He broke the silence-and everything changed.

Graduate student Nate Hart doesn't do quiet. He's charming, clever, and chronically disruptive in the academic wing of the city's most prestigious library-a space that demands reverence and silence. But when his antics draw the attention of the library's cool and commanding supervisor, Ms. Marlowe, the rules shift dramatically.

She's not interested in another apology. She's prepared a protocol.

Faced with suspension of his access-and the academic downfall that would follow-Nate is offered an alternative: a behavioral correction system with strict regulations and even stricter consequences. Posture. Eye contact. Breath control. Every rule etched in elegant serif font. Every infraction documented. This isn't discipline. It's transformation.

What begins as punishment soon unravels into something far more intimate and unsettling. Under Ms. Marlowe's watchful gaze, silence becomes a liturgy, and obedience becomes its own strange reward. As Nate submits to her system, he finds himself questioning everything-his pride, his desires, even his sense of self.

Can he master stillness before it masters him? Or is submission the only real way out?

Rules of Engagement is a tense, psychologically charged exploration of discipline, authority, and the seductive power of structure.

Warning: Contains adult themes, subtle dominance, and a slow-burn journey into submission. For readers who love restraint with a razor's edge.