No One’s Pov

Dominic stood quietly in the dark bedroom, his tall figure completely casting a shadow over Vivien’s sleeping form. His intense gaze fell directly onto her face, studying every single detail.

In the dim light filtering through the window, she looked incredibly peaceful. Her messy hair was scattered wildly across the pillow, with a few stray strands falling over her forehead and cheeks. Her face was flushed a bit from the warmth of the blankets, and her lips looked naturally rosy.

Dominic gulped hard, a sudden tension hitting his throat, and he forced himself to look away for a moment. He honestly did not know what was wrong with him or why he was standing in her room at midnight.

Back home at his mansion, he had tried to focus on his important business documents, but it was completely useless. His whole mind was filled with her running, fighting, and looking at him with wide, panicked eyes. He was so deeply interested in her secrets that he couldn’t help but think about her every second, and that burning curiosity had led him straight back to her apartment.

He turned his face again to look down at her, unable to stay away. Slowly, he stretched out his hand, his long fingers gently brushing the messy hair away from her face. He just stayed like that, staring deeply at her.

"What did you do to me, Miss Troublemaker...?" he whispered, his voice dropping to a rough murmur.

As he leaned a bit closer, his warm breath fell directly onto her skin. Vivien’s sleeping face frowned a bit as if she felt the sudden disturbance, and she made a small, muffled sound, shifting her body slightly to move away from him. But she was too exhausted from the day’s events, and within seconds, she relaxed again, falling back into a deep sleep.

Dominic let out a amused chuckle at her lack of awareness. She indeed slept like a dead body. Anyone could easily break into her house- just like he had just done- and she would never even know she was in danger.

Dominic stood frozen for a moment, his thoughts racing as he looked at her mouth.

Before his mind could talk him out of it, he leaned in closer, tilting his head, and gently captured her lips with his own.

This was officially his first kiss, yet the moment his skin met hers, a wave of familiarity rushed through his veins. It felt like he had savored this exact same feeling multiple times before. His mind flashed back to the hazy dreams that had haunted his nights for as long as he could remember- the dreams of a mysterious woman whose face he could never quite see. He had only ever kissed that woman in his sleep, and currently, Vivien felt exactly the same.

As he kissed her lightly, the gentle touch rapidly spiraled out of control. His eyes went dark with a sudden surge of desire, as if he had been starving and craving this exact feeling for a century.

Was she really the woman he had been dreaming of all this time? Was she the one his soul had been searching for?

The kiss continued for a long time, growing deeper and more demanding as Dominic lost himself in her warmth. Because of the sudden pressure and the lack of air, Vivien let out a low uncomfortable groan in her sleep. She twisted her shoulders, trying to shift her body away from the heavy weight pressing down on her.

Sensing her movement, Dominic reluctantly let her go, pulling back just an inch. He stayed bent over her, his breath ragged as he stared intently at her face. At this point, he didn’t even care if she woke up right now and caught him red-handed in her room. He was a man used to getting what he wanted, and he wanted answers to the chaos inside his head before she ever found out the true colors of his real personality.

Slowly, he stood up to his full height, his heart beating hard. He looked down at her lips one last time- they were moist, slightly swollen, and a deep red from the intensity of the kiss. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he swallowed hard, fighting down the urge to lean right back down. Forcing his gaze away.

Before stepping away from the bed, Dominic’s eyes caught a glimpse of a book resting on her nightstand. He paused, his gaze darkening as he recognized it immediately- it was the exact same book she had frantically snatched away from his hands.

His jaw tightened. What on earth was in this specific book that made her act so utterly reckless? Was it somehow related to that "Dante" she had mentioned during her feverish rambling? Just thinking about her calling out another man’s name made his blood boil with a possessive fury. Deciding he had tolerated enough mysteries for one night, Dominic reached out and slipped the book into his jacket pocket. He would read every single page and find out the truth himself. Leaving the room as silently as he entered, he vanished into the night.

The next morning, the harsh sunlight filtered through the window, hitting Vivien right in the eyes.

Every single muscle in her body was screaming in pain. She groaned loudly, rolling over as she forced her heavy eyelids open. As she blinked against the light, she suddenly felt a strange, stinging sensation on her lips.

"Ugh, what happened...?" she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "Who am I? Where am I?" She stared at her plain ceiling for a few seconds until her vision finally cleared. "Oh, right... I’m still a broke college student with zero luck."

Ting!

The sound of notification broke the morning silence. Vivien lazily reached out and grabbed her phone, looking down at the screen.

Mr. Grumpy Suit: Better see you on campus

today, or be ready to face the

consequences.

Vivien’s eyes instantly snapped wide open, all traces of sleep vanishing from her system. "Oh, shit! Yeah, I totally forgot about this annoying man!" she panicked, throwing her blankets aside.

She scrambled out of bed and hurriedly ran into the bathroom to freshen up. She splashed freezing cold water over her face to wake herself up, but as she grabbed a towel and looked into the mirror, she froze.

She leaned closer to the glass, her eyebrows furrowing. Her lips were slightly swollen and flushed.

"Uh... what happened here?" she muttered, touching her bottom lip with a thumb. It felt tender. "Did I get injured while fighting those thugs yesterday?"

She racked her brain, trying to remember but she simply didn’t have the luxury of time to sit around and analyze it. Dominic’s threat was staring right at her from her lock screen.

Checking the clock, she let out a panicked shriek, completely dropping the mystery of her swollen lips as she rushed to throw on her clothes and get ready for campus.

________

Bending forward slightly with her hands resting on her knees, Vivien panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. She glanced down at her watch. 7:55 AM.

She had made it exactly five minutes before his deadline. A relief washed over her, calming her racing heart.

Suddenly, a strange freezing chill ran down her spine. It felt like a cold gaze was burning right into the back of her head. She quickly snapped her head up and looked around the courtyard, but the campus was mostly empty this early.

Right, stop being paranoid, I need to get to the principal’s office, she thought.

Remembering the convenience store sandwich she had grabbed along the way, she unwrapped it and eagerly took a huge bite, chewing happily as she turned and started walking toward the main building.

Up on the second-floor balcony, Dominic stood with his hands casually tucked into his pockets.

His dark eyes were locked onto her moving figure. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face as he watched her shove that low-quality, processed junk food into her mouth. Can’t she have a proper, nutritious breakfast? No wonder she’s so skinny, he thought to himself, his jaw tightening slightly. The urge to hire a personal chef just to force-feed her actual food crossed his mind, but he brushed it aside.

Thud.

The door of the office swung open, and Vivien stepped inside, swallowing the last bite of her sandwich.

Dominic turned around slowly to look at her. The moment his dark eyes landed on her face, his gaze dropped straight to her lips. They were still slightly swollen and tinted a faint, flushed red from his rough midnight visit. A possessive wave of satisfaction settled in his chest, though his face remained a mask of icy indifference.

Vivien noticed the slight change in his expression, but she completely misinterpreted it. Wow, he looks almost... satisfied? Heck yeah, that means he definitely didn’t recognize me from yesterday’s event!! Thank the heavens! She felt an immense weight lift off her shoulders, mentally celebrating her narrow escape.

"How is your fever?" Dominic asked smoothly, breaking the silence as he walked over to the grand desk.

Vivien’s posture instantly went rigid. Oh, shoot, right! My fake terminal fever!

Quickly tapping into her best acting skills, she cleared her throat and tried to look slightly frail. "Ahem... it’s much better now. All thanks to you for graciously giving me a day off to rest... boss," she said, squeezing out a sweet, grateful smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Dominic leaned back against the desk, crossing his arms. "Good that it’s gone," he replied, "Otherwise, you would have had to work through it today." He knew absolutely every single detail of her lie, and watching her try to squirm out of it was becoming his favorite form of entertainment.

Vivien’s mouth twitched violently, her sweet smile turning into a hidden grimace. What a total, heartless, evil businessman! she screamed internally. I literally just told you I was dying of a sickness yesterday, and your first thought is to throw me right back to labor?! Dante is an absolute saint compared to this guy!

"Right... work is important after all," Vivien said, forcing out a tight, polite smile while desperately suppressing her urge to punch him in his jaw. "So, what are my orders for today?"

Dominic didn’t even blink at her hidden sarcasm. He simply tapped a towering stack of folders on the edge of the desk. "For now, organize these files, and then go attend your classes. After your last class is over, don’t wander around the campus. Wait for me here; we will be leaving straight for the company."

She gave a stiff nod and immediately set to work, her fingers flying through the paperwork to get it over with as quickly as possible. But just as she finished organizing the final folder and turned to grab her bag to leave, his deep voice rang out once again, halting her in her tracks.

"From now on, you’ll be making my breakfast too."

Vivien’s eyebrows shot straight up. She whipped around, her mouth opening to fiercely protest, but before a single word could escape her lips, Dominic cut her off with an icy, dismissive glance. "Your class starts in a minute. You’re getting late."

"Right," she hissed under her breath. Giving him one final, venomous glare, she turned on her shoe and ran out of the office.

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TO BE CONTINUED