[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-212":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Bound to my Enemy",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1600150,2067,"Chapter 212.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-212",212,"\u003Cp>He sets the glass down, clearing his throat, but he doesn’t look at me again immediately and that alone tells me everything I need to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walk further into the room slowly, pretending like I didn’t just witness that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Morning,\" I say, keeping my tone casual like this is just another day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t respond right away until I pull out a chair and sit down, feeling his gaze flicker toward me again...briefly then away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Morning,\" he says finally, voice a little rougher than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glance at him and I catch it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tension and the way his jaw is slightly clenched and The way his shoulders are just a bit tighter than they were a minute ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the way....He’s very deliberately not looking directly at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost laugh.Almost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Margaret walks in then, greeting me warmly as she places food in front of me, completely unaware of the shift in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thank her, picking up my fork but I don’t eat immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, I lean back slightly in my chair and watch him a little\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because one thing is very clear now...,Zane might be ignoring me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his body? Is not cooperating with that plan at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m still trying to act normal....picking at my food, pretending I don’t feel his attention brushing against me every few seconds...when I feel another presence so I glance up to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See it’s Thomas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s standing just by the doorway, like he walked in halfway and suddenly forgot why he came and he is very deliberately looking anywhere but at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wall, the floor, Zane...the damn ceiling if he could manage it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lips twitch slightly despite myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good morning, Thomas,\" I say, like nothing is out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clears his throat immediately, stiffening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good morning, ma’am.\" Polite, short, and still not looking at me nor even once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, his discomfort makes it worse. Makes me suddenly hyper-aware of myself. Of the dress, of the way it sits on me, of the fact that....Yeah, this might have been a little much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane notices....i don’t even have to look at him to feel the shift in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas,\" Zane says, voice low but cutting through the room like a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas straightens immediately. \"Yes, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That file you mentioned yesterday,\" Zane continues casually, like nothing is wrong. \"Bring it to my office. Now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a beat them Thomas nods quickly. \"Yes, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he’s gone.The moment the door closes behind his.....the silence changes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s heavier now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely have time to process it before I hear the soft scrape of Zane’s chair against the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers tighten slightly around my fork as he takes Slow footsteps towards my direction\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t look up immediately, I can feel him before I see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then....His hand wraps around my throat in a firm possessive hold. Not enough to hurt....but enough to make my breath hitch as My head tilts back slightly on instinct, my eyes snapping up to meet his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And God....The look in his eyes, It’s dark controlled anger sitting right beneath the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Keep your body,\" he says quietly, his voice low and dangerous, \"for my eyes alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart stutters hard against my chest as his grip tightens just slightly....not choking, just reminding\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I ever see you pull something like this again,\" he continues, leaning in just enough that I can feel his breath against my skin, \"with any of my men around...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thumb presses faintly against my jaw, forcing me to hold his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will pluck their eyes out in front of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words are calm so calm my breath comes out uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nod quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand,\" I whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second....He doesn’t move and doesn’t let go as his eyes stay locked on mine like he’s trying to read something deeper, something I’m not even sure I understand myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then....He releases me just like that’ and steps back and the absence of his hand on my throat Hits me harder than I expect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blink, trying to steady myself but all I can focus on is.....The warmth that’s still lingering on my skin, the faint pressure and the way his cologne is still wrapped around me, sharp and clean and him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then it hits me....My stomach flips as heat rushes through me so fast it almost makes me dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell...i swallow, staring down at the table. What the actual hell is wrong with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just threatened me and I....i liked it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers curl slightly against the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I liked it....his grip on my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closeness and the way he said it like I belong to him....My breath catches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did I become this.....This...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shake my head slightly, trying to clear it, but it doesn’t help.Because my body is still reacting Still.....God. I am actually turned on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is wrong with me?\" I mutter under my breath, barely audible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane straightens his sleeves like nothing just happened, completely composed again like he didn’t just completely throw me off balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be assigning you another guard,\" he says, his tone back to that controlled, distant calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look up at him slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A more trusted one,\" he adds. \"Since Aaron... failed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name snaps something back into place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything that’s happened. The kidnapping, the betrayal. My chest tightens slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aaron...\" I start, hesitating. \"Where is he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane’s expression doesn’t change Not even a flicker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s in the cellar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stomach twists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is he...\" I swallow. \"Is he still alive?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane’s gaze flicks to me briefly, something unreadable passing through his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath catches slightly and I don’t know what to say to that, don’t even know what I feel about that before I can form anything.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turns clearly already done with the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have work to do,\" he says, walking toward the door like this is just another morning. \"Eat your food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he’s gone.Leaving me sitting there....Heart still racing, and stil very turned on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And one very clear, very unsettling realization settling in my chest. I might have more problems than I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>",1030,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","21d68c754a4a5dab44fab8e461129062b1ceab78b846fb8441c061a7a655db9b","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-213","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-211",266,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]