Bound by lies Trapped by Desire novel Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Elena’s POV

“What? No! No, Elena Please, no crashing the party!” Mielle’s voice was high pitched with anxiety, her eyes wide with a palpable lear. She gripped my arm tightly, her knuckles white. “I don’t want any drama, please! I don’t want anyone to find out about about any of this” Her words tumbled out in a rush, and 1 hore in my tracks, my initial impulse to storm into the mansion momentarily halted by her sheer terror

Right. I couldn’t just barge in there, guns blazing, not if it would cause Mielle even more distress. If the wanted privacy, then I would However…

respect that.

I turned to look around the quiet residential street, the imposing mansion looming before us, its festive lights casting an almost real glow on the manicured lawns. My gaze swept over the parked cars, my eyes landing on a particular black SUV across the street. The tinted windows made it impossible to see inside, but the distinct silhouette of a man leaning back in the driver’s seat, the glint of sunglasses even in the fading light, unmistakable.

I sighed inwardly, a knot of frustration tightening in my chest, Well… this wasn’t exactly good. But maybe, just maybe, I could also use this situation to my advantage, perhaps even end up throwing Nikolai’s people off my trail, at least for tonight.

I turned back to Mielle, a new plan forming in my mind. I reached up and quickly removed the hair clip that had been holding my bun in place, letting my hair fall around my shoulders in a slightly messy cascade. I took off my blazer, folded the sleeves of my mauve button–up shirt, and then, with a decisive movement, unbuttoned the first two buttons of my shirt, revealing a hint of cleavage. I then turned to look at Molle, who had changed into the polo shirt and jeans she’d brought with her,

I pursed my lips, studying her briefly, then gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “Just try to blend in, alright, Mille? Act natural. We’ll first need to corner him, get him away from the crowd.” I knew one thing about Dimitri, it was that he was a notoriously heavy drinker. At this point in the evening, around nine pm, he was likely already at least a little drunk, which might actually work in our favor. We’d need to get him somewhere quieter.

“Right. Let’s go then,” I said, turning around and slinging my bag over my shoulder with a newfound sense of purpose

Mielle grabbed my arm again, her grip still tight, and she followed my confident steps towards the imposing front door. I looked directly at the two security guards standing outside the entrance, their expressions impassive. I raised my brows slightly, a silent question in my eyes. “Do I need an invitation to enter?” Lasked, my tone cool and slightly challenging. They exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible glance before nodding and one of them smoothly opened the door wider.

So, Dmitri hadn’t explicitly barred my entrance. factually hadn’t been entirely confident that they would let me in. If they hadn’t, I would have had to find another way–perhaps try the back entrance or even attempt to scale the wall in a fit of desperate determination–but that wasn’t a problem anymore. I walked up the short fight of marble steps and pushed the heavy oak door open

Not to my surprise, the door left unlocked, and the interior of the mansion was a sensory assault–blinding with colorful flashing lights, the air vibrating with the booming bass of loud music

The smell of alcohol hung heavy in the air, a cloying, sickly sweet scent that made me grimace. I had always hated these kinds of ostentatious parties and tended to avoid them whenever possible. But because of Dmitri, in the misguided hope of somehow fitting into his privileged world, I had tried, with little success, to integrate them into my life.

Pushing my way through the throng of bodies, I made my way towards what I remembered was the main lounge, my eyes scanning the crowded sea of young adults, a chaptic mix of men and women dancing, singing along to the music, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and engaging in various stages. of drunken make out sessions.

I frowned when I saw a familiar face weaving through the crowd. It was Michael, one of the guys who hung around Dmitri constantly, I quickly intercepted him, pulling him away from the girl he was about to kiss against a nearby wall, my grip surprisingly strong despite my smaller stature.

“Where’s Dmitri “I asked, my voice low and urgent. He looked startled, his eyes widening in surprise, then his gaze dropped down to my chest, a ling smirk spreading across his face. “Why, Elena? Looking to crawl back now, am we?I didn’t think “cut him off abruptly, my elbow jabbing sharply into his jugular, cutting off his words. “Answer the question, Michael,” I snarled, my voice dripping with disdain. He was obviously already quite drunk, his eyes glazed over and his movements clumsy. He wouldn’t be able to put up much of a light in his current state.

1/2

12:37 1ue, 29

Chapter 122

Just then, I heard Mielle’s voice, a small, trembling sound that reminded me of her fear. “Elenal” she said, her hand clutching my an tightly. She looked down, deliberately avoiding Michael’s gaze. My own garze narrowed, sensing her immediate discomfort and fear. I looked Michael up and down, a wave of protectiveness washing over me for Mielle.

He coughed, clutching his throat, and I pulled my arm away to let him breathe, the brief surge of anger momentarily subsiding. “Geez, Elena, you’re getting even worse than before,” he wheezed, rubbing his neck. Then, with a dismissive wave of his hand, he slurred, “He’s out by the pool. Probably showing off to some new conquests.”

“Was he one of them, Mielle?” I asked softly, turning my attention back to her, She had said it had been a group of men at the party. Dimitri, ath notorious party animal, had a relatively small circle of close friends he usually hung out with. Michael was definitely one of them

I looked at Mielle, her gaze fixed on the floor, her expression a mixture of shame and lingering terror. She nodded hesitantly, a single, almost imperceptible movement of her head. I turned back to look at Michael, who was already back to making out with the girl, his earlier discomfort apparently forgotten. My fingers itched with the urge to hurt him, to make him pay for whatever part he had played in Mielle’s trauma. Damn it all. But held back, reigning in my rising anger.

It wouldn’t do me any good, nor would it help Mielle, to start creating more of a scene than I already had. I needed to focus on my goal.

I turned and started walking towards the back of the house, towards the sliding glass doors that led to the pool area, my gaze instantly finding the main attraction of the party Dmitri was exactly where Michael had said he’d be, sprawled out in the middle of the brightly lit pool on top of a nuga inflatable donut floaty. He had two scantily clad girls perched on other side of him, their laughter echoing in the night air as he chatted animatedly, his arm slung casually around one of their shoulders, a drink clutched in his other hand.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify