Forbidden Shado novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143-1

Sofia’s POV

The room was silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator. I sax on the hard stool, my fingers digging into its edges as I tried to steady my breathing ever since the doorbell had rang…

The air in the storage room was stuffy, thick with the scent of old wood and the faint bitterness of spirits lining the shelves. It felt like a cage, a windowless void where time had slowed to a

Vincent’s words echoed in my mind: “Go with the flow… act scared. My body was already ahead of me. The nerves were buried in my gut, tightening into something unbearable.

The sound of approaching footsteps jolted me and I froze, my heart hunching itself.against my ribcage as the door creaked open. The same two men from before stepped inside – hired to be here to add an extra flare to the dreaded performance…

They had the kind of hard, vacant faces you’d expect from men who’d done things they didn’t dare to speak of. One was shorter and more stocky, with a deep scar slicing across his cheek. The other was taller, a little leaner but just as imposing, his dark eyes assessing me coldly before flickering toward his partner.

“It’s time,” the scarred one said gruffly as my lip quivered at those gripping.words.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself as I pushed up off the stool, my legs trembling faintly as they took my weight. I didn’t trust my voice to answer them, so I just nodded instead.

my foot of my

The taller man stepped closer to me first, his movements almost cautious. He took my arm gently, his grip surprisingly light, as though he were afraid I’d shatter under his grip.

I blinked up at him, startled by the care. Then the stocky one moved in, taking hold of my other arm a little swifter.

As they began to lead me out, the taller man glanced down at me, his voice low and soft as he said, “I’m sorry… for what we’re about to do. For how rough it’s gonna look.”

His words stopped me dead in my tracks. My head whipped up toward him, my mouth parting in disbelief. I hadn’t expected that. Not from him.

“It’s ok… thank you…” I breathed, knowing that none of us had a choice since we were already in way too deep…

The taller man’s gaze softened just enough to let me know that he meant it. “We don’t have a choice. Orders are orders.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My lips trembled, but I forced myself to answer. “It needs to be done,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Do whatever it takes to make it believable.”

They exchanged a quick glance before nodding almost in unison.

We started walking again, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the tiled hallway as we ascended the stairs.

My breathing turned shallow with every step closer to the office, the space between my ribs feeling smaller and smaller.

This is it, I thought. He’s up there. They’re all up there.

Waiting for me…

By the time we reached the landing, my vision swam with nerves as my feet began to drag back against the floor.

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Chapter 143-1

I could hear murmured voices growing louder from behind the office door, low and indistinct. My pulse pounded around in my ears, and I didn’t realise the two men had paused until I felt their grips tighten.

BAC

don’t fight it too hard or it will just hurt more, he muttered, but I could see the

The scarred one exhaled sharply. “Remember tension set in his jaw. “We’ve got to sell it.”

I nodded again, my throat tight.

The taller man eventually reached out his hand and opened the door and in that moment, everything seemed to stop…

The office was larger than I’d expected, since I hadn’t inward as my eyes scanned the room quickly.

been

up here before,

yel

felt claustrophobic, the walls seeming to press

My father was found first, sat comfortably at the table, his broad frame filling the chair, his thinning blonde hair catching under the light as a sharp gasp caught up in my throat.

His mouth was curving up in to a half–smile, but his sharp eyes burned into me with an intensity that turned my stomach black. He looked the same as he always had sick, cruel, calculating.

My eyes darted frantically, as Kieran and Freddie stood up from beside him like sentinels as my muscles tensed instantly in fear that they were both ready to charge straight at me,

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2/2

Shadows In Durango

Chapter 143-2

I hadn’t seen any of them in months, but nothing about them had changed. Kieran, with his golden hair and quick, dangerous smirk. Freddie, his hair a shade redder, his body more rigid and ready for violence at the drop of a hat. Both of them stared at me as though I were a piece of meat they’d forgotten about and just now remembered existed hungry for what they felt was revenge.

I felt it all hit me at once

the months of running, of hiding, of living with the constant fear that they’d find me.

And now they were here.

Right in front of me.

My lungs seized up. My chest tightened painfully. I suddenly couldn’t breathe.

I felt myself start to panic, my body reacting before I could stop it. My limbs jerked, trying to pull away from the two men holding me. “N–No let me go now, I can’t do this!” I gasped, my voice strangled as I thrashed and knew that each and every emotion I was feeling in this instant was more than real.

“Hold her still,” one of the men muttered to the other in a faux fury, his grip turning vice–like around my arms as further into the room to display me before the three of them like some sort of trophy.

“G–Get off me!” I choked out in a cry, the words raw as I bucked against their hold.

My heart was hammering. My head was spinning.

they dragged me

This was a bad idea!

I looked up and met my father’s eyes again. Cold. Detached.

He didn’t look at me like I was his daughter he tilted his head at me like I was a possession kept in a museum display case.

Kieran smirked faintly. Freddie crossed his arms comfortably, his expression carved from stone.

And then my eyes found Vincent amongst the table.

He sat near the far end, his hands clasped firmly on the table top in a relaxed manner, as though none of this was bothering him at

all.

His expression was switched off and unreadable. The Vincent who had held me just moments ago whispered reassurances was nowhere to be found in this very room.

who had kissed me and

He looked at me like I was nothing, like I was less than nothing now to him, and that was probably the hardest part of it all.

Then he laughed.

It was a low, cruel sound that sent ice down my spine. “She’s a feisty one, isn’t she? I think that’s why we like her so much…” he drawled out, being the first to speak above my sobs, the mocking tone slicing through the air like a blade.

I froze mid–struggle, my head snapping toward him in horror. For a second, the breath I’d been fighting for left me entirely.

I knew it was just an act. It’s all part of the plan, I reminded myself desperately. This isn’t real.

But it felt way too real…

“You weren’t fucking kidding when you said you had roughed her up a bit eh?!” My father asks, eyeing Vincent and his father next,

1/2

Chapter 143-2

but not seeming to really cares

Vincent’s eyes swept over me like I was an inconvenience to him, as though he was already bored of me being here. “What’d I tell you about behaving, Sofia? Crying and throwing yourself around like that is the reason you’ve ended up in that state to begin with!” he sneered, the look on his face taking me aback.

My chest heaved, the panic still clawing at me, But I forced myself to hold his gaze, to see through the mask he was wearing. Somewhere beneath the cold façade, the real Vincent w

still in there.

The one who cared.

The one who promised to protect me.

I swallowed hard, my body trembling violently. The men holding me stayed still, their grips tight as they waited for their next orders.

–

The silence that followed Vincent’s words was suffocating, pressing down on me like the walls of a shrinking room. My father studied me with a sick satisfaction, his smile widening just enough to make my stomach turn. He liked this liked seeing me helpless and humiliated. It was his game, and I was the pawn he finally had back on the board.

I forced myself to look away from him, but my eyes landed on Kieran instead, whose smirk deepened as he leaned against the edge of the table. “She’s still a fighter, isn’t she?” he mused, his voice dripping with mockery. “I’ve missed that.”

Shadows In Durango

Chapter 143-3

Freddie grunted in agreement, his gaze as unyielding as ever. “Shane she doesn’t ever learn. Running didn’t get you far, did it, Sofia? Brought you right to us!”

I clenched my fists at their words, their taunts gnawing at the edges of my resolve. My breathing hitched, but I didn’t let myself break at least not completely. I couldn’t. Vincent’s earlier words replayed in my mind: Go with the flow.

Act scared.

It wasn’t hard to act when every nerve in my body felt like it was already on fire with fear…

“Sit her down, let me look at her!” my father ordered suddenly, his veice sharp and cutting as he motioned to a free chair near to him.

Wheezing loudly in sudden panic, the two men holding me didn’t hesitate as they pulled me forward, forcing me toward the lone chair as I fought to get loose.

My knees buckled, but they didn’t let me fall; they shoved me down onto the hard seat and held me there firmly…

The taller man loosened his grip for the briefest moment, almost imperceptibly. It was enough for me to realise that he still meant his earlier apology.

But right now it didn’t matter.

My father’s presence alone drained every ounce of comfort from the room…