Chapter 8: Brooke’s Story

My name is Brooke Sawyer, I’m 18 years old, and I’m a person who knows exactly what she wants. I’ve always known, in a way. Since I was little, I’ve liked having control over everything around me. Maybe it’s something that runs in the family, or maybe it’s just part of my nature. I’m not sure, but from a very young age, I understood that life wasn’t just a series of random decisions, but a game. And if you didn’t play well, someone else would play it for you.

I come from a wealthy family. Both of my parents are successful entrepreneurs. My mom, Rebecca, runs a digital marketing agency, and my dad, Stephen, is the CEO of an investment firm. They both work a lot, are almost always busy, but that doesn’t bother me. In fact, I grew up learning to be independent from an early age. I had everything I wanted: designer clothes, trips to exotic places, the latest iPhone every time a new one was released. But what really mattered to me was how people saw me, how they perceived me.

My parents never worried too much about my social life, they always trusted that I’d know how to handle myself. It’s true, I was never a problematic child, but I always knew how to manipulate situations in my favor. I learned from them, of course. Watching how they managed the people around them gave me plenty of ideas on how to do the same, but in my own life, and with my own interests. My mom, especially, taught me to always be one step ahead, to play with other people’s expectations and make things happen my way.

At first, my friends thought I was just a popular girl, someone who enjoyed luxury and comfort. But that was just the façade. What really motivated me wasn’t having things or being admired. What I really liked was feeling like I had the power, the complete control over situations and the people around me. When I started to notice that some of the boys at school were a little easier to manipulate than others, the idea of using that advantage seemed even more appealing. And that’s when Evan entered my life.

Evan was always a normal guy, nothing extraordinary. He wasn’t popular, he wasn’t a rebel, he was just there, being... Evan. That made him perfect. People like him are easy to control because they don’t expect anything in return. I, on the other hand, have always been someone who doesn’t settle for mediocrity. I needed something more than just a pretty face or a guy willing to follow me on my whims. I needed a piece on the board that I could really shape, a guy who was as **** to my tactics as he was.

The idea of the contract came to me as a way to test my own skills, to see how far I could go with someone who had no idea what was really in store for them. I knew Evan would never dare to reject me. He wasn’t the kind of person who would question what I told him. And if he did, there would always be a way to make him believe he had no other choice but to follow my rules.

And why did I do it? Well, for several reasons. First, I liked the idea of having someone under my control in such an absolute way. But there was also something deeper. I’ve always felt a little empty, despite having everything. What’s the point of having all the power if you can’t play with it? What’s the point of controlling everyone around you if you don’t have anyone who really challenges you, who makes you feel like you’re capable of controlling everything?

At first, I only saw it as some kind of game. Something fun, something I could handle without anyone finding out. But as I watched how Evan reacted, how he began to give in without even realizing it, I started to see something else in him. He wasn’t just a pawn in my game. There was something in his attitude that fascinated me. His resistance, though small, made me want to keep pushing, to take the game even further.

Maybe what really motivated me to take things so far with him was a mix of boredom and the need to feel like I had complete control. Not just over him, but over everything around me. Maybe I did it for the power. Or maybe for the adrenaline that comes with the challenge of controlling someone so completely. What I do know is that I won’t stop until I’ve tested how far I can take it. After all, he signed it of his own free will.