Chapter 136
Vanessa
"The last thing I need right now is you falling to the floor in the middle of the night," he says. "Move away from the edge."
I instantly pout as I move away from the edge, wondering why he had to say that to me when he could've just said nothing because now, my heart flutters a little.
The image Carmella sent to me is still fresh in my mind and knowing that he was the one in bed with her makes me want to move away again until I'm on the edge. But the thought of him telling me to get back to my current position runs through my mind and it makes me smile a little.
Realizing I'm loosening up too fast and warming up to him when he doesn't deserve it, my smile fades and I press my lips together.
It should be so easy for me to dress up in a sexy outfit, go wherever I want to have a good time and fuck whoever I want, but even though it's just in my mind, it already seems impossible as I don't see myself actually doing it.
The last time he made me feel like I was just here to help him get his dream company, I ended up leading Patrick on and that's something that'll never happen again as I don't even want to talk to him anymore. Even if I'd want to get back at Dominic for this and show him I can be with whoever I want, my heart won't let me.
While I'm still upset with him, his concern for me a few minutes ago seems to outweigh everything else, and it makes me drift off to sleep with complicated feelings.
My hope is that when I wake up in the morning, I won't feel so torn about all this.
Hearing the birds outside is already enough for me to figure out that it's morning before I even open my eyes.
Strangely enough, I don't hear any movement around the room. Dominic should be getting ready by now, so I make the assumption that he must have left while I was still fast asleep.
When I finally open my eyes, I find myself staring right at him and he's also awake. As our eyes lock for a moment, he raises an eyebrow and it feels so awkward that at the same time, we look away and I sit up.
He gets out of bed with a loud grunt as he pushes the covers to the other side. It seems he's just as grumpy as last night, well so am I!
I only glance at him when he approaches the mirror and right when I want to look away, he takes off his shirt, his back muscles flexing. I press my thighs together, the sight of it reminding me of all the times I tightly held onto him when he made love to me so good that I couldn't close my mouth and keep it down.
It's only when his phone rings that I look away. He picks up the call with so much enthusiasm and I soon figure out that he's talking to Frank. Bothered, I cross my arms, figuring out that it's only with me that he's not showing even the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
"Yeah, it's good for now," he says. "I'm flying out to see her in a few days."
He glances in my direction while lowering his voice, then proceeds to leave the room while still on the phone. As soon as he closes the door, I sigh deeply, already figuring out that he's talking about Carmella. He obviously left just so I don't hear what he has to say.
Though I'm curious, I tell myself that it's none of my business and I shouldn't care. I should instead focus on my plans for today, so I get out of bed to freshen up.
Even after I step out of the shower with a towel wrapped around me, there's no sign of Dominic. I approach the bedroom door and place my ear right against it. I can hear him in the hallway, almost whispering. When it suddenly turns quiet, I quickly step away from the door and stand in front of the mirror, running my hands through my wet hair as it clings to my skin.
While still looking in the mirror, I watch him come in, his abs flexing as he stretches a few times. I can see him looking at me and just for a few seconds, he scans my figure from the back, his gaze lingering on my exposed thighs and wet hair clinging to the skin on my back.
The mix of his grumpiness and the way he looks drawn in makes me swallow hard and I look away, not even trying to guess what could be going through his mind. Whatever it is, I tell myself not to care. Putting his phone down on the table, he starts taking off his pants and I look away, but my curiosity is stronger, making me steal a glance at his naked body.
As I face the other side, my heart starts racing and it carries on even after he closes the bathroom door.
I place a hand on my chest, telling myself to get my act together and not be so captivated by the sight of him when naked.
As I take out my dress and shoes, I check on my father and talking to him already brightens up my mood.
By the time Dominic steps out of the shower, I'm still in my towel, getting off the phone so I can get dressed.
My smile fades as soon as I put the phone down because now, I have no reason to smile for him. He must be waiting for me to give him an update on my father this morning, but I still don't want to talk to him. I leads me to wonder if I'm being petty. Even if I am, why can't he talk to me first?
Just as I'm about to drop the towel and moisturize my skin, I pause when he stands in front of me and says, "Tell me about yesterday's meeting."
I glance at the towel covering his lower half, then look away to reach for the bottle of moisturizer.
"The project manager will be the one to update you," I say to him.
He clenches his fist, his veiny forearm becoming more prominent. "You don't have to make this difficult. Just tell me how it went."
Realizing I'm being too petty, I sigh, pausing with the bottle in one hand. "Fine. The presentation was great. The samples were better than I expected and so far, I'm satisfied."
He tilts his head. "Your face says otherwise."
Our eyes lock for a moment until I look away with only a shrug. With nothing to say to him, I move away to a different spot so I can drop the towel, but pause when he once again speaks to me while looking at the dress on the bed.
"Where are you going?"
"Out with Mia."
"And where exactly are you two going?"
"We haven't yet decided on that, but I'm coming back tomorrow."
"Just make sure you keep your phone on so I can reach you."
I squeeze the bottle of moisturizer in my hand and if not for the lid, the lotion would be squirting everywhere.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I say, "Yesterday, you didn't check up on me at all and I was just fine."
He suddenly approaches me with wide footsteps and I feel this is about to get confrontational, so I turn around to get away, but he grabs my wrist and pulls me back, his face just an inch from mine. "What's with your attitude?" He speaks through gritted teeth.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I shrug. "Now, let me go."
He tightens his grip.
"I said let me go!"
My movements turn so frantic that the towel gets loose and drops to the floor.
His grip on my wrist instantly loosens as he blankly looks down at my perky breasts, all the way down to my lower half.
I'm so irritated that I crouch down, pick up the towel and step away from him to another spot, not even having the time to wonder what he must've thought after suddenly seeing me naked.
Even though I don't use the towel, I place it on the bed, then finally begin to apply my moisturizer. All my life, I've never been so rough with it as I breathe hard.
With his hand on his waist, he paces a few times as he harshly says, "Do we have a problem?"
"What problem could we possibly have?" I shrug.
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."
I narrow my eyes. "Everything's fine. Can't you tell?"
He scoffs. "Since when do you act like a child?"
"I'm acting like a child? You're the one who..." I trail off, realizing I'm about to express my feelings.
"I'm the one who what? Go on and say it." He gets closer.
"Just forget it."
"No. I've had enough of this. What's the problem?"
"I already told you that it's nothing."
"Then why are you acting this way?"
"It's because of you!" I raise my voice.
Though I expect him to yell back at me, his gaze softens a little as he parts his lips to speak but it takes a while.
He exhales deeply then gently says, "I know what's going on with you and what you want to say. There's no need because I know it, too."
I force a chuckle. "And yet here you are, doing the opposite."
"This isn't good for the baby." He shakes his head.
"I can take care of myself."
"Just keep your phone on so I can check on you."
"Will you finally have time for me?" I purse my lips.
"What?"
"I know you talked to everyone but me yesterday."
"Fuck," he whispers, looking away with an expression of regret as he runs his fingers through his wet hair.
This is the moment I expect him to explain to me why he did that but instead he heads straight for the door so he can leave the room and that just angers me so much that I don't even think before I speak.
"I knew about you and Carmella before you even told me."
He stops in his tracks but doesn't say a word or face me.
"She sent me a picture of you two the other night to show off."
He lowers his head with a sigh of frustration, opens the door, then slams it loudly after stepping out.
I stand frozen in place with wide eyes, wondering what's going on with him and why he almost seemed... regretful.
Mia and I travel using a private jet and while on our way to our destination, she can't get over the beautiful view I showed her of the estate gifted to me.
Though I try my best to be enthusiastic, it just doesn't feel right and she finally notices.
"I didn't want to say anything before but something's off about you," she says. "I hope everything's okay with your dad. Did something happen with the live-in nurse?"
"Not at all."
"Then what is it? You know you can tell me anything."
"Dominic and aren't talking to each
1.n
other the way we usually do. I don't really want to go into detail about it, but he doesn't want to directly address the problem, yet I do. At the same time, I don't want to force him to talk about it."
She nods in understanding. "Then just give him some time. He'll eventually talk to you about it."
"I don't see that happening." I firmly shake my head.
"Just be patient, okay?"
"Okay." I sigh.
"Good. Now, let's enjoy ourselves and the fucking island we're going to!"
I chuckle.
We get to the island at 12 p.m., our ride dropping us off at a beach house.
Before we even get inside, I sigh heavily.
"What's wrong?" Mia asks.
"My dad mentioned that he wants to visit a certain island before it's too late."
She places her hand on my shoulder. "And I bet he'll have fun!"
"I'm sure he will."
She then claps loudly, leading the way. "Let's check out this place!"
Her enthusiasm rubs off on me as we explore every part of the house until we choose our separate bedrooms.
We first cook together, then binge watch a show until 5 p.m. but I barely enjoy it with so much running through my mind.
I take a short break so I can use the
bathroom in my bedroom and
afterwards, I sit down on the bed and reach for my phone from my handbag upset with myself for feeling the way I do. The whole day, I
haven't heard from Dominic. He told me he would check on me. That's
why I was supposed to keep my phone on but that hasn't happened yet. Why do I want it to happen when
I told him I didn't need him to check
on me?
I gently squeeze the pillow, hating how my indecision on what I really want upsets me this much.
In the hallway, Mia calls out to me, then opens the door with a smile that makes me suspicious.
"Hey, what's going on with you?" I ask.
"I have something for you."
"What is it?"
"Come downstairs and you'll find out!"
Curious, I follow her and she still doesn't say anything to me but continues to giggle.
We get to the living room and I look around but nothing that stands out.
"What do you want to show me? Is this one of your pranks?" I playfully glare at her.
She chuckles. "It's not inside, but outside."
She stands beside the front door, pressing her lips together to hide her smile and it makes me wonder what she's up to.Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.
Glancing at her one last time, I open the front door and gasp loudly at the sight of Dominic.