Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

The moment Bella heard Dominic's suggestion of sleeping in his room, she instantly perked up. "What happened to my old room?" His tone was cool and detached. "You're not staying here anymore. Why should I keep it? It's been dismantled and is unlivable now."

Even though what he said made sense, Bella still felt like punching him. "If I had known, I wouldn't have come at all. I should've just stayed home and taken a proper nap." However, here she was. It was too late to back out now as she was stuck. After her meal and with no other option, she reluctantly headed to Dominic's room to catch up on some sleep. Lying on his bed, she felt a bit restless. However, exhaustion quickly overtook her, and she drifted off to sleep.

She slept soundly without dreaming. When she woke up, it was pitch-black outside. The room was unlit, but a soft glow spilled from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water.

Dominic was still in the shower, and Bella lay still while lazily imagining what Sylvia might cook for dinner. The thought made her stomach growl.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and Dominic walked out stark naked. Maybe he thought Bella was still asleep.

Bella's mind screamed, "Don't look!" However, the image burned itself into her brain, becoming clearer the more she tried to forget.

Thankfully, Dominic was just passing by the room to the walk-in closet and returned in comfortable loungewear.

Bella on the other hand, shut her eyes tight and played dead, cursing her rotten luck. They had been "open" with each other back when they were together. She had felt uncomfortable even then. Now that they were exes, her embarrassment was off the charts. Bella heard Dominic stop by the side of the bed, and she carefully gulped. Without warning, his warm lips gently brushed hers.

Bella's heart raced, and her senses were flooded with his familiar, fresh scent. The kiss left her dizzy and unfocused.

Then, as if flipping a switch, he suddenly yanked the covers off her and snapped the lights on. "Get up and eat. If you keep sleeping, it'll be morning soon."

Bella's mind was filled with curses. If she didn't know how quickly he could change moods, she would've had a hard time handling this abrupt shift.

Feigning sleepiness, she sat up and fumbled for a hair tie, pulling here now-longer hair into a quick ponytail that exposed the pale curve of her neck. "Go ahead, I'll be downon a minute."

Dominic gave her an indifferent look, turned, and left without another word.

She let out a long breath, deciding she would eat dinner and then make her escape. She shouldn't have agreed to spend the holiday here.

After freshening up, she headed downstairs, She was just in time to see Dominic handing out envelopes to the household staff. There were about a dozen of them, including the security guards. They each received a thick, bulging envelope.

Bella couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It was rare for him to be so generous, let alone personally handle this kind of matter.

Quietly, Bella slipped into the dining room and took a seat. Her thoughts were fixated on dinner.

Suddenly, Dominic approached and handed her an envelope. "Here, this is for you."

She looked up in surprise. "I get one too?"

Dominic raised an eyebrow. "If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

Without hesitation, Bella snatched it from his hand. "No way, I'm not turning down a cash gift!"

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Dominic's lips as he sat down beside her. "Aren't you curious to find out the amount since you're so obsessed with money?"

Bella had no idea where he got the

impression that she was

money-obsessed, but she wasn't

r

about to argue. Without anothe

word, she opened the envelope and her eyes widened at the thick stack of crisp bills inside.