Swallowing the lump in my throat, I agreed to go to the café with her. We headed off together, chatting lightheartedly about nothing in particular to pass the time.
Rolan greeted us with a warm smile and a quick nod. After parting ways with Annie, I ducked into the staff room to change into my uniform. I pulled on a pair of black jeans and the café’s logo T-shirt, tied the apron snugly around my waist, and stepped back out into the main hall with a notepad and pen in hand.
Today, Peachfuzz was acting suspiciously aggressive. Usually, he was a calm, almost lazy rabbit who contentedly lounged in his enclosure, allowing patrons to admire him from afar. But he never liked being handled. Today, he was twitchy, pinning his ears back and even hissing whenever someone extended a hand toward him. People rarely bothered to read the bright sign posted on the glass stating that this particular rabbit was not to be petted.
Frowning, I knelt beside the enclosure and offered him a few small carrot sticks to soothe his nerves. Instead of accepting the treat, he recoiled into the farthest corner, fixing me with a wary glare as if I posed a threat to his safety.
"Hey, what’s wrong, buddy?" I whispered, leaning in closer. He only flattened his ears tighter against his skull and backed away.
Just then, a young boy—no older than seven—approached the enclosure with eyes dancing in excitement. His parents lingered nearby, smiling as they snapped photos with their phones.
"Mommy, look at the big bunny!" the boy squealed, reaching both hands directly toward the cage.
"Wait! You shouldn’t touch that rabbit—" I tried to intervene, but the boy’s father shot me a glare so cold and sharp that I froze mid-sentence.
"Just be careful, honey, don’t scare him," his mother cooed softly. But the boy was already plunging his hands into the enclosure, grabbing Peachfuzz by his long ears and yanking hard.
The bunny snapped.
He lunged forward, sinking his sharp teeth deep into the child’s finger. A piercing screech echoed through the entire café as the boy thrashed his arm, trying to tear himself free.
"Daddy! Mommy!" he wailed. Peachfuzz released his grip and scrambled back into the corner of the cage, ears pinned flat in desperate self-defense.
His parents rushed over immediately. Seeing the bright red blood dripping from her son’s hand, the mother turned deathly pale. She whirled furiously toward Rolan, who was already hurrying across the room toward us.
"What kind of vicious animal is this?!" she shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at the enclosure. "He bit my son! He drew blood! Do you even monitor your animals?!"
"I am so deeply sorry," Rolan said soothingly, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Let us disinfect the wound right away. Please, let me take a look—"
"Don’t touch him!" The father—a sharp-dressed man in his late thirties with an arrogant sneer—stepped forward, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "Do you realize that beast could be rabid?! If anything happens to my boy, I will sue this establishment into the ground!"
"The rabbit is completely healthy and up to date on all vaccinations; I can produce the medical records immediately. Furthermore, my staff explicitly warned you that handling him is forbidden," Rolan stated firmly, though I caught the subtle twitch of a muscle along his jawline.
"To hell with your records!" the woman spat, pulling her crying son against her hip. "I don’t care about your paperwork! If you don’t put this dangerous animal down, we will file a complaint with every health inspector and law enforcement officer in this district! And if this piece of meat isn’t meant to be petted, why the hell isn’t it in a stew pot?!"
"Put him down?!" I couldn’t restrain myself any longer. Stepping forward, I felt a hot surge of protective anger flare in my chest. "For what? Your son grabbed him violently by the ears! The rabbit was only defending himself!"
"Shut your mouth!" the woman snapped at me. The sheer venom dripping from her eyes made an icy chill run down my spine. "Who do you think you are to talk back to me?! A lowly waitress? Learn your place!"
Clenching my jaw so hard my teeth ached, I dug my nails into my palms until the skin nearly broke. I stepped back, my cheeks burning with a humiliating rush of heat—born of pure helplessness, bitter frustration, and the agonizing inability to change a damn thing.
Rolan exchanged a heavy glance with me, the exhaustion and quiet defeat in his eyes mirror-sharp. He exhaled slowly, turning toward the furious parents.
"Fine. I will handle it," he said, his tone perfectly measured, though I could hear the dangerous strain hum beneath his words. "We will cover all of your son’s medical expenses. And I will ensure an incident like this never happens again."
Muttering a few final threats, the couple turned on their heels, dragging their still-whimpering child out into the street. I turned back to Rolan just in time to see him drag a calloused hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose in sheer exhaustion.
"Rolan... you aren’t actually going to put him down, are you?" I whispered, stepping close and placing both hands gently on his arm.
He rested his large palm on top of my head, fondly ruffling my hair as if I were still a child. When he looked down at me, the sheer weight of his gaze made my stomach drop.
"Jane, I can’t take that risk. If they file an official complaint with the council, they’ll shut the café down," he murmured quietly, his jaw muscle twitching. "But put him down? No, I don’t want that either. I just need to rehome him somewhere safe. And fast. Don’t worry about it––the rabbit will be alright. I promise."
I stood beside Rolan, staring into the enclosure at the shivering little creature. Peachfuzz was still cowering in the darkest corner, his long ears pinned flat against his back, trembling violently.
My heart ached for him so deeply I wanted nothing more than to scoop him up and take him home—except I couldn’t. Magnus would never allow an animal in his territory, and bringing a pet into his spotless penthouse was unthinkable.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter