Todos os capítulos de BOUND TO THE BILLIONAIRE CAPTAIN: Capítulo 81 - Capítulo 90

I shut the steam wand with a slam, and a piercing hiss of hot air shot through the small metal pitcher. Steam struck my face and left my skin damp, yet I didn't take the trouble to wipe it off. I simply picked up the damp white rag from the counter and scoured the chrome spout until the metal gleamed beneath the bright overhead lights. The campus lounge was in the middle of a slow afternoon rush. Low indie music hummed from the speakers near the ceiling, and a handful of students sat at the wooden tables by the front glass window with their laptops open. My feet ached inside my canvas sneakers and my lower back was stiff from three straight hours of standing, but working behind the coffee bar still beat sitting alone in my room. Whenever I stood still, my thoughts snapped straight back to Lecture Hall 102—Professor Einstein pounding his hand on the podium, his voice thundering as he kicked me out in front of fifty students while my cheeks burned with sheer embarrassment. A heavy sha

Carter didn't raise his voice. He didn't slam his notebook shut or kick a chair legs back against the floorboards like I expected him to. Instead, he just stood there, his jaw unclenching real slow. All the hard anger in his eyes flatlined into complete nothingness, like somebody flipped a light switch inside his head. He shrugged one broad shoulder, stepping back from the table and shoving both hands deep into his jeans pockets. "Whatever," Carter said, his voice dropping into a dry, hollow tone. "It's your life, Clara. Your choice. Just make sure you fulfill your end of the contract. Be here Thursday at nine." The total lack of heat in his voice hit me harder than if he had screamed right in my face. He looked at me like I was a stranger standing in his dining room. I yanked my backpack strap tighter against my shoulder, my knuckles turning red. "Yeah, I know it's my life. I decide who I hang out with, just like you decide who you sleep with." Carter's chin lifted a fraction o

CLARAThe arena doors shut with a heavy groan, and just like that, the cold night air was locked out. I pressed myself tight against the brick pillar, listening as Carter’s laugh echoed down the sidewalk. It was all for Henna, not me. I watched through the frosted glass while Henna slid her arm through his. Her hair flicked back against his jacket as they drifted away together.A lump jammed itself in my throat. I tasted something bitter at the back of my mouth and forced it down, digging my nails into my palms until they stung. Carter never even looked back—not when he opened the passenger side for her, not when his truck’s engine rumbled and they rolled out of the lot.My phone buzzed twice against my hip. I dug it out, bracing for some useless library reminder or a bill from the Bursar’s office. But no—it was a notification I actually cared about.Justin: Hey I’m in the basement studio in the music building working on the duet idea we talked about last week are you free to come by?

The red banner across the center of my student portal scorched my eyes. TUITION GRANT STATUS: WITHDRAWN / REVOKED REASON: PRIMARY TAX PROXY DISPUTE My fingers curled around the edge of the laptop until my knuckles turned white. I hurriedly refreshed the page, wincing each time the glaring numbers reaffirmed the cruel message in blood-red font. Unpaid account balance: $2,410.00. Payment due date: October 24th. Failure to pay will result in immediate course deregistration and administrative hold. I pushed my chair back with a shudder, my heart thudding like a trip-hammer in my ribs. My palms were sweaty as I fumbled to extract my phone from my backpack, my thumb brushing the speed dial icon for the university financial aid office. I pressed the device against my ear until the tinny sound of a woman humming filled the line. "Bursar's office, this is Sandra," the woman announced on the fourth ring, her voice thick with boredom. "Hi, my name is Clara Hayes," I rasped, my voice

POV: Dean Allie stared at me for three seconds before smothering a loud laugh, a visceral punch to my ribs, sending her head back against the blue glow of my desk lamp. Her knotted dark curls bounced over her shoulder as she pulled the hem of her grey oversized sweatshirt down over her hips, taking two slow steps back toward the bedroom doorway, her eyes sparkling with a sharp guarded look that slammed a concrete wall between us. "A date?" She shook her head, her voice laced with the same mocking sarcasm as yesterday's argument. "Dean, we hook up when we're bored or stressed after a long week, so please don't try to turn us into some pathetic rom-com where we meet cute at a greasy diner." I choked on the words, my throat locking up as I sat immobile on the edge of my unmade mattress with my bare feet pressed to the cold floorboards. I watched her retreat into the shadowy hallway with that nonchalant smile etched on her lips before the heavy wooden door slammed shut with a finali