“It’s good you have realized your mistake,” Aaliyah looked straight into his eyes, and everyone smiled. They thought Aaliyah and Dominic would reconcile again, but their smiles faltered when Aaliyah grabbed Dominic’s chin and pulled his face down to her eye level.
Her eyes screamed anything but love at the moment.
“However, it’s funny how you think you can use me as you want,” Aaliyah’s choice of words shocked everyone.
“You got obsessed with me and wanted me, your decision. I started liking you in return, and you liked the phase and used my feelings, again, your decision. You got sick of my sickness and wanted to leave, your decision. And now you want to come back into my life, your decision,” Aaliyah snapped, and Dominic’s gaze quivered when he realized where this was going.
“Please don’t -” he started, but Aaliyah cut him off.
“However, I don’t want to allow you in my life. It’s my decision. I got betrayed in love once. I won’t commit the same mistake again,” Aaliyah said before she smiled and released Dominic’s chin, making him stumble back.
“Aaliyah, why are you acting like this? The guy is saying sorry and -” Katherine started but stopped when Aaliyah glared at her.
“I am not a toy he can like, use, throw, and then want again. I am a human with feelings. He rejected my love and wanted a breakup, so I gave him that. Now he wants to come back, and it would be my decision if I want him back or not,” Aaliyah turned around and left, surprising everyone with her answer.
“Aaliyah! Aaliyah!” Dimitri rushed behind Aaliyah to the corridor, and she stopped before turning to him.
The facade she had immediately dropped as she looked vulnerable. The moment Dimitri looked into her helpless eyes, his heart ached for the girl. He had stopped Aaliyah to ask why she was doing all this and should give Dominic a chance, but he didn’t need her to speak anymore. Her eyes spoke volumes.
“I am sorry,” Aaliyah whispered, and Dimitri shook his head.
“Don’t be. I know exactly how you feel, and whatever you are doing, I am with you in this,” Dimitri cupped her cheeks, and the tears that Aaliyah was trying to hide from everyone started swelling in her eyes again before they flew down her cheeks.
“Don’t you want to know why I am not accepting your friend? You stopped me to ask that, right?” Aaliyah looked at Dimitri with her moist eyes, and he nodded.
He was about to speak again when he heard some commotion, and he pulled Aaliyah into one of the rooms.
Dominic, who had been shell-shocked by Aaliyah’s words, got up to his feet and looked at everyone. The expression on his face immediately turned cold. It was as if that love in his eyes was never there and was just a pretense.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t have let my love leave like this. You sinned by making your love cry like this, and it’s your duty to hold and take responsibility. You won’t get another like her,” Nathan patted Dominic’s shoulders, and the latter hummed.
“I don’t want another like her either. I only want her,” Dominic walked out of the hall. He glanced ahead and saw a glimpse of Aaliyah’s gown moving into the room, and he immediately understood that she was inside.
He walked to the door and paused in front of it.
“Aaliyah,” Dominic started, and Aaliyah was about to respond when Dimitri placed his hand over her mouth.
“Let him finish,” Dimitri said.
Since the ceremony was already over, everyone walked out of the hall. When they saw Dominic standing in front of a door, they paused to see what was happening.
“Aaliyah, I know you are inside this room. It’s okay if you don’t want to reply or open the door,” Dominic took a deep breath and looked at his father, who nodded encouragingly.
“You know, you were right. I don’t have any right to hurt you like this and treat you like you are my possession. I can’t take you back just like that without your permission. Things turned worse. I had never thought these things would happen, and I would be a jerk to let go of you,” Dominic said, and Aaliyah’s eyes brimmed with tears again.
“Anyway, I won’t drag this topic much. I just wanted to let you know it’s your decision this time. If you don’t want me, I won’t come to you,” Dominic said, and pain flashed in Aaliyah’s eyes, but Dimitri shook his head in an indication to keep silent.
“Dominic, what are you -” Nathan started, but Harry placed his hand over Nathan’s shoulder to stop him.
“Let the kids handle this,” Harry said.
“If that’s what you wanted to hear, I am sorry, I will have to let you down. I will come to you. No matter how many times you close the door in my face, I will be persistent. Have you forgotten who I am? No, not the Dominic or Vulcan that the world knows. I am the same Mr. Volkov who stalked you to get near you. I did it once, I can do it twice, thrice, and I will keep doing it until you give in,” Dominic evened his coat, and everyone raised their brows at the new confidence in his voice.
This was definitely not what they expected, but could they really expect anything with these two? Everything was going out of the plan.
“While I am at it, I would like you to keep your distance from other boys/men just in case. Not because I will come to you for it, but because those boys and men who will be near you might not get to live longer,” Dominic leaned on the wall and closed his eyes, looking the opposite of how he looked inside the hall.
Right now, he looked calm and collected. Like he didn’t have anxiety and a breakdown a few minutes ago in the room.
“I am a territorial man, Aaliyah. And I have said this before too. I belong to you. However, this time, let me make it clear once and for all. You belong to me and only me. Every time you bring someone who will kiss your hand or face, I will ensure they don’t get to live with those hands and lips that touched you. You must be tired now. I will take my leave for now. Wait for me to haunt your nights,” Dominic stood straight and looked at the door one last time before he walked out of the hotel.
Aaliyah, who had been holding her breath the whole time in shock, sighed and looked at Dimitri wide-eyed.
They opened the door and looked at everyone’s shocked faces.
“Did Dominic just threaten her?” Katherine was the first to voice out.
“I think it was a love confession,” Laura looked at her daughter, dazed.
“It was both,” Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know how to feel about this anymore.
Should he be angry that a guy threatened his daughter that he would stalk and haunt her with his presence, and he didn’t want to do anything about it? Or should he be glad that Dominic was like this because he knows how much these kids like each other?
“Let’s leave this to the kids,” Nathan repeated when he saw Harry’s contorted face, and the latter nodded.
“That’s our best fit right now,”
Everyone bid their goodbyes and left for their respective houses after talking for some more time, and Aaliyah plopped on her bed as soon as she entered her room.
Her hand was draped over her eyes, and she was thinking about ways to handle Dominic. She wasn’t going to make things easy for Dominic either.
Aaliyah wanted to punish him for even thinking he could live without her, but how would she do that?
Dominic just practically told her that he wouldn’t leave anything and would be everywhere she would be. It won’t be long before her heart, which is already a captive of his, will react, and she will give in. That’s not what she wanted right now.
“Mmmmmm!” Aaliyah groaned and flailed her legs on the bed before she stood and slipped out of her dress. She was about to walk inside the bathroom with her towel when she paused, feeling someone’s presence.
“I can enjoy this view for the rest of my life,” Aaliyah heard the voice, and she immediately covered her naked br*asts. She was facing the opposite side, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t almost naked with only panties on her.
“Dominic. This is my room,” Aaliyah gritted her teeth before she tried to bend to get her hands on the dress without exposing more so she could cover up her front, but Dominic was quick on his feet.
“I have been waiting on the balcony to ensure that no one peeks at you while you change,” He whispered.
“You mean you were peeking at me when I was changing, and as soon as I slipped out of this dress, you rushed in,” Aaliyah rolled her eyes at his childish explanation, and Dominic smiled behind her that she couldn’t see.
“Same thing, just a different way to put it,” He whispered before he walked further close to her.
He bent and picked up the dress before extending his hand to give it to Aaliyah.
Her arched back and full hips were already torture to his manhood, which was standing straight, wanting Aaliyah’s attention even when this wasn’t the right time for it. Seeing her br*asts that would make him want to push Aaliyah onto the bed and f*ck her senseless was the last thing he wanted to do when he was just starting his game of coaxing her.
Dominic groaned inwardly and looked at his manhood with a glare.
If it had been alive, Dominic would’ve surely scolded it for not reading the room.
“Here,” Dominic said, and Aaliyah took the dress before holding it close to her chest.
She turned around with a jerk and glared at Dominic, who only had a genuine smile, making it hard for Aaliyah to stay angry and move with her plans to punish him.
“Get out,” Aaliyah ordered.
“I am here to sleep with you,” Dominic sat on the bed like it was the most normal thing to do, and seeing his resolute face, Aaliyah started to give in.
Just tonight. From tomorrow, I will execute my plan, but let me sleep in his comfortable arms tonight. After everything that we went through and all the pain we suffered. We deserve this much, right? Aaliyah coaxed herself before she closed her eyes for a second and glared at Dominic.
No. She can’t give in just in the first meeting. She has to control herself.
“Get out,” Aaliyah said again.
“No,”
“I am in no mood of joking, Dominic,”
“Make me,” Dominic replied with a grin, and Aaliyah let go of her dress, letting it fall on her foot.
Dominic’s gaze immediately hardened as soon as his eyes landed on his favorite part of her body.
“Will you be able to stay on the same bed without touching me? I will not allow you to touch me, and I am sure you are not the kind who would force himself on his ex-girlfriend,” Aaliyah said, and Dominic squared his jaws, flinching at the word ‘ex-girlfriend’.
“I… I swear you are the only one to have this control over me,” Dominic stood from the bed and neared her. He kept backing her until her back hit the wall.
He bent to her eye level before bringing his face close to her neck and inhaling her sweet intoxicating scent, letting her smell him too.
It won’t be wrong to say Aaliyah was aroused and wanted to open her legs for him already, but she didn’t want to look weak and easy. She wanted to make him suffer a little before all that.
“For f*ck’s sake, you will be the death of me. One of these days, I will be hospitalized for blue balls, I swear,” Dominic pressed his forehead on top of hers before he stood straight and took a step back, and Aaliyah immediately missed his warmth.
“I love you, my love. I’ll be back,” Dominic said before he drew the blinds to block the outside world from the room and jumped down from the balcony, making Aaliyah heave a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she was holding.
This journey of making him pay was going to be tough. She didn’t know to what extent would it be torture for him, but for her, it was beyond that. Aaliyah sighed.