Owned By My Best Friend's Father: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Leah POV “Hope you had a nice time with your rich boyfriend,” he said his gaze sliding down to the silver heart pendant on my neck He doesn’t move just stands there staring at me, but the air between us thickens, like the porch has shrunk around us. I step around him walking past him towards the door without acknowledging his remarks.His fingers close around my wrist tight enough to leave a bruise. “Leah,” he says, his voice cracking as it used to when he needed Mom to stay. “I’m sorry. I’m desperate, okay? One month of nothing but rejection letters. Just enough to get through. You wouldn’t let me get kicked out tomorrow, would you?” Those same tired eyes he used on Mom when we were kids.For half a second my chest squeezes, the old ache flickering back—the nights he’d promise ice cream and a new start, then disappear before breakfast. I swallow hard. “No, Victor. I won’t.” He doesn’t let go. Instead, he leans in, breath sour with whatever he drank earlier, fingers sti

Leah POV “Thank you, Mrs. Hayes,” Damien says, voice low and warm as he pushes back from the table.He turns to me, “You should come by the house soon so we can go over the details—schedule, pay, whatever you need.”“It’s nothing,” Mom says, already standing, smoothing the front of her nightgown. “Anytime.” She glances between us, then adds, “I need to get dressed for work see you guys later.”“I need to pack my bag!”Emily says as he heads up the stairs Sophie trails after her, rubbing sleepy eyes, mumbling something about school.The dining room empties in seconds. Suddenly it’s just us.Damien watches me finish the last bites of pancake. His gaze doesn’t leave me, it remains steady and feels heavy, like he’s memorizing every movement. My skin pickles under his scrutiny. I set my fork down, push the plate away, stand, and start gathering dishes.He rises too, reaching for his empty glass and the syrup bottle.“No,” I say, tugging the stack toward me. “I’ve got it.”His fingers c

LEAH POV Ethan stands on the porch with that easy, lopsided smile, holding two paper coffee cups from the café down the street. The morning sun catches his dark hair and makes him look annoyingly perfect.“Hi, Leah,” he says again, “I was nearby because of some business, and thought you’d like this before things get busy here, it's a Matcha latte, extra caramel. My day’s packed with clients and it would be a very busy day for me, but I wanted yours to be a bit sweeter.”I blink, fingers tight around the doorknob. “Ethan… hi. Thanks. That’s really sweet of you.”Before I can step aside to let him in, Damien appears in the hallway behind me. Ethan glances over my shoulders and when he meets my eyes his smile falters but he recovers. recovers. “Mr. Cross. Good morning, this is the last place I'll think of running into you ." Then he turns to me whispering but I'm sure Damien heard him “I thought you said he traveled, what is he doing in your house?”Damien doesn’t answer him, he sto

ETHAN POVEthan stands behind Emily at the doorway, eyes moving between me and the hallway where Damien disappeared.The matcha pooling on the old wood, seeping into the cracks, suddenly becomes interesting as I try to keep my head down, making sure I don't meet his eyes.Leah?"Emily's voice cuts through my thoughts. I snap my head up. She's looking at me now, her forehead creased, her smile from thirty seconds ago completely gone."You okay? You look—""I need to clean this up," I say suddenly "I'll get a towel—" Emily starts."I've got it."I'm already moving toward the stairs before she can answer. I don't look at Ethan. I don't look at the hallway where Damien is probably leaning against the kitchen counter pretending he didn't just have his face between my legs.I take the stairs two at a time. My knees almost give out on the third step. I catch myself on the railing, haul myself up, and keep going.The bathroom door closes behind me with a click.I lean against it, my chest he

DAMIEN POVI retreat to the kitchen, pacing back and forth, my hands clenched at my sides.. I hear the front door close. Her footsteps on the porch. Then nothing.She's gone.I run to the window, through the glass. I see her walking down the street; her hair is still wet from the shower, and for some reason, she didn't dry it. Her arms are wrapped around her, like she's trying to hold herself together.Every muscle in my body wants to go after her, to grab her, pull her back, and make her stay. To show her how much I needed her. How much she means to me.I don't move.Emily is upstairs and she has been quiet since Leah rejected her help. Too quiet. If I chase Leah down the street, what would Emily think? What does she already think?And Leah came down dressed for work and wouldn't look at me, wouldn't meet my eyes. She needs space. Or she needs never to see me again. I don't know which. I can't tell anymore.I stand at the window until she disappears around the corner.Then I just sta