“Aaliyah, you are ready?” Kyle knocked on the door, and Dominic turned to look at the guy, who raised his brows at Dominic.
“What are you doing here?” Dominic asked. As far as he remembered, wasn’t he one of the leading members of the Coastal Rings?
“I am Aaliyah’s date. It’s a shock seeing you here,” Kyle turned to Aaliyah before smiling.
“You look beautiful, my love,” Kyle went ahead and kissed Aaliyah’s cheeks.
Aaliyah’s gaze didn’t leave Dominic’s even for a second, and when she saw Dominic clenching his jaws, she smiled inwardly.
Serves him right.
“Let’s go,” Kyle kissed Aaliyah’s hand before he bent and sniffed her hair.
“You smell divine too. I didn’t know the best fighter in the ring had this feminine side to her,” Kyle’s lips were inches away from Aaliyah’s, and Aaliyah smirked, her gaze focused on the man, who was raging. If looks could kill, Kyle would’ve been dead the moment he touched her hand.
“You have not seen many things in me, Kyle. Let me introduce you to them slowly,” Aaliyah said before she looked at Kyle, who shook his head in amusement.
“Let’s go,” Aaliyah intertwined her fingers with Kyle before walking towards the door to leave for the party.
“Is he your boyfriend now?” Dominic asked before he could control his mouth, and Aaliyah paused, looking straight into his eyes.
“Does that matter to you, Mr. Dominic? It would be better if you focus on your gang rather than my life. It has nothing to do with you,” Aaliyah towards the stairs with Kyle before heaving a sigh of relief.
“The f*ck was that. Why didn’t you tell me the person I had to enact in front of was Dominic Volkov? Are you trying to get me killed?” Kyle asked, shocked, breathing heavily, and Aaliyah smirked.
“Well, now you know. I couldn’t think of any other person to help me with this,” Aaliyah said.
When she learned the truth last night, she couldn’t think of anything else. She needed to be strong for her family, and a distraction was all she needed.
One thing was for sure, Dominic was doing all this in a moment of guilt, and he was still madly in love with her. Earlier, it was just a theory, but seeing his reaction to what she was saying today and when Kyle arrived, her assumptions have strengthened even more.
Aaliyah has always known that Dominic loves her more than she loves Dominic, and for him to be thinking about sacrificing his love for her safety, she can’t help but call him a jerk in her head.
Not once did Dominic think about what she would go through when she would hear the truth. Since this is what he wants, she would make sure this is what he gets. Aaliyah smirked at her plans.
This path wasn’t easy, but this was the only way she could force him to go back on his decision, and if this didn’t work either, she would have to use her last lethal method. However, Aaliyah was hoping to not resort to that thing.
“You like me, don’t you?” Aaliyah asked Kyle, and he looked at her from the corner of his eyes before pressing his lips into a thin line.
“I don’t like where this is going,” Kyle murmured.
“You know me too well, don’t you?” Aaliyah smirked.
Though she was acting cool, only she knew how heartbreaking it was. Would it have been good if she hadn’t realized her love for him?
She didn’t know the acting would hurt her so much. The smile on her lips faltered, and she did her best to maintain her facade as she descended the stairs.
Aaliyah held her head high to ensure everyone only noticed her charisma and not the pain in her eyes.
As Harry and Laura looked up at their younger daughter, who was descending stairs like she was the main focus of this event, they looked at each other.
Harry was starstruck by his daughter.
“She would’ve really made a good boss, no?” Harry commented to Matthews, who thinned his lips when he noticed Laura glaring at Harry.
“I dare you to say that again, Harry,” Laura gritted, and Harry chuckled before walking to Katherine.
He took the mike in his hand before sighing.
“I have no words to describe how many emotions are clouding my head right now. On the one hand, I am happy that my daughter found the love of her life and is getting married to him, but on the other hand, I am sad that my princess and bird will fly away, leaving the home empty with her memories,” Harry said, and Katherine’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“Dad, I am not supposed to cry. Stop saying such emotional words,” Katherine said before taking a tissue, and Harry chuckled.
“She isn’t getting married yet. You old man surely knows how to be dramatic,” Aaliyah commented, and everyone chuckled at her choice of words.
“You!” Harry started but stopped when he saw Laura’s glare again.
It was funny how the roles were reversed. Earlier, Laura used to scold Aaliyah, and Harry used to save her, but now Laura acts like a protective mama hen all the time.
“Where is Dominic? I am sure I saw him coming,” Nathan asked Dimitri, who looked around, confused.
He was sure Dominic had gone to see Aaliyah. Did they have a talk? Judging from Aaliyah’s expression it looks like she still doesn’t know that Dominic wants to break up with her. Did he see her or not? Dimitri looked around before taking out his phone to call his friend and see what had him held up.
Meanwhile, Dominic slumped on the sofa chair, dejected. He had never thought Aaliyah’s words would slap him where it hurt the most.
Dominic can’t even believe what Aaliyah said, but if seen from Aaliyah’s perspective, wasn’t this exactly what he did? He was roaming around her, demanding her attention and love when she wasn’t even interested in him, and when she started to feel, gave her everything to him, he decided to break up.
Anyone was supposed to take things this way. Dominic knows that if the roles were reversed and he had been in Aaliyah’s place, he would’ve done anything in his power to keep her by his side.
“F*ck it!” Dominic growled, throwing the case on the floor and shattering it into hundreds of shards.
Dimitri, who walked to the corridor, heard the noise and rushed to the room. His eyes softened when he saw how broken his friend looked.
“Is it too hard?” Dimitri walked towards Dominic, making sure he didn’t step on the large pieces of glass.
“She knows the truth, Dimitri. I didn’t even get the time to explain it. She thinks I used her and played with her feelings, and now because she was sick, I got bored and wanted to be away,” Dominic whispered.
“I don’t see why she shouldn’t think something like that,” Dimitri sighed.
“Are you siding with her too? Even after knowing why I did what I did?” Dominic clenched his fist on the armrest.
“Your words never made sense to me. However, as your friend and your loyal subordinate, you will always have my support. Don’t think too much about it. You will meet many girls like Aaliyah. It’s not like she is the only one in the world. Besides, it’s better to stay uncommitted. This way, you can enjoy as many p*ssies as you want. Who would want to stay with one -” Dimitri couldn’t complete his words as Dominic gripped his neck in a steel-like grip.
“I dare you to repeat what you just said. You better than anyone know how much I love Aaliyah. Heck, I would lay down my life for her any second. How can you even think I would be interested in things like that or other girls? As a friend, you are supposed -”
“Well, if it’s not you, then maybe, it’s good for Aaliyah. She has already gotten a new man by her side, no? Who was it? Kyle? I even saw Mike holding her hand and hugging her downstairs. It’s better for her. What would one man like you provide her when she can have the varieties of the world at her feet? If I wasn’t your friend, I would date a girl like Aaliyah any moment. She has this body that -”
“The f”ck you are talking about!” Dominic punched Dimitri, making him stumble down from the chair, and Dimitri wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
“Why? Why are you getting angry, Dominic? Do you think Aaliyah would stay single after you leave her? She has her whole life in front of her. Besides, according to her, you betrayed her. Don’t you know how nasty a woman can be when she gets heartbroken?” Dimitri scoffed.
“She goes to pubs and clubs on usual occasions with her friends, no? I can picture her dancing with more than one guy, who would do anything to touch what she has to offer -”
“Shut up! I said shut up!” Dominic growled before he picked Dimitri by the collar and punched him again.
“Stop talking about her like that! Aaliyah isn’t that kind of girl!” Dominic snarled at Dimitri.
“She wasn’t. You never know what a heartbroken woman can do, Dominic. Have you forgotten about Samantha?” Dimitri chuckled even through the pain when he saw the dangerous look on Dominic’s face.
He was seething with anger, and judging from his gaze, Dimitri could see that Dominic was barely controlling Vulcan.
“Dimitri, you stop spouting nonsense, or I will -”
“Is it hurting you, Dominic? Why does it matter? You already left Aaliyah. She has the right to dance and have s*x with whomever she wants. She is a woman with rights to her body. It isn’t illegal or like breaking laws. Kyle and Mike are here tonight. What if one of them brings her to their place, unwraps her like the sweet candy she is, and -” Before Dimitri could complete his words, Dominic pushed him hard, making him stumble down.
“I said, stop it. She is mine! She is f*cking mine! I will cut every hand that will touch her and gouge every eye that will stare at her. Aaliyah is only mine. She belongs to me!” Dominic growled, throwing the chair across the room, and Dimitri leaned back on the table with a smile as he spat blood.
Wiping his blood on the back of his sleeve, he looked at his friend with a smile.
“How can she belong to you, Dominic? Last time I checked, you broke up with her,” Dimitri’s question made Dominic’s blood boil.
“Dimitri, are you tired of living?” Dominic asked, and Dimitri chuckled.
“I am not tired of living, Dominic. I am trying to make you see what you can’t. You can die for a girl and can’t imagine her being happy with another guy, and you say you would live along just fine? Who are you kidding?” Dimitri walked ahead before he grabbed Dominic’s collar.
“I always considered Aaliyah as my sister after you claimed her. This is for hurting her,” Dimitri raised his hand and punched Dominic straight in the face, making Dominic stumble back.
“This is for making her feel worthless and used,” Dimitri punched Dominic again.
“Dimitri, are you -” punch!
“This is for making her do this,” Punch!
“This is for making me look like this when I prepared so well to look good in Bryce’s engagement,” Dimitri gritted his teeth before he kicked Dominic in the abdomen, printing his shoe on Dominic’s coat.
“You!” Dominic gritted his teeth before dusting the shoe print on his coat.
“Do you want more punches to knock some sense into you?” Dimitri asked before gritting his teeth.