Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 367

CLARA

I didn’t wait long after leaving the estate before Elias called.

Chapter 367 She Is Neutral

+5 Pearls

I had just pulled into my apartment complex, the engine still running, when my phone vibrated in the console. I knew who it was before I looked. He never rushed. He always waited just long enough for silence to feel unsafe.

I answered. “I just got back.”

“I know,” he said. His voice was calm. “Tell me how it went.”

I stayed in the car. I needed the small barrier. “Amy agreed to meet. Mark was there. It was controlled. No drama.”

“That’s not detail,” Elias said. “That’s summary.”

I exhaled slowly. “Clara and Mark apologized. Amy listened. She didn’t forgive them, but she didn’t shut the door either.”

“Did she react,” he asked. “Emotionally.”

“No,” I said. “That’s the point. She stayed neutral.”

There was a pause on the line. Elias didn’t interrupt. He let silence do the work.

“And Mark?” he asked.

“He’s trying,” I said. “He wants back into her good graces. He’s careful. More careful than before.”

“And you,” Elias said, “Where do you stand with her now.”

I chose my words. “She’s allowing proximity. Nothing more. But she didn’t reject me.”

“That’s not enough,” Elias said. His tone didn’t change, but the pressure underneath it sharpened. “Proximity without influence is wasted space.”

“I’m aware,” I said. “But pushing would have closed the door.”

“Or clarified it,” he replied. “Which would still be useful.”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Amy isn’t reactive anymore. That makes her harder to move.”

“She’s still human,” Elias said. “And humans respond to pressure, even when they pretend they don’t.”

“I didn’t pretend anything,” I said. “I observed. That was the right call.”

Another pause. Longer this time.

“What did she notice,” he asked.

10:50 am

Chapter 367 She Is Neutral,

+5 Pearls

I hesitated. Just enough.

“She listened carefully,” I said. “I don’t think she trusts me. But she’s curious.”

“Curiosity can be leveraged,” Elias said. “Trust is optional.”

“Only to a point,” I said. “If she feels cornered, she’ll shut everything down.”

“And if you feel cornered,” he said, “what will you do.”

The question wasn’t theoretical. It never was.

“I’m handling it,” I said.

“You’re balancing it,” Elias corrected. “And balances fail when weight shifts.”

“I know what’s at stake,” I said.

“So do I,” he replied. “That’s why I expect more than survival. I expect results.”

“I just came out of the meeting,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Nothing could be rushed.”

“Then don’t rush,” Elias said. “But don’t stall either. Amy’s restraint is not kindness. It’s calculation. If she’s watching you, it’s because she thinks you’ll show her something.”

“I will.” I said.

“You’ll show her what she needs to see,” he said. “Not what you want her to believe.”

The call ended without goodbye.

I sat in the car for another minute, phone still in my hand. My reflection stared back at me from the darkened window. I looked composed. That was the problem. I had learned how to look calm while calculating my next move.

Mark was starting to trust me. Not fully, but enough to soften. He listened when I spoke. He defended me earlier, without being asked. That hadn’t been part of the original plan, but it was useful. Trust opens doors faster than pressure ever could.

Amy was different. She didn’t lean toward trust or anger. She stayed still and let others move around her. That kind of control didn’t come from confidence alone. It came from knowing exactly how much power you held.

Elias wanted influence. Amy offered access. Mark offered trust. None of them wanted the same version of

1. me.

I went upstairs and locked the door behind me. The apartment felt too quiet. I dropped my bag on the chair and leaned against the counter, staring at nothing.

I told myself, again, that I was surviving. That I was adapting to a system that had never given me space to stand without fighting for it. I hadn’t been handed protection. I had earned relevance. That mattered.

2/4

10:50 am

Chapter 367 She Is Neutral,

+5 Pearls

I replayed the meeting in my head. Amy’s eyes when I spoke. The way she didn’t interrupt. The way she didn’t reassure. She wasn’t cold. She was measured. That was worse.

Mark had looked at me when Amy spoke, searching for my reaction. I’d kept my face neutral. That had helped. It always helped to give less than expected.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t Elias.

It was Mark.

“Are you okay?” he asked when I answered.

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just tired.”

“That meeting wasn’t easy,” he said. “Amy’s different now.”

“Yes,” I said. “She is.”

There was a pause. “I meant what I said in there,” he added. “I’m trying to do better.”

“I know,” I said. And I did. He wasn’t pretending. That made him more dangerous in some ways. Honest people assume others are playing the same game.

“I shouldn’t have let things get that far,” he said. “With you. With her.”

“I had my part in it,” I said. Partial truth always landed better than denial.

“I appreciate you not pushing,” he said. “You could have.”

“That wouldn’t have helped,” I replied.

He hesitated. “I defended you earlier. To one of the senior advisors. They were questioning your intentions.”

“I heard,” I said carefully.

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