Chapter 23 #5
His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing me with an intensity that was both unnerving and exhilarating.
“You don’t listen."
“Oh, I do… I just don’t always follow instructions,” I teased.
That managed to pull something out of him—not a full smile, but something close.
“Yeah, I can see that,” he acknowledged, his demeanor shifting minutely, an unspoken connection forming.
Leaning forward just a little, I rested my arms on the table as I probed deeper. “So, what happens when someone says it anyway… even after you told them not to?”
Domino’s eyes dropped to my lips for a split second before returning to my eyes.
“Depends who it is. Only certain people are allowed to call me that.”
“And if it’s me?” I challenged, my heart racing at the thought of crossing that boundary.
There was a brief moment of silence, then, “That’s what I’m figuring out right now.”
My stomach did a slow, unexpected flip.
I pressed my lips together, trying to keep my racing thoughts in check. “Why is it that only certain people can call you that?” I asked, my voice edging into defensiveness.
Because if there were rules, I needed to know where I stood in his eyes.
“Because Domino is what I am out there,” he explained, nodding toward the dark stretch of land beyond the property. “Damari is who I was before all of this.”
“So why tell me?” I pressed, intrigued, and a touch suspicious.
He met my gaze, unblinking. “Because you don’t look at me like everybody else. You don’t see a threat first.”
My voice dropped. “Should I?”
A slow, dangerous smile curved at his lips as he licked them, an almost predatory glint in his eye. “Probably.”
A fragile moment filled with the unspoken possibilities fell between us.
Then, almost to myself, I murmured, “Damari sounds like somebody who could’ve had a normal life.”
He let out a low, almost hollow laugh; the kind that hinted at deep-seated truths.
“Maybe,” he shrugged, a veil of resignation coating his tone. “But Domino is the one who survived.”
I nodded slowly, digesting his words. “So that’s why they call you that? ‘Cause when you move, everything falls?”
“Exactly.”
I briefly peered out at the pool, then back at him. “Well… Damari, I hope you never point that fall at me.”
“If I ever do, it won’t be to hurt you… not in the way you expect, at least.”
Our eyes locked, something unspoken burning between us.
And in that moment, I knew learning his real name wasn’t just intimacy; it was access.
“You mind if I smoke?” he asked, lifting the blunt between his fingers.
I glanced at it, then back at him.
“This your territory,” I replied, tilting my head slightly in acknowledgment, “so you can do whatever you want over here… I’m just passing through.”
His eyes rested on me a second too long before he finally diverted his eyes and struck a match.
He took a long draw, the smoke curling lazily into the air between us.
“You dangerous,” he remarked, his voice low and serious.
I raised my coffee cup slightly, tilting it toward him with a smirk. “That makes two of us."
Domino didn’t return my smile or laugh; instead, he simply regarded me with an intensity that suggested he’d already figured me out in ways I hadn’t yet realized.
After that exchange, we had fallen into something easier. I sank back into my chair, cradling the warmth of my coffee in my hands, letting its heat seep into my palms, while he remained across from me, quiet yet attentive, eyes following my every move.
Then a voice cut through the atmosphere. “Ah. There you are.”
Startled, Domino and I turned our heads in unison.
My father stood in the doorway, hands clasped tightly behind his back, his sharp eyes sweeping over the scene like he was taking inventory.
“Well… I see the two of you are getting along just fine,” he said, his tone neutral but his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Domino was on his feet before I could fully register my father’s presence.
“Morning, sir,” he greeted him, his voice losing all trace of warmth while his posture straightened, rigid and formal. “I didn’t know you were looking for her.”
My father's eyes flicked toward him. “I am now."
My stomach twisted at his words, and I rose to my feet, baffled. “Is everything okay?” I asked, searching his expression for answers.
My father faced me with an enigmatic smile ghosting across his lips. “I need to talk to you… privately.”
Domino took a half step forward, instinctively protective, but then halted himself, clearly wrestling with the urge to intervene. “If there’s a problem—”
“There isn’t. This is family business,” Alejandro interrupted, his voice calm and collected, signaling authority with every syllable.
Domino nodded once, a silent understanding passing between them. “Understood.”
I turned back to Domino, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I’ll see you later,” I said, though uncertainty tinged my words.
The shift was immediate.
Gone was the inquisitive and engaging man who had shared coffee with me. He was replaced by the formidable underboss he truly was. I noticed it, and it unsettled me.
As I followed my father out, I glanced back, searching for some reassurance in Domino’s expression.
He was still standing there, jaw tight, watching us like he didn’t like not knowing what was about to be said.
And judging by how fast he’d pulled away, flirting with the boss’s daughter was off-limits…
even if neither of us had meant to cross that line.
My father led me back into the sunroom, closing the doors behind us.
He didn’t sit right away. Instead, he walked over to the window, hands behind his back, staring out like whatever he was about to say needed a moment to settle first. The breeze moved the curtains softly, but I barely felt it.
My heart was still racing from Domino, from the shift… from everything.
Then my father reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, glanced at it briefly, and looked back at me.
“A match has been found for your brother,” he announced. “A strong one.”
Everything in me went still, as if the world hit pause just for those words.
My thoughts cleared instantly.
No Domino.
All I could do was stare at him. My mind needed a second—or ten—to catch up to what my ears had just heard.
“Are you… are you serious?” I asked, in disbelief.
“Yes. Dr. Vega called me this morning. The heart became available late last night.”
My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my… oh my God!”
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. Relief, fear, and hope all crashing at once.
“But… there is still a process,” he said, not sugarcoating it. “Even with him being moved up… even with certain doors being opened, this doesn’t happen overnight.”
My brows pulled together, panic trying to creep back in. “What kind of process?”
“Final cross-matching. They have to make sure Kyrin’s body won’t reject the heart immediately…
that takes time. Then there’s surgical prep.
Dr. Vega is assembling the best team possible, not just available, the best. And Kyrin, he needs to be stabilized.
His body has to be strong enough to survive something this major. ”
Each word felt heavy but not hopeless.
“How long?”
“He said three weeks… give or take.”
I let out a shaky breath, my hands coming up to cover my mouth.
Three weeks.
I let the number sit there.
Three weeks meant it was real.
Three weeks meant we were close.
Three weeks meant… he had a chance.
“I didn’t think it would be this fast,” I cried. “I thought you were just… making a call.”
“I don’t make calls I don’t intend to see through,” he clarified.
I shook my head slightly, a small, breathless laugh slipping through the tears.
“You know what’s crazy? A few months ago, three weeks would’ve felt like forever.
But when you’ve been living in ‘we don’t know how long he has,’ and when every day feels like you’re just waiting on bad news…
” My voice cracked. “Three weeks sounds like a blessing. At least now I got something to hold on to.”
That did it.
The tears came harder, fuller. Months of fear, exhaustion, and pressure finally spilled over.
“He’s really gonna have a chance,” I whispered, more to myself than him.
My father stepped closer. “He is, and we’re going to make sure he gets through it.”
I nodded, but it was shaky.
And then I did.
I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around him.
“Thank you,” I whimpered into his chest, my voice breaking apart. “You don’t understand. I didn’t know what I was gonna do… I didn’t know how I was gonna save him.”
My words dissolved into sobs.
His hands hovered for a second as if he was debating it, then slowly they came down. One rested against my neck, and the other pulled me in just a little closer.
“I do understand. You have no idea how much I understand.”
I didn’t catch what he meant, but I didn’t question it either.
I was too busy holding on, letting years of pressure pour out in that one moment.
For the first time ever, I was standing in my father’s arms, not as a stranger, not as a question, but as his daughter…
even if neither of us knew what to do with that yet.
When I finally pulled back, wiping my face, he cleared his throat, giving me a moment.
Then his tone shifted, softer, but curious.
“Now… on another note,” he said, sitting down. “What were you doing on that side of the wing?”
I scrunched my face up, acting clueless. “Huh?”
“You know which side,” he smirked lightly. “Domino’s.”
My cheeks warmed. “I was just exploring. Is that side forbidden or something?”
He shook his head. “No… not at all. Mi casa es su casa.”
I shrugged. “Oh. Well, I was just… curious.”
His eyes studied mine for a moment, then he said carefully, “You should know… Domino isn’t a typical boyfriend type.”
I stiffened. “Boyfriend? Who said anything about a boyfriend?”
His mouth twitched. “In all the years he’s been here, I’ve never known him to have one girlfriend. Plenty of women, yes, but no woman.”
I folded my arms. “And you’re telling me this, why?” My tone was more curious than confrontational, but a hint of stubbornness crept in, nonetheless.
He chuckled softly, the sound rich and amused. “Because Domino doesn’t do breakfast with females... and he definitely doesn’t invite them into his space.”
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Domino, but I masked my reaction with an impassive expression.
“We didn’t have breakfast; we just talked over coffee. He wanted to know about the girl everyone has been buzzing about. That’s it.” I forced a casual shrug, hoping to downplay the significance of the conversation.
“That’s all?” His voice dripped with disbelief, as if he could see through my carefully constructed facade.
“Yes,” I insisted, trying to inject confidence into my reply. “Besides, I’m not looking for a man. I’ve got enough on my plate already.”
My father leaned back in his chair, a grin spreading across his face. “Maybe becoming a mule was about more than just trying to reconnect with me.”
I could tell he relished the thought of teasing me.
I shook my head, my expression hardening. “It was just coffee and conversation… nothing more. As for me becoming a mule? I did what I had to do. That’s all there was to it.”
He watched me for a long beat, his gaze piercing but contemplative, and then nodded slowly. “If you say so.” Yet, the way his eyes glinted suggested he didn’t fully believe me.
“So… I was thinking about what you said about your mother yesterday,” he mentioned, shifting the conversation.
The mere mention of her name soured my mood instantly. I had tried to call her again, only to get the same result.
There was a pause, a weighty silence that suggested my father was choosing his words with great care.
“Vanessa wasn’t…” he began, exhaling lightly, shaking his head as if struggling with the truth. “She wasn’t what you described.”
I frowned slightly, folding my arms loosely. “What do you mean?”
His eyes shifted, not avoiding me, just looking somewhere else for a second… perhaps, somewhere in the past.
“She was…” he searched for the right phrase, then offered a small, almost disbelieving smile. “Beautiful, yeah, but not just in looks. There was a softness to her… a kind of calm. She had this incredible way of making a man feel like the weight of the world wasn’t as heavy as it really was.”
“Hmph!” I scoffed loudly, unable to hide my disdain.
That description didn’t resonate with the woman I knew at all.
“She was kind,” he went on, “and strong in a quiet way. Not loud… not reckless.”
Another humorless breath escaped me as I absorbed his words. My reality felt so different.
“Yeah… that’s not the Vanessa I know. People change.”
And that wasn’t just a statement; that was years of disappointment and the painful journey of me watching someone morph into a shadow of themselves.
He held my gaze for a second, before nodding slowly in agreement. “Yeah… they do.”
We chatted for a few more minutes, the conversation drifting to safer topics that didn’t feel as heavy…
but my mind wasn’t fully there. It kept circling back to the way my father spoke about Domino—how he didn’t entertain women, how he stayed focused, controlled, and untouched by distractions.
And yet… he sat across from me, watched me, listened, hell, even told me his real name.
I stared down at my cup, my fingers tracing the rim absentmindedly.
What was so special about me? Because I knew it wasn’t just curiosity. Men like him didn’t bend their rules for nothing. So why me?
Was it the way I handled the run?
The fact that I didn’t act impressed?
Or…
Something else I couldn’t quite name yet?