All Chapters of Abandoned King Gives No Mercy: Hell Will Burn: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
50 chapters
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Chapter 41; A House Full of Quiet ThreatsEthan's Pov;Yvonne didn't let go for a long time.Her breath kept stuttering against my chest, like her body was still trying to convince itself I was real. Every time she tried to pull back, her fingers curled tighter into my coat, like her instincts kept dragging her closer.When she finally stepped away, her eyes were red, lashes wet.But she stood straighter. Stronger.There was something new in her expression, fear, yes. But layered with anger now."What did they do to you?" she asked calmly"Nothing," I said.She didn't believe me. Not fully.But she let it go.Julian stepped out from the kitchen, rubbing his forehead like he aged ten years in the last hour."Well," he said weakly, "that was... something."Yvonne shot him a tired glare.He raised his hands in surrender."Okay, okay, I'm shutting up."I walked past them to the counter, scanning the scattered documents again. Marcus's name stared up at me from every page, clean signatur
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Chapter 42; The Off-Books OfficeEthan's Pov;Julian's car cut through the night like a blade.Cold air seeped through the cracked window, brushing against my jaw, waking every part of me that wanted to shut down.Yvonne sat beside me in the backseat, knees drawn slightly inward, hands clasped so tightly her knuckles pressed white through her skin.Every few blocks, her fingers brushed my sleeve by accident.Every time, she pulled back quickly, too quickly.Like she didn't want me to think she was clinging.But she was.I could feel her fear, quiet and heavy, flowing off her like a second pulse.Inner thought: She shouldn't be here. I should've left her with security. I should've..But then she looked at me.Not scared of me.Not doubting.Just... with me.And that was enough to keep the guilt from swallowing me whole.Julian kept glancing at us in the rearview mirror like he wanted to say something but also wanted to keep his teeth intact.Finally, he broke."So... just to be clear,"
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Chapter 43; The Door Left OpenEthan's Pov;Julian's tires screeched the moment we hit the street.The car jerked forward, engine growling like it wanted to tear through the asphalt.Yvonne sat pressed against me in the backseat, her breath uneven, her fingers clamped around my hand like she needed proof I wasn't disappearing again."Ethan," she whispered, "if she's in your apartment...""She is," I said."What if she hurts someone?""She won't get the chance."Julian didn't speak. He knew better. He just drove faster, eyes darting between the road and the mirror like he expected someone to tail us.No one did.That made it worse.They want me focused on the apartment. So what am I not seeing?Yvonne leaned closer, her forehead brushing my shoulder briefly before she forced herself upright again."She's there because she thinks she can get to me," she whispered. "She thinks I'm the weak point.""You're not," I said.Her eyes lifted to mine wet, shining, terrified, but still strong en
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Chapter 44; The Lie Heard Around the CityEthan's Pov;Yvonne's breath collapsed the moment she saw the headline.She stumbled backward, hitting the counter with her hip, hands shaking so violently she nearly dropped her phone."No," she whispered. "No..Ethan, I didn't I would never.."Her voice cracked on the last word, like something inside her tore.I stepped toward her, but she flinched..not away from me, but away from the world suddenly crashing down around her.Her eyes were wild with disbelief. Betrayal. Fear.Sally watched her like she'd been waiting for this reaction."Oh, sweetheart," she murmured, "you really thought being near him would save you?"Yvonne's knees pressed together, her hand gripping the edge of the counter as her breath came harsh, uneven."I didn't send anything," she said, voice breaking. "I swear, Ethan..I swear..""Yvonne."I cupped her face gently.She didn't pull away.Her breath hitched like she was trying not to fall apart in front of me again."I kn
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Chapter 45; The Calm Before the RuinEthan's Pov;Yvonne didn't stop shaking, not even after Sally left.She held onto the front of my shirt like the floor would split open if she let go.Her breath kept breaking, coming in these uneven gasps that made her shoulders rise too fast.I guided her gently to the couch."Sit."She obeyed, but her hands wouldn't stay still.She pressed her palms together, then pulled them apart, then rubbed her fingers against her jeans like she was trying to wipe fear off her skin.Julian hovered near the counter, pale, overwhelmed, but smart enough to keep quiet.The apartment was heavy with silence.The kind that builds pressure in your ears.Yvonne looked up at me suddenly, eyes wide and wet."Ethan... is my career ruined?"Her voice was so soft I almost didn't catch it.Not self-pity.Not drama.Just fear.Real fear.I sat beside her, turning her face toward me gently."Look at me."She did barely."You're not ruined," I said."You can't know that."He
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Chapter 46; Disappearing the Girl They Want to BreakEthan's Pov;Yvonne didn't let go of my sleeve after that.Even when we started moving even when Julian grabbed his laptop she kept her fingers curled near my wrist, like letting go would erase everything we just planned.The lie was spreading online like gasoline meeting fire.Julian's phone buzzed nonstop with updates:new tags, new edits, new headlines.Each one is worse than the last.But Yvonne didn't look at the phone again.She couldn't.Her eyes were already red, lashes clumped together, breath too soft to trust."Tell me everything I need to do," she said, voice low, steady but trembling beneath the surface."We'll leave before sunrise," I said."No phones. No posts. No contact.""And if someone asks where I am?""They won't know who to ask."Her breath hitched, but she nodded.Julian typed furiously on his laptop."We'll need a decoy," he muttered. "Someone wearing her hoodie, leaving the building alone. It'll feed the pu
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Chapter 47; Marcus at the DoorEthan's Pov;Marcus stepped out of the elevator with the slow confidence of a man who thought he'd already won.The hallway lights flickered behind him, casting a long shadow across the carpet too calm, too still.Yvonne moved closer to me without thinking.Her shoulder brushed mine.Her fingers curled into the fabric at my elbow.She was terrified.But she didn't hide behind me.Marcus saw it.And he smiled.He had always liked fear."Ethan," he said lightly, "you look surprised.""I'm not," I replied."You should be," he said, tilting his head. "Considering everything I've taken from you already."Yvonne sucked in a sharp breath.Julian cursed quietly behind us.Marcus's eyes shifted to her."And you," he said."You cause more trouble with silence than any woman I've ever met."Yvonne's breath cracked.But she stood her ground.Good.He stepped closer.I stepped in front of her.Marcus's smile widened."There he is," he murmured. "The protector. The h
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Chapter 48; The First Mistake He Ever MadeEthan's Pov;Marcus's smile cracked the moment I said it.Just a flicker barely there but enough to tell me I'd stepped on the right nerve.The hallway felt tighter now, air heavier, like even the walls were listening.Yvonne pressed closer behind me, her fingers sliding from my sleeve to my wrist, gripping tight.Not shaking as badly anymore.Not frozen.Just holding on.She was scared, yes.But she was here.Marcus's gaze flicked down to where her hand clutched me, and something darkened in his eyes. Something ugly.Possessive.Envious.That was good.People who envy lose control."You shouldn't have come here," I repeated.Marcus scoffed lightly."Oh, spare me the villain speech. I know you think you're the smartest one in the room..""I am," I cut in.His jaw twitched."And yet," he said slowly, "I still hold every card."He tapped his pocket. the pocket with the recording.The evidence he thought tied us down.Julian stepped forward, v
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CHAPTER 49; The CountdownEthan's Pov;Marcus's smile faded the second I touched him.It was small at first, a tiny shift at the corner of his mouth but it was enough. The confidence he walked in with didn't match the fear buried in his eyes, and now the cracks were showing.I dragged him down the hallway, his shoes scuffing against the floor as he tried to twist out of my grip.Behind me, I could hear Yvonne breathing too fast.Not crying.Just trying to hold on to something steady while her world tilted again.The lie, the video, the threat it was all still hanging over her. You could feel it in the air around her.She wasn't fragile, not really, but she'd been on the edge so long tonight I wasn't sure if she was holding herself together or if she was holding on to me to stay upright.Julian ran after us, laptop under his arm, breath short."Ethan..wait, wait..what are you doing?" he shouted.I didn't answer.Marcus stumbled, nearly falling. "Stop, stop Ethan, listen!""I've liste
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CHAPTER 50 The Leverage He Never Saw ComingEthan's Pov;Marcus's shoes dragged against the concrete as I pulled him toward the black sedan at the far end of the garage. He kept trying to slow me down, twisting his body, grabbing at my arm but every attempt only made me tighten my grip.His watch ticked loudly in the echoing silence.1:521:511:50The beeping pulsed through the garage like a countdown to something we couldn't come back from."Ethan...listen..listen to me," Marcus gasped, stumbling over his own feet. "If you force me to shut it down, they'll come after you. The investors, the board, the...""You should worry about yourself," I said.His breath hitched."Y-You can't threaten me""Who's threatening?"I shoved him forward. He slammed against the car door with a loud thud. The sound echoed across the empty garage and bounced back to us. It made him flinch.Good.He deserved to feel every ounce of fear he'd built into this night.Upstairs, Yvonne was probably pacing the ha