Chapter 87
The massive bedroom felt oddly empty with just Marissa and Dominick inside.
Watching him lying there with his eyes closed, Marissa’s emotions were all over the place. For the longest time, she’d convinced herself she was irreplaceable in Dominick’s life. That feeling had only gotten stronger after his divorce from Paisley.
But these past four years, Paisley had tried every trick in the book to push their relationship past that invisible barrier, but nothing had worked.
Paisley had even gone as far as selling photos and videos of their meetings to paparazzi and gossip sites, desperately trying to paint this picture of them being super close. All just to get people thinking she was Dominick’s fiancée. She’d hoped to test Dominick’s reaction with those posts, too.
But to her surprise, the news had barely hit the trending topics before Vanderbilt Group’s PR department swooped in and shut it all down.
Before Paisley showed up, Marissa could tell herself comforting little lies. Maybe Dominick was just protecting the company’s image, keeping himself off the entertainment headlines. Or maybe he just wanted to keep his private life under wraps.
But then. Paisley came back. Marissa had to admit it. Paisley’s return had thrown her completely off balance, especially after that dig about how she still wasn’t Dominick’s wife after four whole years. That one stung
Now, watching Dominick’s peaceful face as he rested, Marissa knew this was her shot. Her chance to change everything. “Dom!” she called out softly.
Dominick’s eyelids fluttered but didn’t open, his sleep undisturbed,
Marissa let out a quiet breath of relief and leaned forward, drawing closer to him. Her eyes traced over his features, now just inches away, and her breathing grew heavy and uneven.
Unable to resist, Marissa reached out with trembling fingers to undo the buttons of his shin. As she inched closer, her crimson lips hovering over
his.
In that split second, Dominick’s eyes snapped open. His gaze was razor–sharp, almost predatory, the kind of instinctive alertness that kicks in when danger lurks nearby:
Marissa froze, her lips just inches from his face. Their eyes met, and she felt a chill run down her spine at the fierce intensity in his stare. Her fingers stayed frozen mid–button, her whole body going rigid.
Only when recognition flickered across Dominick’s face did that dangerous edge fade from his eyes. “Marissa!” His voice came out rough and low, still heavy with alcohol
Marissa snapped back to reality at the sound of Dominick’s voice. She quickly straightened up, caught off guard. He had been dead asleep just seconds ago, after all.
p an eye on you
“You had too much to drink,” Marissa said, keeping her voice steady as she flashed her usual polished smile. “I stayed to keep
Dominick sat up, feeling a cool draft across his chest. Looking down, he realized half the buttons on his dress shirt were already undone.
“I just wanted to help you change” Marissa explained smoothly, her face a perfect mask of innocence. “Your shirt reeks of alcohol.
Marissa was playing it cool, like she was just being helpful, nothing more, nothing less.
Dominick started rebuttoning his shirt, one by
yone. “Go keeping it together enough to talk to her.
o get some rest,” he said. “I’m fine. His voice came out soft, clearly still tipsy. He was barely
“Come on, Dom. We’re family.” Marissa pressed, not backing down. “Of course I should stay and take care of you”
The truth was that Marissa noticed how deeply he was sleeping and figured he couldn’t do anything to her. Her real plan was to snap some cozy photos and send them to Paisley.
