36. Dominic
36
Dominic
I straighten my Armani tie and take a deep breath.
The boardroom at Rossi Developments HQ has never felt so stifling. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Manhattan skyline, but even with all that space and light, I feel trapped. Constrained. Like I can’t get enough air into my lungs.
“Mr. Rossi, the investors are ready whenever you are.” Eleanor’s voice pulls me back to reality.
“Thank you. Send them in.”
The double doors open, and they file in one by one. Representatives from three different investment groups, their legal teams, two board members including Anya Sharma. Some of our Costa Rican partners appear on the large screens mounted on the wall, joining virtually.
Arthur Sterling, my lead counsel, leans in. “All the documents are finalized. Singapore came through with the last approval an hour ago.”
I nod, scanning the room as everyone takes their seats around the massive oak table. My eyes land on Tatiana.
She sits slightly apart from the main group, in a chair positioned near the side of the table. The supportive wife. The perfect partner. She looks immaculate in a cream turtleneck sweater and tailored navy pants. The high neck covers the marks I left on her skin last night.
My marks.
Last night feels like a dream now. Her in my arms, staying until morning. Her whispered question hanging between us: What if I don’t want to?
What if I don’t want to go back to our separate lives?
If only I were worthy of her. If only I were a better man, and not a coward.
“Shall we begin?” Arthur asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yes.” I stand, addressing the room. “Thank you all for being here today. After months of negotiation, careful planning, and the occasional... unexpected development, we’re finally ready to close on Serenity Shores.”
A polite chuckle ripples through the room at my subtle reference to my sudden marriage. Mr. Chung’s expression remains impassive, but he gives me a small nod. Tatiana’s lips curve into a practiced smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
I continue with the formalities, outlining the vision for the sustainable luxury resort one final time. “This will be the most environmentally advanced resort development in the western hemisphere. Carbon-neutral operations, regenerative design principles, fully integrated into the local ecosystem and economy.”
As I speak, I find myself stealing glances at Tatiana. She was instrumental in this. The supplier crisis she solved. The investor relations she smoothed over. The countless small but critical contributions that kept this deal from imploding after our Vegas disaster.
“Now, if there are no further questions, I believe we have some documents to sign.”
Arthur stands, directing the signing process with practiced efficiency. Documents are passed around the table. Legal teams confer in hushed tones. Digital copies are sent to our partners on the video screens.
I sign where indicated, my signature flowing across dozens of pages. My pen feels unusually heavy today.
“And with that, ladies and gentlemen, pending fund transfer confirmations, we have a deal.” Arthur announces, collecting the final signed document.
The room fills with respectful applause. Tatiana claps too, her eyes meeting mine across the room. There’s something in that look. Pride mixed with sadness. She knows as well as I do that this success marks the beginning of the end.
The monitors on the wall ping with notifications. Fund transfers showing up in real time. Billions moving across accounts.
The deal is done.
Done.
Finally.
I should feel triumphant. Elated. This is what all the chaos was for. The Vegas wedding. The media circus. The strained investor meetings. The clauses and agreements with Tatiana. All of it to secure this moment.
Instead, I feel hollow.
Utterly and absolutely hollow.
Anya Sharma approaches, champagne flute in hand. “Congratulations, Dominic. You pulled it off despite the... unexpected development, as you called it.”
“Thank you, Anya.” I force a smile. “It wasn’t without its challenges.”
“Your wife certainly helped smooth things over with Jian.” She glances toward Tatiana, who’s engaged in conversation with one of the Costa Rican investors on screen. “She’s quite an asset.”
“She is.” The words come out more fiercely than I intended.
Anya raises an eyebrow. “Well, it seems the Vegas mishap turned out fortuitously after all.”
I’m saved from responding by Arthur tapping his glass with a pen. “If I could have everyone’s attention. I believe our CEO would like to make a toast.”
Fuck.
A toast.
Right.
Everyone turns to me expectantly. I raise my glass, searching for words that don’t taste like ash in my mouth.
“To Serenity Shores. To sustainable luxury that doesn’t compromise our planet’s future. To all of you who believed in this vision and have committed your resources to making it a reality.” I pause, my gaze finding Tatiana again. “And to unexpected partnerships that prove invaluable.”
We drink. The champagne is dry and expensive, but I barely taste it.
The celebration continues around me. I move through it on autopilot, shaking hands, accepting congratulations, discussing next steps. But I’m not really there. My mind keeps circling back to tomorrow. To the end of our agreement. To Nico and my promise.
After what feels like an eternity, the investors begin to leave. Eleanor shows them out, her efficiency as perfect as always. Soon it’s just me, Arthur, and Tatiana in the boardroom.
“Well done, both of you.” Arthur collects his papers. “I’ll have the final compliance reports on your desk by tomorrow morning, Dom.”
“Thank you, Arthur.” I nod as he exits, leaving Tatiana and me alone.
When the door closes, the silence stretches between us, heavy with everything unsaid.
“So.” Tatiana stands by the window, silhouetted against the afternoon sun. “You did it.”
“ We did it,” I correct her.
She smiles faintly. “Just doing my job.”
“No. You went above and beyond what I asked of you.” I move to stand beside her. “This success is as much yours as it is mine.”
“Careful, Dom.” Her voice is soft. “That almost sounds like genuine appreciation.”
“It is genuine.” I turn to face her fully. “You’re exceptional, Tatiana. What you did for this project... for me...”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. “So what happens now? The deal is closed. Mission accomplished.”
The question hangs.
What happens?
The logical answer is on the tip of my tongue.
We get the annulment tomorrow. We go back to our separate lives. You return to working for Christopher. I build my resort.
But the words won’t come.
I lower my voice, just in case anyone is lingering outside, and say instead: “We still have one day left on the agreement.”
“One day.” She speaks just as softly as me. “We certainly cut it close, didn’t we?”
I nod. “We did.”
She looks back out the window and says, quietly: “So one day. And what then?”
She still wants an answer.
But I can’t give her one.
I don’t know why.
Actually, I do. It’s because of Nico. And... I’m conflicted as hell. Should I just tell him to fuck off now that the deal is signed? I could, but... I can’t. I owe him.
I hurt him enough.
But do I really want to hurt Tatiana?
“We’ll talk about it later,” I tell her abruptly.
A pained emotion overcomes her features before she masks it. “Okay. Later.”
She moves toward the door but pauses with her hand on the handle. “Dom?”
“Yes?”
“Last night... what you said...” She takes a breath. “Did you mean it?”
Last night still feels like years ago. Her in my arms. My stupid, honest confessions about her breaking through my defenses. About connections that can’t be denied.
“Yes,” I say simply. Because despite everything, it was true. She has found her way past every barrier. And I’ve never been more terrified.
She nods once, then leaves without another word. Her security detail is going to give her a ride back to Christopher’s office, so she can finish her workday.
I’m left alone in the boardroom, surrounded by the evidence of my success. Contract copies. Empty champagne glasses. Financial projections displayed on screens around the room.
One of the investors had asked me earlier how it felt to close a 1.5 billion dollar deal.
“It’s amazing,” I’d told him.
But it was a lie.
This victory, this culmination of months of work and stress and maneuvering, feels utterly empty.
Because tomorrow, I lose her.
And worse, I might be the one to drive her away.
I look out at the city sprawled below me.
All this power. All this wealth. And I’ve never felt more trapped.
I’ve won the battle.
Closed the deal.
Secured my investors.
But as I stand here in my empire of glass and steel, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m about to lose the only thing that actually matters in this world.
Her.