Lauren finished the silent breakfast with cold efficiency, setting her chopsticks aside. She rose from her chair, her presence filling the dining area like an unspoken command.
"Get ready. We leave in twenty minutes. Wear the charcoal trousers and the black button-up I chose yesterday. Nothing more until I say."
Ryan nodded quickly, keeping his head lowered. "Y-yes, Mommy," he whispered, voice barely carrying.
He stood with careful movements, a tiny flinch tightening his shoulders as the welts on his thighs pulled, but he held himself together, biting the inside of his cheek to stay quiet.
He dressed in the luxurious clothes with trembling fingers, the soft fabric brushing painfully over the bruises on his front.
The charcoal trousers sat low on his hips, and the black button-up felt heavy against his marked skin. He kept every reaction small, too scared to show more.
They rode to Voss Tower in silence.
In the car Ryan sat rigidly beside her, flinching faintly whenever the vehicle turned or stopped abruptly.
Each small jerk made him draw a sharp little breath, but he forced himself to remain still, eyes down, heart racing with terror at the thought of annoying her.
>>>>>>>
Upon reaching the 52nd floor, Lauren strode into her private office suite with Ryan trailing close behind.
Her assistant, a sharp-eyed woman in her late twenties named Elena, stood waiting with a tablet in hand, posture straight and respectful. No one ever sat in Lauren's presence unless explicitly ordered. Chairs were for Lauren alone.
"Sit," Lauren commanded, pointing to the low cushioned stool placed deliberately beside her executive chair.
Ryan obeyed instantly, lowering himself onto the stool with a barely noticeable flinch as his thighs met the seat. "Th-thank you," he breathed so softly it was almost lost.
He kept his hands folded tightly in his lap, shoulders slightly hunched, every muscle tense with fear.
Elena remained standing a few feet away, back straight, while Ryan was allowed the stool from the very first day.
Lauren settled into her chair and began working on her laptop, issuing occasional orders to Elena about security updates and pipeline logistics.
Ryan stayed perfectly still beside her, barely breathing, his good, solid core rising and falling in shallow rhythm. He flinched lightly when Lauren reached for a pen, but caught himself, holding the reaction in.
After twenty minutes, Lauren turned toward him.
Without warning, she reached over and removed his blazer with smooth, possessive hands. "Elena. Place this there." She handed the garment to her assistant, pointing to a side table.
Elena took it immediately. "Yes, ma'am." She placed it straight and returned to her spot.
Lauren didn't stop there. Her fingers moved to the buttons of Ryan's black shirt, unbuttoning them one by one with deliberate slowness.
Ryan's breath hitched the moment her gloved fingertips brushed his skin. He flinched hard, shoulders jerking inward as the fabric parted.
"Ah...!" A tiny, fearful sound escaped before he could swallow it.
His eyes widened in panic at the exposure, the cool office air hitting the welts and bruises across his chest and stomach.
"M-Mommy… p-please… everyone can see…" His voice came out in a soft, stuttering whisper, trembling with shame and terror. He flinched again when her hands slid the shirt off his shoulders, the light touch feeling like fire against his marked skin.
"Stay like this," Lauren said coldly, pulling the shirt fully away and handing it to Elena as well. "Hang it properly."
Ryan nodded quickly, head bowed low, cheeks burning. "Y-yes… yes, Mommy," he managed, voice barely audible.
He sat there bare-chested now, the vivid welts and bruises on full display across his torso the soft definition of his core making the dark marks stand out even more starkly.
He flinched visibly when Lauren leaned closer, terrified of what might come next.
She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him forward just enough to press an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his throat, her lips warm and claiming. Ryan stiffened, a shaky exhale leaving him as her teeth grazed lightly.
"Mmm… Mommy…" he whispered fearfully, flinching again at the intimate contact right in front of the assistant. His hands trembled in his lap, but he didn't pull away, too scared to resist.
Elena coughed once, a fake, polite sound meant to remind Lauren of her presence.
Lauren pulled back only slightly and turned her head, eyes narrowing into pure ice. "Problem?"
Elena paled instantly. "N-no, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."
"Good." Lauren dismissed her with a single word and returned her attention to Ryan. She leaned in again, continuing the slow, open-mouthed kiss along his neck, her tongue tracing lightly over his pulse point in a display of absolute ownership.
Ryan's breathing grew shallower, tiny flinches rippling through him with every press of her lips. He kept his eyes down, voice reduced to the softest, most terrified murmurs.
"I-I'm s-sorry… if I'm… making trouble…" he breathed between the kisses, so quietly it was almost inaudible.
Another small flinch shook his shoulders when her hand rested possessively on his bare shoulder. "P-please… I'll be good… I promise…"
Lauren continued working on her laptop with one hand while her mouth stayed on his neck, the kisses lazy yet dominant, occasionally sucking lightly to leave faint marks that would bloom later.
The ruthless mafia queen showed no embarrassment, no hesitation. Ryan belonged to her, and she would remind everyone including her assistant... of that fact whenever she chose.
Elena stood silently now, eyes carefully averted, tablet clutched tightly. The air in the office felt thicker, charged with Lauren's cold dominance and Ryan's palpable fear.
He barely dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak more than broken whispers of apology and obedience.
Inside Lauren, that unwelcome tightness returned to her chest as she felt him flinch under her touch.
"Keep still," she murmured against his neck between kisses, voice low and commanding. "You exist for this. For me."
Ryan gave the tiniest nod, flinching once more at the words. "Y-yes… Mommy… only for you…" His voice was a fragile whisper, eyes glassy with fear, body tense and ready to recoil at any sharper movement from her.
Lauren continued her work and her claiming kisses without interruption, the assistant forgotten in the background.