All Chapters of Bound by a billion hearts: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The doors exploded inward with a deafening crash.Wood splintered across the marble floor as armed men flooded into the penthouse.Isabella’s heart slammed violently against her ribs.For a split second, she couldn’t breathe.Three.Four.Five men.All dressed in black.All carrying guns.The room instantly filled with chaos.“Don’t move!” one of them shouted.Isabella froze in her chair.Across from her, Alexander Blackwood didn’t even flinch.He stood perfectly still.Calm.Cold.Like a man who had expected this moment.The man in front raised his weapon toward Isabella.“Where is she?” he barked.Alexander spoke before Isabella could react.“You’re standing five feet away from her.”The man’s eyes shifted.Then locked onto Isabella.A slow grin spread across his face.“Well... look at that.”Isabella’s stomach twisted.“I told Daniel we’d find you.”Her blood turned to ice.“Stay where you are,” the man ordered.Another one moved toward her.Isabella’s pulse thundered in her ears.

Silence swallowed the penthouse.Heavy.Uncomfortable.Dangerous.Isabella stared at Alexander as if she were seeing him for the first time.The photograph still lay between them on the table.A burning house.Flames devouring the roof.Smoke twisting into the night sky.And a young boy standing in front of it.A boy with Alexander’s eyes.Her voice came out slowly.“You started the fire?”Alexander didn’t answer immediately.He walked to the large glass windows overlooking the city instead.His reflection appeared faintly in the glass.Cold.Unreadable.Below them, the city of lights stretched endlessly.But inside the room, the air felt dark.Isabella followed him.Her heart still hadn’t slowed down.“Daniel said you burned your house down.”Alexander spoke quietly.“Daniel says many things.”“That wasn’t a denial.”Alexander’s jaw tightened slightly.Isabella crossed her arms.“You just asked me to marry you tonight.”His voice corrected her calmly.“You already signed the contract

The rain had finally stopped.But the city still felt heavy with the storm.Dark clouds drifted slowly above the skyline as the black car glided through the empty streets.Inside the car, silence filled the air.Isabella sat in the passenger seat, staring through the window as the buildings of the city slowly disappeared behind them.Streetlights flashed across the glass like passing ghosts.Next to her, Alexander drove with one hand resting calmly on the steering wheel.His expression hadn’t changed since they left the penthouse.Cold.Focused.Dangerously calm.Isabella finally broke the silence.“You really think this is going to work?”Alexander didn’t look at her.“Yes.”“That’s not very convincing.”“It doesn’t need to be.”She turned toward him.“You’re walking into a trap.”“Yes.”“And you’re bringing me with you.”“Yes.”Her voice sharpened.“Why do you keep answering everything with one word?”Alexander’s lips twitched slightly.“Because you already know the answers.”Isabel

Victor’s finger tightened on the trigger.The red laser dot rested perfectly over Alexander’s heart.Time slowed.The wind from the ocean whispered through the empty shipping yard. Somewhere far away, a metal chain rattled against a pole.But in that moment, nothing else existed.Just the rifle.The laser.And Alexander standing calmly in the open.Isabella’s breath caught in her throat.“Alexander!”The rifle fired.The crack of the shot exploded through the night.Isabella screamed.But before the bullet could reach him, Alexander moved.Faster than she thought possible.He lunged sideways and grabbed Isabella, dragging her down behind a steel crate as the bullet slammed into the container behind them.Sparks flew.Dominic groaned as Alexander shoved him further into cover.“Stay down!” Alexander snapped.Another shot rang out instantly.The sniper was fast.The bullet tore through the air where Alexander had been standing a second earlier.Metal shrieked as it struck the container.

The gunshots exploded through the yard at the exact same time.Two flashes.Two thunderous cracks.For a split second, no one moved.The sound echoed against the metal containers and slowly faded into the night.Then Victor staggered.His body jerked backward as the bullet struck his shoulder.Blood burst across his jacket.“Damn it!” he hissed.But Alexander…Alexander was still standing.Victor’s shot had missed him by inches, tearing through the metal container behind him instead.Alexander didn’t hesitate.He fired again.Victor dove sideways behind a stack of cargo crates just as the bullet slammed into the pavement where he’d been standing.Dominic let out a weak laugh beside Isabella.“Well… that escalated.”Isabella barely heard him.Her heart was pounding wildly.“Alexander!”Alexander didn’t answer.His focus was entirely on the crates where Victor had disappeared.The yard fell silent again.Then Victor’s voice echoed from behind the crates.“You’re getting slow, Alexander!