Page 113 of The Bittersweet Bond

Milka arched an eyebrow, but Evin was already pulling on her shoes, clearly eager to shift the conversation away from herself.

The tension between them eased as they grabbed their things and made their way toward the checkout, Milka’s voice slipping into something lighter, something easier to hold.

“Oh, I spent the whole night with him. His name’s Bellamy. He was there with a couple of his friends.”

Evin glanced at her, her brows knitting together slightly.

“Chris and Dominic showed up later too,” Milka added casually.

At Dominic’s name, Evin rolled her eyes.

“Oh, the whole night, huh?” she teased, nudging Milka’s shoulder with her own.

“You mean Bas’s friend Bellamy?”

Milka’s expression shifted, her brows raising in surprise.

“Wait, really? I had no idea.”

She rolled her eyes, but the small smile tugging at her lips gave her away.

“It wasn’t a big deal, though. We just talked… and maybe a little more.”

She shrugged, feigning indifference.

Evin smirked.

"Oh, sure. Just talked. Of course. You were probably way too busy to notice the rest of the party… So? Was it good?"

She shot Milka a knowing grin, tilting her head.

Milka held her gaze for a second before grinning back.

"Yeah… kinda."

And just like that, the weight of the conversation before faded into laughter.

Chapter 34

The Thief Of Control

Sebastian

Letting the heavy barbell clatter back into its rack, the metallic sound echoing off the gym walls, Bas briskly wiped his sweat-dampened face with a rough, damp towel. His pulse throbbed in his ears, not just from the physical exertion of push-ups and heavy weights, but from a churn of nerves deep within him.

His phone buzzed again, the small screen lighting up with a simple message: "I'm in." The terse words sent a ripple of unease through his stomach, twisting it into knots.

Evin had agreed to join them tonight.

The prospect of seeing her ignited a cocktail of excitement and anxiety in Bas. He pictured her vibrant laugh and confident stride, yet wondered how his crew would respond. This wasn’t just another casual date—Evin had an intensity about her that made his heart race in a delirious mix of thrill and dread. Unlike other times when he had dated someone without a second thought, Evin unsettled him in a way that flared memories of Ben, an echo of vulnerability lurking behind every smile.

His friends had always watched him with a quiet skepticism, never outright saying it, but their glances hinted at disapproval. Now, the fear gnawed at him: What if they saw his feelings for her as a sign of weakness once more?

Bas had prided himself on his cool-headed strength, the impeccable control he maintained even in the heat of battle. Yet the thought of Evin stirred something inside him that made self-restraint nearly impossible—a chaos that blurred every line between determination and desire.

And then there was the looming shadow of his father. Bas allowed a bitter smirk to creep across his face as he pictured the stern, disapproving frown his old man would wear if he ever learned that Bas was with someone like Evin. She was daring, unbridled, and everything his family would scorn in a partner. Every expectation his family had cast upon him felt heavier than the weights he lifted, and with Evin, the pressure rose to an unbearable level.

His father valued status, wealth, and a meticulously crafted reputation over erratic feelings and unpredictable love, considering them frailties that people like them should never entertain. Evin, however, had subverted all his carefully constructed defenses, emerging as the very reason his control faltered.

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