Page 17 of Stalker's Toy

"I'm not," I say, each word weighted, deliberate.

Her expression shifts, and I can see the calculations happening behind those green eyes.

She thought she knew where this was going.

She didn't.

She had no fucking clue.

For a moment, she blinks at me, and I feel like I've knocked the air from her lungs. "You're insane," she says, but there's a hesitation that betrays her.

She doesn't move, doesn't back away.

It's almost too perfect.

It's almost exactly what I hoped for.

"Compensation will be more than generous should you agree. Much more than you are receiving now," I tell her, trying to sweeten the deal.

Her uncertainty only adds to my need. "You won't have any debt by the time you're done with school," I add, knowing exactly what buttons to push.

The offer hangs between us, and I wait for it to sink in.

I see the moment it does, the moment she knows I'm serious and that her life could change if she lets it.

If she letsme.

"You must be joking." She says it like a punchline, like she's not sure if the joke's on me or on her.

She waits for the laugh, for the dismissive wave, but I stay silent, waiting for my offer to catch up with her incredulity.

She tries again, her voice more controlled. "You're serious?"

This time it's a real question.

I take a step closer, close enough to see the slight tremor in her hands as she wipes them on the rag.

Close enough to know she wants this as much as I do, even if she won't admit it yet.

"You'll be compensated," I repeat. "Your entire life will change, Mia. All you have to do is say yes."

The longer I let it sit, the more the silence fills with possibility.

Mia blinks, and the look in her eyes is one I've seen before.

It's the look of someone on the edge of a decision that could change everything.

For both of us.

The connection between us simmers, and I can almost feel it take shape.

It's something she doesn't understand yet, but she will.

I see it in the way she holds my gaze, in the way she doesn't pull away.

She doesn't answer, but the silence is rich with possibilities.

I watch the tension in her body, the way her lips press together as she weighs what this means.

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