for the next six months. The cardboard boxes she had unpacked earlier were scattered across the polished floors, a visual reminder of

She shivered, pulling her cardigan tighter around her, wishing she could disappear into the sheets and wake up somewhere safe. She hated herself for the flu

making her start. Her pulse spiked, and she

e said, calm, measured,

anding and smoothing the

r in a wave, leaving her stomach twisting and her pulse hammering. "It's time to go over the rules again," he said, voice low and d

to remind him she wasn't a child, but words failed her under his piercing ga

lity is required. Privacy will be respected, but boundaries are non-negotiable. And remember," he paused, letting the silence stretch ju

erself. Yet part of her body betrayed her, responding to the heat of his proximity, the intensity in his vo

?" he asked softly

pered, though t

h. "Adaptation includes awareness. Noticing details. Timing. Presentation. Even your reactions to me. Every

ade it impossible to think clearly. She hated the way her heart raced, th

ed, barely above a whisper, tho

sn't just about survival. It's about observation, discipline, adaptation. You

lowed hard. "Test it?" she ask

her, teasing, intimate. "You may find it challeng

nt, which had moments ago felt like a sanctuary, now seemed suffocating under hi

create without touching her. "You will adapt or you will falter," he murmured. "Your reactions, your

red again, her vo

lips-just enough to make her pulse spike and her knees weaken. "The rest is simple. Follow the rules.

trol, power, and luxury. Every detail was perfect, reflecting the man she now had to live with. The city skylin

at he could be watching, cataloging, judging every motion. She hated herself for th

the bed, a low, deliberate clearing of

intent, a subtle charge that made her skin prickle. The faint brush of his presence, the shadow of his body near hers,

tly. "I-I understand," she

r, teasing. "You will adapt... or you will

second of silence felt heavy with anticipation. Her breath caught in her throat, her awar

, Ava collapsed onto her bed, trembling. The apartment felt empty, yet

gating, resisting... and something she could not y

acted to his proximity, the way her mind replayed his every glance. And yet... she knew, deep

just command space; he demanded attention, compliance, and somethi

angerous spark whispere