Page 8 of Blackwell Manor: A Lesson in Submission

And then, without another word, he stood.

Isabella’s stomach dropped.

The room shifted.

Elias moved around the table, slow, steady, hunting.

Coming for her.

And Isabella didn’t run.

Because she wanted to be caught.

Chapter 4 – A Lesson in Obedience

The Note

Isabella woke to the soft glow of moonlight spilling through her window. Her body felt heavy, restless, aching—as if it still remembered the heat of Lillian’s touch from dinner, the way Elias had watched her, silent, patient, waiting for her to break.

She sat up, her fingers tangling in the sheets, her mind still clouded from wine, from desire, from confusion. But then, she saw it.

A note.

Slipped under her door.

She hesitated before reaching for it, unfolding the smooth paper with unsteady hands.

Come to the library.

Do not hesitate.

There was no signature. No explanation.

But she knew.

And she knew she shouldn’t go.

She should lock the door. She should go back to sleep.

Instead, she rose from the bed.

Because she wasn’t sure she could ever sleep again unless she knew what awaited her.

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The Library

The house was silent as Isabella made her way through the dimly lit hallways, her bare feet padding across cold marble. The darkness felt thick, pressing against her skin, whispering secrets in her ear.

When she reached the library doors, her heart hammered against her ribs.

She could still turn back.

She could still pretend this never happened.

But instead, she pushed the door open.

And Lillian was waiting for her.

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