جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Rain hammered against the city like it was trying to drown every secret hidden beneath the glittering lights. Elena Hart tightened her coat around herself as she hurried down the sidewalk, exhaustion dragging heavily through her body. Her feet ached from standing ten hours straight at the restaurant, and all she wanted was a hot shower, cheap noodles, and Ryan’s arms around her. Maybe tonight would finally feel normal again. Maybe he would apologize for the distance between them lately. Maybe she was tired of pretending not to notice it. The thought made her chest ache. She climbed the narrow stairs to the apartment she had helped pay for with double shifts and sleepless nights. The hallway smelled faintly of cigarettes and old paint, but tonight something else lingered beneath it. Perfume.A familiar perfume. Elena slowed.Her hand tightened around her bag. No.Her heartbeat began to pound harder as she reached the door. The apartment was unlocked. Ryan never left it unlocked. A stra

“You’re fired.” The words hit Elena harder than she expected. She stood frozen inside the manager’s office while the smell of burnt coffee and paperwork filled the suffocating silence around her. “What…?” she whispered. Her manager wouldn’t look directly at her. “We’ve received complaints.” “Complaints?” He sighed heavily and slid a printed paper across the desk. Elena’s stomach dropped the second she saw her name. Anonymous reports. Accusations. Claims that she flirted with customers for money. Claims that she stole tips. Claims that she was “unstable” and “unprofessional.” Her hands began trembling instantly. Because she already knew who did this. Ryan. A sharp ache spread through her chest. “He told you these things?” she asked quietly. The manager rubbed his forehead awkwardly. “Your ex-boyfriend came here two days ago.” Of course he did. Humiliation burned through her entire body. “He’s lying.”“I don’t know what’s true anymore, Elena.” His voice softened slightly. “But custome

The question hung in the air like a blade. “Who is she, Damien?” Elena stood frozen near the staircase while the beautiful woman’s eyes swept over her slowly. Carefully. Judging everything.Her simple clothes. Her nervous posture. The faint exhaustion beneath her eyes. And then— The woman’s gaze dropped briefly to Elena’s stomach. Something sharp flickered across her flawless face. Damien walked forward calmly, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve with the same detached composure that made him impossible to read. “This is Elena Hart.” His voice was smooth. Controlled. The woman waited. But Damien didn’t continue immediately. The silence stretched just long enough to make Elena uncomfortable. Then finally— “She’s the mother of my child.” The entire room went still. Even the servants nearby seemed to stop breathing. Elena felt heat rush violently into her face. The words shouldn’t have affected her this much. But hearing him say it aloud made everything terrifyingly real. The woman’s expres

The ballroom glittered like a world Elena would never belong to. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like falling stars while expensive laughter echoed through the massive room. Women dripped in diamonds. Men spoke in millions. And everywhere she turned— People stared at her. Whispers followed her across the event like poison. “That’s her?” “The pregnant girl?”“She trapped Damien Blackwood?” Elena kept her head down, fingers tightening around the glass of sparkling water in her hand. She hated this. Every second of it. Damien stood nearby speaking with investors, cold and untouchable in a black tailored suit that made him look less like a man and more like something dangerous pretending to be human. Even from across the room, people feared him. Nobody approached carelessly. Nobody spoke too loudly near him. Yet somehow— Every few minutes, his eyes still found Elena. Like he was checking she was still there. The realization unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. “You look

“You belong to me now.” The words stayed inside Elena’s head long after Damien walked away. She stood frozen beneath the rain for several seconds afterward, her heart beating so violently it almost hurt. Belong. Not protect. Not care for. Belong. Damien Blackwood said dangerous things too calmly. And somehow, the terrifying part wasn’t that he said them— It was the way her body reacted when he did.---That night, Elena couldn’t sleep. Rain tapped softly against the massive bedroom windows while moonlight spilled faintly across the silk sheets.Everything about this mansion felt too quiet after midnight. Like secrets lived inside the walls. Elena sat curled near the window wrapped in a blanket, unable to stop replaying the look in Damien’s eyes earlier. Jealousy. Real jealousy. But why? He insisted their arrangement meant nothing. No emotions. No attachment. Yet every time another man touched her, Damien looked one second away from violence. It didn’t make sense. A soft knock suddenly