"I see."
Vespera's expression softened, a flicker of understanding crossing her face.
"All men's words are just empty promises. How could you not realize it was me who sent the message? If I trusted you, I might as well start believing in fairy tales," she thought to herself.
Sensing her doubt, Dominic continued, "As for everything that happened after, I won't make excuses. I was preoccupied with my mother.
"Once I heard you were safe, I finally felt a sense of relief… If you think I'm unworthy of your affection, I understand. It's true, I didn't handle things as I should have."
He met her eyes, searching for any hint of sincerity.
Vespera smiled. "What's with all this 'worthy' talk? I like you because you're handsome and exactly my type. It's not because you're some kind of hero.
"If my mom fell into the river, I'd probably forget you even existed, Mr. Reid. At least you remembered to have Calvert pick me up, right? It's fine, really. There's nothing to worry about. Let's just leave it at that. You don't need to bring it up again."
Dominic fell silent.
A knot formed in his chest.
He wanted to say something, but the words never came.
Instead, he simply watched her, captivated by her radiant smile and carefree demeanor.
This was both the image Vespera portrayed and the stark reality of who she truly was.
It was the same stance she took when passing judgment on others.
…
Dominic and Vespera returned to their original seats at the front of the cabin.
They remained quiet, the uncomfortable tension that had clung to them from the apartment to the plane finally dissipating.
Gerard was still caught up in his card game when Dominic called him over.
There was a conference call scheduled around this time.
"Mr. Reid, do you want to rest a bit? I went ahead and delayed the meeting by three hours."
"It's fine. We'll begin in ten minutes."
"…Oh. Okay then."
Gerard quickly nodded and went off to update the meeting notice.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Drunk and Daring I Kissed a Tycoon