OWNED BY THE BIKER KING

Chapter 10

Night slowly fell over the sprawling private estate, wrapping the mansion once again in a shroud of grim, silent shadows.

After spending several long hours resting alone in the upstairs bedroom, my body refused to lie down any longer. Hoping to find some sign of life, I decided to head downstairs. As expected, the mansion remained as quiet as a tomb—a stark contrast to the chaotic, noisy city life I had left behind.

I aimlessly wandered into the sprawling, state-of-the-art kitchen, stopping near the marble counter as I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

A few maids were busy chopping vegetables and prepping a lavish dinner. Watching them work like clockwork made a sharp wave of guilt twist in my stomach. Everyone in this house had been treating me like royalty since the moment I arrived, catering to my every need. Meanwhile, I had done nothing but hide, weep, and take up space.

“Umm, excuse me... I can help with that,” I offered softly, stepping forward and reaching for a knife.

“No, Miss Elena!” one of the senior maids gasped, quickly pulling the cutting board out of my reach.

The small group of maids immediately looked utterly horrified, as if I had just threatened to burn the mansion down.

“Please, you mustn’t touch anything,” she pleaded, her eyes wide with anxiety. “Young Master Ryder will be absolutely furious if he finds out we allowed you to work.”

I blinked in confusion, my hands freezing mid-air. “Why on earth would he get angry over me helping with dinner?”

The maids exchanged nervous, stressed glances, but no one offered an explanation. They clearly feared Ryder’s wrath more than anything else.

Still, I couldn’t just stand there feeling like a burden. The stubborn streak I had suppressed for a whole year finally flared up. I firmly refused to leave the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of my oversized sweater. In the end, seeing that I wouldn't budge, the maids had no choice but to sigh in defeat and let me wash the vegetables and prep the side dishes.

A while later, the rich, mouth-watering aroma of home-cooked food filled the grand hallways.

I stood near the dining table wearing a simple white cotton apron over my clothes, carefully placing the last steaming dish onto the pristine setting. That was when the distinct sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the foyer.

Ryder had returned.

The moment his tall, imposing frame stepped into the dining room, his dark eyes locked onto me. And he froze completely.

I held my breath, suddenly self-conscious. Standing there in his high-end kitchen, wearing a domestic apron with flour lightly dusting my hands... it must have looked bizarre to him. Yet, for a fraction of a second, the cold, rigid atmosphere of the mansion seemed to melt—feeling a little less like an impenetrable fortress and more like a home.

Ryder slowly pulled out the heavy mahogany chair at the head of the table before sitting down, his eyes never leaving my face.

“Why are you cooking?” he asked calmly, though his deep voice carried a dangerous, quiet undertone. “Where are the maids?”

I looked down, my cheeks warming slightly as I untied the apron. “I just wanted to help. I forced them to let me.”

“You’re a guest here, Elena.”

I shook my head, sitting down in the chair beside him. “That’s exactly why I feel so terrible,” I admitted softly, my voice dropping. “I’m staying here for free, eating your food, while you and your brother are risking your safety to help a complete stranger.”

For a long, tense moment, Ryder simply stared at me, his dark gaze heavy and unreadable. Then, he leaned back slightly in his chair, a subtle, relaxed shift in his posture.

“You don’t owe us a single thing, Elena. Remember that.”

But I remained stubborn, tilting my chin up. “At least let me help with dinner. It’s the only thing I can do.”

A faint, genuinely amused look crossed Ryder’s rugged features, the corners of his lips twitching upward. He clearly found my resistance entertaining.

Soon, dinner was served, and the atmosphere settled into something strangely, wonderfully comfortable. We ate in a easy rhythm, the clinking of cutlery filling the quiet. But after a few minutes, I noticed a seat was missing.

“Where’s Luca?” I asked softly, gazing toward the empty side of the table.

Ryder took a slow, deliberate sip of his ice water before answering casually. “He won’t be home for a few days.”

I blinked. “Oh?”

“He has urgent corporate business outside the city,” Ryder continued, setting his glass down. “It’ll probably be another week before he manages to return.”

“I see...”

For some reason, the mansion felt even bigger and quieter after hearing that. With Luca gone, the corporate tension vanished, leaving only the raw, electric pull between Ryder and me.

We continued eating peacefully before Ryder suddenly broke the silence, his tone turning dead serious.

“Tonight, I have something important to handle out on the streets.”

I looked up from my plate, my heart fluttering nervously.

“I won’t be coming home tonight,” he stated flatly.

The comfortable atmosphere instantly shifted, turning thick with unspoken danger. Ryder placed his broad hands flat on the table, leaning forward slightly as his obsidian eyes locked onto mine.

“So you stay here. Do not leave the house. If you need anything at all, tell the maids or the guards stationed outside.” His voice grew firmer, dropping into a low, unyielding command that vibrated right through my chest. “And if you want to go somewhere... anywhere... you wait until I come back first. Do you understand?”

I stayed completely silent, my breath catching in my throat.

“The situation out there isn’t safe yet,” Ryder continued quietly, his gaze piercing through my defenses. “Your ex-boyfriend has resources. He could still be actively tracking you down.”

A cold, familiar dread crept back into my chest at the mention of Adrian. But before the panic could spiral, Ryder leaned back, adding one last thing that completely knocked the air from my lungs.

“And besides...” his eyes held mine with a possessive, intense grip that made my skin tingle. “The moment you stepped off that bus, you entered my house. You entered my world, Elena.”

Something dark, dangerous, and utterly untamed flickered behind his calm expression.

“So now... you will listen to everything I say.”

Silence fell over the room. It was an absolute, non-negotiable command.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs, and I nodded immediately, my voice coming out in a breathless whisper. “U—understood.”

For some strange reason... coming from any other man, those words would have felt suffocatingly controlling. It should have triggered my trauma. But looking at the protective, lethal man sitting across from me—Ryder's words made me feel safer than I had ever felt in my entire life.

To Be Continued