"Yes. And you're not making it better."
I lean back in my chair. Rub my eyes. "What would you have me do?"
"Give her space. Let her breathe. Stop watching her every move on those security cameras."
I don't deny it.
"She could hurt herself," I say.
"She could. But she won't. She's a survivor, sir. She ran from a cult. Made it hundreds of miles before Sarah caught her. She's not going to do anything stupid."
"She'll run."
"Eventually, yes. But she won't succeed. The perimeter is secure. Biometric locks on all exits. Motion sensors. She can't get off the property without you knowing."
"So, I should just... let her run? Chase her down when she tries?"
"I'm saying you should decide what you actually want from her. Because right now, you're treating her like a possession you're afraid to break. But she's not a possession, sir. She's a person. And if you want anything real from her—trust, affection, eventually more—you need to treat her like one."
The words hit harder than they should.
"When did you become a therapist?" I ask.
"When I watched you spend four days obsessing over a woman you won't even talk to properly. Sir, with respect, I've known you since you were twenty-five. I've never seen you like this."
"Like what?"
"Unmoored. You're usually ten steps ahead. Right now, you're stumbling through each day waiting for her to—what? Magically start trusting you? That's not how this works."
"Then how does it work?"
"Slowly. Patiently. You show her you're not a threat. You give her reasons to trust you. You let her set boundaries and you respect them."
"And if she sets the boundary at 'never touch me, never speak to me, never come near me'?"
"Then you've wasted two million dollars on a beautiful woman who will hate you forever." He pauses. "But I don't think that's what she wants either."
"What makes you say that?"
"I've been watching the security feeds too, sir. She's curious about you. Watches you when she thinks you're not looking. Asks Mrs. Silva questions."
That catches my attention. "What kind of questions?"
"How long she’s worked for you. What you're like as an employer. Whether you're..." He trails off.
"Whether I'm what?"
"Whether you're dangerous. Whether you've done this before. Whether she should be afraid."
"What did Mrs. Silva tell her?"
"That you're a good employer. Fair. That she's worked for your family for thirty years and you've never given her reason to fear you."
"And Eden believed her?"
"I think she wants to. But she's been lied to before. By her father. By Sarah. By everyone who should have protected her." Callum's voice softens. "She needs time, sir. And she needs you to be patient."
"I'm being patient."
