I Told You To Run But You Didn't (Georgia) novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Georgia’s POV

¥88%

Finished

Before Estevan even cut the engine, the front door of the mansion burst open, and Kiara stormed out. She saw me in the passenger seat and marched straight towards my door.

The moment I stepped out, her hand flew up, aiming to slap me hard across the face. But Estevan was faster. His hand shot out, catching her wrist in mid-air, topping the blow inches from my cheek.

Kiara gasped, struggling against his iron grip, her eyes blazing at him. “Let go of me! Where is he?! Where the hell is Lucas?!”

Does she really think she can just waltz onto his property and lay hands on me? After everything? I scoffed, stepping out from behind Estevan, deliberately letting the weak moonlight catch the bruises blooming on my face and the split on my lip.

Kiara’s hand, still caught in Estevan’s grip, froze. Her eyes widened in genuine shock as she took in my battered appearance. I saw a touch of horrified recognition, maybe even guilt, flash across her face before it was quickly masked by her usual anger.

Even the maids and guards who had gathered nervously at the commotion looked stunned.

She ripped her wrist free from Estevan, taking an involuntary step back. Her voice lost some of its shrillness, replaced by a tight, strained demand. “Just tell me where Lucas is,” she said, avoiding my eyes now. “I just need to know where he is, and then I’ll go.”

Estevan stepped forward slightly, placing himself between us, a subtle but clear protective gesture. “Is Lucas a child, Ms. Laurent?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft. “Does he need his mommy to track him down? A responsible man would have the decency to inform his associate… of his whereabouts.”

Kiara’s glare snapped back to me, her earlier shock replaced by renewed fury. “This is your fault!” she accused, her voice trembling. “If anything happens to him out there, I swear to God, Georgia, I will drag your name through the mud! I will tell the authorities eerything!” She spun on her heel, her expensive shoes digging into the gravel as she prepared to storm off.

“Why?” My voice cut through the night, stopping her cold.

She paused, turning back slightly. “Why what?”

“Why do you care?” I asked, my yoice quiet but laced with a pity that was more insulting than any shout. “Why waste your time, your energy, your reputation on man who only uses you? Who sees you as nothing more than a convenient tool?” I took a slow step towards her. “Believe me, Kiara, I know the type. I wasted three years of my life being that fool.” I looked her up and down, letting my gaze linger on her expensive clothes, her desperate expression. “But you? I always thought you were smarter than that.”

She stared at me, speechless, the truth of my words hitting her like a’slap. Without another word, she spun around and stormed off into the night, defeated.

Estevan watched her go, then glanced back at me with a nonchalant shrug. He took my arm gently. “Come on,” he said quietly, leading me towards the main staircase.

I saw the confused, questioning looks from the maids and guards as I followed him willingly, not towards. my bungalow, but up the grand staircase towards his private wing. Let them wonder. After everything that had happened – the bomb, Zane’s betrayal, Lucas’s pathetic games – sleeping alone felt… unsafe.

O

172

10:38 Tue, Mar 10 M MO

Chapter 76

88%0

Finished

Besides, my suspicions about Estevan were growing. What really happened to my parents? If he was playing games with me, I needed to be closer.

I needed to watch him, learn his secrets, understand his moves. If I had to play his game, I would become a better player.

Inside his enormous, minimalist bedroom, he turned to me, an eyebrow raised in amusement. “So,” he asked, “You’re planning on sleeping here tonight? In my bed?”

I met his gaze, forcing a casualness I didn’t feel. We had crossed lines many times, lines there was no going back from. Kissing, touching… the memory made my skin prickle. Pretending otherwise now was pointless.

“Yes,” I said calmly. “Is that a problem? Would you prefer I go back to the bungalow? Alone?”

A possessive fire flashed in his eyes. He shook his head, tepping closer. “No,” he said, his voice dropping, becoming rougher. “I want you here. With me.”

I stared up to his eyes

and his gaze meet mine, he was about to step closer to me but I stepped back and said, “I’ll take a hote long shower… it’s been a long night”

WA

Then he said, “Yeah, the travel was five hours.. Do you want to take a bath together?”

“H-huh?”

Before I could even process his words, he moved. He scooped me up into his arms as easily as he had the day before. Normally, I would have fought him, kicked him, used every bit of my training to get free.

But my body was still aching, weak from the fight and the fall. Damn him for knowing I couldn’t fight back right now.

He carried me, not to the bed, but straight into his massive, black marble bathroom.

He set me down gently on the closed lid of the toilet, then turned and started taking off his own clothes – shirt, pants, everything with a casual lack of self-consciousness that was infuriating.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify