Bound by lies Trapped by Desire novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111

My initial instinct was to act like I didn’t see him. Still, common country, ingrained deeply within me by Mom’s constant reminders throughout my childhood, won out.

It would be undervably rude of me to simply ignore him, especially given his friendly wave. With a high that I hoped didn’t sound to put upon, reluctantly made my way over to his table. The aroma of fried food and strong coffee hung heavy in the air.

A waiter, balancing a tray precariously laden with plates, pushed a spare chair to Malakai’s table, seemingly assuming I was joining them Before I could politely decline, Malakal’s hopeful eyes were fixed on me. Resignation settled over me. There was no graceful escape now.

As soon as I settled into the offered chair, its plastic slightly cold against my thighs, Malakai spoke, his enthusiasm evident. “Congratulations Elenal! heard you got the internship at Legacy.” A sudden wave of unease washed over me.

“You did?” questioned, my brow furrowing slightly. How had he found out so quickly?

“Well, only two people got accepted this time around. So, it was kind of all over the workplace buzz and you know, since my sister is the CEO…” He trailed off, a playful smirk on his lips, and I frowned, a strange, unsettling feeling churning in my gut. My mind immediately jumped to conclusions, unwelcome suspicions creeping in like tendrils of doubt. Had Nikolai somehow intervened!

Then, as though reading the sudden apprehension that flickered across my face, Malakai shook his head firmly, his expression turning senous. “Don’t ge anything twisted, Elena. You got this internship purely based on your own talent and expertise. Believe me. My sister would never accept anyone based on connections or anything like that.” His tone was sincere, his gaze direct, and I could finally breathe a little easier, the knot of suspicion in my stomach loosening its grip.

For a second, a dark, irrational part of me had suspected that maybe Nikolai was somehow behind this, pulling strings even from afar. But then, 1 mentally scoffed at the absurdity of the thought.

Nikolai had his own complicated reasons for our… arrangement. Helping me secure an internship at his friend’s company seemed highly unlikely, even counterproductive to his own hidden agendas..

I’d been diligently holding myself off from looking at the TV, avoiding news websites, even resisting the urge to scroll through social media on my phone, for fear of accidentally catching sight of him. The mere thought of Nikolai, the phantom image of his intense gaze, his smile, was enough to reignite that strange, unsettling urge that I’d been trying so hard to suppress over the past week. That irrational, insistent urge to go see him, to seek him out, despite everything. It was a weakness I couldn’t afford to indulge right now,

The only other productive thing I had managed to accomplish over the course of the past week, besides a disastrous apartment viewing, was doing some preliminary research on how to file for divorce. I had absolutely no clue where to even begin the process, and I had a sinking feeling that Mom, still reeling from my decision regarding the baby and the internship, wouldn’t exactly be rushing to offer her assistance with dissolving my sham marriage. Aher gathering as much information as I could find online, my next step, after securing a place to stay in Maxster City, was going to be calling a lawyer.

But the more I saw his face in my mind’s eye, the more I vividly imagined his presence, his scent, the more I put off that phone call. It was utterly

Indiculous.

Aher everything he’d done, the lies, the manipulation, the sheer audacity of our arrangement, I was still reluctant to completely let go of him. But right now, with my impending move and the life growing inside me, I didn’t have a choice. The clean break, however painful, was the only logical path forward

“Earth to Elena?” Malakai said, snapping his fingers gently in front of my face, pulling me abruptly from my swirling thoug Later, looking slightly impatient, was standing next to him, pad in hand waiting to take my order. Malakai looked at me with a questioning smile, then down at the laminated menu lying on the table. “Do you wanna try the chicken shawarma? It’s the speciality here.”

He offered, and I nodded. “Yeah, sure. Not spicy, please,” I added. The waiter nodded, scribbled something on his pad, and disappeared back towards the bustling kitchen.

The man seated to Malski’s right was a quiet and observant sort. He hadn’t spoken a single word to me, not even a polite greeting, since joined their table. I finally looked over at him properly, feeling his steady gaze on me. His features were distinctly East Asian, his dark hair slicked back with a subile.

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Chapter 111

sheen, and he looked somewhat out of place in this casual, bustling cafeteria with his impeccably stored dark coat and one, presed slacks. Even though I myself was wearing a beige blazer, mine looked decidedly mute relaanit over my worn jeans.

“Oh. Diena, this is my best friend. Haniki,” Malakai said, gesturing towards the quiet man with a friendly smile. “Haruki is a lawyer, Hanjki, thin la flată our new intern at Legacy” He effered, and I felt a small wave of relief that he hadn’t mentioned my rather unconventional connection to the Very

family:

Haruki’s dark eyess

s seemed to assess me for a brief moment, his gaze sharp and intelligent, before a polite smile touched his lips. He inclined his head in a respectful nod. “Nice to meet you, Elena ”

“Same here,” Treplied, offering a small, hopefully genuine smile in rebum. |

The atmosphere around the table felt a little awkward after that, the silence punctuated only by the clatter of plates and the murmur of other

conversations.

Thankfully, Malakai, ever the social butterfly, spoke again, breaking the slight tension. “Oh, by the way, Elena, what brings you all the way out here to this part of town?” He looked me up and down with a curious paze.

I pursed my lips, contemplating how much to reveal. Deciding that a vague answer was better than an outright lie, just spouted the truth, albeit in a slightly abridged form. “I’m just here to check out an apartment I could potentially rent… no luck yet, unfortunately,”

“Oh, right, for the internship, right?” He nodded knowingly. “But there are so many apartments available in Maxcester City. Why no luck? There’s a pretty amazing apartment complex I own, actually, right next to the Legacy Motors headquarters…” He trailed off, a hopeful smile on his face as he looked at me expectantly.

“An apartment… within my budget?” I questioned, my eyebrows arching slightly. The sheer cost of the places I’d seen online had leftminty deflated.

“Budget!…what exactly is your budget, Elena?” He asked, his brow furrowing in a mixture of curiosity and perhaps a hint of confusion. “Aren’t y rich?” He questioned, the last word hanging in the air, laden with unspoken assumptions.

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