Bound by lies, Trapped by Desire - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Elena’s POV:
The server left after wheeling in the cart and Nikolai closed the door, setting the plates onto the dining table. He probably understood my hesitance as he shook his head. “Relax. It’s probably just my father.”
He said it casually—light, even. But it landed heavy. I stared down at the table, at the picture-perfect stack of soufflé pancakes, powdered sugar dusted across the top like snow, with blackberries and raspberries tucked into the folds. A green onion and mushroom omelette sat on the side, still steaming. Even the coffee was exactly right, an Americano, dark and smooth, no cream, no sugar. Exactly how I took it.
No one had asked me.
No one had to ask me.
My throat went dry.
It wasn’t his father. It couldn’t be. Nikolai’s father barely looked at me—there was no universe in which that man remembered what I liked for breakfast. Not unless he had a sudden habit of spying on me, which, okay, in this family wasn’t off the table, but still. This… this was personal.
However when I didn’t move to sit down and eat, Nikolai frowned.
“If you don’t want this,” he said easily, “then don’t eat it. We can go out. Let’s just leave, alright?”
My gut churned. “Will that be alright?”
He didn’t even blink. Just stood, circled the table, and reached down to take my wrist—not hard, just enough to pull me gently to my feet.
“You don’t have to worry about other people when you have me, alright?” he said, close to my ear. “Do whatever you want to do. Don’t worry about anyone else.”
Something unspooled in my chest at that. Not comfort, exactly. But something close.
We packed up quickly. Or rather, Nikolai packed while I stood by the door, still half in my own head. He wheeled the small trolley bag behind him, his free hand brushing my lower back as we walked out of the hotel suite.
The second we stepped into the hallway, I felt it—like stepping into a shark tank. My skin prickled. Was I too on edge? Was I thinking too much again?
And then my eyes landed on him.
Phillipe.
Slick-haired, smug, exactly like last night, leaning against the wall near the elevators with his phone in hand and a mouth curved into a too-wide smile as he conversed with a female server. My stomach clenched as we walked past him. His gaze flicked up, then slid over me like oil.
Nikolai didn’t even glance at him.
Not a nod. Not a flicker of recognition.
Just silence. Stone-cold.
I held my breath until the elevator doors slid shut behind us.
By the time we reached the carport, I was sure I’d shaken it off.
Then I saw the car.
I stopped walking. “Is that—?”
A grin tugged at Nikolai’s mouth. “Legacy V15. Just dropped last month. Thought you might like it.”
‘Thought I might like it.’
Like he’d picked up a couple croissants on the way over. Like it wasn’t a multi-million-dollar piece of art on wheels. With only ten exclusive releases. The latest version fifteen. Did he think I didn’t know the value of this?
“Nikolai,” I said, stunned, “you didn’t have to—I mean, this is insane. Isn’t this, like… obscenely expensive?”
He scoffed and popped the trunk open like I’d asked him if the sky was blue. “This much is nothing to me. Think of it as a gift.”
“A gift?” I blinked. “A gift for what?”
He looked at me over the roof of the car. Sunlight caught his hair, his eyes shadowed under his brows.
“A wedding gift.”
The words hit me like a punch I hadn’t braced for.
I swallowed. “Our wedding was a contract…and you already helped save my mother’s life. That was the best gift you could give me.”
He paused, then his mouth curved just slightly. “Then let’s say it’s to celebrate a good friendship.”
My heart dropped. Friendship. Right. That’s already great.
I nodded, lips pressed tight so I wouldn’t say anything dumb. Or honest. I walked over and climbed into the passenger seat as he tucked the trolley bag into the trunk, then slid behind the wheel with a careless sort of grace.
“We’ll take shifts,” he said, buckling in. “I’ll drive the first half. You get the second.”
I nodded, and the car glided forward with a purr so soft it felt like flying.
The first couple of hours were easy. Smooth roads, barely any traffic. We stopped once at a roadside restaurant—eggs, toast, fresh juice—before getting back in, switching seats.
Nikolai showed me the controls, but I already knew. I’d been driving since I was seventeen, and luxury cars were still just cars. I couldn’t help remembering our toyota corolla. Which dad had to sell to pay for our debt. I bit my lips but shook those thoughts out of my mind. Not now, Elena.
I took the wheel. The engine responded like silk under my hands.
“You’re not scared of speed?” he asked after a minute, one brow lifting.
“Nope.”
I floored it.
Wind screamed past us. The car roared like a beast uncaged and I laughed—loud and real for the first time in days. Nikolai gripped the side handle like he wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or terrified.
Five hours into the drive, it started.
A faint ticking sound. Rhythmic. Sharp. Not natural.
I ignored it at first. Thought maybe it was something mechanical—cars made noises sometimes, even new ones.
Fifteen minutes passed.
I frowned, my heart dropping as a realization settled in. “Hey, is it just me, or are the brakes acting weird?”
Nikolai sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. The brakes aren’t working. Something’s wrong.”
He twisted toward me, eyes narrowing. “Try again.”
I did. The pedal went down—but the response was sluggish. Barely anything.
“I’m telling you,” I said, voice rising. “The brakes aren’t working.”
A beat of silence.
Then Nikolai moved. Fast. He popped the dashboard looking around but then shut it closed and turned to open the center console—some black leather thing with a latch—and dug into it. His jaw clenched hard.
There was a device inside. Wired. Flashing faint red. Small.
“Is that a fucking bomb?” I screamed my gaze flitting to it. What the hell?!
He didn’t answer. Just stared at it, his face gone dead pale. Then he swore and slammed the console shut again.
“We need to abandon the car,” he said, voice like cut steel.
I stared at him. “We can’t do that! What if it crashes into someone? What if it explodes in the middle of a street? We’re going to hit the city in ten minutes!”
His jaw flexed. “We don’t have a choice.”