Chapter Fifteen

Ava’s POV

The question hung between us like a blade.

Corren’s hand remained against the side of my neck, thumb resting just below my jaw, holding my face turned up to his. His eyes did not move from mine. The silence stretched long enough that I could hear the distant sound of a car on the front drive and the soft tick of the clock on the mantel.

“No one convinced me,” I said. My voice came out quieter than I wanted, but it stayed steady. “I didn’t talk to any of the staff about it. I didn’t ask Marcus or Raymond or anyone else. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since before I came here. I had plans, Corren. They didn’t disappear just because everything else did.”

His expression remained unreadable. The pressure of his thumb against my skin was light, but it was enough to keep me exactly where he wanted me. I could feel the heat of his body, the controlled tension in the way he stood. Part of me expected him to refuse. Another part—the part that had already learned the shape of his authority—waited for the conditions that would follow any permission.

He studied me for several more seconds.

Then, slowly, he lowered his hand.

“You want structure,” he said. “Something that belongs to you outside of this house.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re prepared to accept the terms I set.”

It was not really a question, but I answered anyway. “Yes, Daddy.”

The title left my mouth without hesitation. I watched the effect of it move through him—subtle, but present. He stepped back, creating a small distance between us, and gestured toward the chair opposite his own.

“Sit.”

I sat. He returned to his seat and rested both hands on the arms of the chair, fingers relaxed, posture composed. For a moment he simply looked at me across the space that separated us. The intensity of his attention had not lessened; it had only changed temperature.

“You will attend classes during the day,” he said finally, each word precise. “A driver will take you and bring you back. You will not deviate from the agreed schedule. You will keep your phone on and answer if I call. You will not meet anyone I have not approved in advance. If any of these conditions are broken, the arrangement ends immediately. Clear?”

Relief moved through me so sharply I almost felt dizzy. “Clear.”

“You will provide me with your full timetable before Monday. I want the names of your instructors and the buildings where your classes are held. Raymond will review the routes.”

I nodded. “I’ll get everything together today.”

Corren leaned back slightly, eyes still on my face. “You’re surprised I said yes.”

“A little,” I admitted.

“I am not interested in watching you disappear inside these walls until there is nothing left of you,” he said. The words were calm, almost cool, but they landed with unexpected weight. “I prefer what is mine to remain intact.”

The way he said *mine* sent a slow current of heat through my stomach. I looked down at my hands for a moment, then back up at him. The possessiveness in his voice no longer shocked me the way it once had. That, more than anything, told me how far I had already shifted.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then returned his gaze to me.

“There will be practical matters to handle before you begin,” he continued. “Clothes. Materials. A proper bag. The things you brought with you are not sufficient for the environment you will be walking into.”

I waited, sensing there was more.

Corren rose from the chair again and crossed the small distance between us. He stopped in front of me and looked down, the height difference forcing me to tilt my head back. One hand lifted, and he brushed a strand of hair away from my face with a care that still unsettled me.

“On Monday you are beginning your school,” he said, voice low and final. “Tomorrow we are getting you a better dress, and we are going shopping.”