Todos los capítulos de Bound By His Protection : Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

Julian had spent the entire afternoon pretending he hadn't noticed the way Kaelen had looked at him in the garden. It should have been easy. He had spent years pretending not to care about things that mattered, pretending his father's words didn't hurt and that loneliness was a choice rather than something he had slowly become accustomed to. Yet somehow one quiet look from Kaelen had unsettled him more than any threat had.By evening, Julian found himself standing by the window of his room, watching the last traces of sunlight disappear behind the estate walls. He had changed out of the clothes he wore earlier, but he hadn't changed the thoughts running through his head. Kaelen had said they were both learning, then his phone had vibrated and his entire expression had changed. Julian still didn't know what the message had said. He should have forgotten about it. Instead, it kept returning to him.A soft knock came at the door. Julian didn't have to ask who it was. Come in.Kaelen ente

Morning came quietly over the Valerius estate, but the house was already alive with preparations. Servants moved through the halls carrying trays, arranging flowers and preparing the main rooms for the gathering Arthur Valerius was hosting that afternoon. Unlike his usual private business meetings, this event would include the families of several of his oldest associates. The announcement had been made over breakfast, and Julian immediately understood that his father expected him to attend. Arthur rarely mixed business with anything resembling a social occasion without a reason.Julian made his way toward the main hall, fastening the last button of his shirt as he listened to the quiet activity around him. By the time he reached the entrance, guests had already begun arriving.The main hall was filled with familiar faces, soft music and the sound of conversation. Julian paused for a moment, taking it all in. His father's gatherings were always beautiful enough to make people forget th

The folder remained on Arthur's desk between us, looking far less dangerous than it sounded. Julian stared at it for several seconds before reaching for it. You said I needed to understand what it cost to build this family.Arthur nodded. Then read.Julian opened the folder and found pages of old contracts, company acquisitions and legal documents dating back more than twenty years. At first, they looked like ordinary business records, but the further he went, the more uncomfortable he became. Several companies had disappeared shortly after being acquired by Valerius Holdings. Others had been swallowed by debts that Julian had never heard about. There were names he recognized from newspapers, businesses that had once been powerful and simply vanished. What happened to these companies? he asked.Arthur leaned against the desk. They lost.Julian looked up. All of them?Business is not charity.Julian returned his attention to the papers. That's not what I asked father.Arthur's expressi

The following afternoon, Julian was informed that Arthur had arranged a private business luncheon with several of the Valerius Group’s oldest partners. After the previous day’s meeting with Victor Laurent, Julian wasn’t surprised to find another appointment waiting for him. What did surprise him was the location. Arthur had chosen the Valerius Club, a place Julian had known since childhood and rarely visited anymore. By the time he arrived, the private dining room was already filled with familiar faces, including Sebastian Cross and several executives Julian recognized from his father’s company. Arthur stood at the center of the room, speaking with the guests, and when he saw Julian, he gestured toward an empty chair.There you are. Sit beside Elena.Julian’s eyes moved to the seat. Elena was already there, speaking quietly with Sebastian before turning toward him with a small smile. Julian understood immediately. His father had planned the seating.He took the chair beside her withou

I remained beside the conference room door long after Kaelen disappeared down the corridor, my fingers still curled around the handle as though the cold metal could steady the pulse beating violently beneath my skin. Don't make me that way again. His voice had followed me into the silence, low and rough, stripped of the careful control he wore like armor. I had spent months learning the difference between Kaelen's anger and his restraint, between the blank expression he showed the world and the tiny fractures that appeared when something reached beneath his defenses. That warning had not sounded like either. It had sounded like a confession he had not intended to make. I drew a slow breath, but my lungs seemed unwilling to cooperate. Marcus had been nothing more than an invitation, a dinner, a harmless conversation that I could have declined without a second thought. Yet Kaelen had looked at him as though he were a threat, and then looked at me as though I were the one responsible for