[Scene:] The Thorne Estate Grand Ball. Elegant, distant, and dangerous beneath the contract.
That evening, the Thorne Estate hosted a charity ball. The air flowed with expensive champagne and even more expensive lies. Eleanor wore a deep blue gown Alistair had chosen, her beauty a sharply honed weapon.
But she wasn't here to dance.
"Your body is stiff," Alistair whispered to her in a shadow-covered corner beneath a crystal chandelier. "Relax, Eleanor. You must make them believe you belong here, and that you belong to me."
Eleanor knew he was referring to the afternoon's kiss. He wanted her to continue her "worshipful apprentice" performance as if nothing had happened.
[The Body's Lie and Forbidden Lure]
"I cannot relax, Tutor," Eleanor's voice was low, audible only to him. "You broke the contract. I am not afraid of losing ten billion; I am afraid of you controlling me like that again."
Alistair's gaze swept over her collarbone, lingering on the million-dollar diamond necklace he had gifted her.
"Control?" He chuckled, dangerously. "Did you think the kiss in the tearoom was about control? No, Eleanor. It was a punishment. A punishment for daring to harbor treacherous thoughts on my turf."
His words were utterly cruel, yet his hand subtly slid down to her waist, tightening the distance between them. To the public eye, this was the gentle possession of a tutor over his heir.
[Emotional Trap: Bait and Hunter]
"If you continue to look at me with that craving, I will break the contract again in front of everyone." Alistair threatened, his breath cool with mint.
Eleanor looked up, her eyes burning with stubborn defiance. She knew she had to retaliate, using his rules against him.
"Then, I request that you kiss me now, Tutor," Eleanor's voice was clear, firm, and filled with a desperate challenge. "If Clause Seven means nothing to you, then the Inheritance is nothing but a joke."
[Climax: Reverse Provocation]
This reverse provocation struck at Alistair's core: his control and his authority. His hand instantly tightened, nearly crushing her waist.
"You are very good, Eleanor." Alistair's voice was thick with suppressed fury. "You have earned my attention."
He didn't kiss her. Instead, he led her away from the ballroom, towards the rear of the Estate, towards the black forest that was forbidden and unknown to the family.
"Tonight, I will give you a lesson on 'Control'."
(Author's Note):
Chapter four shows Eleanor's retaliation! She knows Alistair fears losing authority, so she attacks his control with the demand to "Kiss me." She succeeded, but the cost is being taken to the family's forbidden zone—the Black Forest. Remember, this forest is tied to the Thorne family's Supernatural secrets.
By: KHChing