Bound To The Devil From My Past

To save my family's dying company, I was forced to marry a billionaire I hadn't seen in fourteen years. But right outside the City Clerk's office, he tossed our marriage certificate at me like a cheap receipt and shoved a four-year-old boy into my arms. "Your new life has begun. You're on babysitting duty now." He sneered and left me stranded on the sidewalk. I realized with absolute horror that my new husband was Ellsworth Marshall, the sickly boy I had relentlessly bullied in middle school. He didn't spend five billion dollars to save the Bradford family. He bought me to execute a slow, suffocating revenge. He used his orphaned nephew as a pawn, explicitly threatening my father that if I failed to play the perfect, compliant nanny, he would instantly destroy our family's legacy. He even had his guards lock me out of his Long Island estate on my first night, forcing me to stand in the cold dark just to prove he owned me. I was trapped in a gilded cage, suffocated by the guilt of my past and the terror of my present. Why did he involve an innocent child in his twisted vendetta? How much humiliation was enough to pay for my childhood cruelty? Looking at the terrified little boy clinging to my skirt, I tightened my grip on my suitcase. If he wanted to destroy my will piece by piece, I had to find a way to survive the monster I created.

Chapters

Chapter 5

Warren gestured to the chair across from his desk. "Please, sit."

Ellsworth didn't sit. He continued to stand by the window, his back to Warren, looking out at the city. The posture was one of ownership, of a predator surveying its territory.

Warren signaled to his secretary to bring coffee. He glanced at his legal team, who were hovering near the door, looking nervous. They were outmatched, and they knew it.

Warren braced himself. He had prepared for the worst-a demand for total control, a hostile takeover, the complete destruction of the Bradford legacy. He was ready to beg for scraps.

Ellsworth turned around. He didn't look at the documents Warren had spread out on the desk. He didn't look at the lawyers. He looked directly at Warren.

"My terms are simple," Ellsworth said.

Warren's heart hammered against his ribs.

"I will inject five billion dollars into the Bradford Group," Ellsworth said, his tone flat. "This will cover all your debts and resolve your cash flow issues."

Warren blinked. Five billion? That was more than double what they needed to survive. It was a miracle.

"And in exchange?" Warren asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Ellsworth held up a hand, showing five fingers. "I want forty-eight percent of the equity."

Warren stared at him, stunned. Forty-eight percent? He had expected seventy, eighty, even ninety. Forty-eight percent meant the Bradford family would still retain half the company. They would still have a voice.

It made no sense. If Ellsworth wanted revenge, why leave them with anything?

Warren's mind reeled, searching for the trap. This is impossible. He's offering a partnership when he could have demanded our heads on a platter. What is he playing at? Is he trying to lull me into a false sense of security before he guts the company from the inside? Or is there some hidden clause, some poison pill I haven't seen yet? This has to be about Ashlie. This is the price for her, but what is the true cost?

"Don't misunderstand," Ellsworth said, his lips curling into a cold smile. "I have no interest in running a failing fashion house. I need a compliant local manager."

He paused, letting the words sink in. "So, you will remain as CEO."

Warren's jaw dropped. He kept the equity. He kept his job. This wasn't a takeover; it was a gift wrapped in razor wire.

He searched Ellsworth's face for the trick, the hidden trap. "Mr. Marshall, are you... are you sure about these terms?"

Ellsworth checked his watch, his expression hardening. "My time is valuable. You have three minutes to decide. After that, the offer is off the table, and I will instruct my team to begin a hostile takeover. If that happens, you won't leave this room with one percent of the shares."

The threat was real. It hung in the air, sharp and deadly. But it was wrapped around an offer that was impossibly good.

Warren's mind raced. He didn't understand this man. Ellsworth spoke like an enemy, but he was acting like a savior. Was this for Ashlie? The thought terrified him. If Ellsworth was doing this for Ashlie, what did he plan to do to her?

Two and a half minutes passed. Ellsworth tapped his foot, the sound like a ticking bomb.

Warren had no choice. He couldn't risk the company. He couldn't risk his family's future, even if the cost was his daughter's freedom.

He took a deep breath and reached across the desk, his hand trembling. "I agree."

Ellsworth ignored the hand. He just nodded to his assistant. "Bring in the legal team. We sign the letter of intent now."

The efficiency was terrifying. Within minutes, the table was covered in documents. Pens scratched against paper. The fate of the Bradford Group was sealed.

As Warren signed the last page, he looked up at Ellsworth, who was standing by the door, putting on his coat.

"Mr. Marshall," Warren said, his voice low and desperate. "What do you really want?"

Ellsworth stopped. He turned slowly, his eyes like chips of ice. He stared at Warren, his gaze piercing, demanding the truth.

The silence stretched, thick and heavy. Warren felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Continue to next part

I hovered in the corner of the damp Runt Quarters, powerless as a ghost, watching my five-year-old daughter take her last breath. She died of a fever that a simple medicine could have cured. But my husband, Alpha Elroy, refused to pay for it. He was too busy dining with his mistress to waste resources on a "runt." When he finally arrived, there were no tears. He picked up my daughter’s small body like a bag of trash and tossed her into the incineration pit meant for criminals. "Stop hiding, Annis!" he roared at the empty woods, thinking I was alive and watching. "Your trick didn't work. The runt is dead." I screamed at him, clawing at his suit, but my hands passed right through him. Days later, his mistress gave birth to a son. But the baby was born with a fractured soul, dying. The doctor said only a bone marrow graft from the White Wolf bloodline could save him. Elroy didn't hesitate. He looked toward the incineration pit. "Retrieve the girl's body," he commanded his warriors. "Her bones will save the future Alpha." He intended to butcher our daughter's corpse to save his illegitimate child. Enraged, he hunted down the Rogue who had secretly stolen Emma's body before it could burn. "Give me the body!" Elroy demanded. "And tell Annis to stop spoofing her credit cards in Europe and show her face!" The Rogue looked at him with cold pity and threw a coroner's report at his chest. "Annis isn't in Europe, Elroy." "She has been rotting in a shallow grave for six months. Your mistress paid for the bullet."

Horror Romance Werewolf

8.1

Beyond The Champagne Silk: The Wife's Defiant Return

8.1

I spent forty hours hand-beading a gown for a woman who was currently sleeping with my husband. My fingers were raw, my vision blurred, and the needle had just driven deep into my index finger, leaving a drop of blood on the silk. Braxton walked into our penthouse, rain dripping from his suit, and didn't even look at me. But the scent hit me instantly—Bulgarian rose and white musk. It was the custom perfume Griselda, my own sister, commissioned in Paris. I had spent three years as a ghost in my own marriage, sewing costumes for the woman who had haunted my vows since day one. Braxton didn't bother to hide it anymore; there was a smudge of her coral lipstick on his collar. He didn't offer an explanation, only a command to finish the gown for the Met Gala so I wouldn't embarrass them. My mother called moments later, her voice sharp with the usual dismissal. She didn't care that I was bleeding or that my husband was cheating with my sister. She only cared that I was "falling behind" on Griselda's gown. I sat in the silence of that cold, marble cage, staring at the needle in my hand. For years, I had swallowed every insult and stitched every lie, believing I was the capable one who had to make them happy. But as the clock ticked, a door inside me finally clicked shut. I wasn't just tired; I was finished. I set the needle down, picked up my phone, and dialed my sister’s number to tell her she’d have to find someone else to bleed for her.

Horror Modern Romance

7.9

Claimed By Alpha Ceaser Cursed To Be His

7.9

He is cursed. She is a slave. Their forbidden bond will either save their world or set it ablaze. Caeser Varyn, the formidable Alpha King, is a figure of fear, his very blood tainted by a curse that has claimed every mate the Moon Goddess has given him. His existence is a lonely burden of twisted power, until a single, accidental touch changes everything. Ava is a ghost in the royal palace-an unseen slave girl with a quiet grace and a hidden power. When the Moon Goddess's mating mark appears on her wrist, Caeser shatters ancient laws and claims her as his own. Their forbidden union ignites a firestorm, forcing them to flee the burning palace and the outrage of the pack. Turned out she's gifted by the Moon Goddess and to survive, Ava must master the power she never knew she possessed, expose the traitors who surround them, and find a way to break the ancestral curse. If she fails, her love will be consumed, and their world will fall to the dark power of a corrupted god.

Fantasy Horror Werewolf

8.9

Heina: The Red Demon Dragon

8.9

Suddenly, it was his turn to gasp. Fear. Shock. Disbelief. I couldn't tell, but he released my hand like it was some poisonous object. He turned away from me, towards the boys. "We are doomed. She will bring an end to us all." ********************************************************************** She's plus sized She's partially blind A nerd with brains...and bullies Her name... isn't a name. It's a curse. She's a curse A curse living in the human world And someone followed her there - her greatest bully. She hates her birthdays, they are her nightmares. But her eighteenth birthday turns out to be her worse - finding out the man she's called 'dad' all these years isn't her dad. And his biological twin sons are her destined mates. But that's not the problem. She is. She's the dragon that shouldn't be let to live. She's a doom to the dragon tribe...even to her own mates. Now, every dragon wants her dead. And the witches' clan want her powerful blood. The only people who can protect her, are the very people her demon dragon wants to destroy! Dive into this paranormal fantasy and follow Heina on a journey of self-discovery, character growth and unleashing powers that will ruin everything and everyone... including her mates.

Adventure Fantasy Horror

7.9

Love Remade – When Love Goes Haywire

7.9

When her mother's medical bills threaten to destroy her family, Flora Bennett accepts billionaire Harris Kingston's shocking proposal: marry him for one year, and he'll pay every debt. But Flora soon discovers her husband isn't who he claims to be-and the women before her have vanished without a trace. Now trapped in a deadly game of identity and deception, Flora must uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim of a psychopath's twisted obsession.

Billionaire Horror Modern Romance

8.3

My Mate's a Bastard, My Mother-in-Law's a Monster

8.3

I, I'm Lila. My mate Peter branded our pup a bastard after a rigged moon blood test, driven by Freya's lies. Haunted by a past life's betrayal, I fled to the Lunar Maternity sanctuary, only to uncover Peter's affair with Freya. Worse: my mother-in-law, Eden, hoarded my clothes and drugged me-turns out, he's a hermaphrodite who forced himself on me, fathering the pup...

Horror Romance Werewolf

Bound To The Devil From My Past

Chapter 5

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