Chase had her on the couch within minutes of her arrival, the low light and steady hum of the fan already coaxing her into that pliant, open state he loved. He didn’t start with the usual breathing—he didn’t need to. The way she crossed her legs, the subtle lift of her chin… Val was sitting closer to the surface than ever.
“So,” he murmured, leaning forward, elbows resting loosely on his knees. “Tell me what you did.”
Her lips curved, slow and feline. “It wasn’t much. Just… a little nudge.”
His eyes never left hers. “Tell me anyway.”
She let the memory unspool, her voice carrying the same sly undertone as the moment itself. “Diego was in the kitchen, doing his homework, all hunched over like a scared little boy. I told him exactly what he looked like. Weak. Pathetic. The kind of kid people laugh at.”
Chase’s mouth twitched in approval. “And how did he take it?”
“Oh, he tried to act annoyed, but I saw it. The flinch.” She said it like she was savoring a flavor on her tongue. “He didn’t know what to do with it. I walked away before he could find his footing again.”
Chase leaned back, smiling like a sculptor admiring the first real shape in the marble. “Perfect. You didn’t give him the relief of an argument. You left him in that space… small, rattled, off-balance. That’s what Val does.”
Valeria’s breath came a little deeper now, her body settling into the warmth of his approval.
“Do you understand,” Chase continued, his tone dropping, “that every time you make him feel that, you’re taking something from him? A piece of his confidence, a piece of his safety. You’re replacing it with your presence. Until you’re not just his mother—you’re the center of his fear and respect.”
Her eyes softened into that glazed, enthralled look he loved. “Yes… I want that.”
He reached forward, his fingers brushing her wrist, just enough to make her still. “Then keep going, Val. Bigger, sharper. He’s your practice ground. Every time you tear him down, you’re sharpening the claws you’ll use on the rest of the world.”
A shiver went through her—not of shame, but anticipation.
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