Lahat ng Kabanata ng Owned By My Stepdad(MxM): Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

“I want to go home,” I muttered, the words heavy with a sudden, desperate fatigue.Bella’s hand clamped onto my arm like a vice. “No. Stay. This is entertaining.”“Entertaining for you.”Riley nodded with the clinical fascination of a scientist. “As an outsider? This is top-tier content. Truly incredible.”Across the table, Lisa was the only one who seemed to possess a soul at peace. She sipped her drink with serene detachment, while Bella continued her streak of avoiding eye contact with her after the whole necklace debacle.I, meanwhile, was sandwiched between Kai and Nikolai, feeling less like a dinner guest and more like the central subject of a high-stakes psychological experiment.Bella pointed a French fry at me dramatically. “You know what your problem is?”“I’m sure I have several. List them alphabetically, please.”“You attract emotionally unavailable, dangerous people.”Kai looked genuinely offended. “I’m emotionally available.”Nikolai didn’t even look up from his plate. “

The feeling didn’t last.Of course it didn’t. Because apparently, peace and I had irreconcilable differences, and the universe refused to let me forget it.We were only a few dozen yards from the academic building when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out absentmindedly, a lingering smile still tugging at my lips from watching Bella nearly pass out just because Lisa’s hand had brushed her waist.Then I looked at the screen. Unknown Number.I frowned. Normally, I ignored blocked or unknown calls, but a strange, heavy sensation settled in my gut. A prickle of intuition.I swiped answer. “Hello?”Silence.I pulled the phone away to check the screen. It was still connected. The timer was ticking up.“Hello?” I repeated, my voice dropping.Then, I heard it. Breathing. Slow, deliberate, and entirely too close to the receiver. A sudden, instinctual wave of cold rushed down my spine.“Elias.”My footsteps slowed. I recognized the voice, but it was like trying to recall a face fro

Nobody wanted me to go. That was the core of the problem.Kai opposition, his voice echoing off the concrete. Bella matched his volume, her arguments dissolving into breathless, furious sobs.Even Vane, who usually kept his distance, stepped forward to state with absolute certainty that this was a catastrophic mistake.And Nikolai? Nikolai didn't say a word. He just stood there, looking like a man who was actively cataloging exactly how many people he was going to have to murder by sunset.But my mind was made up. If this shadowy entity wanted me badly enough to violate my home, I was entirely done running. I was done jumping at shadows, done watching Bella panic every five minutes, and done seeing Kai and Nikolai constantly scanning peripheries like hunted animals. I refused to let anyone else pay the price for the blood in my veins.Which brought me here.Standing on the curb outside our apartment building. A fleet of sleek, black sedans had pulled up, lined up with the terrifying p

I stared at him for a long time.Maybe too long, because I was trying to untangle the knotted mess of what I was even feeling anymore. Anger, shock, confusion, hurt—everything was violently colliding inside my chest until I felt entirely hollowed out.He was alive. My dad was actually alive.The man I had spent years crying over, the man I thought I’d lost forever, was standing right in front of me inside a ridiculous fortress that looked like it belonged on a movie set. It felt like a fever dream, a cruel trick of the mind.I wiped my face quickly with the back of my hand, forcing the tears away, and locked my gaze onto him. “Why am I here?”He didn't answer right away. Instead, he slowly crossed the polished marble floor toward a sprawling leather couch and sat down, smoothing the fabric of his trousers. “Elias, sit.”“No,” I said instantly, folding my arms tightly across my chest. “I’m not sitting down until you answer me.”His eyes stayed fixed on me for a heavy, silent moment bef

I ran.I didn’t even think about the logistics, didn’t formulate a plan, and didn’t care where the hell I was going. I just ran, driven entirely by pure, unadulterated panic.Shouted voices erupted behind me almost instantly.“Elias!”Then came the heavy thud of combat boots on marble. Footsteps. More footsteps. The sheer size of the mansion was both a blessing and a curse; there were too many labyrinthine hallways, too many winding staircases, and too many identical doors. I threw myself around corners entirely at random, my heart hammering violently against my ribs like a trapped bird.I wasn’t staying here. Absolutely, definitively not.I skidded into another long hallway, my shoes nearly slipping against the highly polished wood floor.“Stop him! Secure the exits!”Great. Fantastic. Now they were treating me like some escaped convict on the nightly news.I threw a frantic glance over my shoulder. Two guards were closing the distance, moving entirely too fast for comfort. I dove ar