All Chapters of Owning My Stepfather:A Forbidden Romance: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

EliasI sank down to my knees, refusing to let go of him as he clung to me tightly. "Look at me, William," I murmured, my voice dropping into a low whisper. "Come on. Eyes on me."William shivered violently, his forehead still pressed against my body. "I'm... I'm sorry," he choked out, the words thick and slurred. "The alarm... It was stupid. I just... you were with him. I couldn't handle it.""We're not talking about the alarm right now," I commanded softly. I threaded my fingers through his hair, applying just enough firm pressure to ground him. To be pulled into subspace by sheer, overwhelming emotion, without a scene, without a proper warm-up, and then immediately hit with guilt and panic? It was a recipe for a psychological hangover.I cursed under my breath, my mind thinking about how to ensure this situation doesn't cause him harm."Hey," I whispered, shifting so I was sitting flat on the floor, pulling his heavy frame tightly into my lap."Breathe with me. In... and out. That'

WilliamI woke up an hour later than my usual time, at five a.m.My body felt light and heavy all at once. I turned in the bed, eyes closed, listening to hear if there was anyone else in the room. The memories of last night were painfully fresh in my mind, intensifying the headache already pounding behind my eyes.Silence. I was alone.I slowly pushed myself up. The awareness that I was in Elias’s room hung tightly around me, suffocating and heavy. Carefully, I dragged myself out of bed and peeped into the hallway. He was nowhere to be seen, and the entire house was entirely too quiet.I made my way back to my own room, took a quick shower, dressed, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. I needed coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.My steps faltered at the last stair. My view lined up straight into the kitchen, where Elias was standing in a robe, his back to me. I stood there for a full minute, contemplating whether to go back and bury myself under the covers, leave for work early and no

WilliamThe entire morning was a waste of coffee, a thousand heavy sighs, rolled-up sleeves, and endless pacing across my office floor.What had happened with Elias put me in an incredibly delicate position. If anything, the disaster only proved that I desperately needed those damn coping skills my therapist kept lecturing me about.With another sigh, I slumped back into my chair, letting my head drop against the headrest.A sharp knock broke the silence, and Claire walked in. I sat up immediately. She glided behind the desk and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips.“You look terrible,” she said, retreating to sit on the chair opposite mine.“Rough day, and it’s not even halfway through.” I managed a weak shrug. “I wasn’t expecting you.”“I was in the area and decided to stop by, just in case one of us gets home late tonight and we don't get a chance to talk.”I nodded, lacking the energy to offer anything more.“I want to talk about Elias.”My body stiffened at his name. “What about him?

EliasOn Wednesday morning, I walked into the office at exactly eight o'clock.William’s former assistant had sent me everything I needed to step into her role. She’d wished me the best and, in the most professional corporate way, told me not to be an asshole. I actually laughed at how charming she was and promised myself I'd make her my friend at some point.I knew William had coffee at home,he always did,but I made sure to be waiting in his office with a fresh cup of black coffee. I'd made it bitter enough to make a man choke and curse me out.I laid out his desk, arranging his physical files from most important to least important then arranging the ones on the shelf by color which I knew he'd hate since I had mixed them up."There," I muttered, standing by the door and admiring my work.The door swung open a few minutes later, just as I was starting to get bored. William walked in. He froze, staring at my face for a beat too long before walking behind his desk and taking his seat.

William“What are you doing, Arthur?” I gritted out as soon as Elias excused himself to go to the bathroom.Arthur slowly looked up at me, then shifted his gaze toward the direction Elias had disappeared. “What do you mean, dear William?”“Don’t you dare give me that act!” I snapped.His eyes drifted lazily from my face down to my chest.“Arthur…” I warned, dragging his name for a bit too long.“So, you got married,” he said and his voice made it very clear he was not interested in my marriage. “We haven’t talked since then.”I shook my head. “Don’t do this. Not here, at least.”“Then where? You’ve refused to see me since the wedding.”“I’m here, aren’t I?”“Yeah. Because this is business. This is the only way I can get you to talk to me.”“Listen,” I said, leaning in closer across the table. “This project is important to my company, and whatever happened between us…”“I swear, if you say it didn’t mean a thing, I am going to kill you right here.”I let out a heavy, defeated sigh. “