Bound by lies Trapped by Desire novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Elena’s POV:

“I thought I told you beforehand not to come here unannounced, Svetlana.” Sergei’s voice, though not raised, sliced through the silence of the dining room like a sharpened blade.

The way he spoke, the sheer, unadulterated venom dripping from each syllable, made me realize with a jolt how incredibly soft and almost gentle he had been when speaking to me earlier. He had been a different man entirely.

Because right now, his words, though not loud enough to carry beyond the immediate vicinity, were laced with an icy contempt that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

ter.. carry womal

My eyes, drawn by the sudden tension, wandered from Sergei to the woman seated next to Lazar. She was clad in an emerald green silk dress that shimmered under the soft light of the chandelier, her dark hair pulled back in a severe, elegant low bun that highlighted her sharp cheekbones.

She was undeniably beautiful, with a striking, almost regal presence, don’t get me wrong, but the look in her eyes… her facial features, the way her lips curved into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, the subtle, almost imperceptible shift in her. expression that made it seem like she was constantly scheming something dark and unpleasant? Yes, that reminded me unsettlingly of Lazar.

Which immediately made me question the true nature of the relationship between these three individuals.

The woman, Svetlana, finally broke the silence, her voice a silken purr. She smiled, a slow, deliberate movement, and then rose gracefully from her chair, her emerald silk rustling

softly. “That’s quite rude, honey. And here I thought you’d be welcoming your wife with a smile after all this time. It’s been months since we last saw each other, hasn’t it, Sergei?” She said, her voice dripping with a sweetness that made my stomach churn. Shock rippled through me, so profound that my head snapped to Sergei.

A strange, unexpected spark of betrayal shot through me then, a ridiculous, irrational feeling, as he deliberately avoided my stare. It was stupid, I knew. Utterly naive of me to expect a man of his status, a man who had clearly lived a life of immense power and influence, not to remarry after twenty–five years of his first wife’s death.

But… still. The way he had spoken of my birth mother, Anaya, had made it sound like he would never even think of another woman again, that her memory was sacred. I couldn’t help the soft, disbelieving scoff that escaped my lips. How utterly naive I had been. He was a man, after all. What had I expected? A lifetime of solitary mourning?

“Svetlana. Don’t test my patience. I assure you, you will not like the outcome.” Sergei spoke, his voice low and dangerous, a clear warning. I frowned, my confusion deepening. Why was he so openly hostile towards her? Was it not a relationship of mutual respect? He looked at her like he hated her.

“Ah… so this must be her, then? The lost princess… Elena Vetrov, isn’t it?” She asked, her gaze sweeping over me with an unnerving intensity. She began to move forward, her steps slow. “My name is Elena Kovalyova. Not Vetrov.” I corrected her..

She put her hand to her lips, and tilted her head, her eyes still fixed on me. She was walking closer now, and I realized then that one of her legs was making a soft, almost imperceptible clicking sound as she moved across the polished marble floor. Did she have a prosthetic limb? The thought was fleeting, quickly overshadowed by her presence.

“Oh… but aren’t you Nikolai Vetrov’s wife, dear? I heard you recently tied the knot….” She was cut off abruptly when Sergei spoke again, his voice like thunder, his patience clearly at an end. “That’s enough, Svetlana. I apologize for her rudeness, Elena. Let’s leave here.” He said, as he turned around. I frowned, a flicker of something akin to pity for Svetlana, despite her unsettling demeanor, crossing my mind.

1/3

401

Chapter 139

I wanted to question him, to ask him why he was being so rude to her, why he was so openly dismissive of his own wife but quite frankly, the way she was looking at me…

I didn’t want to talk to her for long either. So I just nodded in silent agreement, and followed him towards the elevator. As the door. of the elevator silently closed, my eyes flitted past Svetlana’s still figure and landed on Lazar.

He was looking at me. I felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to look away, to break the connection, but something held my gaze.

His words, the ones he’d spoken to me in anger in the cafeteria, echoed in my mind. ‘Let’s see how far your morals get you. The memory sent a fresh wave of disgust through me.

It was ridiculous to think now, how strangely the world had tilted on its axis for me in such a short span of time. A year ago, Dmitri had been my everything, the center of my universe. Then I learned the horrifying truth about his character and married his fucking step–brother.

A year ago, I hated Lazar for eyeing me like I was a piece of meat, even though I was his best friend’s girlfriend. And now, here I was, learning that he was my relative.

There was a soft ding sound, and the elevator opened again, revealing a new, starkly different environment. I could tell Sergei wasn’t in a good mood; his jaw was clenched, and his shoulders were rigid as he stepped forward, his pace brisk, and began walking down the corridor.

This corridor, thankfully, was well lit. And the atmosphere was entirely different from the artsy, almost whimsical theme of the rest of the house.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify