Chapter 5 - THE MASTIFF’S MERCY
A week had passed,
and the Croft estate had become Sadie’s entire world.
She spent her days with Titus,
helping the vet with the physical therapy the dog needed to regain his strength.
Titus followed her everywhere,
his massive head resting in her lap whenever she sat down,
his presence a constant,
warm reminder of the night that changed everything.
Julian was often gone,
dealing with the fallout of the engagement cancellation,
but his presence was felt in every corner of the house.
The staff treated Sadie with a quiet respect,
no longer seeing her as the invisible girl from the dining room.
They saw the way Julian looked at her when he returned in the evenings,
the way the tension in his shoulders seemed to melt when he found her in the library.
One evening,
Julian joined her on the terrace,
the air cool and smelling of pine.
Titus was curled up at their feet,
snoring softly in the twilight.
“He loves you more than he loves me now,”
Julian noted,
leaning against the stone railing.
Sadie looked down at the dog,
her hand stroking his soft ears.
“He just knows I’m the one with the treats,”
she joked,
trying to lighten the mood.
Julian didn't laugh.
“He knows you saved him,”
Julian said,
his voice heavy with emotion.
“He’s a good judge of character.”
“Better than I was,
apparently.”
Sadie looked at him,
seeing the regret in his eyes.
“Why were you going to marry her,
Julian?”
she asked,
the question she had been dying to ask since the first night.
“She’s... not like you.”
Julian looked out at the lights of the city,
his profile sharp against the darkening sky.
“It was a business arrangement,”
he said,
his voice cold.
“The Vanes have the political connections I need to keep the city stable.”
“Or so I thought.”
“But stability isn't worth the price of a soul.”
He turned to her,
his gaze intense.
“I saw her kick you,
Sadie.”
“I saw the way you held onto Titus even when you were in pain.”
“And I realized that I’d been looking at the wrong things for a long time.”
Sadie felt a blush creep up her neck,
the sincerity in his voice making her heart race.
“I was just doing what was right,”
she said.
“Doing what is right is the rarest thing in this city,”
Julian countered.
He reached out and took her hand,
his thumb tracing the line of her knuckles.
“I want you to stay here,
Sadie.”
“Not as a guest,
and certainly not as a waitress.”
“I want you to be the one who looks after this house.”
“And the man in it.”
Sadie looked at their joined hands,
the darkness of the night closing in around them.
She knew the danger that came with his offer,
the target that would be painted on her back.
But she looked at the dog,
and she looked at the man,
and she knew she couldn't walk away.
“I’ll stay,”
she whispered.
In the shadows of the garden,
a pair of eyes watched them,
May you like
a camera clicking silently as the evidence of their bond was captured.
The serpent was ready to strike.
