No One’s POV

Inside the villa, Dominic walked straight to his study. He shut the heavy doors and sat at his desk in the dark. He pulled out Vivien’s student file. His thumb moved over her photo, touching the image of her messy hair and the stubborn look in her eyes.

He turned on his laptop and typed in a code. The screen lit up, showing a live view of her bedroom.

Vivien was awake. She was sitting on her bed, staring at the door she had blocked. She was wearing a big, fluffy bunny hoodie with long ears. Seeing her like that made something inside Dominic tighten. His heart started beating fast, and his face felt hot.

He slammed the laptop shut.

"Why do you make me feel like this, Miss Troublesome?" he whispered to the dark room. "Why does my body react this way? It’s like I have to hold you, touch you, and make you mine."

He closed his eyes, trying to calm down, and went to the bathroom.

He took a very cold shower. As the water hit him, his strong, fit body was visible in the mirror. He was different from "Dante", he didn’t have any tattoos. His skin was clear, and his muscles were toned and more defined.

Many women had tried to get his attention over the years, but he never felt anything for them. Yet, just looking at her through a screen made him lose control.

He leaned his head against the cold tiles and groaned, frustrated by his own hunger for her.

After a long time, Dominic came out of the shower with a towel around his waist. He couldn’t stop himself from opening the laptop again.

Vivien was still sitting there, but now she was looking at her phone. Her face looked tired and worried.

Dominic looked out of his large window. His eyes landed on the trash can outside where he had forced his assistant to throw away Amelia’s food. He remembered her annoying voice saying, "You don’t have anyone to cook for you."

He looked back at the laptop screen, watching Vivien in her fluffy hoodie. A clever idea started to form in his mind. If she needed a job to pay her rent, he had plenty of work that didn’t involve just filing papers.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Keep an eye on her door," he ordered, his voice cold. "Make sure nothing happens and absolutely no one gets inside that room tonight."

"Yes, boss," the voice replied before the line went dead.

Dominic sat back, staring blankly at the screen. He watched Vivien’s every move with silence.

"Go to sleep, Vivien," he said softly to the empty room. "Because tomorrow, I’m going to make sure you are very, very busy."

Across town, Vivien suddenly rubbed her nose. "Achoo!"

She pulled her bunny hood tighter around her face, feeling a sudden, icy shiver. "It’s not even winter yet... why is it so cold in here?"

She felt a strange prickle run down her spine, like someone was watching her from the shadows. She tried her best to stay awake, gripping her phone and trying to plan her next move, but her body was too exhausted.

Her head started to heavy, and eventually, her eyes fluttered shut. She fell into a deep sleep, unaware that a black car was still parked outside and a glowing screen was tracking her every breath.

______________

The moment Vivien woke up, the sunlight hitting her face felt far too bright. She reached for her phone, yawning and stretching, but the moment her eyes touched the screen, she jolted upright.

"It’s past 10:00 AM!" she shrieked.

Panic surged through her. She was supposed to meet her new landlord- that damn devil- hours ago.

Then, the memory of the broken lock came rushing back. A faint sound came from the living room. Someone was in her house.

Heart racing, she grabbed the kitchen knife she had kept by her bed. She took a deep breath, gripped the handle tight, and threw her bedroom door open. She didn’t wait, she lunged forward to strike at the person standing in her home.

But her bare feet hit the floor wrong. She slipped on the rug, her balance disappearing.

Instead of a strike, she fell forward, crashing directly into the tall figure standing in the hallway.

The person was fast. In one smooth move, they caught her with one arm and grabbed the knife out of her hand with the other. The momentum sent them both stumbling back until they fell hard onto the living room couch.

"Ouch... my nose," Vivien muttered, wincing from the impact.

She tried to push herself up, but she realized her knife was gone. Suddenly, a very familiar scent hit her- expensive sandalwood. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the man beneath her.

"Dante..." she whispered

Dominic’s eyes narrowed "Dan- ?"

Before he could finish the word, Vivien realized exactly where she was. She was sitting directly on top of him. Her hands were pressed against his chest, and through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel his toned body and the hard ridges of his abs.

A deep, hot blush rushed to her face, turning her ears bright red.

"OH MY LORDDD!!!"

A voice interrupted them, dripping with pure horror. Vivien snapped her head toward the front door.

Dominic’s assistant was standing there, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He looked like he wanted to vanish into the floor. The scene looked completely wrong- the "delinquent" student pinning the powerful CEO to a sofa.

"I-I-I’ll just... I’ll wait in the hallway! Or the lobby! Or another country!" the assistant stammered, spinning around and slamming the door behind him.

Vivien tried to scramble off, but Dominic’s hand stayed firm on her waist, holding her in place. He looked up at her, a dark mocking smirk playing on his lips as he held her own kitchen knife up between them.

"Quite a nice way to welcome a guest, especially the owner of the building. Isn’t it, Miss Vivien?" Dominic said, his voice smooth as he held up the kitchen knife.

Vivien gulped, her throat feeling dry. Am I about to die? she thought, her heart racing. She tried to wiggle free, but his grip was like iron. He didn’t let go; instead, he drew the knife closer.

"Tell me, how should I punish you?" he murmured, his gaze locking onto hers. "First, you decided to throw yourself in front of my car. Then you ruined my shirt. You missed classes on my campus, and now, you haven’t paid rent for my apartment."

He leaned in slightly, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Is this all your plan to get my attention?"

The rage-bait worked instantly. Vivien’s face turned from a shy pink to a burning, angry red. The embarrassment vanished, replaced by pure heat. She gathered all her strength and shoved against his chest, finally breaking free and scrambling to her feet.

"Me?! Trying to get your attention?!" she yelled, fuming as she stood over him. "You grum- I mean, you, Mr. Dominic, are the one who is everywhere I go! First the street, then my campus, and now my home! I should be the one saying that you want my attention- "

She stopped abruptly, her hand flying to her mouth. Oops. I definitely said too much.

Dominic didn’t move from the couch. He just leaned back, watching her explode with a look of quiet amusement. To him, she looked adorable- this tiny, angry girl in a fluffy bunny hoodie with long, drooping ears, shaking a fist at him.

Because of the fall, her bangs had swept aside, revealing her eyes fully for the first time. They were beautiful, sparkling with a fire that made his pulse quicken again.

He didn’t care about her insults, in fact, he found it funny that her "small brain" had actually figured out the truth. She wasn’t wrong- he was following her.

He stood up slowly, his tall frame looming over her until she had to tilt her head back just to see his face.

"My attention?" he repeated, stepping into her personal space. "That’s a very dangerous thing to want, Vivien. Most people don’t survive it."

He reached out, not for the knife, but to flick one of the bunny ears on her hood. "Since you’re so worried about my ’attention,’ let’s talk about that rent you owe me. Or should I just call the movers now?"

Vivien’s face fell instantly. The fire in her eyes vanished, replaced by a cold splash of reality.

She looked at her small apartment and then at the powerful man standing in the middle of it. She was trapped, and they both knew it.

Dominic watched her, a slow smirk playing on his lips. "You know, I could just toss you out of this apartment right now," he said, his voice casual. "And while I’m at it, I could toss you out of the campus too for violating rules and disrespecting the principal. You’d have absolutely nothing. No home, no degree, no future."

Vivien looked up at him, her expression shifting into one of desperate, wide eyed pity. She clasped her hands together. "But... you won’t do that, right? You’re the most generous, kind gentleman I have ever met, Mr. Dominic!"

Dominic raised his eyebrows. The way she looked at him- her eyes pleading made his heart beat with a strange, uncomfortable rhythm. Am I getting sick? he wondered, his chest feeling tighter than usual.

He looked away for a second to regain his cool. "I guess... I can let it slide."

Vivien’s face lit up immediately, her smile reaching her eyes. "Really?!"

"But- "

Her face fell again. "But?"

"Everything comes with a price, Vivien," he said, stepping closer until he was looking down at her. "I will fix this door, forgive your five months of back-rent, and let you stay on campus. But..."

"But what?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"You have to work for me."

Her eyes widened in confusion. "Uh, but I’m already doing that, right? Like, at the campus archives and- "

"Ah, no," he interrupted, leaning down until he was at eye level with her. "That won’t do. From now on, you’ll be my personal maid. And when I say personal, I mean you’ll cook for me and clean for me. In fact, you’ll follow me to the office, too. You go where I go."

"...can I refuse?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Sure," Dominic replied, leaning back with a cold, calculated look. "If you can pay the total amount right now." He listed total amount, the five months of back-rent, the campus violation fees, and the premium cost of fixing the high-end lock.

Vivien’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t even afford a sandwich, let alone that fortune.

"So... from when am I starting the work? And how long will this last?" she asked instantly, her survival instincts kicking in.

Dominic wanted to laugh at how fast she changed her tune, but he kept his face like stone. "You’ll be doing this for the first six months. And your job starts right now."

"Right now?!"

He simply nodded. As if on cue, a few men entered the apartment and immediately started fixing her door with professional tools.

Vivien stood there, dumbfounded. He was completely prepared.

He had brought the workers and the tools before she had even said yes, as if he knew she had no other choice. He had trapped her perfectly.

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TO BE CONTINUED