All Chapters of The Last Forbidden Bond : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Being part of the Derimigo family as an heiress was worse than death. My hand was trembling in front of many eyes staring at me.I had practiced this speech for two weeks. Two weeks of standing in front of my bathroom mirror at 6 AM, perfecting every smile and gesture that would make me look like a dutiful daughter instead of a liar.I squeezed my mic and began, "The Derimigo family has always understood that with great power comes great responsibility—"My father's hand tightened on my shoulder. A warning. I was rushing. I took a breath, let my smile widen just enough to show teeth, and continued."—which is why I'm honored to announce the launch of Derimigo Flux's Urban Renewal Initiative, a two-billion-dollar commitment to revitalizing underserved neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area."Then my eyes landed on Killian Drake standing near the far end of the ballroom, and every thought inside my head disappeared instantly.The words died in my throat as fear tightened painfully aroun

The apartment I wasn't supposed to know about was in Temescal, third floor of a converted Victorian that had been split into six units sometime in the 1970s. I'd rented it three months ago using my mother's maiden name, Selene Matthew, and paid six months upfront in cash. My father didn't know it existed. Killian didn't know it existed. Even my mother only knew because she'd helped me set it up, her hands shaking the entire time as she counted out bills from her private safe. "If your father finds out I helped you—" she'd started. "He won't," I'd promised. "This is just... insurance. In case I ever need to disappear for a few hours." She'd looked at me with eyes that understood too much. "Your grandmother had a place like this. In Berkeley. She'd go there when your grandfather's political dinners became unbearable." A pause. "She sold it the year before she died. Said she'd waited too long, that by the time she was brave enough to actually leave, she'd forgotten how." I'd hugg

The first hour went surprisingly smoothly. I sat with three girls building a solar system model, hyper-aware of Silas across the room but managing to focus on the children. They were wonderful, curious, sharp, asking questions that made me think. It almost let me forget the disaster waiting to attack me.Then Silas asked, "Oh, forgot to ask, Mrs. Rodriguez tell you the setup?"I looked up from where I was helping Lucia glue Saturn's rings. "Setup?""Two-hour sessions, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Homework help and enrichment activities."I nodded. "What if we moved the tutoring sessions to Saturday mornings instead? Research shows children retain information better earlier in the day, and we could extend to three hours, maybe add breakfast—""Can't do Saturdays," said Jayla without looking up from her moon phase diagram. She was one of the older girls, maybe thirteen, with box braids and an air of world-weary competence. "I watch my brothers while my mom works.""I got basketball," added M