All Chapters of Chasing Red Flags: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Chapter 22: Surrender at DawnThe desk was cold and smooth beneath my back, yet I felt nothing but heat—everywhere. Leon loomed over me, his breath coming in ragged bursts against my skin, his eyes dark and wild with a hunger he could no longer pretend to control. There was no more teasing. No more holding back. Only us.He leaned down and kissed me then—deep, claiming, searing. His hands slid beneath me, lifting me higher against him, as if he meant to press our bodies into one. He moved with a slow, devastating rhythm that stole the breath from my lungs and set my blood on fire. Every stroke was deliberate, thorough, as if he were memorizing exactly how I broke for him, exactly how I gasped his name when pleasure became too much to bear.“Look at me,” he commanded, his voice rough and thick with desire.I opened my eyes, breathless and trembling, and found him watching me—gazing at me with such intensity it made my heart ache. He didn’t look away, not once, drinking in every shiver,

Chapter 24: Brave EnoughMy hands trembled as I folded the newspaper shut. The words burned in my mind-closing in, very close, within days. They weren't just searching. They were tracking. Methodically narrowing it down, step by step. And they were terrifyingly close.No ransom. No demands. Only silence. Which could only mean one thing: they knew exactly who had taken me. They knew. And they were coming.A cold, tight knot twisted deep in my chest. If they were this close... Leon was running out of time. And so were we.I walked to the window and watched him standing alone on the dock, hands buried in his pockets, watching the yacht fade into the endless blue horizon. He looked calm. Too calm. As if he had known this storm was coming all along-and was simply standing his ground, waiting for it to break.Moments later, the bedroom door opened. He stepped inside, quiet and steady as ever. His gaze found me instantly-standing pale by the window, the newspaper crumpled tight in my trembli

Chapter 26: The Cage ReopensTyler brought me back to the ancestral estate. Even at the gates, I saw it—layers of security, uniformed men standing watch, every inch of the grounds guarded like a fortress. Luxury cars lined the long driveway. It seemed the entire family had gathered to witness my return.Tyler walked silently beside me. He had not spoken a single word since our confrontation aboard the yacht. And truth be told, I had no desire to hear his voice. There was nothing left to say.I reached for the car door myself, swinging it open before the bodyguard could step forward to help me. I walked ahead of them all, straight through the grand entrance without a glance back.There in the foyer stood my mother. Tears streamed down her face as she rushed toward me, arms outstretched.“Avar, my precious baby!” She sobbed, pulling me tight against her chest.But her embrace felt hollow. Her warmth meant nothing to me now. I stood cold and unresponsive in her arms.“I want to rest,” I

Chapter 28: Truth and ConsequencesI reached my room and leaned back against the door, breathless. In truth, I had never been certain who truly held the power in this house—who made the final decisions. Dad had always appeared unshakable, the master of everything. But tonight… watching them clash, hearing his voice fall quiet and defeated against hers… I realized. It was Mom who held the stronger will. It was she who bent him, not the other way around. For the first time, they sounded not like strangers bound by duty, but like husband and wife—clashing, bleeding, fighting over what mattered most.My phone lay forgotten on the nightstand. I picked it up, a bitter smile touching my lips. I had not even brought it with me to the island; I had no photos, no reminders of those golden days, nothing to hold onto but memory itself. I plugged it in, then lay back and stared up at the ceiling.Where was Leon now? Was he already back in the city? Was he hurt? Was he planning a way to come for me

Chapter 30: A Promise and a KeyThe ride to Dr. Elfie’s clinic was wrapped in heavy, quiet stillness. Mother gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles blanched white, while I sat beside her, one hand resting instinctively, protectively over my stomach. Every turn brought us closer to the truth—the truth we had all begun to suspect, yet none of us had dared to speak aloud.Dr. Elfie greeted us at the door with a gentle, solemn smile. She said nothing of tests or results in the hallway. She simply led us into her quiet, sunlit office and gestured for us to sit.She placed a folder on the desk between us. My breath caught.“Your blood work and urine analysis came back this morning,” Dr. Elfie began, her voice soft but steady. She turned her gaze to me, her eyes kind yet heavy with gravity. “Avar… you are pregnant. Approximately six weeks along.”The world seemed to tilt beneath me. I gripped the arms of the chair until my fingers ached. Six weeks. That lined up perfectly with… that n