Bound by Shadows

Ethan sat on the edge of the massive bed, his mind racing. The deal was sealed—he had no choice but to work for Liam Carter. That reality weighed heavily on his chest, suffocating yet oddly electrifying.

His eyes flicked toward the door, still locked. Of course. Trust wasn’t something Liam was willing to extend just yet. And maybe that was fair, considering Ethan wasn’t exactly feeling cooperative either.

The door handle turned. Ethan tensed as a familiar figure stepped inside. Liam. Dressed impeccably, as always, the man exuded an effortless control that grated on Ethan’s nerves.

“You’re restless,” Liam observed, amusement lacing his voice.

Ethan scoffed. “You don’t say? I’m locked up in a house I don’t want to be in, forced into a deal I didn’t ask for. What gave it away?”

Liam smirked, stepping closer. “You’ll adjust.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “And if I don’t?”

Liam leaned down slightly, their faces mere inches apart. “Then I’ll make you.”

Heat coursed through Ethan’s veins, a mix of frustration and something he refused to acknowledge. He hated the way Liam got under his skin, hated the way his pulse reacted to the man’s presence.

Liam straightened, turning toward the door. “Get dressed,” he ordered. “We’re going out.”

Ethan blinked. “Out?”

Liam didn’t elaborate. He simply left, the lock clicking behind him again.

---

Half an hour later, Ethan was dressed in a fitted black shirt and dark jeans—clothes that had been provided for him. He had debated resisting, but what was the point? He needed to play along, at least for now.

When the door finally opened again, a guard gestured for him to follow. Ethan was led down the grand hallways until he reached the main entrance, where Liam waited beside a sleek black car.

“Try anything stupid,” Liam warned as Ethan approached, “and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Ethan smirked. “Charming.”

He slid into the passenger seat, and within moments, they were speeding down the road. The silence between them was thick, crackling with unspoken words.

“Where are we going?” Ethan finally asked.

Liam glanced at him. “You’ll see.”

The car pulled up in front of a high-end club. Ethan frowned. This wasn’t what he expected.

As they entered, the heavy bass of music vibrated through the air. The club was luxurious, dimly lit with a mix of red and gold accents. People danced, drank, and laughed, oblivious to the undercurrent of power in the room.

Liam led him to a private lounge section. A few men were already seated there, their sharp gazes assessing Ethan the moment he entered.

“Gentlemen,” Liam greeted smoothly, taking a seat. He gestured for Ethan to sit beside him.

Reluctantly, Ethan did, his muscles coiled with tension.

“This is the hacker I told you about,” Liam introduced. “He’s… an investment.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. An investment?

One of the men, a tall figure with piercing blue eyes, smirked. “He doesn’t look like much.”

Ethan met his gaze, refusing to back down. “And yet, here I am, sitting at your table. I must be worth something.”

Liam chuckled, draping an arm casually over the back of the couch—close, too close. “That’s what we’re about to find out.”

A waiter arrived with drinks, setting them down. Liam picked up a glass, swirling the amber liquid before taking a sip. Then, he turned to Ethan.

“Show them what you can do.”

Ethan exhaled slowly. He knew he had no choice. His freedom—or what little of it remained—depended on proving his worth.

As he reached for the laptop placed before him, he could feel Liam’s gaze burning into him, both assessing and daring him to fail.

Failure wasn’t an option.

And for the first time since being taken, Ethan wondered if maybe—just maybe—he wasn’t as helpless in this game as he thought.

---

The club’s atmosphere grew heavier as Ethan’s fingers moved over the keyboard. He had hacked into high-security systems before, but the pressure of being watched by Liam and his associates made his heart pound in a different way.

The blue-eyed man, who had been skeptical earlier, leaned forward as data began to flood the screen. His smirk faded, replaced by something more intrigued.

“Not bad,” he muttered. “But let’s see if he can handle something real.”

He slid over a different device—one more heavily secured than anything Ethan had seen before. Ethan swallowed. If he failed now, he knew there would be consequences. Not just from Liam, but from the dangerous men in this room who valued power over everything.

Liam tilted his glass, watching Ethan intently. “No pressure,” he murmured.

Ethan scoffed. “Right.”

With a deep breath, he got to work. And as he did, he could feel Liam’s heat beside him, a silent reminder that whether he liked it or not, he was in deep now.

And there was no escaping Liam Carter’s world.

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