The morning arrived too fast, and the penthouse already buzzed with activity when I stepped into the office.
Adrian was at his desk, reviewing reports, his posture precise, unyielding. Yet when his eyes found mine, I felt a strange tension, sharp and heavy.
"Your schedule is full," he said, voice calm but carrying a quiet edge. "No distractions. No hesitations."
"I'll keep up," I replied, steadying my hands.
He watched me, as though measuring my resolve, the space between us thick with unspoken rules and forbidden energy.
By midday, a client emergency pulled him away, leaving me alone with a stack of contracts and a quiet office that suddenly felt too vast. I tried to focus, but every glance at the city through the glass walls reminded me of the world I'd left behind—and the one I was now tethered to.
Then, unexpectedly, he returned, quiet and deliberate.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from him.
My pulse spiked. Meetings with him were never casual.
He slid a folder toward me, but instead of speaking, he just watched, his gaze intense. The silence was suffocating, almost intimate, forcing me to focus entirely on him.
"What's this?" I asked, trying to sound professional.
"Information you need," he said, voice low. But the tension in his tone suggested it was about more than the papers.
I flipped through the documents, aware of his presence close enough that I felt the heat radiating off him. Every word, every glance, every subtle gesture carried weight—more than any task should demand.
"You're learning quickly," he murmured, eyes lingering. "But remember—this world isn't forgiving. Neither am I."
I swallowed hard, caught between fear and fascination. His intensity was overwhelming, yet impossible to resist.
When he finally left, the room felt emptier than before. And I realized that the invisible tether between us had tightened again, stronger, more suffocating.
I reminded myself of the rules, of my need for survival. And yet, for the first time, I wondered if resisting him was even possible—or if I wanted to.
Adrian Blackwood didn't just control this world. He controlled the space around me. The air I breathed. The thoughts I couldn't stop having.
And I had no choice but to stay—closer to him than I had ever intended.