All Chapters of Owned By My Best Friend's Father: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

207 Chapters

Chapter Twenty-one

LEAH POVI wake up way before the alarm, my heart pounding like it's trying to escape my chest. Ugh, why am I like this?The room's still pitch dark, but the clock's glowing 6:12 a.m. It's that dinner with Ethan tonight. My gut twists just thinking about it, all knotted up with excitement and this nagging dread that I'll screw it up somehow.I lie there, staring at that stupid crack in the ceiling I've been meaning to patch forever, replaying yesterday in my head. Nerves are going wild, they are giddy one second, then terrified the next. What if I say something lame? Or trip in those heels? Or, worst case, have lipstick smeared on my teeth all night? Screw it, no more pretending to sleep. I slip out of bed quietly so Mom doesn't wake up and shuffle to the kitchen for coffee.I crack open the closet door just to peek at the black dress again. It still looks like it belongs on someone cooler, someone who doesn't wobble like a baby deer in heels.My phone buzzes with a text from an unkno

Chapter Twenty-two

LEAH POV Ethan clears his throat, the sound barely there,He raises a hand, catching the waiter's eye with a small nod. The guy appears almost instantly. He's a young guy, his shirt so crisp it looks ironed five minutes ago."Two glasses of the '18 Cabernet, please," Ethan says, then glances at me with that small, easy smile. "That's okay? Or you want something else?”I shake my head, trying to smile through the butterflies still doing laps in my chest. “Cabernet’s good. Thanks.”The waiter nods and vanishes. Ethan turns back to me, elbows resting lightly on the table, watching me“You really do look incredible tonight,” he says, softer. “I wasn’t kidding earlier. You stepped out of that car and I legit forgot how to breathe for a second.”Heat floods my cheeks and my face goes hot. I duck my head, messing with the napkin edge until it’s wrinkled. “You’ve said that like three times now. Keep it up and I might actually start believing you.”Good." His voice is warm and teasing. "Because

Chapter Twenty-three

LEAH POV Damien stands at the edge of our table like the whole restaurant belongs to him. His black coat stays buttoned, he keeps his hands deep in his pockets, his eyes fixed only on me. Ethan, the candles, the glittering city below—they might as well not exist.My heart is still pounding from when he appeared at the entrance. How does he even know I am here? Isn't he supposed to be away on a trip? I lean forward and whisper desperately. "What are you doing here? Damien, please. You have to go. Ethan will be back from the bathroom any second.”He does not move. He holds that calm, unreadable stare that always twists my stomach into knots. "Victor must have been right," he says quietly, "You do have a wealthy boyfriend now.”I stare at him stunned, unable to believe he actually said that to me "That is not what this is. He is just—”“Just what?" His voice stays low, but I can hear the anger underneath it. "The guy who buys you dresses? Sends you cars to come pick you up?Takes you on

Chapter Twenty-four

LEAH POVI can't hold it anymore. "You had no right to do that. None at all. What is wrong with you?”“What is wrong with me? No Leah, what is wrong with you?” He snaps back, “We were fine yesterday. Fine. And today you’re on a date with some guy because I told you I was going on a trip? You think I wouldn’t find out?”My stomach drops. “That’s not….Ethan is just—”“Just what?” He cuts me off. He turns to look at me, his eyes dark and burning. “Just a convenient dick to ride while I’m away? You move fast, don’t you? One mention of me leaving town and you’re out spreading your legs for the first rich boy who smiles at you.How pathetic.” he spat Heat rushes to my face. Shock. Anger. “Excuse me?” I was stunned and couldn't believe that he was the one saying such hurtful things.“You heard me.” His grip tightens on the wheel, his knuckles turning white. “How many others have there been huh? While I’m risking everything to keep this quiet, you’re out playing the innocent little thing and

Chapter Twenty-five

Damien POVWatching her walk away feels like I've lost her forever. I want to chase her…. bring her back and show her that I never meant anything I said but I fear it's too late for that now.She disappears into the shadows of the street, heels clicking fainter and fainter until the night swallows them completely. I stand there, frozen, The anger that drove me here is gone now it's replaced by this hollow, aching void that spreads through my chest like poison. I said things I can never take back. Called her things no one should ever hear, least of all from me. The man who's spent years protecting her, claiming her in the dark, making her feel safe when the world wasn't. And in one stupid, jealous moment, I made her feel like trash.I get back in the car, slam the door, and grip the wheel until my knuckles ache. How did it come to this? How did I let it get to this?It started last night. I was supposed to be packing for the trip; a business meeting; it was meant to be a quick run ba

Chapter Twenty-six

Damien POVMarcus’s voice cuts through the line.“Sir, you need to hurry. It’s bad.”The words hit like a second punch tonight. I don’t speak. I wait, watching the tail lights of a distant car disappear around the bend—the same direction she went. My lungs feel tight, as if the air in the cabin has turned to lead.“The contractor at Key West just called,” Marcus continues, his voice tight “There has been fresh tampering in the east wing service entrance — same one the River Gang used last time. The perimeter wiring was cut clean, and the cameras had been looped for three hours overnight. It was a professional job, sir. There was no jagged tearing—just precision. They knew exactly where the blind spots were. Someone’s been inside again. And one of the new security hires we cleared last week? His shift log shows he left early. Phone’s off. No answer. We can’t find him.”My grip tightens on the wheel until the leather creaks. The road blurs ahead. For a moment, the two worlds collide: t

Chapter Twenty-seven

Leah POVI walk away and refuse to glance back even once.Those heels start killing me after maybe four or five steps. I duck under the nearest streetlamp, crouch a little, and rip them off. The straps have carved angry red lines across the tops of my feet. I dangle the shoes from my fingers and keep going barefoot. The sidewalk grit sticks to my soles, cold and rough, though honestly I hardly notice.I try to go to the bus stop. I start walking toward it, arms crossed tightly over my chest, head down. Cars creep by slower than usual. I catch people turning their heads, their windows reflecting my mess at me—silk dress, no shoes, black streaks running down my face like I’ve been crying for hours. Which I guess I have, just not out here. The fabric that felt so right earlier now sticks to me wrong, too clingy, too revealing in the chilly breeze. Every little gust makes me pull my arms in tighter.The bus shelter light is still a ways off. I picture myself standing there under that har

Chapter Twenty-eight

LEAH POVSunlight sneaks through the blinds, stinging my swollen eyes. I wake up curled on my side with my knees tucked to my chest. The blanket is twisted around my legs as though I fought it all night. My feet throb from raw patches on the pavement and a dull ache lingers in my arches. I do not move for a long minute. I stare at the ceiling crack that has been there since we moved in. It looks the same, but everything else feels cracked open. Damien’s words keep looping in my mind: the cruel snap of “whore,” the broken “I didn’t mean it,” and the silence when I asked if he loved me. That silence is louder than any word he could have said.My phone sits face down on the nightstand. I reach for it and the screen lights up with notifications.Emily had called eleven times and she left a string of texts.Ethan had texted three times throughout the night,I open Ethan’s messages first.“Hey… just checking if you got home okay. Tonight was amazing, even with everything. Hope you’re alri

Chapter Twenty-nine

Ethan is already there when I arrive. He sits at an outdoor table with two iced coffees waiting. He stands when he sees me and that easy smile spreads across his face.“Hey,” he says softly.“Hey.” I stop a foot away, suddenly shy. “I’m really sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have bailed like that. I got overwhelmed and just ran. I should’ve stayed. Or at least texted. I’m sorry.”He shakes his head. “You don’t have to apologize. I was worried, yeah, but I figured there was a reason why you got in the car with him. I’m just glad you’re here now.”"We sit. The iced café con leche is perfect—sweet, strong, and cold, just the way they make it around here.” . We talk lightly at first trying hard not to address the elephant in the room, the diner, His latest freelance gig. The way the maduros here are better than anywhere else in Little Havana is soft, caramelized, and practically melting on the tongue.Then he looks at me with a gentle but curious expression. “So Last night… Damien.”

Chapter Thirty

UNKNOWN POVUnder the harsh white glare of the floodlights, the private jet waits on the Miami Executive Airport tarmac.The humid night air is filled with a steady, low rumble as the engines idle. With his jacket slung carelessly over one shoulder, Damien Cross rushes across the asphalt in his rumpled charcoal suit. His sleeves are rolled unevenly to his elbows, his white shirt is unbuttoned at the collar, and he has no tie. Despite the cooling breeze, sweat shines on his forehead. He speaks in a clipped, urgent tone while holding his phone close to his ear and making sharp gestures with his free hand.“Marcus, lockdown the site immediately. No one goes in or out. Pull every feed from the last seventy-two hours, timestamped and backed up off-site. And find that missing hire. I don’t care if you have to drag the Gulf for him. He doesn’t vanish unless someone makes him vanish.”His polished black shoes flash in the floodlights as he ascends the short jet stairs two at a time. With a h

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