spanng="EN"Analise’s POV

    spanng="EN"I knew Joyce would take the opportunity to confront me. What I didn’t expect was the judge to warn opposing counsel that his defendants hadn’t been entirely truthful. The judge is fed up with them lying on the stand, as it is clear disrespect to do so.

    spanng="EN"Some of the warnings were to protect the attorney. It was likely a reminder of what had happened earlier that day, involving jury tampering, with additional charges being brought against Sasha. Whether she was expecting them or not. Things went well in the second half of the day. I had to admit that I was looking forward to seeing the video from today going viral.

    spanng="EN"The designs that were proven to be mine might not garner as many views as they initially did. Mostly due to their vicious attacks against me. I was surprised to see that their group of hardcore supporters was no longer waiting for me outside. Charlie had Jon drive us to hispany, where we changed SUVs. Charlie was scared that someone would try to follow us home.

    spanng="EN"Charlie drove us home with his hand on my knee, rubbing soft circles, as he drove us back. He could always read me like a book. He knew what I needed before I did. He gave me a hug and a kiss when we entered our home, cutting up an apple for me. He had me sit down to have the snack while he ran up to run a tub for me.

    About watching her squirm a little.

    About reminding her of why I was set on making her wear it in the first ce.

    She had made a big mistake…

    So letting her sweat was the consequence of her actions yesterday in the gym. Simple as that. She would think twice next time before stripping herself off around this damn prison!

    Leo’s dumbass question about the report shouldn’t have meant anything either, but the way she answered… “Of course…” Like it was a maybe..

    Like I hadn’t protected her all week.

    Like she hadn’t kissed me backst night with her little fingers twisted in my shirt like she wanted me to ruin her entirely.

    Like she didn’t enjoy cuddling and sleeping next to me whenever I gave her the chance…

    I was fair with her about the whole notes thing too, telling her to write a better list after I exined why most of her original points had been total bullshit…

    I could have flipped out on her, dragged her across the damn room… spanked her bare ass with the leather of the pad, but I didn’t.

    I had been fair.

    Which was what pissed me off the most!

    I even let her take the damn jumper off eventually, and that was more generous than what I’d nned on being to begin with.

    And still… she looked at me like I might explode any second.

    What the fuck was she scared of? My temper?

    Because she hadn’t seen the half of it yet.

    She had no idea how mild I’d been keeping things for her sake this week.

    I clenched my jaw as we stepped back into the corridor that led to our cell. The air inside was cooler, and I noticed the way her shoulders rxed the second we crossed into shade.

    The tops of her shoulders had began to burn outside, I noticed.

    That damn vest. Too thin. Too tight. Too exposed.

    I narrowed my eyes as we walked inside, but said nothing.

    Just watched the way her fingers yed nervously with the hem of her jumper like she was waiting for permission to breathe again.

    Good.

    I wanted her like this.

    Uneasy.

    On edge.

    Because if she was worried about what I might do, maybe she’d think twice tomorrow when the guards hand her that nk sheet and ask her to summarise her “progress” with me.

    I was going to find out what she nned to say, one way or another…

    Bribes always worked. The right food. The right pills. Enough cigarettes to buy loyalty for a week. The guards would tell me everything – what she put down, what she said.

    If she gave me a glowing review, fine.

    We’d move forward,

    But if she so much as implied I was a threat to her, a danger…

    She’d see my real temper then.

    The second I closed the cell door over behind us, her jumper was already halfway unzipped, as she tugged the rest of it off with a deep exhale, throwing it toward the corner of the room with more drama than necessary.

    I leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

    “Did I say you could take that off?” I asked, voice calm too calm.

    Testing her again.

    She froze.

    I watched her spine go stiff, watched the heat rise in her cheeks again as she turned halfway to look at me.

    “But… we’re alone now,” she said, voice small, almost confused.

    She was right.

    I just liked keeping her unsure of it.

    “That’s right…” I murmured, pushing off the wall and taking a slow step forward. “And I’m the only one allowed to see any extra skin on you, aren’t I?”

    Her lips parted, breath catching as her eyes flicked down and then back up.

    I saw the understanding dawn there.

    Control. Ownership. That’s what I was reminding her of.

    Everything she does in here belongs to me.

    I stepped closer, slow, letting the silence stretch. She backed up a little on instinct maybe, until the backs of her legs touched the edge of the bed.

    I reached out, dragged my fingers lightly along the edge of her shoulder where her skin had turned the darkest pink.

    She sucked in a breath.

    “You were burning…” I muttered, mostly to myself. “And so I brought you back inside.” I told her, expecting a thank you of some kind, but none came.

    “I’m still d you said I could take it off,” she whispered, clearly not regretting the burns in the slightest over cooking herself alive in the zipper.

    My gaze snapped down to hers, my height always towering over her petite frame…

    “I say a lot of things,” I said darkly. “You’re supposed to figure out which ones I mean and which ones I don’t.”

    –

    Her eyes flicked to my mouth. Just a second. Barely noticeable. But I caught it.

    “So you wanted me to keep it on?” She tests, unsure, as I nodded slowly.

    Of course I did.

    Ignoring her, I move on quickly, my hand reaching up to grasp her chin in a firm grip.

    “Tomorrow,” I said, voice dropping lower, more intimate, more dangerous. “You’re going to tell them what a good little prisoner I’ve been. Aren’t you?”

    She hesitated again.

    Not long. But enough to piss me off.

    I grabbed her hip with my free hand suddenly, dragging her forward until she stumbled flush against me.

    My hands slid down and around to her ass, gripping it firmly, forcing her body to arch slightly into mine.

    She gasped, breath shallow, hands instinctively pressing against my chest for bnce.

    “I’ve protected you,” I said, my voice hot against her neck. “I haven’t hit you. Haven’t forced you in to anything you didn’t want. You think anyone else in here would’ve treated you this soft?”

    She didn’t answer.

    Didn’t need to.

    I could feel her pulse fluttering at her throat like a scared rabbit.

    “Andst night…” I continued, brushing my lips just beneath her ear, “you kissed me back. Remember that?”

    Her fingers gripped my shirt. Not pushing me away. Just holding on.

    Good.

    I pulled back just enough to look at her face.

    She was flushed, confused, lips slightly parted like she was trying to figure out which part of her liked this and which part was terrified.

    “You scared of me, Margot?” I asked quietly.

    She blinked, and then, after a beat, nodded.

    “Yeah,” she whispered.

    I smirked.

    “Good.”

    I leaned in again, this time letting my mouth brush hers softly, barely a kiss, more like a warning dressed as affection.

    “Because scared girls don’t write bad reports,” I said.

    Before mming my lips in to hers, the heat growing between us in waves.

    The thick, grey material clung to my back already, trapping heat like a cage around me, and I resisted the urge to tug at the hem.

    I kept my arms down, nervous, even as my skin began to prickle with sweat. I should have worn the T–shirt like Cara.

    Smart girl.

    I thought, as we approached them on the benches.

    Cara spotted me tugging gently at the cor and smiled knowingly. “You’re going to boil in that,” she said lightly as she and Leo sat a little closer than what they usually did before.

    She wore a soft lc tee shirt with sleeves that ended mid–bicep, and even that looked hot, but at least she could breathe.

    I envied her immediately.

    Coban didn’t say much as we joined them, already sitting down and bing wrapped up in some quiet conversation with Leo.

    Something about a fight that broke out in the gym that morning from what I could hear. I could barely concentrate, my thoughts too focused on the way the sweatshirt felt like it was suffocating me one sticky second at a time.

    I shifted my weight from foot to foot, unsure whether I was allowed to speak yet, Coban hadn’t said anything since we left the cell, hadn’t even looked at me twice, I think he was still ying it cool after the whole notebook ordeal, like his approval had tost for exactly one hour before he went back to treating me like a misbehaving pet.

    I watched Coban peel off his own tee–shirt, his bare torso weing the sun to top up his natural tan…

    I was instantly jealous.

    I couldn’t take it anymore.

    “Coban,” I murmured, turning to him, tugging gently at the sleeve of his shirt to gain his full attention. “Mind if I take this off? It’s really hot.” I whisper, embarrassed that I even had to ask in front of the others…

    His eyes snapped down to me instantly. Cold. Sharp. Unforgiving.

    “No, should’ve thought about that inside!” he said tly.

    I blinked. My stomach turned. But I tried again.

    “But I’ve got the vest on today,” I said quickly, my voice rising slightly in pitch. “I made sure, just like you said no sports bra I promise.”

    –

    He stared at me. Calcting.

    Then, “Still not enough coverage. No.”

    I had no idea what time it was anymore. There were no clocks in the cell, no sunlight slipping through windows to measure the day. Just the same dim, artificial glow from the ceiling panel that buzzed faintly when the silence dragged too long.

    And God, it dragged.

    I hadn’t heard a single sound from the corridor since I sat back down on the bed. No voices. No footsteps. Not even the distant ng of a door mming. It was like I’d been dropped into some vacuum – sealed bubble where time stretched into infinity and I was the only one left breathing.

    The only one left in the entirepound!

    My stomach growled again – louder this time. A deep, aching twist that folded me over where I sat.

    Just when I was getting used to the three meals a day routine…