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.

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

His Discarded Gem: Shining In The Ruthless Don's Arms

His Discarded Gem: Shining In The Ruthless Don's Arms

Temple Madison
5.0

For four years, I traced the bullet scar on Chace’s chest, believing it was proof he would bleed to keep me safe. On our anniversary, he told me to wear white because "tonight changes everything." I walked into the gala thinking I was getting a ring. Instead, I stood frozen in the center of the ballroom, drowning in silk, watching him slide his mother's sapphire onto another woman's finger. Karyn Warren. The daughter of a rival family. When I begged him with my eyes to claim me, to save me from the public humiliation, he didn't flinch. He just leaned toward his Underboss, his voice amplified by the silence. "Karyn is for power. Ember is for pleasure. Don't confuse the assets." My heart didn't just break; it incinerated. He expected me to stay as his mistress, threatening to dig up my dead mother’s grave if I refused to play the obedient pet. He thought I was trapped. He thought I had nowhere to go because of my father’s massive gambling debts. He was wrong. With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and texted the one name I was never supposed to use. Keith Mosley. The Don. The monster under Chace's bed. *I am invoking the Blood Oath. My father’s debt. I am ready to pay it.* His reply came three seconds later, buzzing against my palm like a warning. *The price is marriage. You belong to me. Yes or No?* I looked up at Chace, who was laughing with his new fiancée, thinking he owned me. I looked down and typed three letters. *Yes.*

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.

The Curvy Ex-Wife's Revenge: The Divorce He Gave, The Regret He Earned

The Curvy Ex-Wife's Revenge: The Divorce He Gave, The Regret He Earned

Nieves Gómez
5.0

Nicole had entered marriage with Walter, a man who never returned her feelings, bound to him through an arrangement made by their families rather than by choice. Even so, she had held onto the quiet belief that time might soften his heart and that one day he would learn to love her. However, that day never came. Instead, he treated her with constant contempt, tearing her down with cruel words and dismissing her as fat and manipulative whenever it suited him. After two years of a cold and distant marriage, Walter demanded a divorce, delivering his decision in the most degrading manner he could manage. Stripped of her dignity and exhausted by the humiliation, Nicole agreed to her friend Brenda's plan to make him see what he had lost. The idea was simple but daring. She would use another man to prove that the woman Walter had mocked and insulted could still be desired by someone else. All they had to do was hire a gigolo. Patrick had endured one romantic disappointment after another. Every woman he had been involved with had been drawn not to him, but to his wealth. As one of the heirs to a powerful and influential family, he had long accepted that this pattern was almost unavoidable. What Patrick wanted was far more difficult to find. He longed to fall in love with a woman who cared for him as a person, not for the name he carried or the fortune attached to it. One night, while he was at a bar, an attractive stranger approached him. Because of his appearance and composed demeanor, she mistook him for a gigolo. She made an unconventional proposal, one that immediately caught his interest and proved impossible for him to refuse.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book