Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
ARIELLA
‘Thank you for stepping in. Who knew caterers could be criminals too?’ Dominic says as MsPat and I arrive at his front door. He kisses my cheek. ‘You smell so good tonight.’
‘I don’t like this, Miss Ariella,’ MsPat whispers, giving Dominic a dirty look as we unload all the food we could pre-prep in advance onto the kitchen counter.
‘We’re fine, MsPat. All the equipment is already here, and Lydia made sure that the replacement catering team will arrive in thirty minutes. We won’t be alone for much longer.’
‘What can I do to help?’ Dominic asks.
‘Your guests don’t arrive until seven. Pretend we are not here and do whatever you’d normally do on a Thursday afternoon.’
He nods obediently. ‘I’ll head to work then.’
Once he has left, we get to work. The decor team arrive to make his patio beautiful; service teams get to work polishing all the crockery ready to serve. The beverage team prepare ice, drinks and decant for the evening ahead, while MsPat and I focus on the food. We are ready when Dominic arrives back at five fifty for a shower and a change.
MsPat relaxes when the guests start to arrive. They are a lively crowd and rip through the champagne like it’s water. It’s a good mix of local businesses and international investors looking for partnership opportunities. The evening is a lot more casual than I expected for a meeting like this, which is probably down to Dominic’s demeanour.
He’s cheerful when he checks on me, and helps to move drinks around his guests and tastes little bits that I have set on the side to try.
I’m truly enjoying myself. It’s been nice being in his kitchen, focusing on the business of cooking with waiting staff and the sommelier keeping the guests occupied. I’ve missed this. Me and simple, delicious ingredients ready to become something greater than they started out.
Going for the large platters of the contemporary chilli crab and the crispy baked chicken wings on blue cheese Caesar for the guests to dive into, family style, was a big risk but, when the pleas for more came through from the waiting staff, I feel like that’s one course down.
The same anxiety takes hold as I send out the main courses of truffle macaroni cheese, shredded duck salad, garlic and ginger steamed fish and vegetable fried rice on their platters. There is absolute silence until one of the waitresses enters the kitchen, stands opposite me and excitedly delivers the line that relaxes me.
‘They love it!’
It’s smooth sailing after that. Dessert, of course, is a fruit salad MsPat made and a selection of ice creams and sorbet – I may be ambitious but I’m not trying to orchestrate my destruction.
‘Aari! Come join us,’ Dominic calls into the kitchen from the garden.
‘Yes,’ his guests from the USA rowdily agree, beckoning me to join them.
‘No, Dom,’ I reprimand him jokingly. ‘Stop distracting your caterer.’
‘I don’t believe I have ever seen anyone I’ve outsourced toil to this happy.’
‘That’s because I volunteered for the aforementioned toil.’
By the time I join them for a glass of water at the end of the night after I’ve cleaned and wiped down the kitchen surfaces, everyone is full and buzzing.
‘You’re incredible,’ Dominic whispers to me as I take a seat next to him.
‘You know, MsPat and I just might be.’ I smile shyly. I’m proud of myself. I’ve never fed this many people before and it’s the first time I’ve cooked for strangers. Looking at all the empty platters that have returned to the kitchen, I’m not sure I made enough. I make a mental note to increase the portion sizes next time. If there is a next time.
‘Here.’ Dominic slips me an envelope.
‘No. I told you I’d happily do it for free…’
‘It’s not money.’
Inside it is an image of my favourite wine, Ridge’s Monte Bello, bearing my birth year.
‘I bought you a couple of cases to say thank you.’ He clears his throat nervously.
‘Dom, this is just?—’
‘What’s the nightlife like out here?’ one of the guys asks tipsily.
‘Not bad,’ Dominic responds loudly, before he turns to me. ‘Wanna come? Actually, don’t answer that. Of course you don’t want to come,’ he teases with an understanding smile.
‘I’ll stay and supervise clear-up with MsPat. The guys are going to be here for a while.’ I nod, smiling at the table full of wine, beer, cocktails, champagne and spirits.
‘The crew usually leave now. We’ve asked them to return tomorrow morning.’ He points at the chattering catering crew, who are putting on their coats to leave.
‘In which case, I’ll have an earlier date with my shower and my bed.’
‘Let’s find you guys some nightlife.’ Dominic stands, prompting the entire table to do the same. MsPat and I follow behind the loud group and Dom puts them into cars, instructing his PA to arrange for them all to get into his members’ club. MsPat follows his PA and, just as I step forward to exit after her, Dominic pulls me back against the wall and shuts his front door, sealing us both in his house.
‘Miss Ariella!’ MsPat calls from the other side of the door.
‘She’ll be out in a minute,’ Dominic responds before he steps closer to me. ‘You know what I’m going to say.’
I know what he’s going to say because he has said it many times before. He has been saying it all night with his eyes, his smiles, his hand on my waist each time he came to check on me in the kitchen. He said it with the procurement of my favourite wine. He’s saying it now with his finger slowly tracing up my arm.
The only problem is that he knows what I am going to say too. That I can’t. That I’m in love with Caleb. But it’s time to add that we can’t keep doing this, and the sad reality is that we can’t keep trying to be friends any more because, no matter what he says, these scenarios keep popping up.
‘Tell me you don’t feel it.’
‘Dom—’
‘You’re different tonight. You look different. You smell different.’ Dominic leans his forehead against mine.
‘Dominic, please?—’
‘I know he’s at home. Waiting. But I don’t care. This is where you should be. We’re good together. Leave him,’ he whispers in my ear, pushing against me. ‘I’ve been fighting the urge to kiss you all night.’
‘Dominic, stop,’ I plead. He has me pinned against the wall and I can’t move from under him.
‘I really want to trace my tongue down your stomach, wrap your legs round my neck and taste you.’
‘Miss Ariella!’ MsPat shouts from the other side of the door, distressed.
‘I’m done playing your games of possibility with you. Am I going to have to fuck you until you call me Six, Ariella?’
‘I’m pregnant, Dom!’ I shout over him, then burst into tears. I didn’t want to tell him like this because of what Mackenzie did to him, but it was the only way to make him stop.
Dominic takes a slow step back and I find the courage to look at his face. All I see is pain.
‘You said maybe.’
‘What?’
‘I said I only stood a chance if Caleb hadn’t been born and you said maybe.’
‘I didn’t mean?—’
‘Are you keeping it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does he know?’
‘Yes.’
Dominic takes a couple of more steps back, then sighs.
‘I’m sorry, Dominic, this is partly my fault. I couldn’t let go of you even though I knew we couldn’t really be friends. Now, we’ve pushed each other to a place where I don’t think we can salvage any kind of relationship from this any more. I think it’s time to leave Singapore and go home. Please.’
‘You want to go home with him?’
I nod.
Dominic immediately retrieves his phone from his pocket, scrolls, finds what he is looking for and taps it to dial.
‘Samir! Tomorrow morning, I want Ariella Mason fired effective immediately. Give her the full two-year pay that she is due. If she tries to negotiate for more, give her whatever she wants. I just want her gone. And cancel her work visa. I want her out of the country within two weeks.’ Dominic pauses. ‘And Caleb Black too.’
He is silent for a while, in a way that suggests Samir is asking questions to try to understand what is going on.
‘I don’t give a fuck if they all walk out with her. I want both of them dismissed by the end of the day tomorrow, and out of the country as soon as possible.’
Dominic hangs up.
‘Goodbye, Ariella,’ he says sadly, then steps forward. I know he’s going to try to kiss me. I put my hand on his chest gently to stop him.
‘Dom—’
I am cut off by loud banging and the doorbell ringing chaotically from fast, repeated depression.
‘Dominic! Open the FUCK up. NOW!’ Caleb shouts as he bangs.
As Dominic does so, the door is pushed forward and knocks him back. Caleb rushes in, grabs Dominic by the front of his shirt and punches his face with such force, I think I hear something crack. I run over to try to pull Caleb off him. Caleb’s fist continues to smash into Dominic’s face with every word.
‘Leave. My. Girlfriend. Alone!’
Dominic is on the floor by the time Caleb is done.
‘Caleb!’
‘What the fuck, Aari.’ Caleb is fuming. ‘We are going home. Now!’
I hear Dominic laugh through his bloodied face.
‘She is. You’re not. You’re going to pay for this, and do every single second of your time here. And I’m going to make it hurt.’
‘Dominic, please, no!’ I cry.
‘Fuck him. Let’s get out of here,’ Caleb says, grabbing me by my arm. He quickly guides me from Dominic’s house with MsPat following.
My emotions are all over the place when we get back home, while Caleb is still dialled into pure fury.
‘What did he do to you?’
‘Nothing.’
‘He kicked MsPat out and locked you in his house for nothing? When are you going to stop making excuses for him?’
‘He misunderstood a conversation we had, that was all.’
‘What conversation?’
‘He said he’d lost me and I told him he hadn’t – but I meant as a friend.’
‘What is your obsession with being everyone’s friend? I’ve repeatedly told you that this man doesn’t want to be your friend!’
‘Lower your voice please, Caleb.’
He doesn’t. ‘No. This guy has been hovering for months!’
‘Are you going to beat up everyone that hovers, Caleb? Your fists will never rest.’
‘He locked you in his house, Ariella! He has got at least thirty kilos of pure muscle more than you and is a full head taller. Your brand of goody-goody diplomacy wasn’t going to do a damn thing if he wanted to hurt you!’
‘My brand of goody-goody diplomacy did work. He was going to?—’
‘Oh my God. What if it didn’t? Am I going to have to kill someone for you to stop putting yourself in risky situations?’
‘I didn’t put myself in a risky situation. He’s our boss and he was my friend.’
‘Friend my arse! You know he wanted more and you let him think he had a chance.’
‘Well, at one point he did!’ I shout back. Caleb looks like I’ve just slapped him, and gears up to counter-attack.
‘Is this child even?—’
‘NO! MrCaleb! Do not say!’ MsPat shouts over him.
‘Say it,’ I seethe. ‘I dare you.’
Caleb suddenly looks unsure.
‘No! Please, MrCaleb! You will lose everything. Please! Do not say!’
‘I need some air,’ Caleb says, and goes back out of the front door.
The sigh of relief from MsPat as she falls to her knees infiltrates the silence. I feel deep shame and embarrassment settle.
‘Thank you for being there tonight, MsPat.’
‘No problem, Miss Ariella. I happy I came,’ she says sadly.
‘I’ll be moving back to London in the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow, can we talk about how I can help you secure a job before I move?’