[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-265":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},1599937,2067,"Chapter 265.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-265",265,"\u003Cp>Zane’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow once before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s Thomas’s mother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word leaves me in a sharp breath as realization crashes into me so hard it physically hurts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck! Fuck!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas immediately straightens from where he’s standing near the old dusty desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call Elaine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinks at me like I’ve suddenly lost my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call Elaine,\" I repeat harsher this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas frowns immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest feels tight suddenly, like instinct is screaming at me that something is wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terribly wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because now that the pieces are finally connecting in my head...i can’t fucking unsee them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think Thomas has been orchestrating everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence afterward is immediate and heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\" Lucas says slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas,\" I repeat. \"I think it’s him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas stares at me in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s impossible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s been with you since day one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words come out sharper than intended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More reason why I think it’s him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My pulse pounds violently now while my brain races through years of memories\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every moment, every incident and every \"coincidence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And suddenly all of it feels wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call Elaine,\" I snap again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then quieter, more to myself than him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please let me not be too late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas finally pulls his phone out and I start pacing immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old security room suddenly feeling suffocating and tight, like the walls are closing in around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas presses the phone to his ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s going straight to voicemail.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything inside me drops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas lowers the phone slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zane.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slam my fist hard against the side of the desk. Pain shoots instantly through my knuckles but I barely feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust and old papers scatter everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How the fuck did I miss this?\" I snarl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas grabs my shoulder roughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will you calm down and explain to me what the fuck is going on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I yank away from him immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turn toward him sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The documents.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas called me that night saying he forgot important documents here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding slowly starts dawning across Lucas’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But they were still in the car,\" he says quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He knew you guys were here,\" I continue. \"He wanted me to come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas stares at me now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He wanted you to see us together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The realization makes me feel physically sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years. This man stood beside me for years , knew everything about me, about my family, about my life And all this time.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck,\" Lucas mutters quietly now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drag a hand violently through my hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The recent attack at the house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I start pacing again unable to stay still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He knew the staff were getting the night off, he knew where Aaron was being held, he knew the security rotation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He knows every fucking blind spot in that house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing grows harsher with every word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He knows everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I trusted him blindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The betrayal burns so deeply in my chest it almost feels unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck!\" I roar suddenly, sweeping everything off the dusty desk in one violent motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old files crash to the floor and glass shatters somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas watches me carefully now, probably deciding whether I’m about to completely lose my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too fucking late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Elaine...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesus Christ. Elaine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought nearly fucking destroys me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Try her again,\" I snap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas immediately redials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I yank my own phone from my pocket with shaking hands and call the second head of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pick up. Pick the fuck up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ringing feels endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then finally:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where’s my wife?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words come out deadly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s brief confusion on the other end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She left earlier with Thomas, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice floods my veins instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A few hours ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A few.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut myself off harshly before I completely lose it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We believed they were heading to the market, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Believed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man immediately goes quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s scared. Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I’m fucking terrified right now too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She is not back yet?\" I ask quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I close my eyes briefly, my chest physically hurts now. My hand tightens around the phone so hard I hear the plastic creak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And nobody thought to call me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead silence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they know, they know how badly they fucked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir we.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Track every security vehicle immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want every traffic camera checked.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want roadblocks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if you fail me right now...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice drops lower and more dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I swear to God none of you will survive it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hang up immediately afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room goes silent except for my breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas watches me carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s gone?\" he asks quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can barely get the words out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in years...Real fear grips me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind that crawls deep into your chest and starts tearing you apart from the inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Elaine isn’t just my wife anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’s carrying my child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Thomas.....Thomas has spent years planning revenge.Years manipulating everybody around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which means this kidnapping?This wasn’t impulsive, it was planned carefully and God knows what he intends to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s pregnant,\" I say suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas stills and I laugh bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s fucking pregnant and I let this happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zane.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I trusted him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice cracks slightly there and I I hate it. I Hate how helpless I suddenly feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I trusted him around her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around my home and around my family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas steps closer carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll find her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look at him sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sheer rage in my voice surprises even me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re going to hunt him down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if Thomas touches her.....even once...i will burn the fucking world to get her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas offers we use his security detail instead of mine. The suggestion immediately pisses me off, not because he’s wron but because he’s right and I fucking hate that, I hate feeling compromised and Weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas infiltrating my security feels personal somehow. Like he crawled directly into my life and slowly poisoned everything around me while I stood there too blind to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas glances at me while driving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My people are clean,\" he says quietly. \"Yours might not be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that I can’t even argue with that makes my jaw tighten harder. Because Thomas built my security system with me, handpicked most of the men, knew procedures, Routes and or otocols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which means right now I genuinely don’t know who I can trust and that thought makes me fucking sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare out the window into the dark streets flashing by. Normally my pride would never let me accept help like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this isn’t about me anymore, this is about Elaine and my child. I exhale harshly and lean back into the seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll take all the help I can get then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas nods once. No smugness or \"I told you so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just quiet understanding and honestly? That somehow makes it worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So instead of heading back to my house, we drive toward Lucas’s estate instead. We can’t risk anyone tipping Thomas off about what we’re doing. If there’s even a single compromised person still feeding him information, I’m not taking chances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drive there feels endless, every second stretches painfully long...my mind keeps spiraling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elaine waking up scared, Elaine crying or calling my name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grip my phone tighter. Still no calls or messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swear I’ve never felt panic like this before. Not even when I got shot necause pain to myself?i can handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But helplessly imagining something happening to her? To our baby?It’s fucking destroying me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we finally arrive at Lucas’s house, security immediately opens the gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mansion is brightly lit despite the late hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I follow Lucas inside silently and immediately loud yelling hits my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Video game sounds, shouting and trash talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blink once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then walk fully into the living room to find Noah and Caleb sprawled across massive couches with gaming controllers in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant TV in front of them flashes explosions and gunfire. For one irrational second, I actually almost laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like these idiots genuinely don’t have better things to do with their time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caleb barely glances over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey Lucas,\" he says casually while pressing buttons rapidly. \"Wanna join us?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah snorts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He sucks at this game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I beat you yesterday.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas walks straight past them toward the staircase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then says flatly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine’s been kidnapped.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediate silence. The game keeps playing loudly in the background for another few seconds before Noah slowly lowers his controller while Caleb stares blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas doesn’t stop walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s been taken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The controllers hit the floor almost at the same time. Noah rises so fast the coffee table shakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the fuck did you just say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice sounds sharp now, dangerously sharp. Lucas finally stops near the stairs and turns back toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas took her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The confusion on Caleb’s face slowly shifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First disbelief then realization then pure rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" Noah says immediately. \"No fucking way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1513,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","275923f23241e3fa7364e27fca70395588c619eeaa9d90b9a7c8040b77560304","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-266","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-264",266,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]