Bound to my Enemy novel Chapter 224

Chapter 224: Chapter 224.

"You’ve been quiet," he says suddenly.

I blink, realizing I’ve been staring.

"I’m eating."

"You usually do both."

"I was thinking."

"That’s usually concerning."

I narrow my eyes.

"You’re annoying."

"And yet," he says smoothly, "you keep following me."

I hate how easily he says that and hate even more that I don’t have an immediate comeback. So instead....i take another bite because silence feels safer.

He notices and though he doesn’t say it....i know he’s amused. Which is deeply irritating.

After another moment, I glance at him again.

"You really work this much every night?"

"Most."

"That sounds miserable."

"It’s necessary."

I study him for a second.

"Do you ever stop?"

He pauses slightly then looks at me.

"Rarely."

Something about that answer feels heavier than it should, like there’s more there but for once....i don’t push. Instead, I just nod slowly and return to my meal and somehow....

Sitting there across from him, in his ridiculously intimidating office, sharing food while the chaos of the club pulses somewhere below us....Feels strangely normal,like maybe normal for us was never supposed to look ordinary at all.

By the time we finish eating, I’m actually... comfortable. Which feels dangerous because comfort around Zane usually means I’m seconds away from either being flustered, annoyed, or both.

He wipes his mouth with maddeningly calm precision, then glances down at his watch.

Immediately, something in him shifts, that softer edge from dinner?Gone.

His expression sharpens, posture straightening slightly as his attention clearly moves elsewhere. He checks the time once more, then exhales.

"I have to go."

I blink.

"I have a meeting."

Right. The meeting....I’d almost forgotten.

He pushes his chair back and stands, gathering his laptop first, then a stack of neatly organized documents from his desk.

Every movement is efficient and purposeful, lik he’s flipping some invisible switch.

I watch him as he gets everything together and though I knew he’d have to work.....a tiny, irrational part of me still feels mildly offended that he’s leaving.

Ridiculous but true.

"How long?" I ask.

He glances at me briefly.

"An hour."

He pauses.

"Two at most."

I narrow my eyes slightly.

"That sounds suspicious."

"It’s work, Elaine."

"Mhm."

He gives me a look, the kind that says I’m already becoming a problem again. Then he walks closer and his tone drops slightly

"Stay here."

I blink.

"What?"

"Inside the office."

I fold my arms immediately.

"Why?"

"Because," he says patiently, though I can already hear the warning under it, "I do not need you wandering around this club by yourself."

I open my mouth but he cuts me off instantly.

"No."

"I didn’t even say anything."

"You were going to."

I frown. Fair.....still annoying though

"I can handle myself."

"I know," he says.

And somehow....That answer catches me off guard, because there’s no mockery there.

But then....

"That doesn’t mean I’m letting you roam unsupervised through my club."

There it is.

I scoff.

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