All Chapters of UNDER HIS RULES: Trapped in his game: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

‎‎The conference room was thick with a suffocating, fluorescent-lit tension. Around the long mahogany table, my coworkers were divided into two distinct camps.‎‎‎ A few stared at me with wide eyes, silently admiring my sheer guts, while the rest leaned back with smug, mocking grins, practically counting down the seconds until my public execution.‎‎‎“Miss Hale,” Mrs. Gable called out. Her voice possessed that distinct, nails-on-a-chalkboard squeak that had grated on my nerves since my very first day on the payroll. ‎‎She adjusted her reading glasses, peering over them like a disappointed school principal. I had detested her from the moment we met, a sentiment she reciprocated with equal interest. ‎‎We were always at loggerheads, but today, the fuse had finally burned out. ‎‎“You need to learn to follow basic corporate instructions.”‎‎“Not when those instructions require me to violate labor laws, Mrs. Gable,” I fired back, crossing my arms. I refused to let my voice shake

The lobby of Sanders Tower didn’t look like a place where people came to work. It looked like a monument designed to remind you exactly how small you were.I stepped across the polished white marble, my heels clicking in a rhythmic, unyielding cadence that echoed against the soaring glass atrium. I kept my chin up, my posture rigid, and my expression locked in a mask of absolute indifference. My clothes were the best I had left—a tailored black blazer and a crisp, high-collared shirt. It was my armor.I approached the massive, crescent-shaped security desk.The receptionist sat behind a glass partition, her fingers moving lazily over a touchscreen. When I stopped in front of her, she paused, lifting her chin to scan me. Her gaze was instant, accusatory, and heavily laced with a judgmental stiffness. She obviously knew who I was. Or rather, she knew the chaotic, ruined record attached to my name in the system.I didn't break eye contact. I simply stared back, matching her hostilit

Heavy morning traffic had eaten thirty minutes of my life, leaving me trapped in a stationary car while the digital clock on my phone ticked mercilessly toward nine o'clock. By the time I walked into the lobby, it was 9:24 AM.I kept my spine straight as I approached the security gates.The receptionist didn't even lift her chin, keeping her eyes fixed on her screen in a move of calculated ignorance. I returned the favor, sweeping past without a single glance.Before I could barely settle in my seat, the office line rang, instincts telling me who it was.“My office, now”.My jaw tightened. Of course.When I entered the top floor, Kaelen Sanders was exactly where I had left him yesterday."You're twenty-four minutes late, Miss Hale”."Traffic was compromised, Mr. Sanders," I replied, my voice flat, holding his piercing gaze without a single flinch."It won't happen again.""I don't care about the logistics of your morning," he cut in coldly. "I care about results."He reached into a

The house was quiet when Kael stepped inside.Warm light spilled across the living room. For the first time all day, the place felt calm.The faint scent of brewed tea lingered in the air.“Kael”The voice came from the living room.He loosened his tie slightly as he walked in.His grandmother sat comfortably on the couch, a cup of tea resting in her hands. Her eyes lifted the moment she saw him, a gentle smile forming on her lips.“I was starting to think you would sleep at the office.”“There was so much to do today,” Kael replied.“You always say that.”He didn't respond, he sank into the seat across from her, resting his arm lightly against the side.She took a slow sip of her tea, watching him."You have that look again.""What look?""The one you get when you've already made up your mind.”"Something's bothering you.” She continued.“It's nothing I can't handle.”“You've always said that.”"This has something to do with your company.”“You're getting involved again, aren't you?