Chapter 8 LITTLE RABBIT

Cady's Pov

Cady didn't sleep. Not really.

She had spent the night on the couch, but the sheets never felt like they were hers. The pillow never stayed cool for long. The world outside was quiet, too quiet, and the weight of being inside Ford's world pressed against her chest until she couldn't breathe through it anymore.

Her body still ached from the wound on her leg. Every step, every shift of her weight, reminded her that she was a guest no, a prisoner in a house full of things she'd love to steal if she wasn't scared of the man who owns it.

His proposal rob the sleep from her eyes, and she kept thinking of what she should do. There are always choices, he hasn't tried to come in her room to molest her, he respected her privacy, that speaks more about him. She grew up with having men take one look at her and want to own her. Her mother's boyfriends had tried, she had managed to escape them so many times, the shelters when she was a teen on the streets, the male workers wanting to help her for favors that only raises her hackles when she finds out what they're truly after. Atleast he is straight, tells her what he expects for not turning her in.

She wipes her eyes and sniffles, trying to forget how she got in this messy world of hers. He's dangling the one thing she'd always wanted; freedom, from everything, from all the anchors holding her down.

She need to make sure he's ready to give her the right amount. She has to find out more about this proposal of his. There is no way in hell she's going to jail. She shudders.

Ford was gone by the time she got up, leaving nothing behind but a trail of silence and the faint scent of expensive cologne that she couldn't escape no matter how much she moved around the house. She paced. Her mind couldn't stop, spinning with questions.

Where was he? What was he doing? When is he coming back? Her eyes landed on the study door.

There it was again. That pull. That quiet temptation she hadn't been able to ignore the night before. He didn't want her in there. She'd crossed a line by even stepping foot inside, and now she couldn't get rid of the lingering image of the child's shoe.

That shoe might be a way to reach him. Know the real him, if she's to survive him.

Her fingers itched to reach for it again, but she knew better. She wasn't stupid enough to test him like that. Not yet. Instead, she wandered the house, every room more sterile than the last, just cold luxury.

When she passed a set of grand windows looking out over the city, her stomach twisted. Below, the world moved on without herwithout even a glance. No one cared about the woman caught in the web of a powerful man. They never did.

Cady stood there for a long moment, watching the tiny specks of people below. Her pulse steadied, breath evened out, and for just a second, she felt a sense of control. The city felt small from up here. Too small.

Her legs carried her out of the room, instinct pushing her forward without thinking. The tension in her chest settled, and she moved through the house, each step a slow defiance of the cage she couldn't escape.

A sound from the hallway snapped her out of her thoughts.

Footsteps ring out.

Her pulse kicked up again. She froze. She didn't even think she just moved toward the nearest door. The kitchen. The cool metal of the fridge greeted her hands as she pressed herself against it, heart racing.

Her breath was too loud in her own ears, the door to the kitchen opened.

Ford.

He leaned against the doorframe, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "I thought I told you not to open doors you weren't invited to."

Her mouth went dry, but she didn't back down. She didn't have to. "I wasn't opening anything."

"You sure about that?"

His voice was like velvet, low, and dripping with warning. But Cady didn't step back. She didn't let the weight of his presence push her into submission. Not this time.

"I don't need an invitation," she said, her voice quieter than she intended, but steady.

A flicker of something passed through Ford's eyes amusement but it didn't last.

He pushed off the doorframe and took a single step forward, the movement slow and deliberate. The space between them felt like it had grown smaller, tighter. She could hear his breath now, feel the heat of it too close for comfort.

She didn't move.

He stopped in front of her, but he didn't touch her. Not yet.

"You think you're in control here?" His voice dropped to a murmur, low and dangerous. "You're not. I am, little rabbit."

Cady swallowed, but she held his gaze. "Then what are you trying to do here, Ford?"

He tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle he didn't want to solve, but couldn't stop looking at. "So what's your answer?"

Her chest tightened. The words didn't sit right. A maneuver.

"How much?" she asked, her voice cutting through the air between them, raw and real.

He didn't answer right away, and for a moment, they just stood there close enough for her to smell the faint edge of cologne that was still clinging to him, mingled with the sharp scent of leather.

Then, finally, his eyes darkened. "does a seven figure sound good to you?"

"Yes," she nods, licking her dry lips, not believing her ears. With that much she could pay off her debt, and move somewhere, far. Get out of this city that held memories too raw for her.

"I will have it credited to your account soon. You'll only be able to use it after six months." he said, his tone a low growl, "Just in case you change your mind, it will bounce back. I expect you on your best behavior little rabbit, welcome to my world."

Her breath hitched. And she sucks in a long breath and nod.

The warning is different. This time, it wasn't just about power or control. This time, it was about her. She didn't know whether to step back or to lean in. So, she stayed where she was. And they both let the silence fill the space between them. He spins on his heels and stalks off.