All Chapters of Bound by a Billion Dollar Marriage: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Her grandmother lay on the sterile white hospital bed, blood staining the sheets near her wrists, her face bone-white, teetering on the edge of death.She told me to run. Even if it cost her everything. She said she'd be at peace with it.No. Isla shook her head hard, eyes flooding red.Isla sat rigid in her wheelchair, breath catching irregularly. The image alone felt like a thousand arrows through her chest she could barely draw a full breath."No number, no rescue. Try begging Grayson instead let's see if your grandmother can survive the wait." Bianca stayed on her knees, voice rasping, more terrifying than any threat she'd made before.Isla's fists clenched. Watching Bianca's smug, self-satisfied face, she wanted nothing more than to tear it apart with her bare hands.But I can't. Not without also betraying the man who's been protecting me."Mr. Vale wait!" Isla called out, red-eyed, glaring past Bianca to the man already at the door.Bianca's mouth curved, quietly triumphant."Ye

The elevator was spacious. Grayson stood in the corner, expression severe, and the crude talk from the men in front clearly irritated him.Moments later, the doors opened, and the five men filed out laughing. Grayson followed, cold and silent.Marcus started to point out they hadn't reached their floor yet then caught his boss's expression and said nothing, following him out instead.Down in the hotel kitchen."Isla, take the food up to room 888. Be careful that's the young master's private room tonight," her supervisor said. New and still learning the ropes, Isla had mostly been stuck on prep work, so the assignment caught her off guard."Should I really be the one going, ma'am?" Isla asked, uneasy she barely knew the service protocol yet."Tsk, don't question it. Young Master Long specifically requested you," another server said, eyeing Isla's figure with poorly hidden envy."Go on. Good practice for you. He's a regular even if you mess up, it won't be a big deal," her supervisor ad

"Was this really the only job you could find? There are plenty of legitimate places to work, and instead you crawl into the Long family's cesspit. Isla, I think you did this on purpose. How much more do you need to prove your appeal? Hm?" As he spoke, Grayson shifted his weight against her, something dark laced through his voice.Isla's earlier moment of vulnerability drained away instantly.He's doing this on purpose. He punished Bianca on my behalf once, and then I turned around and threw it back in his face like it was all some manipulation. He's not letting that go.Maybe he actually believes I'm exactly the kind of woman who plays games for attention.Nobody but her knew the true cost of that lie. Even if she tried to explain it now, he wouldn't listen anyway.Isla just bit her lip and cried, shaking her head at everything he said.Watching her fall apart with no words to offer, Grayson's irritation only sharpened. "Say SOMETHING. Don't play mute on me.""You just want to torment

Isla had never heard anyone say her name in a way that made bad news feel this imminent."Sorry, sorry!" She grabbed the suit jacket draped over her and started wiping frantically at his face.Grayson sat rigid, jaw locked, eyes fixed dead ahead without blinking. The stillness alone screamed severe germaphobia in action.Feeling the damp fabric drag across his skin, he stayed frozen and said, low and controlled, "Your clothes are wet. Take them off.""Wet? Oh right, I was using it to wipe my tears and everything earlier." Isla flipped to the other sleeve.Grayson looked like his composure might genuinely shatter at that."ISLA! I am one wrong move away from strangling you!""Sorry, sorry, I swear it wasn't intentional. My nose just gets weird sometimes and I couldn't hold the sneeze back."Aware she'd majorly overstepped, Isla went full groveling-apology mode."Mr. Vale, I really didn't mean it. Go ahead, hit me. I won't fight back!" She leaned her head forward, offering herself up."

Bianca leaned in close, voice dropping to a hiss. "But I'm NOT telling Grayson where you are. You can just wait here and die."Isla shot her a cold, flat look, taking in that smug satisfaction, then turned away entirely. *Not wasting brain cells arguing with her.*Bianca, reading Isla's silence as surrender, kept pushing."Why don't you beg me? Not that it would help."She laughed, low and vicious. "Once they're done with you, you'll never be able to show your face to Grayson again. Convenient, honestly solves the substitute-bride problem, gets rid of you permanently, no more mess for me to clean up.""You want to know why I cooperated so easily luring you out here today? Because I wanted to watch this happen. I wanted to see you fall apart."The trembling, terrified act from moments ago dissolved entirely, replaced with gleeful cruelty.Isla had zero illusions left about this woman. Begging wasn't happening not even if it cost her life.Pale, dust-streaked, eyes gone hard as ice, Isl