Chapter 23 #3
The staff member let out a small chuckle, clearly used to personalities like hers. “It applies to all parties, ma’am,” he confirmed smoothly.
Lainey gasped loudly. “Oh, I knew I felt a financial blessing in the air this morning!”
I giggled. “We’ll be ready in an hour,” I informed him.
He dipped his head politely. “Very well.”
Once he walked off, Lainey slid out of the bed and came straight over to me, already grinning.
“Ajori, I know he was an absent father.”
I folded my arms. “Here we go.”
“No, no… hear me out,” she continued, placing a hand dramatically over her chest. “God expects us to forgive, so can you? Just for today? Because forgiveness might come with a receipt, and I’m trying to see what Dior talking about in person.”
Kyrin chimed in, nodding. “Sis, I gotta side with Lainey on this one. Life is too short to be holding grudges…” He paused, then added with a grin, “…and too expensive to turn down free stuff.”
I reared my head back in astonishment. “Wow.”
Lainey pointed at him. “See! Even the little one agrees.”
“I’m not little,” Kyrin muttered. “I’m financially underdeveloped.”
That took me out.
I playfully rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Y’all are ridiculous.”
“Rich and ridiculous,” Lainey corrected. “Get it right, boo!”
As they started talking over each other about what they were about to get, I drifted for a second. My thoughts pulled me right back to my father.
I hope this isn’t his way of trying to make up for almost thirty years, because some absences can’t be filled with luxury.
A little over an hour later, we were riding through narrow, winding streets that looked like they belonged in a movie. Stone pavement, luxury storefronts, and polished glass buildings lined both sides. High-end didn’t even begin to describe it.
Lainey was pressed up against the window like a kid on a field trip, practically narrating the entire ride as though she was live.
“And here we have Dior… Chanel…” she whispered dramatically. “Ooh! Is that a gold-plated mannequin?!”
Before I could answer, from the front seat, my father let out a quiet smirk. “You won’t be getting any looks today. Everything you see in these windows? It’s already yours if you want it. Don’t ask for prices… just point.”
Kyrin blinked, then sat up straighter. “Oh,” he said slowly. “So, I been belonging, I just didn’t know it yet.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that—at him. The excitement on Kyrin’s face and the way his whole mood shifted in seconds did something to me. For a moment, nothing else mattered but seeing him happy.
My attention gravitated to my father.
He spoke on money as though it didn’t exist as a limit, which made me wonder just how wealthy he really was.
The SUV rolled to a smooth stop in front of one of the stores, and the driver quickly got out to open the door.
The moment my feet hit the pavement, the energy shifted.
Everything felt… elevated. The glass doors swung open effortlessly before we even reached them, as if welcoming us into an exclusive sanctuary.
A luxurious scent enveloped us, which spoke volumes about the wealth contained within those walls.
The place smelled like money and looked as if it had never seen a clearance rack.
And from there, it was over. Kyrin was in heaven, trying on suits like he had three business meetings, a photoshoot, and an award show all lined up in the same week.
“This is how I’m pulling up to prom,” he declared, adjusting the jacket and checking himself out from every angle.
I leaned against the wall, shaking my head. “Kyrin, your prom is years away.”
“Exactly. I gotta plan ahead.”
Alejandro chuckled quietly, watching the banter with a look I couldn’t decipher.
Lainey nearly lost her mind when she saw the wall of handbags. “OH. MY. GOD!” she whispered loudly. “If I pass out, just swipe my card for me!”
She paused.
“Oh wait… I don’t need to today!”
I rolled my eyes, laughing under my breath.
At some point, I got pulled into trying things on, too. I stepped into a fitted white jumpsuit. For a second, I just stood there, staring at myself in the mirror. I looked like a version of myself I hadn’t had time to see before.
“Te ves como si fueras duena del lugar,” he said.
(You look like you own the room.)
I lifted a brow, a small smile playing at my lips. “?Ah, sí?” I replied smoothly. “?De verdad?”
(Oh, really? Do I?)
That got his attention.
I saw a flicker of surprise cross his face.
“Sí,” he said, then switched back to English. “And that’s not something that can be bought.”
His eyes stayed on me a second longer before he added, “I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
I hunched my shoulders. “That’s one thing my mom made sure I learned… and now I see why.”
He then walked up beside me with something small in his hand. “Here. I got you something.”
Before I could even ask what or why, he took my wrist gently and fastened a delicate gold bracelet around it.
“It’s a marker.”
I looked up at him in confusion.
“A reminder that you belong to more than the struggle you’ve been handed,” he clarified.
That hit somewhere I wasn’t expecting, because my whole life felt like struggle was all I belonged to. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t. I just looked down at the bracelet again, letting his words sit where they landed.
Our last stop was a rooftop restaurant overlooking the ocean. The view alone was enough to make me daydream.
It felt peaceful… too peaceful for my life.
Kyrin was halfway into a burger the size of his head, completely focused. “Man,” he mumbled between bites, “if this is how rich people eat every day, I’ve been living wrong.”
Lainey, of course, had her phone out. “Y’all,” she exclaimed dramatically, flipping the camera. “If I disappear, just know I chose this life! Please don’t come looking for me!”
I shook my head, smiling despite myself.
My father leaned slightly toward me, no business in his tone, just truth. “I enjoyed today.”
I glanced at him. “Me too,” I honestly admitted.
He nodded, satisfied, then resumed eating.
Bags filled every corner of the SUV as we headed back to the house. Kyrin was humming, Lainey was planning an entire outfit post, and I was quiet, turning over the morning’s conversations in my head.
Later that evening, after dinner, I stepped into one of the private elevators to head back down to my wing. I was halfway through pressing the button when a large hand stopped the doors from closing. Domino stepped in, all quiet confidence, his cologne and presence filling the small space.
“Going down?” he asked.
“Y-Yeah.”
I moved slightly to give him space, though the elevator was already too small for comfort.
I stood in silence for a few seconds; the hum of the machinery was the only sound surrounding us.
I glanced at him once. He was looking straight ahead, jaw set, like that moment wasn’t affecting him.
Then there was a slight jolt between floors; not enough to scare me, but enough to throw me off balance for half a second.
Domino’s hand came out instantly, brushing my arm to steady me.
“You always this jumpy?” he questioned without looking my way.
“You always this… close?” I countered.
“When I want to be,” he answered, finally looking at me.
The bell chimed, and the doors opened. Domino stepped out first, but not before giving me one last look that stayed with me all the way back to the room.
***
The following morning dawned bright and fresh.
It was my first real chance to explore the house in its entirety.
The place was too big to take in all at once.
It stretched in different directions and split into wings like it had secrets tucked behind every corner.
My curiosity led me down a particularly quiet hallway that I hadn’t previously encountered.
The energy over there felt different, like that part of the house wasn’t meant for just anybody.
I paused in front of a set of double doors. Hesitantly, I pushed them open and immediately halted my steps in awe.
In the center of the room, engrossed in a workout, was Domino.
He stood with his shirt off, beads of sweat glistening on his skin as he methodically moved through another slow set of weights.
The muscles in his arms and chest flexed powerfully, showcasing the dedication he poured into his routine.
The morning light streamed in from the tall windows behind him, making his skin glisten like polished stone.
My heart picked up without permission as my eyes drifted to the large tattoo of a chess king boldly inked across his shoulder blades, a thin streak of red woven through the design, reminiscent of blood dripping down.
Domino completed his set, setting the weights down with a practiced ease, and turned to face me. Our eyes locked, and a jolt of electricity sparked between us.
He raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. “You lost?”
I opened my mouth, a flurry of thoughts rushing through my mind, but found myself momentarily speechless.
“I—no! I was just… getting to know my new surroundings,” I stammered.
He grabbed a towel, dragging it slowly across his face, his eyes never leaving mine. “This my wing.”
“Oh.” I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and fascination. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”
A corner of his mouth lifted into a teasing smile. “Most people don’t end up over here by accident.”
Despite my best intentions, my eyes drifted, drinking in the sight of his sculpted chest, toned arms, and the defined lines of his abdomen before I caught myself, suddenly aware of my wandering gaze.
“I’ll, uh… I’ll let you get back to…” I gestured vaguely at the weights, “… that.”
I turned to go, desperately searching for a graceful exit.
“Hold up.”
His tone wasn’t raised, yet it held a magnetic quality that made me freeze mid-step.
I glanced back, compelled by his commanding presence.