No One’s Pov

Amelia marched back into the main dining room, but the moment she reached the table, she saw the seats were completely empty. Dominic and Vivien were gone.

The waiter quickly approached her. "Miss, the gentleman left for some urgent work. The bill has already been paid."

Amelia felt like she was about to explode. She wanted to destroy everything in the restaurant right then and there. Letting out a loud, frustrated huff, she snatched her phone out of her bag and dialed her assistant. "Pick me up right now!" she screamed into the receiver.

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The moment Vivien returned to the table, Dominic had immediately stood up and led her out of the restaurant without saying a single word.

Seems like they aren’t as close as Amelia tries to show, Vivien thought, sitting quietly beside Dominic in the backseat of the car. For some strange reason, she felt a little wave of happiness wash over her. Then again, she quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. Tsk tsk, why does it matter to me anyway? Let them do whatever they want. It’s none of my business.

Dominic sat in silence, staring at Vivien. He watched her expression change from a small smile, to confusion, to shaking her head in frustration. Her face was like an open book.

Then, his deep voice rang out, breaking the quiet.

"Give me your hand."

Vivien looked at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. Slowly, she stretched her hand out toward him.

Dominic took her wrist in his firm grip and pulled a small tube of burn ointment from his pocket. He had never applied medicine to anyone else in his entire life, so his movements were a bit clumsy and awkward as he squeezed a small dollop onto his fingers.

Vivien’s eyes widened in total disbelief. Is this grumpy billionaire actually applying ointment on me?

Dominic noticed her shocked expression and scoffed, trying to hide his own awkwardness. "What? You thought trying to get a vacation by burning your hand would work? You’re not getting a single day off from work," he said coldly.

Vivien’s jaw dropped, her face instantly heating up with anger. That’s what he thought she was trying to do?! Burn herself just to skip work?! Seriously, this man was unbelievable!

She was about to snap back and pull her hand away when his fingers pressed a little too firmly against the raw skin.

"Ah! Ow..." she hissed, wincing from the sudden sting.

The cold arrogant look on Dominic’s face vanished instantly. A flash of genuine worry crossed his eyes as he looked down at her hand, immediately softening his touch to a gentle stroke.

Suddenly, the air inside the car grew thick and incredibly awkward. Vivien quickly pulled her hand away from his grip, hiding it back in her lap. Dominic didn’t try to stop her. Instead, he turned his head to look out the window, his gaze fixing on the passing city lights. He seemed lost in thought, and his face slowly grew gloomy and dark.

The silence stretched on for a long moment before his voice rang out again, low and quiet.

"Who’s Dante?" he asked.

Vivien was instantly stunned. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him with wide eyes. Where the heck did this question come from out of nowhere?!

"I-uh..." she stammered, her mind racing for a cover story. She scratched the back of her neck nervously, looking away from his intense gaze.

"Just... just an old friend of mine, you know."

Dominic shifted his gaze back to her, his eyes narrowing. He knew she wasn’t telling the truth. The hesitation in her voice was too obvious.

"And why did you call me that?" he pressed further.

Vivien swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. "You... you kind of resemble him. That’s all," she said softly.

Dominic raised his eyebrows, a cold mocking expression settling on his face. If that was the case, then this "Dante" was someone who occupied her thoughts a little too much.

"If that’s the case, then I would like to meet your ’friend’ someday," he said, pronouncing the word friend with an icy tone that made it sound like a threat.

Vivien felt a sudden shiver run down her spine. Is he mad because I called him by someone else’s name, or what?

But then, a wave of pure relief washed over her. Wait... if he wants to meet Dante, that means he really doesn’t know who Dante is! It means he’s NOT him!

She let out a breath. Thank God.

A genuine smile broke across her face. She looked at Dominic and nodded happily. "Sure, if the chance ever comes!"

Dominic was completely stunned by her sudden smile. One second she was terrified and lying, and the next, she was beaming at him like the sun. His jealousy was still burning hot in his chest, but seeing her smile at him like that somehow softened the blow.

Before he could say anything else, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked down at the screen.

"Tsk," Dominic clicked his tongue in annoyance.

It was his mom. She was definitely calling to scream at him for abandoning Amelia at the restaurant.

While Dominic was distracted, Vivien took the chance to slide her phone out of her bag. She kept her head down and quickly searched up everything she could find about Amelia. But the internet inside the moving car was painfully slow, and the pages just kept buffering, showing nothing but blurred images.

Suddenly, a notification popped up at the top of her screen.

Her heart dropped. It was an email stating that her pre-booking ticket for tomorrow’s author meeting had been canceled because she hadn’t paid on time. She quickly opened the portal to check for other available slots, but every single seat was completely full.

No, no, no! she thought, biting her lip. Now she definitely couldn’t get a proper seat to meet him. But then, a crazy idea popped into her head. Wait... what if I just sneak into the venue and steal a glance at his face? There must be some sort of connection between whoever is stalking me and the author of that book.

Suddenly, Dominic’s deep voice snapped her out of her frantic thoughts.

"Mom, I have too much work to do tomorrow. I can’t visit you," Dominic said into the phone, his tone full of irritation.

Vivien’s ears instantly perked up. Tomorrow? Tomorrow is the author meeting! If Dominic was going to be busy at the office all day, that meant he wouldn’t be paying attention to her. She could easily slip away, sneak into the event, and find out the truth! It was the perfect opportunity!

Dominic glanced over and noticed her sudden, eager expression. He narrowed his eyes, continuing into the phone, "I know, but—"

Before he could finish, the loud, dramatic voice of his mother rang out from the speaker, cutting him off completely. "So you don’t love your mother anymore? Oh dear, I spent nine long months bearing you, and you can’t even find a single hour to come see your own mother?!"

Dominic rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh, defeated. "Fine. I will come."

"Yesss!!!" Vivien cheered internally, a massive grin threatening to break out on her face.

If Dominic was going to visit his mother tomorrow, he wouldn’t even be at the office! She would practically have the whole day to herself to execute her plan. This was getting better and better.

Finally, the car came to a stop. Vivien stepped out onto the driveway and froze right in her tracks. Instead of returning to the office building, they had driven up to a massive private villa.

It was absolutely gorgeous. In fact, Vivien couldn’t help but analyze it...this place was actually more beautiful than Viella and Dantes mansion.

"Are you gonna stand there like an idiot, or are you gonna follow me?" Dominic’s cold voice rang out, breaking her trance.

Vivien snapped out of it and quickly trotted after him. As they walked through the grand entrance, the stoic guards stationed at the doors watched their boss with surprised gazes. Their eyes darted from the tall Dominic down to the tiny girl following right behind him like a lost puppy. It was a sight they had never seen before.

Entering the main foyer, Dominic crossed his arms and turned around to look down at her.

"Can you cook?" he asked bluntly.

Vivien blinked behind her glasses and gave a small nod. "Yes, I can."

"Good. Everything you need is in the kitchen. Go prepare dinner for tonight," he commanded.

With that, he turned and headed toward the grand staircase leading to the second floor.

Halfway up the stairs, he suddenly popped his head back over the railing. "And don’t even think about roaming here and there. I don’t like people messing around in my personal space." With that final warning, he disappeared upstairs.

Vivien stood in the empty foyer, her jaw dropping. The heck?! Cook for him?! What is he gonna ask me to do next? Clean the entire mansion for him?! What am I, a maid?! She paused, a harsh wave of reality hitting her. Oh, wait... I actually am... Ughhhh, my Lord, I really just want to dig my own grave and die right now, wuwuwu!

Crying internally, she trudged over to the kitchen. When she pushed the doors open, her jaw dropped for the second time. The kitchen was massive. She opened the refrigerator and cabinets. indeed, everything was fully stocked with fresh ingredients.

Since she had never cooked for a billionaire before, she decided to stick to what she knew best and go with a comforting, delicious, yet simple dish. She decided to make a classic, savory pasta dish- chicken Alfredo with a rich, homemade garlic cream sauce, paired with a side of crispy, freshly baked garlic bread.

Upstairs, Dominic finally came out of the bathroom after a long, steaming shower. He changed into a simple black t-shirt and dark sweatpants.

The moment he stepped out of his bedroom, a warm, rich aroma drifted up the stairs. His footsteps slowed. It smelled incredible. Ever since he had moved into this private villa, he had never once cooked for himself, nor had he ever allowed a chef or a maid to stay past evening.

He usually just ordered takeout or ate out at luxury restaurants, leaving the house completely cold and quiet.

But right now, the villa smelled like a real home. Intrigued, Dominic followed the scent down the stairs.

The moment he walked into the kitchen, the heavy silence of the mansion was completely gone. He saw Vivien humming a sweet melody while she cooked, slightly moving her body to the rhythm as if she were totally lost in whatever song was playing through her earphones.

Dominic slowed his steps. Instead of walking in, he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, crossing his arms. He just watched her. For the first time since he had met her, a soft, genuine smirk raised on his lips without him even realizing it. She looked so small in his giant kitchen, yet she fit perfectly.

But as he watched her sway, a sudden wave of familiarity hit him.

The bright kitchen seemed to blur, and a vivid image flashed right in front of his eyes. It was the same woman from his dreams. She had vibrant red hair and was wearing loose silk pajamas, dancing carelessly down a dimly lit hallway. Her expression was full of pure joy. Her cheeks were flushed from laughing, her eyes sparkling under the chandeliers...

Everything looked so real, so close, as if he could just reach out and touch her.

Dominic gasped softly, shaking his head as he snapped out of the vision. His heart was throbbing, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. What the hell was that?

At that exact moment, Vivien turned around to grab a plate. Her eyes widened when she saw him standing there like a ghost. Panic flaring, she hurriedly pulled the earphones out of her ears, clicked her phone screen off, and stood completely frozen and awkward.

"Uh... everything is done!" she stammered, her face turning pink. "I should leave now!"

She didn’t even wait for a response. She rushed past him to the counter to grab her bag, desperate to escape the awkwardness. She was just about to bolt out the kitchen door when Dominic’s deep voice rang out, stopping her in her tracks.

"Take some with you."

Vivien paused, looking back at the delicious chicken Alfredo she had just plated. Her stomach gave a tiny rumble, but the sheer awkwardness of the situation was too much to handle.

"Uh, nah, I am good actually!" she squeaked. With that, she practically stormed off.

Dominic didn’t chase after her. He still stood in the exact same place by the doorframe, his gaze fixed on the empty space where she had just been dancing. The kitchen still smelled like warm garlic and cream, but his mind was completely trapped in the memory of a red-haired woman he had never met in his life.

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TO BE CONTINUED