For the next month, the penthouse became a theater of calculated errors. Kael discovered that the more "clumsy" he was, the more Eleanor's obsession with control grew. He would "accidentally" spill potting soil on the white marble foyer. He would "forget" to water the orchids. He would leave the garden gate unlatched, allowing the neighborhood cats to wreak havoc on the flower beds.
Each mistake was followed by the same ritual: the cold summons to the office, the harsh critique, the feeling of her eyes scanning his body for weaknesses, and eventually, the explosive release in the bedroom or on the obsidian desk.
"You are an absolute disaster, Kael," Eleanor said one afternoon, standing over him while he knelt on the office floor, scrubbing a coffee stain he had intentionally created.
"I
