Page 177 of The Owner's Temptation

Its traps.

And most importantly, I know the way she thinks when she’s cornered.

She wants to win.

Which is why I’m about to give her exactly what shethinksshe wants.

I slow down. Let her hear me.

Boots against tile. Heavy. Measured. Deliberately too loud. I let the sound of my pursuit echo down the main corridor, then dip left—slipping into a side passage hidden behind layers of blackout curtains. She won’t see me veer. She’ll only hear me moving away.

The bait is set.

I head for theEcho Chamber.

It’s one of the more sadistic additions toWrath—a circular enclosure filled with fractured mirrors, angled sound walls, and soft floor tiles that absorb footfalls while amplifying others. Disorientation by design.

Sienna doesn't know this floor. Not like I do.

But she will. Soon.

I circle through the outer edge of the maze, taking the longer route around, letting the rhythm of my footsteps continue in the opposite direction.

And right on cue… I hear her.

Her breath. Her steps. Her soft, cautious approach.

She thinks she’s flanked me.

Good.

Let her think she’s clever. Let her believe she’s finally made the right choice.

She slips into the chamber.

I slide in after her through the second entrance.

The space goes silent. So still you could hear her heartbeat if you listened hard enough.

She’s careful. Crouched low. Moving slow. Her hand brushes against one of the mirrors, and I see her reflected a dozen times—flickering ghosts of herself stretching into the dark.

She’s surrounded.

And has no idea.

I stay behind the wall, circling just outside the main ring, using the mirrors to track her position. Every time she thinks she hears something, she moves toward it. Her own footfalls double back at her. Her own breathing bounces off the glass.

She’slost.

I watch her turn in a slow circle, trying to find the source.

Her body is tight with adrenaline. The sheer bodysuit clings to her like a second skin, and those thin chain garters at her thighs are glittering like bait.

She came here to be hunted.

Now, she’s exactly where I want her.

I move into the ring—just a few steps behind her. Silent.

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