[BL] Obsessed with Him, Surrendered to His Voice

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: A Contract With Dangerous Rules 1

~Reynold’s POV~

”’Mr. Corvin’ sounds too distant. And I don’t want to be distant from you anymore. So call me Frederick.”

A fresh sob caught in my throat, but I couldn’t stop the small, breathless laugh that escaped me. I nodded eagerly and wrapped my arms around his neck again, holding him tightly.

Frederick’s hands settled on my hips as he pulled me closer. He murmured against my hair, ”Silly boy. You’re crying because you thought I wasn’t coming back, aren’t you? Are you really that afraid of being alone?”

I nodded. ”Yes. I was terrified you wouldn’t come back to me.”

Frederick held me a little tighter. ”I’m here now. I came back, so stop crying, okay?”

”Okay,” I whispered.

For a while, neither of us said anything. I stayed in his arms, quietly enjoying the comfort of having him there again. Eventually, Frederick broke the silence.

”About the contract... are you really ready to sign it?”

I pulled back, resting my hands against his chest as I looked up at him. Without a shred of hesitation, I nodded. ”Yes, I’m ready to sign it.”

Frederick looked at me carefully, his expression serious. ”If you don’t want to sign it, you can tell me. I’ll still provide everything you need, and nothing will change. You don’t have to sign this contract just because you’re afraid of losing my support.”

I thought about it, my mind racing through the past few weeks. A five-year contract with him was infinitely better than drifting into the terrifying uncertainty of having nothing between us. Even though I knew he wouldn’t love me in the way I desperately craved, I was certain that with a binding agreement, he wouldn’t just walk out of my life again.

I looked up into his intense eyes and nodded firmly. ”I’m ready. I want to sign it.”

Frederick gave a slow nod. ”Fine. But before you sign it, I have a few things to ask you about your family. If we’re really going to do this, I need to know what’s going on.”

”Alright,” I whispered, sitting up straight and pulling my knees against my chest.

Frederick looked at me for a moment before asking, ”Tell me about your family. Why have they always treated you so badly?”

I leaned back against the pillows, trying to gather my thoughts as memories from my childhood came rushing back. An old ache settled in my chest. I took a deep breath before finally speaking.

”My family has been cruel to me for as long as I can remember. It started when I was little,” I said quietly. ”Especially my stepmother. She has always hated me. When I was seven, all I wanted was for my family to celebrate my birthday, just like they did for my siblings. I asked her about it while my father was away on a business trip. That was one of the worst days of my life because there was no one there to stop her or help me.”

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the painful memory. ”She locked me in a dark, empty room for three days. She didn’t give me any food or water. I cried and begged her to let me out, promising that I would never ask for anything again, but she wouldn’t listen.”

”She only opened the door on the third day, just before my father came home. She gave me a plate of food and warned me not to tell him what she had done. She said that if I ever told him, she would make sure my life became a living hell.”

Tears pricked my eyes, but I forced myself to look at Frederick, who was listening in silence.

”I’ve been through so much,” I continued, my voice trembling. ”I’ve never been celebrated for anything in my life. I don’t have anyone else except my mother, and she’s sick. Everyone in that house has been cruel to me, except my sister. She’s the only one who has ever been kind to me.”

Frederick’s jaw tightened. ”If it’s really that bad, why do you still put up with them? Why haven’t you cut them off?”

”Because they promised me that if I was obedient, they would let me meet my mother when I turn twenty-two,” I said, my voice trembling. ”They told me she’s mentally ill and needs special medical treatment. Knowing that I’ll finally get to see her one day, even if she’s sick, is the only reason I’ve done everything they asked of me. Whenever I disobey, my father threatens to stop paying for her treatment. That’s the only thing they have to hold over me.”

Frederick’s brow furrowed. ”So you’ve never actually met your mother?”

I slowly shook my head. ”No. But when I turn twenty-two, I’m going to make them tell me where she is, and I’ll go to her myself. She’s the only family I have left. I don’t care if she’s sick or broken. She’s still my mother. That’s why I’ve put up with all of this for so long. I only have a few more years to endure, and then I’ll finally be free from them.”

”They’re using your mother to keep you under their control,” Frederick said, his voice flat. ”Have you ever talked to your mother? Have you heard her voice or even seen what she looks like? Are you sure she’s still alive?”

I looked at him. ”She’s alive. My father told me she is. I’ve never heard her voice or seen her, but he says that’s only because she’s sick.”

Frederick frowned. ”Even if she’s sick, showing you a picture of her shouldn’t be that difficult, Reynold. If they expect you to endure all this for her, you should at least be sure that she’s really there.”

I lowered my gaze. ”I know. But they won’t tell me anything. Still, you don’t have to worry about me. I can endure it. It’s just... when I didn’t go home last weekend, my father threatened to stop paying for her treatment completely. I don’t even know which hospital she’s in. If I knew, I would have taken the money you gave me, gone straight there, and moved her somewhere I could afford to take care of her.”

Frederick let out a slow breath and leaned back against the headboard. ”This is pure cruelty. Are you even sure that man is your father? How did your mother meet him in the first place? Do you know anything about their history?”

I gave a bitter laugh. ”Yes, he’s my father. I’ve lived with him since I was little. As for my mother and father, their story is complicated, and I’ve never believed everything they told me. They claim my mother forced herself on my father, that she was just a maid working for the Blake family before she seduced him and had me. I don’t know what really happened between them, and I’ve never had any proof to know whether their story is true or not.”

Frederick sighed, his expression softening as he reached out and pulled me closer.

”I understand now, Reynold. I really do. I’ll see what I can find out. After everything you’ve told me, I don’t believe you’ve been told the whole truth about your family.”

I looked at him. ”Please help me find my mother. I want to meet her. I just want the chance to know her and finally be free from all of them.”

Frederick held me a little closer. ”You don’t have to worry, Reynold. We’ll find out what really happened soon, okay?”

I nodded. ”Thank you.”

”You don’t have to thank me. Just be honest with me from now on. If something is bothering you, tell me. Don’t hide anything from me again, okay?”

I leaned into his touch, feeling a small sense of safety settle in my chest. ”Okay,” I said. ”Do you have any other questions?”

”No more questions,” he murmured, his thumb brushing gently across my cheek. ”But there are a few strict rules you need to read carefully before you sign the contract, along with some conditions you’ll have to follow.”

”Alright.” I nodded, my heart beating a little faster.

Frederick gently pulled away and got out of bed. He walked over to the travel bag he had brought with him and pulled out a thick manila folder.

He returned to the bed and placed it on my lap.

”Here’s the contract,” Frederick said, his tone turning more businesslike. ”But before you sign it tomorrow, I’m having my personal doctor come over to give you a full medical examination. Once the results are back and everything is clear, you’ll sign it.”

”I understand,” I whispered, opening the folder.

Frederick looked at me seriously. ”Read every page carefully and make sure you understand everything before you sign. Pay particular attention to the section about our sexual arrangement. That part is important.”

I carefully read through the preamble. It explained the purpose of the contract, the financial arrangements, the boundaries of our agreement, and my obligation to follow every rule written in it.

I turned to the next page, my breath catching as my eyes landed on the main rules governing the five-year term.

Clause One: I was strictly forbidden from developing romantic feelings for Frederick. At the same time, I was not allowed to pursue or fall in love with anyone else outside the contract.