she didn't belong. But tonight, something shifted. She was summoned, not asked, to join him in the east wing a part of the penthouse she hadn't entered before. Marla's eyes had flick

nds," she said. Kael smirked. "Everyone does. They just lie about it." Zaya didn't sit. Instead, she stepped deeper into the room, eyes flicking from the chair to the walls. There were no visible chains, no red flags. But the air felt charged. Intimate. Almost dangerous. Kael set his glass down. "Sit, Zaya." Her eyes met his. "If I don't?" He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, voice calm but sharp. "Then I'll teach you standing up." She inhaled through her nose, fists clenched. Every nerve screamed at her not to give in-but her legs moved on their own. She sat. "Good," he said. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing