Jack stepped inside, freezing the moment he noticed Bella at the table. His surprise was instant, eyes widening before he masked it, though not well. Bella, meanwhile, sat stiffly. Not messy or dishevelled, but unmistakably nervous. Her shoulders were tense, and her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her skirt before she forced them still. She looked like someone trying very hard to appear calm, even though her eyes kept darting down for a heartbeat before she made herself look back up.
I hated that she felt the need to.
"What is it?"
I asked Jack, sharper than necessary. My glare carried a clear warning not to mention anything related to my business while she was here.
Jack cleared his throat.
"Sir, there's a slight movement at the east property. I need your decision."
He couldn't stop glancing at Bella, confused, thrown off, clearly wondering why she was here in daylight. In my mansion. At my table.
"I'll handle it later," I said.
"Sir, it's—"
"I said later."
That ended it. He bowed his head slightly, took one last puzzled look at Bella, and left.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Bella swallowed, her fingers twisting together again. Her eyes lifted to mine, wide and uncertain.
"Did I… do something wrong?" she asked quietly.
That small, nervous question hit me like a knife to the chest. And in that moment, I genuinely didn't know how to speak.
I sighed, the tension in my chest tightening until the only answer that came out was soft.
"No, bunny,"
I said gently. Her eyes flickered up at me, still uncertain, still a little afraid she'd somehow crossed a line she didn't understand.
I hated that. Hated that my world, my people, my interruptions could make her feel like she didn't belong here.
I leaned back slightly, forcing my voice to be calm.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Her fingers stilled, but her shoulders stayed tight, as if she wasn't sure she believed me yet.
I wanted, desperately, to pull her mind away from everything we'd just touched on, all the uncertainty sitting fragile between us.
So I exhaled, softened my voice, and offered the first harmless thing that came to mind.
"How about I take you shopping?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "All women love that stuff… right?"
The words felt stupid the second they left my mouth. It was only then that the truth hit me hard. I didn't know. I didn't know if she even liked shopping, or crowds, or attention, or anything at all outside the tiny sliver she'd let me see.
What were her hobbies?
What made her smile?
What scared her, annoyed her, comforted her?
I'd memorised the way her heartbeat changed when she was nervous, the sound of her footsteps, the way her scent shifted with her mood…
But not the simple things.
The human things.
And that realisation sat heavier than I expected.
Her eyes flickered up at me, a faint mix of surprise and curiosity tugging at the corners of her lips. She didn't say anything at first, just studied me as if trying to read the thoughts I wasn't willing to voice.
I cleared my throat, forcing a casualness I didn't feel.
"You don't have to answer right now… I just thought it might be… fun."
Her fingers twitched slightly in her lap, betraying the smallest trace of nerves. I hated that she was still so cautious around me, but I couldn't blame her. After everything… I would be cautious too.
A small, hesitant smile finally appeared.
"Shopping… sounds nice," she said softly.
Relief surged through me, tight and sudden.
"Good," I murmured, leaning back just enough to let the tension between us ease. "We'll make a day of it. Just you and me."
Her eyes widened slightly at the words, and I realised then that this was more than just a distraction. It was a start. A small bridge back to normalcy, however fragile it might be.
And for the first time since this morning, I felt a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd let me in a little further. Though we had to be back by night to take her home, her parents would be returning from their two-week trip, and I wanted to make every second count, to let her forget the tension and uncertainty that had hung between us earlier.
"Don't worry," I said softly, noticing the fleeting worry in her eyes. "We'll make sure you're back on time. Just… enjoy the day with me."
Her shoulders relaxed a fraction, and I caught that small, genuine smile again. It was fragile, but it was there.
For now, that was enough.