Chapter 1
When I, Valentina Solis, opened my eyes, a private recovery suite slowly came into focus.
Zachary Gordon stood beside my bed in a tailored suit, looking down at me as if he were inspecting a machine that had just finished rebooting.
Ximena Leach leaned against Zachary's chest, idly winding the end of his tie around one finger.
"You're awake," Zachary said, without a trace of warmth.
I opened my mouth to demand an explanation. Nothing came out.
"Don't waste your energy." His gaze remained fixed on me. "The system controls your speech and motor functions now."
A faint smile touched his lips as he swiped across the tablet in his hand.
A synthetic, metallic voice suddenly echoed directly inside my head.
"Primary user command received. Emotional Response Module: Active. Behavioral Mode: Gentle Compliance."
The muscles in my face moved without my permission. My lips curved into a warm, affectionate smile.
"I'm awake, Zachary. I'm so sorry I worried you."
My own voice sent a chill through me.
Those were not my words!
Rage surged through my mind, chased by a terror so sharp I could barely think. Yet my body remained still against the pillows, relaxed and obedient, as though nothing was wrong.
Zachary, the man I had loved for five years, had implanted a device in my brain!
"Is the implant really that powerful?" Ximena asked. She moved closer, a smug smile playing across her lips.
"Valentina used to be so stuck-up. Even when you came home drunk, all she did was glare at you and force that disgusting hangover remedy down your throat." Her smile widened. "Now she finally knows how to be sweet."
Zachary chuckled and pinched her cheek. "She was always cold. Such a buzzkill. I had her upgraded so she could finally learn how a proper girlfriend behaves."
I fought to wipe the smile from my face. I tried to throw myself at him. My body did not move.
"Hostile emotional activity detected. Motor override initiated. Appeasement protocol activated."
My arm lifted on its own. My fingers curled around the front of his jacket with practiced tenderness.
"I know I was difficult before, Zachary. From now on, I'll be good. I'll be the girlfriend you deserve."
Inside my own head, I screamed.
The sound seemed to tear through every part of me, but the system smothered my urge to cry before a single tear could form.
Zachary watched me with quiet satisfaction. Then he tapped the tablet, granted Ximena temporary secondary-user access, and placed it in her hands.
"Want to test it?" he asked. "Give her a command."
Ximena accepted the tablet eagerly and selected an option on the screen.
"Secondary user command received. Self-punishment protocol activated."
My right hand rose. It hovered beside my face for one unbearable second. Then it struck me.
The slap snapped my head sideways. Heat blazed across my cheek, and the metallic taste of blood touched my tongue.
"Oh, Valentina."
Ximena covered her mouth, laughter trembling behind her fingers.
"You really should be more careful. You hit yourself awfully hard."
Zachary didn't even blink.
"Did that hurt?" he asked, studying my face.
"Required response: Minimize distress. Display forgiveness. Reassure authorized users."
I turned back to him with a smile. "Not at all. I'll do anything to make both of you happy."
Zachary scoffed. "You should have behaved like this from the beginning instead of forcing me to take such drastic measures. Remember this, Valentina. As far as you're concerned, I'm God."
I stared at the man I had once loved and saw a stranger wearing his face.
I had given him five years of my life. I had co-founded his company and spent countless nights debugging and rewriting the core software that kept it alive.
I had courted investors and solved problems no one else could handle.
All of it had brought me here.
I had always been proud, ambitious, and unwilling to make myself smaller for anyone.
But for Zachary, I had stepped out of the spotlight. I had blunted every sharp edge of myself and cleared every obstacle from his path, all to protect his fragile ego.
He repaid me by complaining that I never gave him enough support, that I could not worship him as effortlessly as Ximena did.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Zachary asked. His brow tightened.
"Did the system freeze?" He stepped closer and seized my chin, forcing my face upward.
"I know exactly what you're thinking, Valentina. You probably want to kill me right now. Too bad you can't control a single muscle in your own body anymore."
His eyes shone with the thrill of absolute control.
"Primary user displeasure detected. Reassurance protocol activated."
My hands slid up to his wrists, and my eyes softened.
"How could I hate you?" I asked softly. "I love you, Zachary. Anything you give me is the best."
For one moment, he simply stared at me. Then he threw back his head and laughed.
He released me, wrapped an arm around Ximena's waist, and guided her toward the door.
"Take her back to the estate as soon as she's discharged. She can handle the internal financial due diligence review for the acquisition. With AI controlling her, she should be far more useful than the cold, ungrateful woman she used to be."
The door slammed behind them. Silence settled over the recovery suite.
The system kept a gentle smile fixed on my face. Deep inside my mind, beyond the reach of his commands, I began sharpening a knife.
