Bonds

Chapter 111

-Alex’s POV-

My gaze locked onto him, unwavering. It felt like an eternity, my vision boring into his. Years of pent–up questions swirled within me, a relentless storm demanding answers. Why? Why did he have to take her away? There was no justification, no explanation that could erase the gaping hole her absence had ripped in my life. He’d murdered her in a fit of rage, his temper a monstrous beast that had devoured the one person who loved me unconditionally.

I stood there, the weight of that moment heavy on my shoulders. The urge to end his pathetic existence was a tangible presence, a tempting whisper in the back of my mind. Death, however, felt like a kindness he didn’t deserve. He needed to suffer, to drown in the guilt of his

actions.

With a final, steely glance, I turned on my heel and walked away. Silence followed in my wake, a deafening echo of the hollowness within me. He was dead to me in that moment, his existence erased from my consciousness.

The world blurred into a kaleidoscope of colors as I drove, my mind a chaotic mess. There was no destination in sight, only the desperate need to escape the suffocating weight of everything that had happened. The car rolled on autopilot, my senses numb, until I found myself staring at the imposing glass and steel edifying that housed Daniel Stone’s company.

Stepping out of the car, a strange stillness hung in the air. Every head in the vicinity swiveled towards me, a silent symphony of surprised murmurs. The receptionist, a woman with a perfectly manicured smile, started to open her mouth, but a single icy glare from me slammed it shut faster than a slammed door.

Without a word, I pushed past her and stormed into Daniel’s office. He sat behind his expansive desk, his big frame filling the space with an air of arrogant entitlement. His eyes narrowed in surprise at my arrival, the initial shock morphing into a smug smirk that stretched across his

face.

“Well, well,” he drawled, his voice laced with amusement. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?”

“This,” I spat, my voice tight with barely contained fury, “this war between us. It needs to

further. “Is that so?” he chuckled, a humorless sound, “And what

now?”

a step forward, my voice a low growl. “Whatever it takes,” I pressed, my words

from his throat, a hollow sound devoid of any

forced myself to remain calm, to push down the urge to rip his

a silent battle of wills unfolding. The tension in the room crackled, thick enough to cut with a knife. My mind wandered, a memory from my childhood surfacing. My father’s words echoed in the recesses of my thoughts, each

anger.

me a normal childhood, the unconditional love of my mother by my side, I wouldn’t be this way. Trust wouldn’t be a foreign concept, a

Chapter 111

gone, my relationship with Adrian wouldn’t be fractured beyond

it all with a horrifying

had fallen apart. And while the truth was a bitter pill to swallow, I couldn’t escape the fact that my father had been the puppeteer, his twisted teachings still holding a

as ever. He and my father were two sides of the same coin, a horrifying thought that made me clench my fists. But for now, I

introspective spiral. “And what made you finally accept,” he drawled, the mockery dripping from his every

wasn’t processing what I was saying. All he cared about was this pathetic power struggle, this need

released the tension in my shoulders, the facade of barely contained fury replaced by a studied nonchalance. Glancing around his office, I spotted a glass cabinet tucked away

the sound rumbling from his chest, but I ignored him completely. Reaching for the cabinet door, I swung it open, the clink of crystal against glass echoing in the tense atmosphere. My fingers brushed against a bottle of amber liquid, the label boasting an aged vintage. A smirk tugged at the corner of my

Perfect.

light in my hand. As I turned back towards him, I could practically feel the heat

watched his reaction. His jaw clenched, the vein in his temple throbbing. with fury. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, his