
Bound to the calloway's heir
In LA's Business world, Zane Calloway, thirty, turns cartel king after his father's gruesome murder, ruling The Atlas Group with a bloody fist. He learned how betrayal could ruin even the biggest empire and was hell bent on keeping Atlas Group. However when Sienna Carter, his new assistant got in the picture, he threw caution to the wind. To become the only one controlling the cartel, he would use Sienna who was a supposedly ghost from a dead cartel as bait for his enemies. Sienna Carter made his mission become even more complicated as she ignites a dangerous sparks in him. Twenty-five year old Sienna Carter just wanted to stay alive, running away from danger had been the only thing she was capable of since her family were murdered. All she had as a semblance of her old life was the locket her dying father had given her and when a new job pops up in Los Angeles, she gambled for it, hoping for her sake that it wouldn't lead her straight to the same hell she was running from.
However, she would soon realize that the Atlas Groups was going to be more than just a survival decision but the key to everything.
Chapters
Share
Chapter 11
Sienna.
But the post-sex sleep was short-lived. My eyes peered open. I panicked, feeling disoriented about my surroundings. Then it dawned on me seconds later that I was in bed next to Zane. A glance at the bedside watch and I sighed with disappointment that I had just slept for an hour. Knowing I didn't want to face Zane after having asked him to satisfy my desires without shame, I gently slipped out of his arms, wrapped around my waist, making sure not to wake him. My insomnia started after I witnessed the brutal death of my parents. As I walked out of his room to mine, the gory memory of that night filled my head, blurring the sexual satisfaction I once felt.
֍ flashback ֍
"Sienna, I need you to listen to me, you have to stay here, regardless of whatever sound you hear, my darling, don't you dare come out." My father whispered, his voice carrying an air of fear with it, just like his gray eyes. I was perplexed because if there was one thing I had come to know about him, he was never one to panic unnecessarily. He was visibly shaking, leaving me to wonder what was going on. He grabbed me by the arm in a not-so-gentle, unusual way, urging me to walk faster, into the dark underground cabin. "Why, Pa? Your friends are around. You know how much I love to play chess with them," I said, not giving up on my quest to disobey his warnings. I did a quick flash of what had happened barely ten minutes ago to understand what was happening. The doorbell rang at 9 pm, which wasn't unusual, and although I was in my room, I had heard the guest walk in with my father. From the tone of their voices, I knew they were his business partners who had become like family members. I hadn't hesitated another second to toss my gaming pads aside and was about to welcome them when he rushed into the room, dragging me all the way to the cabin, avoiding the route to the study where his friends were. Then he turned around to face me, holding his hands to my squared shoulders, his hands were visibly shaking badly. "I love you, Sienna. Your mother does too. This is why we are doing this. Please don't come out, promise me," he said hurriedly. She held my gaze until I nodded my head. "Say it, Sienna," he said, more of a plea as his hands left my shoulder to hold my face. "I promise, Dad," I said "If you must come out, use the secret door." he kissed my forehead, and without another word, he pushed me further under the makeshift wooden staircase. He glanced over his shoulder towards the door, and in a flashing second, he unlatched the locks that held the staircase in place, and then he was gone. I stood there with my sweaty palms holding onto my knees as I listened to the empty air in the cabin. I hated the dark room and avoided coming here. Knowing this fact wasn't lost on my parents, yet he made me stay here, made me scared that something deep was happening upstairs. I kept wondering why he had made me come here. Was this some punishment? I hadn't done anything to upset either of them. In fact, I had just graduated top of my class and was... Boooooooom! The sound rocked my thoughts, pulling me out of everything else. Then came screams, my mother's. It continued for a few seconds and then it was gone. Don't come out, regardless of the sound you hear, promise me... Now it was starting to make sense Booooooooom!! The awful sound came again, and my heart started beating faster. I was tempted to push out the locks and run up to see what was happening. But I had made a promise to my father, one I didn't want to break. The door suddenly flung open and I was almost jumping out of my hiding place when I heard the voice, not my father's "Are you sure there is no one home?" "I am positive." "The weird girl? We don't want any one of their goddamn family left roaming the streets, that would mean doomsday brewing" "She's in school. I have my men watching out. She would face a crash on her way to the parents' funeral. Case closed for the Ellisons fucking power controlling family at last". They broke into a very throaty, dry laughter that lasted way longer than seemed like forever. I held my breath as I listened to their plans. I could make out three of them but I couldn't see any of them. "Burn down the house. Leave no traces of arson that could lead to an investigation. We don't want that." "Even if there is one, we have that handled too." "The power now belongs to us, equally." "One more stop and we are done." "Yes. Let's get out of here. My men will handle the rest." "For the good of the realm," they all chorused In seconds, they were gone, banging the door shut after them. I felt like a part of me had been ripped apart as I processed the vain conversation I had just heard in my head. Letting the reality of their words dawn on me. They had murdered my parents in cold blood for what they called the good of the realm. What realm? They planned to get me killed, too, and my father must have given up her life to lie for me. I heard some sound above, and then the faint smell of gasoline filled my nostrils. They were burning the house. I tried to move, but my legs felt lifeless, incapable of any motion. I kept trying my best to leave before it was too late, yet my body wouldn't oblige the danger looming ahead that my brain was sending it. Knowing what was to come if I stayed, I had to leave. Thinking of the fear I had seen in my father's eyes and the painful cries of her dying was the push I needed to snap out of my stoic state. My father didn't go through the stress of hiding me for nothing. Carefully, I released the latch, lifting it gently so the creaking sound wouldn't alert anyone. Though I doubt they'd still be here. Hastily but very quietly, I ran over to the secret door, invisible to others but not to me. My parents made sure of that; with just the right kick to the right spot, the walls would give, and I would push it in, shutting it behind me as if I were never there. I rushed upstairs against my father's request; I needed to see what had become of them. The state of the house was nothing like it used to be; everything had been tossed around, and there was blood everywhere. Mother's body was sprawled over, and I knew she was gone. They had killed her. A soft cough pulled me out of my head and I traced the sound to the center of the room, where my father was lying, holding a hand to his chest where he had been shot. "I told you to go," He whispered, his disappointment lost in his pain. "I am sorry, Pa, what should I do?" He slowly reached into his pocket and dragged out a silver locket. I leaned closer as he handed it to me, then he whispered through bloody lips. "Stay hidden, SiSi. Stay alert. Keep this safe. It is your leverage to survive. Never let them find you." I was going to ask him more questions when he started to jerk, he took a long sigh, and he stopped breathing. "Pa!" I cried, realizing he was gone. I didn't wait another second, realizing I was now alone and my survival had to do with how fast I could run. I walked back to the cabin and to the secret door, which was only accessible from the underground cabin leading to a maze tunnel that runs through the entire ten acres that comprise our Manor. It leads to a major road in the city. My father and I had often played hide-and-seek games over the years until I had mastered every turn and bend of the maze. As I ran for my life, leaving everything I had ever known behind. I wish I could see my parent one last time, but I couldn't risk going to the house. Tears welled up in my eyes, rolling down to the collars of my shirt. I muffled the wails that should have escaped my lungs, dreading that I would attract any attention. I kept running for my life, vowing to avenge the awful death of my parents. Being killed by friends and then left to burn is one disastrous way to die for a third-generation billionaire. ֍ ֍ Reliving the night always weakened my knees and I fell into bed and grabbed a pillow. With all the energy left inside me, I screamed my pain into the pillow, hoping it would muffle out the sound since the last thing I wanted was to wake Zane
You may also like

9.2
"Isabella this is the right time for you to choose between me or Hector, because any one you choose now will be your husband till the contract end."
"Think well Isabella don't make mistake."
She spilled coffee on the wrong man.
Isabella Ramirez is drowning in debt, exhaustion, and fear-working double shifts to keep her dying mother alive. One mistake in a crowded café brings her face-to-face with Alejandro De La Vega, a billionaire feared for his cold heart and ruthless power.
His punishment is cruel.
His offer is worse.
One year as his wife in exchange for her family's freedom.
But inside his mansion, Isabella learns that marriage without love is a cage. Betrayal hides behind charming smiles.
A former wife returns with secrets. A cousin watches from the shadows. And the contract that binds her may destroy her heart.
When lies explode and power turns brutal, Isabella must choose between survival and love-before she loses herself completely.
Tropes
Contract Marriage
Poor Girl × Billionaire CEO
Forced Proximity
Inheritance Deadline
Emotional Abuse & Redemption
Love vs Power
Public Scandal
Love Triangle
One True Love

9.7
For three years, I was the dutiful wife of billionaire Ervin Valdez.
On our third wedding anniversary, he came home smelling of his mistress's perfume, pinned me down, and brutally mocked me.
His mistress, Sylvia, had even sent me a fake ultrasound report to force me out of the picture.
In Ervin's eyes, I was just a vicious, calculating liar who used a pregnancy to trap him into marriage.
He didn't care that I had actually lost that baby, nor did he know the trauma of my gambling father selling me to a dark club where I was assaulted by a stranger.
When I finally handed him the signed divorce papers, giving up all assets, and left the penthouse with nothing but an old suitcase, he just sneered.
"She is playing a game of hard to get. She won't last three days before she comes crying back."
He froze all my bank accounts, let his mistress humiliate me in public, and waited coldly for me to starve and beg.
He thought my entire existence relied on his wealth, completely confident that I would inevitably surrender to his control.
But he was wrong.
I calmly opened my old laptop, bypassed the complex encryptions, and looked at the dozens of unread emails from top-tier global brands begging for my return.
I resurrected my hidden identity as the legendary jewelry designer "R," and walked straight into the top design firm in Manhattan.
"It is time to find myself again."

9.3
Candice Luna thought her marriage to Julius Hansen was a lifeline to save her father's struggling company.
She didn't know it was a death sentence until Julius coldly slid divorce papers across his mahogany desk.
His true love, Amina Rowe, was nestled in his arms with a triumphant, mocking smile. The "merger" Julius promised had been a brutal, hostile takeover designed to bleed the Luna Group dry from the inside. Bankrupted and utterly broken, Candice's father stepped off the roof of their corporate tower. Meanwhile, Candice was publicly humiliated, stripped of her dignity, and mocked by all of Wall Street as a discarded stepping stone.
She died in a car accident, her final moments consumed by an agonizing, feral scream. She hated herself for letting her blind devotion destroy the father who had always believed in her.
But when Candice opened her eyes to the harsh fluorescent lights of a hospital room, she realized she wasn't dead.
She was twenty-two again. Three years before the wedding. Three years before her father's suicide.
When Julius's assistant walked in holding a bouquet of blue roses to discuss the preliminary merger, he expected a docile, desperate heiress.
Instead, Candice grabbed a glass of water from the nightstand and flung it directly into his smug face.
"Tell Julius Hansen to never, ever send his dogs to my door again."
This time, there would be no engagement. This time, the Hansen family would choke on her family's legacy.

9.6
I was the devoted PR manager and secret girlfriend of A-list actor Vance Sterling for three years.
Just minutes after he promised me a romantic dinner, I caught him sleeping with a wealthy Los Angeles socialite.
When I confronted him, he didn't apologize. Instead, he mocked my status, froze my bank accounts, and left me completely homeless on the rainy streets of the city.
Blacklisted in Hollywood and utterly destitute, I ended up having a reckless, revenge-fueled one-night stand with the socialite's ruthless billionaire fiancé, Jory Elliott.
But my nightmare had just begun. My younger brother accrued a half-million-dollar gambling debt with a brutal cartel, and they threatened to chop off his fingers.
Jory stepped in and paid the ransom, only for my brother to beg the billionaire for more gambling money, calling me a selfish bitch for not milking him dry.
Then, Jory threw a marriage agreement at my face.
"Act as my devoted wife for two years, and I will wipe the debt and give you ten million dollars."
I gave my youth to an actor who discarded me like trash, and my own flesh and blood only saw me as a walking ATM.
Did these powerful men really think my dignity was just another corporate asset to be bought and traded?
I looked into the cold, calculating eyes of the billionaire who thought he owned me.
I threw the contract right at his chest and stepped out of his Maybach into the freezing rain.
I would rather rot in the gutter than be a pet bought with a checkbook.

9.1
When Elena Rodriguez fled her abusive billionaire husband while pregnant, she thought she'd never see Alexander Blackwood again. Eight months later, a catastrophic accident steals his memories-erasing six years, including their marriage and the monster he became.
The man who wakes up is Alexander at 27: kind, humble, horrified by evidence of his paranoid jealousy and controlling behavior. As he embarks on an amends tour, apologizing to everyone he hurt, Elena watches the man she once loved fight to become worthy of redemption.
But Elena harbors a secret: their daughter, Sofia. When circumstances force them together at the hospital, Alexander meets his child for the first time-and Elena must decide if she can forgive a man who doesn't remember his crimes.
As Alexander's memories gradually return, both face an impossible question: Can someone truly change, or will he become the monster again? With Sofia's future hanging in the balance, Elena must choose between protecting her heart and believing in second chances.
Some scars run too deep. Some loves refuse to die.

7.8
VANESSA
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But for me, that's not enough. I want it to hit so hard they beg for their lives.
Five years ago, my own husband left me to die in a fire. I watched him walk away, his eyes full of hate. In my last moments, I thought about how unfair it was, that I was dying while the people who did wrong were free. As if some higher power heard me, I was saved.
Now, I'm back and my only purpose is to give Ethan Croft exactly what he deserves. He took everything from me, and now I will take everything he loves, in the most painful way possible.
I have it all planned out. But there's something or someone else I didn't plan on. Ceron Morrison. He's tall, dark, and dangerously handsome. He's a mystery and a distraction I can't afford. He's a threat to the revenge I have sworn to complete.
But no matter what comes my way, I'll make Ethan pay. I'll burn his entire world to the ground, even if it means I get burned in the flames, too.
CERON
Vanessa Ashford has taken over my mind without even trying.
The first time I saw her, she was putting a thief on the ground at the airport with a single, perfect kick. I was captivated. As the heir to a powerful family, I'm used to getting anything I want. And I want her. I want to know her secrets.
Vanessa has built high walls around herself, but I am not a quitter. As I slowly peel back the layers, I'm discovering a past filled with pain. I can see the fire of vengeance burning in her eyes, a fire so strong it could destroy her.
My family wants me to secure our legacy with a sensible, strategic marriage. But all I can think about is the woman who wears her revenge like a custom-made gown. I know I should walk away. But something in me can't stand the thought of her facing the darkness alone.
The real question is, when she finally plays her last card, will I be the one to save her? Or will I just become another victim caught in the crossfire?