Bound By Duty

Bound By Duty

OneNation

5.0
Comment(s)
11
View
31
Chapters

Velia Angelica Howell's perfect life shattered in a single night when a tragic accident took her parents and left her fiancé in a coma. Just as her world crumbled further with job loss and loan sharks threatening her, Lucas Hernandez, a powerful and enigmatic CEO, made her an offer she couldn't refuse: pretend to be his fiancée to secure a vital business deal. In exchange, Velia would regain financial stability and the means to support her fiancé's recovery. But as their worlds collided, dark secrets emerged, and Velia found herself torn between a love that could heal her and the haunting truths of her past.

Bound By Duty Chapter 1 A Night of Shadows

Velia Angelica Howell clutched her handbag tightly and looked anxiously over her shoulder as the cool evening breeze sliced through her flimsy coat. With flickering streetlights casting eerie shadows on the cracked pavement, the deserted street felt oppressive. She walked quickly, the sound of her footsteps echoing from the walls of the silent buildings around her.

Her heart pounded, not only from the fear of being alone at night but also from the weight of the events of the day. She had previously experienced an unexpected loss of her administrative employment, which the firm attributed to "downsizing." The fact that her fiancé, Andrew, had been comatose for months after the car accident that had claimed her parents didn't worry her, nor did the mounting bills. The world was indifferent to her challenges.

"Miss Howell, wait!"

Velia stiffened, her blood chilling at the sound of the rough voice behind her. She didn't need to look back to know who it was. The loan sharks.

"Come on," she murmured to herself, urging her legs to budge. Yet her feet seemed anchored in place. Gradually, she rotated, her large eyes locking onto the threatening stare of the man who had been pursuing her for weeks. Two additional men stood by him, their expressions set with the threat of aggression.

"Your payment is overdue," the man remarked, his tone misleadingly tranquil. He took out a cigarette, igniting it nonchalantly as though they were talking about the weather. "We granted you an extension out of goodwill, but now... goodwill has ended."

"I-I simply require additional time," Velia faltered, gripping her handbag as if it contained the solutions to her pleas. "I will pay." "I promise."

The man laughed ominously, nodding his head. "Time? Promises? Do you believe we're operating a nonprofit organisation? Allow me to clarify this, Miss Howell. You have time until the week's end. "No excuses."

One of the thugs stepped closer, extending his hand to grab her arm. "Maybe we should grab something for collateral," he mocked, his grip becoming excruciatingly tight.

"Please release me!" Velia sobbed and pulled at her arm, but the man's grip held firm. She felt a wave of panic and looked around desperately for help. The street was empty and barren, like a stage set up for her humiliation.

A deep, commanding voice cut like a razor through the tension, "Enough."

All heads moved in the direction of the voice. A towering figure emerged from the darkness of a nearby alley, his pristine dark suit sharp, his demeanour commanding. His defined jawline and striking grey eyes appeared to take in the faint light surrounding him, giving him an air of nobility and peril.

The loan sharks stiffened, their confidence faltering beneath the outsider's chilling stare. The leader advanced, inflating his chest. "This doesn't concern you, friend." "Step back."

The man showed no reaction. Rather, he turned his head a bit, his facial expression inscrutable. "I recommend that you free the woman," he stated, his tone composed yet infused with a subtle command that gave Velia chills.

"And what if we don't?" the leader questioned, although his tone had diminished in confidence.

The stranger grinned, the slightest arch of his mouth. "Afterward, you will regret not having done so."

For a brief moment, the street became quiet. The atmosphere was charged with tension as the loan sharks shared wary looks. At last, with a grunt, the leader signalled to his men. "Let's leave."

With a push, the thug released Velia's arm while silently cursing to himself. The trio retreated, disappearing into the shadows.

Velia staggered back, breathing shallowly and quickly. Her eyes widened in a mixture of gratitude and horror as she turned to face the stranger. "Thank you," she managed to whisper.

The man observed her for a brief instant, his expression inscrutable. After that, he nodded. "You need to exercise more caution," he remarked plainly. "Tonight, not everyone has your good fortune."

Before Velia could answer, he pivoted and started to walk off, his lengthy steps taking him back into the darkness.

"Wait!" she yelled, stepping forward hesitantly. He hesitated but did not look back. With a quivering voice, she questioned, "Who are you?"

He remained silent for a minute. Then he said, "Lucas Hernandez," without turning around. The name was like a shock of electricity to her.

Everyone knew Lucas Hernandez, the affluent CEO of Hernandez Holdings. In the world of business, he was a titan who was both feared and revered.

However, why would someone like him be in such a place? He disappeared into the night before she could ask him any more questions, leaving her alone on the empty street.

Velia's legs buckled, and she fell to a nearby bench, her mind racing. The meeting seemed dreamlike, reminiscent of a moment from the love stories she once enjoyed. However, this wasn't a made-up story. This was her existence-chaotic, uncertain, and balancing on the brink of breakdown.

As the excitement diminished, reality struck her like a speeding locomotive. The loan sharks were not going to yield for long. She required cash quickly, or they would pursue her once more. Her mind drifted to Lucas Hernandez, the person who had rescued her this evening.

What was he seeking? What prompted him to step in? And why did she sense that this was merely the start of something far greater than she could grasp?

Unbeknownst to Velia, the occurrences of this evening would lead her down a path that would change her life forever.

Continue Reading

Other books by OneNation

More

You'll also like

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn
4.5

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

Luo Ye
5.0

For two years, I was the invisible force behind tech billionaire Kieran Douglas, convinced that our "private" romance was his way of protecting us from the tabloid spotlight. I managed his mergers, warmed his bed, and waited for a future that didn't exist. The illusion shattered at 6:00 AM when a Page Six alert debuted Kieran’s "real" romance with socialite Aspen Schneider. Before I could even process the betrayal, Kieran sent me a cold, professional text: "Order flowers for Aspen. Pink peonies. Her favorite." When I tried to walk away, my own mother called me a disgrace and threatened to lock my inheritance forever unless I married a sixty-year-old businessman to save her failing estate. At a high-society gala that same night, Aspen intentionally crushed my burned hand in front of the cameras, while Kieran stood by and dismissed me as a "mediocre assistant" who had overstayed her welcome. I stood in the cold New York rain, drenched in champagne and humiliation, realizing that every sacrifice I made for Kieran was a joke. I was a ghost in a penthouse that was never mine, discarded the moment his "soulmate" returned. To the world, I was just a placeholder whose time had run out. But Kieran forgot one thing: my father’s multi-million dollar trust fund unlocks the moment I legally marry. I didn't need love; I needed a signature and a shield. I walked into a discreet law firm and signed a marriage contract with a man I believed was the city’s most notorious, scandal-ridden playboy. I thought I was marrying a degenerate "beard" to buy my freedom and secure my revenge. I didn't realize the man who signed that paper wasn't a playboy at all, but Gaston Collins—the most powerful and dangerous man on Wall Street—and he had no intention of letting our fake marriage stay fake.

One Night With My Billionaire Boss

One Night With My Billionaire Boss

Nathaniel Stone
4.5

I woke up on silk sheets that smelled of expensive cedar and cold sandalwood, a world away from my cramped apartment in Brooklyn. Beside me lay Ezra Gardner—my boss, the billionaire CEO of Gardner Holdings, and the man who could end my career with a snap of his fingers. He didn’t offer an apology for the night before; instead, he looked at me with terrifying clarity and proposed a cold, calculated business arrangement. "Marriage. It stabilizes the board and solves the PR crisis before it begins." He dressed me in archival Chanel and sent me home in his Maybach, but my life was already falling apart. My boyfriend, Irving, claimed he had passed out early, yet his location data placed him at my best friend’s apartment until three in the morning. When I tried to run, I realized Ezra was already ten steps ahead, tracking my movements and uncovering the secret I’d spent twenty years hiding: my connection to the powerful Senator Grimes. I was trapped between a CEO who treated me like a line item on a quarterly report and a boyfriend who had been using me while sleeping with my closest friend. I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, wondering why a man like Ezra would walk up forty flights of stairs on a broken leg just to make sure I was safe. "Showtime, Mrs. Gardner." Standing on the red carpet in a gown that cost more than my life, I watched my cheating ex-boyfriend’s face turn pale as Ezra claimed me in front of the world. I wasn't just an assistant anymore; I was a weapon, and it was time to burn their world down.

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Bound By Duty Bound By Duty OneNation Romance
“Velia Angelica Howell's perfect life shattered in a single night when a tragic accident took her parents and left her fiancé in a coma. Just as her world crumbled further with job loss and loan sharks threatening her, Lucas Hernandez, a powerful and enigmatic CEO, made her an offer she couldn't refuse: pretend to be his fiancée to secure a vital business deal. In exchange, Velia would regain financial stability and the means to support her fiancé's recovery. But as their worlds collided, dark secrets emerged, and Velia found herself torn between a love that could heal her and the haunting truths of her past.”
1

Chapter 1 A Night of Shadows

18/02/2025

2

Chapter 2 An Offer She Cannot Refuse

18/02/2025

3

Chapter 3 A Deal with the Devil

18/02/2025

4

Chapter 4 The First Test

18/02/2025

5

Chapter 5 The Aftermath of Deception

18/02/2025

6

Chapter 6 The First Crack

18/02/2025

7

Chapter 7 The Thin Line Between Duty and Desire

18/02/2025

8

Chapter 8 Shadows of the Past

18/02/2025

9

Chapter 9 A Dance with Danger

18/02/2025

10

Chapter 10 A Dangerous Line

18/02/2025

11

Chapter 11 Lines We Shouldn't Cross

06/03/2025

12

Chapter 12 The Breaking Point

08/03/2025

13

Chapter 13 A Dangerous Game

08/03/2025

14

Chapter 14 The Edge of Deception

09/03/2025

15

Chapter 15 Unraveling Intentions

09/03/2025

16

Chapter 16 Shadows of the Past

13/03/2025

17

Chapter 17 A War Begins

13/03/2025

18

Chapter 18 The Next Target

13/03/2025

19

Chapter 19 A Line Crossed

13/03/2025

20

Chapter 20 A Battle of Power

14/03/2025

21

Chapter 21 A Shift in the Air

14/03/2025

22

Chapter 22 The Silent Storm

14/03/2025

23

Chapter 23 Unraveling the Past

14/03/2025

24

Chapter 24 Shadows of the Past

16/03/2025

25

Chapter 25 The Edge of Trust

16/03/2025

26

Chapter 26 A Night of Hidden Agendas

24/03/2025

27

Chapter 27 The Aftermath of the Trap

24/03/2025

28

Chapter 28 Caught in the Crossfire

25/03/2025

29

Chapter 29 The Sniper's Aim

26/03/2025

30

Chapter 30 Walking into the Lion's Den

26/03/2025

31

Chapter 31 A Heart Torn in Two

26/03/2025