The Fragile Facade

"Mr. Thorne, I'm okay now." Maeve forced a shy smile, though she inwardly cringed. She despised pretending to be helpless, but for the sake of her mission, she swallowed her pride. Sometimes, patience was the only way forward.

The leopard, kicked away for the second time, finally got the message. It scrambled to its feet and, with a final leap, bolted like a scared rabbit, tail between its legs.

"