The room felt warmer after he said it.
You two planned something.
It was not an accusation. It was not even a question. It was a quiet truth spoken by a man who already understood the evening better than we did.
Renne placed the wine bottle down with hands that were no longer steady. I saw the way he looked at Master V, the way his eyes did not quite meet his. There was a softness in him I had never seen. A small surrender blooming where there should have been confidence.
Master V leaned back in his chair with the kind of calm that makes silence feel full instead of awkward.
"Tell me," he said. "Whose idea was it."
His voice was deep in a natural way, not forced. It held weight. Not threat. Just certainty. It was the kind of voice that made you want to answer even when you were not ready.
Renne opened his mouth first.
"It was mine," he said softly.
That was the moment I felt the shift most clearly.
My husband, who had built the entire fantasy.
My husband, who had promised he would be the one in control.
He was shrinking under the gaze of the man he had invited.
Master V nodded once.
Not in approval or judgment.
Just acknowledgment.
"And what did you expect to happen," he asked.
The question was meant for both of us, but his eyes stayed on Renne.
I could see Renne's throat move as he swallowed.
"We wanted to experience the fantasy," Renne said. "The idea of inviting you and letting Caroline lead with… a little flirtation."
I felt heat rise to my face. He was confessing the plan word for word. He was offering it up without being pushed. If The Bet had been a line between us, it was now a thin thread about to snap.
Master V turned to me.
"Is that true, Caroline."
I nodded slowly.
"Yes. That was the plan."
"And you thought you could control the evening."
His voice held no mockery.
No teasing.
Just truth.
I should have answered quickly. Instead I felt something unsteady flutter in my stomach. For a moment I could not find my voice.
Renne answered for both of us.
"Yes," he whispered.
Master V gave a small thoughtful smile, almost gentle.
"I see."
The silence that followed was not empty. It wrapped around us like warm hands. I felt my breath deepen without meaning to.
Renne's shoulders pulled back. He was waiting. Watching. Responding.
Master V's eyes remained steady on him.
"Stand up," he said softly.
Renne froze.
I froze.
It was not a command delivered loudly.
It was quiet, almost polite.
But Renne stood.
Slowly.
Without hesitation.
As if the words pulled him to his feet.
My heart pounded in my chest. I had never seen him react like that. Not to me. Not to anyone. This was something deeper than the fantasy we had created.
"Good," Master V said.
That single word sent a shiver through me.
He then turned his eyes to me. I felt the weight of it all the way down my spine.
"And you, Caroline," he said. "Was this how you imagined the night beginning."
I forced myself to speak, but my voice came out softer than I expected.
"No. Not like this."
"What changed."
I looked at Renne.
At the way he stood, waiting silently, almost peacefully.
Then I looked back at Master V.
"You," I breathed.
For the first time, Master V's expression softened in a way that felt personal. Not playful. Not surprised. Just aware.
He nodded once, slow and deliberate.
"I know."
The warmth in the room deepened.
The air felt heavy with possibility.
Master V gestured lightly for Renne to sit.
My husband obeyed instantly.
He then turned his full attention to me.
"Come here, Caroline."
Just three words.
But they were the moment The Bet ended.
I stood.
Not because of the plan.
Not because of the fantasy.
I stood because I wanted to.
Because some part of me already understood the truth that Renne had silently accepted.
We had not invited a man into our home.
We had invited a Master.
And the night was only beginning.
The moment I stood, the air in the room changed. It was not sudden, not sharp, but a slow thickening of heat that pressed against my skin like warm hands. Master V watched me rise with a patience that felt more intimate than a touch. Renne remained seated, but I could feel his eyes on me, following every quiet movement I made as if it meant something deeper to him than I understood.
I walked toward Master V one careful step at a time. My heartbeat was loud in my own ears, but the rest of the room felt painfully still. When I reached the corner of the table he lifted his gaze, and it caught me so completely I forgot my next breath.
"Closer," he said.
The word slid into me like a warm current. I stepped forward.
He did not move.
He did not reach for me.
He simply allowed me to come into his presence as if it was my decision and his acceptance at the same time.
When I stopped beside him he tilted his head slightly, studying me in a way that made me feel exposed without being touched.
"You thought you were the one seducing me," he said quietly.
My lips parted in a soft breath.
"Yes," I admitted.
"And now."
I swallowed. I could not look away from him even if I tried.
"Now," I whispered, "I am not sure who is in control."
His eyes warmed with something that felt both knowing and patient.
"You both handed it to me long before you realised it."
The truth in his voice made my chest tighten.
I felt Renne shift in his chair behind me.
I felt his breath hitch.
My husband was listening with the same quiet surrender that had been growing in him since the moment Master V walked in.
Master V lowered his gaze to my hands.
"Place your palms on the table," he said.
The instruction was simple, but the tone made my body react before my mind could catch up. I placed my hands on the edge of the table, fingers spread slightly, shoulders drawing back without meaning to. The wood was cool against my skin, grounding me when everything inside felt warm and unsteady.
"Good," he said softly.
He stood then. Slow. Deliberate. His chair made the faintest sound against the floor, yet it felt like the entire room shifted around that small motion. Renne let out a shaky breath. I did not turn to look at him. I could not break my focus from the man now standing in front of me.
Master V stepped close enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence, but not close enough to touch me. That restraint alone made my pulse race.
"Caroline," he said, my name rolling from his tongue with a gravity that made my knees soften. "When you agreed to this plan, what did you expect to happen."
I opened my mouth, but the answer that came was not one I had rehearsed.
"I thought I would be the one in control," I said quietly. "I thought I would lead the night."
"And Renne."
I hesitated for only a moment.
"He thought he would enjoy watching me take charge."
Master V lifted a brow slightly.
"Is that what happened."
The truth clung to my throat, warm and trembling.
"No," I breathed. "It is not."
His voice dropped to something deeper.
"Show me."
He stepped aside, allowing me a clear view of Renne.
My husband sat completely still.
His shoulders were lowered.
His eyes were soft.
His hands rested gently on his thighs as if waiting for a word he could not predict.
Master V spoke to him, not raising his voice but sharpening it with command.
"Look at your wife."
Renne lifted his head instantly. Our eyes locked.
I had never seen that expression on him.
Not in eight years.
Not in any moment of passion or play or fantasy.
It was devotion.
Not lust.
Not need.
Submission.
And it was directed at me because of Master V.
My breath left me in a slow exhale.
Master V stood behind me now, close enough that I could feel the warmth of him along my back, but he never touched me. He did not need to. His presence alone sent a deep hum through my body.
"Caroline," he said. "Describe what you see."
I swallowed and spoke without thinking.
"I see him giving in," I whispered. "I see him losing the bet."
"Completely," Master V said.
The word felt final. True.
Renne lowered his gaze immediately, as if acknowledging defeat with a silent bow of his head.
A faint tremor went through my arms, still resting on the table. Not fear.
Something far more vulnerable.
Something far more powerful.
Master V stepped to my side again. He did not touch me. Instead he leaned just close enough for his presence to slide along my senses like warm smoke.
"Now the question is," he said softly, "did you win."
I felt heat gather low in my belly.
I felt the pull of my own truth rising with painful clarity.
"No," I said, voice trembling. "I did not win."
He watched me for a long quiet moment.
Then he stepped around the table, positioning himself between Renne and me. The move felt symbolic, deliberate, a shift in the structure of the room and the structure between us.
He placed a hand lightly on the table, close to mine but not touching.
"Both of you offered yourselves without understanding it," he said. "You tried to play with control, not realising you were already drawn to it."
He turned to Renne.
"Stand again."
Renne obeyed instantly. This time he did not hesitate at all.
When I looked at him, I saw not just surrender but relief. A letting go of a weight he had been holding for far longer than he had ever admitted.
Master V stepped closer to him.
Close enough that Renne had to lift his chin slightly to meet his eyes.
Close enough that I felt a small ache in my chest watching them.
"How long," Master V asked, "have you been curious about this."
Renne's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"A long time."
"And your wife."
Renne glanced at me with warmth and guilt combined.
"I never wanted to force her," he said. "I wanted her to choose."
Master V nodded.
"You gave her the idea. You created the fantasy. But look at her now."
Renne turned fully to me.
Master V looked between us with slow patient dominance.
"Tell her what you see," he instructed Renne.
My husband took a shaky breath.
"I see her giving herself to you," he said softly.
The truth of it washed over me like a warm wave.
I did not look away.
I did not deny it.
Master V stepped between us again, claiming the center of the room with calm authority.
"Caroline," he said, "tell your husband what you feel right now."
I lifted my chin, feeling the tremor in my own voice.
"I feel drawn to him," I said. "I feel like I want to follow him."
Renne's breath caught.
His eyes softened even more.
Master V nodded once.
"Good."
He turned to me fully then, his attention anchoring me where I stood.
"Come to me," he said.
I moved without thinking. Without fear. Without hesitation.
Not because I was told.
Because I wanted to.
I stopped in front of him, my breath unsteady, my heart beating hard in my chest.
His voice dropped to something warmer, deeper, more intimate than anything that had come before.
"Caroline," he said. "You tried to seduce me tonight. But you were not the hunter. You were searching."
I felt that truth settle through me like warm liquid.
"You wanted a man who would take your desire seriously.
You wanted a man who would not be moved by games.
You wanted a man who would see you clearly even when you hid behind a plan."
My breath shuddered.
I could not speak.
"And Renne," he continued, "wanted a man he could trust enough to let go around."
Master V stepped closer to me now, erasing the final inch of space between us without touching me.
"You both chose me long before tonight."
The quiet power in his voice made my stomach twist.
He then turned to Renne, his tone shifting into something sharper.
"Kneel."
The word struck through the room like a slow strike of thunder.
Renne's breath caught.
His legs bent.
His body lowered.
Not in shame.
Not in fear.
In relief.
In acceptance.
In surrender.
My throat tightened.
My pulse surged.
Seeing my husband kneel in front of his boss was a sight I could never have predicted. It was intimate in a way that had nothing to do with the body and everything to do with the heart.
Master V looked at me again.
"And you," he said softly. "Are you ready to follow him."
The room felt warm and alive.
"I am," I whispered.
His eyes narrowed with approval.
"Then come."
I lowered myself beside Renne, slow and deliberate, my palms resting lightly on my thighs. The world felt quiet. Still. Weighted with meaning.
Master V stood over both of us with calm absolute presence.
Not claiming us by force.
But receiving us by choice.
His voice wrapped around us like warm velvet.
"Good," he said.
And in that moment The Bet was not just lost.
It was transformed into something neither of us expected, yet both of us had been reaching for without knowing it.
The night belonged to him now.
And so did we.