All Chapters of After Our First Kiss, He Begged to Own Me : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Jamie’s jaw tightened the second the call came in.Alex noticed it immediately.One moment Jamie had been leaning against the kitchen counter, lazily watching him struggle to open a jar, and the next, his entire expression changed. The warmth vanished from his face so quickly it almost felt unreal.“Stay inside tonight,” Jamie said after ending the call.Alex frowned. “Why?”Jamie grabbed his coat from the chair without answering immediately. “Because I said so.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one you’re getting.”Alex stared at him from across the dim kitchen, irritation flickering in his tired eyes. Jamie hated that look. Hated how easily Alex questioned him now. Hated how much he had started expecting honesty from him.Jamie walked closer and adjusted the sleeve of Alex’s sweater absentmindedly.“Lock the doors,” he muttered. “Don’t open them for anyone.”“Jamie—”“I’ll be back soon.”The words came out clipped. Final.Alex studied him carefully. “Does this have something t

Alex escaped to the balcony the moment Jamie disappeared with his father.He needed air.The party felt suffocating.The whispers.The stares.The constant pressure.Outside the night air felt cooler.Quieter.Alex leaned against the railing staring down at the city lights below.Then—“You always hated parties.”His body froze instantly.That voice.Slowly—Alex turned around.Chris stood near the balcony entrance.Perfectly dressed.Smiling faintly.Like he belonged there.Alex’s chest tightened painfully.“What are you doing here?”Chris shoved his hands into his pockets casually.“Working.”Alex immediately understood.Victor.Of course.Chris studied him carefully.“You look different,” he said softly.Alex crossed his arms.“You don’t.”Something flickered across Chris’s face.Annoyance maybe.Then he sighed.“You really got involved with Jamie Reed.”Alex stayed silent.Chris laughed quietly.“You know what everyone’s saying about you?”“I don’t care anymore.”“That’s a lie.”A

Alex stared at Jamie like he had become a stranger.Every memory suddenly felt unstable.Every interaction.Every coincidence.“You planned this?”Jamie immediately shook his head.“No.”“But you knew me.”“Yes.”Alex laughed bitterly.“Wow.”Jamie stepped forward carefully.“You deserve the full truth.”“Then tell me.”Jamie stayed silent briefly before speaking.“Years ago your mother helped expose financial crimes connected to several elite families.”Alex frowned deeply.“What does that have to do with me?”“She disappeared before she could testify.”Alex’s breathing slowed.“You said disappeared.”Jamie held his gaze.“Because there was never a body.”That shattered something inside Alex instantly.His entire life—He believed she died in an accident.“You’re lying.”“I wish I was.”Alex turned away sharply.His thoughts spiraled violently now.Nothing made sense anymore.Jamie continued quietly behind him.“When I first saw your name at the company… I recognized it immediately.”

The alarms screamed endlessly through the vault.Red emergency lights flickered weakly now, casting distorted shadows across the walls.Jamie kept Alex behind him instinctively.Protectively.The unknown voice laughed softly somewhere in the darkness.“You always did have a hero complex, Jamie.”Jamie’s expression changed instantly.Recognition.“You’re alive,” he said coldly.The man stepped partially into the flashing red light.Tall.Silver-haired.Older than Jamie but still sharp-looking in a dangerous way.Alex immediately understood why the face in the photograph had been scratched out.This man radiated fear.“You sound disappointed,” the stranger replied calmly.Jamie’s jaw tightened visibly.“You were declared dead twelve years ago.”“Yes.”The man smiled faintly.“That was intentional.”Alex frowned.“Who are you?”The man’s gaze shifted toward him slowly.And Alex felt an immediate chill crawl through him.“So this is her son.”Jamie moved slightly further in front of Alex.

Marcus decrypted the drive inside a secured room deep within the prison.No internet access.No outside systems.Jamie insisted on every precaution personally.Alex stood beside him silently while lines of encrypted code flashed across the screen.Marcus worked calmly despite the armed guards nearby.But Alex noticed something important.His hands shook slightly.Like even he feared what was hidden inside the files.Finally—The screen unlocked.A single folder appeared.PROJECT ORPHEUS.Jamie’s expression hardened instantly.Marcus leaned back slowly in his chair.“There it is.”Alex frowned.“What exactly is Project Orpheus?”Nobody answered immediately.Then Marcus clicked the first file.And Alex’s blood ran cold.Photographs.Hundreds of them.Children.Some frightened.Some injured.Some unconscious.Dates stretched back nearly twenty years.Financial documents followed next.Transfers worth billions.Private buyer lists.Political names.Government officials.Corporate leaders.