Semua Bab BOUND TO THE BILLIONAIRE’S CONTRACT : Bab 11 - Bab 20

My thumb was shaking so hard I nearly dropped the phone right onto the hardwood floor. *Burn it down.* The words just sat there, burning straight through the glass screen and into my brain. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird, fast, hard, and totally out of control. I couldn't even catch a proper breath. My chest was so tight it actually hurt. Whoever sent that text knew Leo was in this building. They knew he was sitting upstairs in his dinosaur pajamas, chewing on strawberries in Alexander Vance’s penthouse. That meant all these security cameras, the thick steel doors, and the massive guards standing in the hallway weren't keeping us safe at all. Not even close. Or worse... somebody inside this place was giving them info. I stared down at the black screen until it went dark, catching my own terrified, pale face in the reflection. Who the hell was this? One of Alexander’s mafia rivals? Someone Julian owed money to before he died? My brain was spinning a

My knees literally gave out right there on the elevator floor. Like, deadass, I almost hit the ground.*Check under your kid's bed.*The text was glowing on my screen, and my chest felt like someone was standing on it. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.Whoever sent that mess was inside the penthouse. Or they had someone on the inside. Like, someone actually walked right past Alexander’s scary-ass security team, casually strolls into my four-year-old’s room, and drops something under his bed? Are you kidding me right now?!The elevator doors opened on the top floor with a little chime, and I didn't even wait. I just took off running, heels clacking like crazy on the tile.The two beefy guards posted outside the nursery didn't even have time to ask what my problem was before I shoved right past them, practically yanking the door handle off the frame."Mommy!" Leo yelled out, looking up from where he was sitting on the floor. He had strawberry jam smeared literally all over his face.

I swear to God my life has turned into a literal mafia movie and I am completely losing my mind. I was deadass lying face-down on the disgusting, oil-stained concrete of a freezing underground parking garage. My ears were ringing so hard from the gunshot that it sounded like a fire alarm was going off inside my actual brain. And Alexander Vance? The billionaire psycho who forced a ring on my finger? He was practically crushing me into the floor, his massive body shielding mine while he aimed a literal handgun into the dark like John Wick. I was shaking so hard my teeth were clicking together. I could still smell the gunpowder. And the copper. Blood. Vince’s blood. The guy I used to serve cheap beer to back when Julian was alive was currently lying ten feet away with a hole in his head. Just… dead. Gone. My phone screen was glowing in the dark next to my face. The text message from the mystery sniper was just sitting there, mocking me. *See you at the Gala, Elena.* Alexander

Walking a red carpet sounds glamorous, right? Like, you see it on TV and think it’s all designer clothes, elegant posing, and people politely asking who you’re wearing.Let me tell you the absolute truth. It is a literal nightmare.The second my strappy heels hit that red fabric, it felt like stepping onto an alien planet. The noise alone was enough to make my ears bleed.Hundreds of paparazzi were shoved up against metal barricades, screaming at the top of their lungs like wild animals."Chloe! Chloe, over here!""Alexander! Give us a kiss for the cameras!""Chloe, look left! Look left!"Camera flashes were going off so fast it was like standing in the middle of a lightning storm. I was completely blinded within five seconds.If Alexander hadn’t had his arm wrapped around my waist like an actual vice grip, I would have tripped over my own insanely expensive dress and face-planted on live television."Keep smiling, Elena," Alexander muttered under his breath, his teeth perfectly bared

I swear to God, my brain literally gave me the spinning Mac wheel of death.For a solid thirty seconds, the entire penthouse went completely, dead silent. The only sound was the beeping of whatever stupid heart monitor Dr. Evans had hooked up to Alexander, and my own ragged, panicked breathing.I stared at Arthur. I stared at the plastic bag in his shaking hands. I stared at the silver money clip.*J.V.*Julian Vance.My baby daddy. The guy I cried over for four straight years. The guy whose grave I visited every single Sunday in the freezing Queens rain while pushing a stroller."Say that again," I whispered, my voice sounding like it belonged to a complete stranger.Arthur swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked like he was gonna throw up right on the expensive hardwood. "The note... it says, 'You took my life four years ago, little brother. Did you really think I'd let you keep my son?'""Give me that," Alexander snarled.He literally ripped the IV line halfway out of