Page 26 of Bound By Her

CHAPTER 7

NORTH CAROLINA

Adria’s office was a modest space just off her bedroom. The estate had a traditional study in the north wing, but that had belonged to her father.

Behind her, tall windows offered a sweeping view of the grounds. It was still early in the day, and she could feel the sun’s warmth on her back.

The household staff had spent the past week preparing for Bryson’s arrival. Everything needed to go smoothly. Perfectly. There was no room for error. She focused on her mental checklists, issuing quiet corrections to Eric as needed. Her fingers tugged at her sleeve, dragging the cuff down to hide the faded scars on her wrists.

“Ma’am.” Eric stood in the doorway, a solid presence in dark service pants, his belt bristling with gadgets and discreet weaponry.

She didn’t look up. “Hmm?”

“Bryson is here.”

She glanced at the clock. Four hours early.

Of course he was.

If this was Callen’s attempt to throw her off balance, it wouldn’t work. Bryson Winters was hers for the nexttwelve months. A full year to release her anger, to bury the sting of failure beneath control and command.

X had given her one final request, before going radio silent.

Train him.

Maybe X believed Bryson’s sale could earn her leverage. Contacts. Access. The right kind of visibility. A fair request—except for one complication.

Adria had never trained an unwilling submissive.

She could break him. Torment him. But train him?

Eric had helped her rework the itinerary, drawing from military tactics and psychological conditioning. A precise strategy designed to dismantle defenses and rebuild compliance. She wasn’t convinced it would work, but she’d try.

Her hand slid across the white binder on her desk, fingers resting on Bryson’s carefully outlined phases. His checklist. His path.

“You don’t owe Callen anything,” Eric said, still in the doorway. “Give the word and I’ll send Bryson to a safe house. When the year’s up, you can auction him off, trained or not. Your reputation will hold. And despite what X thinks, you don’t need new contacts.”

She paused, glancing up. It wasn’t often Eric questioned her, but this was the third time he’d brought it up.

Perhaps he sensed her dark intention and sought to maintain her virtue. Too bad, she lost that a long time ago.

“You think he’s too much for me?” she asked, voice cool.

Eric didn’t answer right away. He chose his words carefully. “The program we laid out will work. But this is different from your normal lot.”

She turned her chair, facing the windows. Morning light spilling across the grounds. Eric shifted behind her, silent but present.

“I know you have…plans,” he said.

She turned, arching an eyebrow. “Suddenly you have a conscience?”

“You know what I mean.” His tone softened. “Some things aren’t worth winning.”

But her whole life was a game, and the only way to stay breathing was to win.

“Proceed as planned.”

Bryson Winters, and the man who made him, had taken the one thing from her that mattered. Now, she was going to make them pay.

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