Bound By His Signature

Chapter Three (The First Rule)

Maya POV

I did not sleep.

Not because I tried and failed, but because my body refused to relax. Every time I closed my eyes, the room felt too quiet. Not peaceful quiet. The kind that makes your thoughts louder.

And all I kept hearing in my head was the same thing.

You just stepped into something you do not understand.

By morning, I was still sitting on the edge of the bed. I had not moved much all night. The room was too big for comfort. Too clean. Too perfect. It did not feel like mine.

It felt like I was placed inside someone else’s life.

A knock came at the door.

I looked up.

Before I could answer, the door opened slowly.

Gabriel walked in.

He did not rush. He did not hesitate. He just entered like it was normal for him to be there.

“You did not sleep,” he said.

It was not a question.

“No,” I replied.

His eyes stayed on me for a moment. Not harsh. Not soft. Just calm and unreadable.

“You will get used to it,” he said.

I let out a small breath. “That sounds like something people say when they are not the ones going through it.”

His expression did not change. “You had a choice.”

“That is what you keep saying,” I replied. “But it does not feel like one.”

Before anything else could be said, there was another knock.

Gabriel turned slightly. “Come in.”

The door opened again.

A woman stepped inside.

She stopped for a second when she saw me, then quickly adjusted her posture. Her attention went to Gabriel first.

“Good morning, Mr Maxwell,” she said.

Then she turned to me. “Good morning, Mrs Maxwell.”

Her tone was polite. Careful. Not too friendly, not cold either. Just professional.

That was when it really hit me.

Mrs Maxwell.

It still did not feel real.

Gabriel gave a small nod. “Clara.”

So her name was Clara.

She walked in holding a tablet. “Your schedule is ready.”

Gabriel replied first. “Go ahead.”

Clara turned slightly toward me. “Mrs Maxwell, I will be assisting you while you are here. Anything you need within the house, I will handle it.”

I nodded slowly. “Alright.”

Then she added, “There are security rules in place. You will need to inform us before leaving the building.”

I frowned a little. “So I cannot just go out when I want to?”

Gabriel answered before she could. “You can move freely inside the house.”

That surprised me slightly. His voice was calm, like it was obvious.

Clara added gently, “Outside movement is arranged for safety reasons.”

That word again. Safety.

It sounded better than restriction, but it still felt the same.

“There is also a first rule,” Clara said after a short pause.

I sighed a little. “I think I know it already.”

She nodded. “It still applies.”

I waited.

“You are not allowed inside Mr Maxwell’s private office without permission.”

I looked at Gabriel. “Everyone keeps repeating that like it is very important.”

“It is,” he said simply.

I crossed my arms. “Why?”

His eyes stayed on mine. “Because not everything here is open access.”

That answer did not explain much. But his tone made it clear there would be no further discussion.

Clara stepped back slightly. “I will be outside if you need anything.”

She left the room quietly.

But before the door closed, she gave me a small respectful nod.

Not cold. Not distant. Just careful.

When she was gone, the room felt quieter.

I turned back to Gabriel.

“Why am I really here?” I asked.

He did not answer immediately.

That silence was starting to feel like part of him.

“Because people will try to reach you through me,” he said finally.

I frowned. “What people?”

“People who understand leverage,” he replied.

That word again.

I did not fully understand it, but it did not sound good.

My thoughts went back to the phone call.

You just stepped into something you do not understand.

I swallowed. “Is this about last night?”

Something in his expression changed slightly.

“Yes.”

“Do you know who it was?”

“No.”

That honesty should have made me feel better. But it didn’t.

It only made things feel bigger.

Like I was already inside something I could not see yet.

Gabriel walked to the table and picked up a file I had not noticed before.

“I will handle it,” he said.

He said it so simply. Like it solved everything.

I stepped forward slightly. “You keep saying that, but it does not answer anything for me.”

“It removes risk,” he said.

“I am not a risk,” I replied quickly.

His eyes stayed on me.

“You are connected to me now,” he said. “That alone makes you a target.”

That sentence stayed in the air.

I did not like hearing it, but I could not argue with it either.

“So what happens to me now?” I asked.

“You follow the rules.”

“And if I don’t?”

He paused.

Not angry. Not emotional.

Just certain.

“Then you will understand why they exist.”

That answer felt heavier than a warning.

It felt final.

He turned toward the door.

Before leaving, he stopped.

“One more thing,” he said.

I waited.

“This is not temporary.”

Then he left.

The door closed softly behind him.

And I stood there alone, trying to understand what my life had turned into.

I had not entered a marriage the way people usually do.

I had entered something controlled.

Something structured.

Something I was still learning how to exist inside.

And the worst part was not the rules.

It was the feeling that I was already starting to follow them without even noticing.