All Chapters of Trapped By The Billionaire Brothers: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

ALYANA POVJulian didn’t answer right away.That was the first thing I noticed.Not the silence itself—but how it felt. It wasn’t empty. It pressed in, thick and uncomfortable, like something was sitting right between us, waiting to be acknowledged.His gaze stayed on mine, steady, unreadable.Too controlled.I swallowed, my fingers tightening slightly at my sides. “You didn’t answer me.”“I did,” he said quietly.“No,” I shook my head. “You avoided it.”A small pause.Then he exhaled, slow and measured, like he was choosing his next words carefully. “You asked me if your father was involved in anything that led to the fire. I said no.”“That’s not what I meant.”“Then what did you mean?”I hesitated for a second, trying to find the right way to say it without sounding like I was accusing him of something I couldn’t prove.But maybe that was exactly what I was doing.“I mean…” I started, my voice softer now, “why does it feel like you’re still hiding something?”Julian’s expression di

ALYANA POV I didn’t go to my room right away. I told him I would, but my feet slowed the moment I stepped out of the study. The hallway felt longer than usual, quieter, like the entire mansion was holding its breath with me. His words stayed in my head. Then you decide what to do with it. It sounded simple. It wasn’t. Because deciding meant accepting whatever I would find out next. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. I exhaled slowly and leaned against the wall for a second, closing my eyes. The cool surface pressed against my back grounded me just enough to steady the noise in my chest. My father worked with them. Before the fire. I opened my eyes again. That part alone already changed things. Not completely. But enough. Enough to make everything feel… closer than it should be. “Alyana.” I straightened immediately. I didn’t even hear him approach. I turned my head slightly and saw Julian standing a few steps away, his gaze fixed on me again. Not sharp this time

ALYANA POVThe words didn’t settle right away.They just stayed there, hanging in the air between us like something I couldn’t quite reach but couldn’t ignore either.It wasn’t an accident.I stared at Leo, trying to read his face, looking for anything that would tell me he was exaggerating, pushing, trying to pull me to his side again.But he wasn’t smiling.He wasn’t provoking.He looked… certain.My fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the table. “You don’t get to say things like that without explaining.”“I will,” he said calmly. “But you need to stop assuming everything you’ve been told is complete.”“I’m not assuming,” I shot back. “I’m working with what I have.”“And that’s the problem,” he replied. “You don’t have everything.”I let out a quiet breath, forcing myself to stay steady. “Then start talking.”Leo glanced down at the documents spread out in front of me before reaching for one of the folders. He didn’t ask permission. He just opened it, flipping through the

ALYANA POV “If I find out you’re lying to me—” I didn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t need to. Leo understood anyway. I saw it in the way his expression didn’t change, like he already knew exactly what I meant and accepted it without argument. “Then don’t,” he said simply. That irritated me more than it should have. “Don’t what?” I asked. “Don’t find out I’m lying.” I stared at him, my fingers tightening slightly on the door handle. “That’s not funny.” “I’m not joking.” “Then explain it better.” Leo stepped closer, not too close, but enough to hold my attention. “I’m not giving you something that will fall apart the second you check it. You can verify everything I showed you.” “That doesn’t mean you’re telling me everything.” “No,” he admitted. “It doesn’t.” I let out a quiet breath, shaking my head slightly. “You’re exhausting.” “I know.” There was no defensiveness in his voice. Just a flat acknowledgment. That somehow made it harder to stay annoyed. I looked at

ALYANA POVI didn’t sleep.I tried. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, counting the seconds between each breath like it would calm me down. It didn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same thing.My father’s name.Printed. Signed. Repeated across documents that weren’t supposed to exist in Julian’s world.Before the fire.The words kept looping in my head until they didn’t even sound real anymore.By the time the sky started turning pale outside my window, I was already sitting up, knees pulled close to my chest, fingers wrapped tight around the edge of the blanket.I needed answers.And I knew exactly where to get them.Julian was already in his study when I walked in.Of course he was.Like nothing changed.Like last night didn’t happen.Like the ground under my life didn’t just crack open.He didn’t look surprised when I entered. He barely even looked up from the papers in front of him.“You’re awake early,” he said.His voice was steady. Calm. Controlled.It irritated