All Chapters of Chasing Red Flags: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 1: Red Flags in Plain Sight I sat quietly on my father’s leather couch, the cool, polished surface doing nothing to soothe the restlessness in my bones. His voice droned on and on—lectures, warnings, reminders to guard myself, to choose carefully what I let the world see. He kept repeating that people with bad intentions might take advantage of our name, our wealth, our power… especially since I refused to carry a dozen personal bodyguards everywhere I went. It was true—it could be dangerous. But I didn’t need ten guards. I only needed one person to stay beside me, and that was the one thing I was never allowed to ask for. I’m just a woman trying to breathe freely before I end up exactly like my mother—beautiful, wealthy, admired by everyone… and utterly alone in a loveless marriage. “Would you like to know who your fiancé is?” Dad suddenly changed the subject. He must have noticed my gaze drifting, my silence stretching too long. I let out a long, heavy breath—one that ca

Chapter 3: Forbidden Fruit Tastes Sweetest After Rose graduated, Dad began claiming every spare moment of my time. He issued a direct order: stay home for months. And so, instructors arrived—prim, polished women sent to mold me into the perfect hostess. And more pointedly… the perfect wife. Pathetic, isn’t it? Actually studying how to be one? As if my future husband would ever expect me to wait on him hand and foot. I could barely even hold a knife properly without someone hovering nearby, terrified I’d hurt myself! Those months brought another unexpected change: Mom began staying home, too. Where once she’d been distant, living between her own quarters and Grandpa’s mansion, now she was here—laughing with Dad, sharing quiet conversations. Once, rounding a corner, I caught them kissing in the hallway. Eww! Gross! Of all the years they could have chosen to be affectionate, why now? Why act like lovesick teenagers when they’ve spent decades as polite strangers? If they dare brin

Chapter 5 Only for Tonight Leon stood there beside Tori—his first love, the woman everyone assumed he’d one day marry. She clung proudly to his arm, elegant and assured, certain she belonged at his side. But I didn’t care. Because from the moment I stepped into the room, his eyes had left her and fixed only on me. It was maddening, intoxicating. He walked in with her… yet he looked like he belonged to me. I didn’t hesitate. I walked straight through the crowd, heads turning as I passed, and stopped right before them. “Hi,” I said—clear, steady, unapologetic. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips. He bit his lower lip, slow and deliberate, letting me see exactly how much he liked me taking the lead. Tori’s hand slipped from his arm, unnoticed. “Hi, Ava,” Arthur greeted warmly, stepping forward. I gave him a quick, polite smile, then turned my gaze straight back to Leon. “You don’t mind if we talk, do you?” My voice was bold, steady, like I already knew his answer. He narrowed

Chapter 7: My Fiancé, My FriendI slipped away to the restroom, needing only a moment to breathe, to be apart from them. They were discussing the wedding—scheduled to take place before the month ended. Once we were married, their grand project would launch exactly as they’d planned. It was all so perfectly, painfully business.I lifted my gaze to the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, and though I said nothing, the sadness in my eyes was unmistakable. I wondered… had they noticed it too?And why did I feel this way, anyway?I was washing my hands when the door swung open. I turned, surprised—and nearly raised an eyebrow in shock.Kyrie hurried inside and locked the door behind him.“We need to talk,” he said, voice dropping into that frank, unguarded tone he no longer hid from me.I smirked, crossing my arms. “Talk about what?” I arched a brow at him.“Are you truly going through with this?” he asked, serious now.“As if I have a choice,” I replied coolly. “It was decided long b

Chapter 9: Taken AwayI woke gasping, chest heaving as if I’d broken the surface after drowning in deep, dark water. Panic flooded my veins before my eyes could even adjust. My hands were pulled taut above me—chained, locked fast to the headboard. A thick, soft blindfold sealed away every glimmer of light, leaving me in absolute darkness.I strained against the bonds, rattling the heavy iron links. They were short, unyielding. I couldn’t reach far enough to free myself.The mattress beneath me was soft, expensive, silk and down—proof I was somewhere exclusive, somewhere far above the ordinary. Why am I chained like a prisoner? I thought, wild with fear. I’m no threat to anyone. I can’t hurt a soul.The door clicked open.My breath caught. Heavy footsteps crossed the room, slow and deliberate. The door clicked shut again. Silence settled—thick, suffocating, charged with a presence so intense it made my skin prickle. The bed dipped under his weight.I held perfectly still, heart hammeri