Bonds

Chapter 132

-Maya’s POV-

The cruel smile on Ivan’s face widened, “The boy wasn’t a fool,” he said, his voice dripping with a twisted satisfaction. “He knew he wouldn’t be able to take Damon Thorne on in a straight fight. But he also knew, no matter what happened, he was going to make him feel his pain. Make everyone who meant anything to him know what it felt like to hurt then something profound happened. He discovered the game of chess.”

A memory flickered through my mind, a sharp image of us playing chess together on a rainy afternoon. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way he moved the pieces with a calculated precision that belied his usual carefree demeanor. The truth had been there, right in front of me, but I’d been so caught up in a fairytale that I’d chosen not to see it.

“He became obsessed with it,” Ivan continued, his voice a low murmur. “Moving the pieces around from a position of power, controlling the board. And then the plan started to take shape. Damon Thorne took his parents away from him, leaving him to drown in a sea of pain. So Damon Thorne would too. And then his focus shifted to Alex Thorne – his son. Blood for blood.”

The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place, a horrifying picture emerging from the chaos.

“As the years passed, he started moving the pieces. Setting the stage for the final act. And then, when you met Alex, the boy who had become a man, knew the time to strike had come. So,” he shot a glance at Adrian, “he made those photos and sent them to him.”

My gaze darted to Adrian, searching for a flicker of remorse, a hint of humanity in his cold stare. But there was nothing. Just a detached amusement, as if he were watching a particularly gruesome play unfold.

“Don’t look at him,” Ivan scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “Adrian already made peace with whatever role he played in this twisted game. Now he’s just here to see Alex suffer the way he made him suffer.”

He threw his head back and let out a harsh laugh that echoed in the cavernous room. “Isn’t it all fascinating? A real–life game of vengeance, played out over years.”

I stared at him, a hollow numbness settling over me. My body ached from the ropes that bound me, but the emotional pain was far worse.

It was crushing, suffocating.

How could I have been so blind?

Alex’s life. How dare the man be happy when his father had taken away the man’s happiness. As it turned out, Alex did most of the work

escaping my lips. The room seemed to tilt on its axis, the “Ivan, I swear on the moon goddess if you’ve done anything to

threatening to cave in

a sneer. “Oh, shut up with your empty threats, Amaya. You’re in no position to make any demands.” He leaned closer, his breath hot and

my voice hoarse with fury. I thrashed against the ropes

as if my words were nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing around his head. “Not another word from you,” he snapped. “Where was I? Ah yes, when the man found out about the children, he wanted to bring them here, end their lives in front of Alex, and then finish Alex off in front of his father. He wanted

his eyes

“But what fun

conspiratorial whisper, his eyes sparkling with a manic delight. “He went to your father and proposed a marriage

way the merger felt rushed, preordained. It hadn’t been about

me like a physical blow and more puzzles fell into place, “The video… the messages… the man Ivy saw… that was all

been a proud moment

really failing?” I blurted out, another question tumbling out of

1/2

E

Cuna

he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “was supposed to be my secret weapon, my inside woman in Alex’s life.” He narrowed his eyes at her, his gaze heavy with disappointment. “Unfortunately, she turned out to be bad at her job.

that by intertwining himself with my company, he was handing me a roadmap to his entire operation – his thought processes, his business strategies, the key to dismantling his empire from the

silence between us, we both stared at each, me with disbelief and pain and him with gleaming satisfaction, “Anything else

mix of anger and despair. “Your problem is

a harsh, dismissive sound. “Innocent? You were already wrapped up in this mess the moment you were predestined to be his mate. And don’t play coy with me, Amaya. I know everything – every stolen glance, every whispered secret. Every single moment you spent with him, a betrayal of the trust you thought I placed in you.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low hiss. “I was truly hoping for a showdown, a bloody one at that. Alex and your father locked in a fight to