Page 19 of Blackwell Manor: A Lesson in Submission

She was done fighting.

She stood—slowly, carefully, her body betraying every last ounce of restraint she had left.

And then, she crossed the room and knelt before him.

Her head bowed.

Her lips parted.

Her breath uneven, full of need.

Elias exhaled, slow and satisfied, as he reached down, tilting her chin up with his fingers.

“You understand now, don’t you?” he murmured.

Her entire body ached for him, for his touch, for his control.

“Yes.”

Elias’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk.

“Good girl.”

Chapter 9 – A Dangerous Proposition

The Offer

Isabella stood in Elias’s office, her body tense, burning, wanting, the weight of his gaze holding her in place. The fire crackled softly in the grand fireplace, casting flickering shadows against the walls, but the true heat in the room wasn’t from the flames.

It was from him.

From Lillian, who lounged in an armchair beside him, smirking like she already knew the outcome of this conversation.

From the decision Isabella had to make.

She had thought the past few days had been about temptation.

But now she realized—they had been about control. About ownership. About whether she would take the final step into something she could never come back from.

And now, Elias was done waiting.

He leaned back in his chair, utterly composed, utterly powerful, his fingers tapping once against the desk before he spoke.

“Stay.”

One word. A command, not a request.

Isabella’s breath caught, her body tight, pulsing, betraying her.

Elias continued, his voice steady, firm, absolute.

“You know what this is, Isabella. What we are.”** He leaned forward slightly, and she could feel the power in his words, the weight of them pressing into her skin.**

“No more games. No more hesitation. No more fighting it.”

Lillian hummed in amusement, stretching lazily. “Oh, darling, don’t pretend you don’t want this. We’ve already seen the way you fall apart when we touch you.”

Isabella shuddered, breath uneven, heart hammering against her ribs.

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