Not Yet

Garrett leaned back in the chair, his gaze fixed on Dr. Miranda Wong. Her head had tilted slightly to the side, her eyelids fluttering as she succumbed to the deep, rhythmic hum of the AudioTuring device. Her usual cold, calculating demeanor had melted away, leaving her face slack, serene, and utterly defenseless.

For the first time in weeks, Garrett felt the faintest flicker of relief. It’s working. The hours spent dissecting the device’s intricacies, the countless nights he lay awake rehearsing this moment—it was all worth it. The balance of power had shifted.

He studied her closely, noting the subtle rise and fall of her chest, the way her hands rested limply in her lap. Her dark eyes, so sharp and judgmental when they had first met, were now half-closed, glassy and vacant. She was no longer the icy gatekeeper of his fate but a blank canvas. And he would decide what to paint.

“Dr. Wong,” he said softly, his voice low and steady. No response, but her lips parted slightly, as if her subconscious recognized his voice. He couldn’t help but smirk.

This was the same woman who had stared him down earlier, her every word dripping with self-righteousness. You don’t deserve to be sitting here, she’d said, her tone as cutting as her accusations. He hadn’t forgotten the way she’d looked at him—like he was some rabid animal, ready to be put down.

His jaw tightened as memories bubbled to the surface. The three cowards. That was what started all of this. These three fucks and their damned Woke mommies. They had taken everything from him—his place in school, his freedom, his future. And for what? Because they couldn’t handle a little pushback? Garrett clenched his fists. They’d lied, exaggerated, cried to their parents until the system turned on him like a pack of wolves.

He’d only wanted what was fair, what was his. But Havenbrook didn’t care about fairness. Not for someone like him.

He pushed the anger down, forcing himself to focus. This isn’t about them. Not yet. He had time to plan, time to make sure they all paid. For now, his attention was on the woman in front of him.

“Miranda,” he said, trying her first name. The word felt strange on his tongue, too personal for someone who had been his adversary just minutes ago. But she wasn’t his adversary anymore, was she?

Her head tilted slightly at the sound of her name. A spark of satisfaction flickered in him. She was listening.

“Good,” he murmured, leaning forward. His voice dropped lower, his words deliberate. “You trust me, like you never trustet anyone”

There was a pause before her lips moved, forming the faintest whisper. “Yes…”

His smirk grew. The barrier was gone. All her defenses—the walls she had built to protect herself, to control others—they were crumbling.

“Tell me, Miranda,” he said, his tone casual but probing. “How does it feel to let go?”

Her lips trembled slightly before she answered, her voice soft and distant. “It feels… peaceful.”

Garrett leaned back, savoring the moment. The power coursing through him was intoxicating. He had spent weeks in a cage, scrutinized, ridiculed, judged by people like her. And now? Now he held the leash.

But this wasn’t just about control—it was about undoing everything they had tried to **** on him. Miranda would be the first. She would understand what it meant to lose her autonomy, to question everything she thought she knew.

“Let’s begin,” he said quietly, more to himself than to her.

He adjusted the AudioTuring device, tweaking the frequency slightly. The hum shifted, a lower resonance that filled the room like a heartbeat. Garrett’s heartbeat.

“Miranda,” he said, his voice calm but commanding. “You’re going to help me. You’re going to see the world the way I see it. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Yes…” she murmured, her voice like a faint echo.

“Good,” he said, leaning closer, his icy blue eyes locking onto her slackened face. “You’re not in charge anymore. I am. And we’re going to make a few changes around here.”

His fingers danced over the console as he began to weave his instructions, each word a thread in the tapestry of her new reality. As Miranda sat motionless, her mind open and pliable, Garrett allowed himself a rare smile.

This was only the beginning.