THE LEASH OF DEVOTION

Evelyn felt her stomach drop into an abyss. "What are you talking about?"

Ethan took two slow steps forward, tossing the black master remote up and catching it in his palm.

"That camera feed doesn't connect to a security company," Ethan explained, his voice laced with a dark, proud arrogance. "It connects to a private cloud server. A server owned by my mother's estate. The only person who has access to that live feed is currently standing right behind me."

Evelyn looked at Clara. The old woman held the leather leash tightly, her gray eyes staring back at Evelyn without a single trace of fear or hesitation.

"You..." Evelyn breathed, realization washing over her like cold water. "You were watching him... even when you weren't here."

"I built Ethan to be precise," Clara spoke up, her voice icy and firm. "I watched his progress every single day. I monitored his discipline. And when he failed to keep you in line, Evelyn, I stepped in to finish the job."

"You built a monster!" Evelyn shrieked.

"I built a son who obeys!" Clara countered sharply. "A son who understands that family secrets remain within family walls. You were an outsider, Evelyn. We allowed you into this house to give Ethan an heir. But you have become a liability."

Ethan raised the remote control, his thumb hovering over a red button on its face.

"We are going to take Lily down to the wine cellar, Evelyn," Ethan said softly, his tone completely matter-of-fact. "She will spend a few days in the dark until she forgets what she said today. And as for you... well, accidents happen in big houses every day. A fall down the stairs. A slip in the shower. The police will be very sympathetic to a grieving husband."