All Chapters of CONTRACT OF REVENGE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Layla's pov "Please…please…spare…me." The stuttering voice came from somewhere around the corner I was about to turn into. I froze immediately, I expected some kind of shady dealing going on here but now that I was close to it, I just couldn't stop my body from trembling. I had been walking down the corridor for the past three minutes, heart in my throat, fully aware that I was in a part of the Cross estate that I had absolutely no business being in. But the door had been unlocked, and the stairs were just right there, and curiosity, curiosity has been a personal villain of mine since childhood or at least that's the excuse I gave myself for my terrible nosiness. I pressed myself against the wall and peeped into the corner exposing the dimly lit basement. My mouth flew wide open along with my eyes like I had just been electrocuted, maybe I was, by the sight I was beholding. There was a man in a cage, but that wasn't even half the problem, the problem was who it was. I took a de

Layla's POV The car pulled through gates so massive they could have swallowed a small village whole, and I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, watching the Cross estate rise up like something out of a gothic novel that had been forced into modern architecture. It was beautiful in that suffocating, oppressive way that beautiful things sometimes are when they're designed to remind you that you don't belong there. I had been here before, I think once, years ago, hiding in the shadows of my father's car while he came to beg for mercy from the man who had destroyed him. That was also the day he died, or at least the day the man I knew as my father stopped being the same person. I blinked the memory away before it could take root. The car stopped and the door opened before I could reach for the handle myself. One of Landon's men—I really needed to learn their names if I was going to be living here, he stood at attention, gesturing for me to exit. I stepped out into the c

Ethan blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. "Status? We've been trying to get him to talk for three weeks. You think one more day is going to change anything?""I need him to break.""He's not going to break, you know that. We both know that.""Then we're asking the wrong questions." I stood, moving to the window. The estate stretched out before me, dark and imposing. "He's not working alone, he never was. Find out who he was in contact with before he was caught. Someone on the outside knows something, someone close to him."Ethan was quiet for a moment. "You think I haven’t dug into his personal connections?""I don’t care, I want you to find me a lead. That's all I need." I turned back to face him. "Time is against us, Ethan. You know what happens if we don't get answers soon, you know what's at stake."He nodded slowly. "I'll search again tonight. But I'm telling you now, this is a long shot.""It's the only shot we have. And also, leave him for me, there is a discussion I shoul

Layla's POVThe dining room was massive.I had seen big dining rooms before, my father used to take me to business dinners when I was young but nothing like this. The table stretched on forever, covered in white linen and crystal glasses that caught the light like tiny stars.And sitting around it were the people I hated most in the world.Xander Cross sat at the head of the table. He was older than I remembered, his hair now streaked with grey, but his eyes were the same, cold and calculating. The eyes of a man who had destroyed my father without a second thought.Evelyn sat to his right, elegant and composed in a silk dress. She smiled when she saw me, but it didn't reach her eyes.Victoria sat across from her mother, her gaze sharp and hungry. She was beautiful in that polished, dangerous way that made you want to look away. I could already feel her eyes boring into me, assessing and judging.And then there was Landon.He sat to his father's left, his expression completely unreadab

I frowned. “Why?”His eyebrows lifted. “Why?”“Yes. Why are you coming into my room?”He took a few steps toward me. “Your room?”I immediately realized my mistake.He gave me a look. “This is my room.”I crossed my arms. “Then go sleep somewhere else.”His expression didn’t change. “You’re aware we’re married, aren’t you?”I stared at him. Unfortunately, I was. “That doesn’t mean we have to share a room.”“Doesn’t it?”“No.”He tilted his head. “What exactly do you think married couples do?”My thoughts ran wild, I immediately cleared my throat the moment I noticed I was drifting. “Normal married couples?” I gulped.“Yes.” “They don’t force each other to share a bed.” I tried maintaining a neutral expression.A faint smirk touched his mouth. “You’re right.”I relaxed for half a second.Then he added, “They usually share it willingly.”My jaw dropped. “Landon.”He walked past me, just like that.No argument, no negotiation. Not even an attempt to listen.He simply walked toward the