3. Dominic
THREE
Dominic
S tay focused, Dominic. There were rules—rules I couldn’t afford to break. Not now.
But damn, I wanted to.
And for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t sure which fire would burn me first—the one I was playing with... or the one that threatened to consume me whole.
I sat at the long mahogany table, my father at the head, his presence commanding the space like a king with his throne. Around us were the usual players—the suits, the power brokers, the ones who whispered deals in shadows. His fingers drummed lightly on the table. Carlos Deluca locked eyes with me. He was always probing, always hunting for a weakness. And I knew that look.
His voice cut through the quiet and lethal. “So, Dominic,” he said, leaning forward, his eyes never leaving mine, “the shipment’s delayed. Word on the street says there’s been some... interference .”
I clenched my jaw, letting the words sink in. He was baiting me, trying to find a crack in the wall. But I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.
“It’s just a minor delay,” I answered, my voice calm, but the edge in my tone was sharper than a blade.
Carlos’ lips curved into that all-too-familiar, predatory smile. “I see. But we can’t afford delays, can we, Dominic? Not when the Deluca’s have invested so much in our little arrangement.”
I could feel the weight of his words hanging in the air, like a hand on my throat, squeezing just enough to make me feel the pressure. My father shifted in his chair, his dark eyes flicking over to me, a silent warning. He didn’t need to say anything. He never did.
“We have it under control,” I said again, louder this time, my voice carrying through the room, firm, unshaken. “Everything’s fine. It’ll be sorted by next week.”
Carlos leaned back, his gaze unwavering, a glimmer of doubt in his eyes, but only for a second. He knew I wasn’t lying. Still, he couldn’t resist pushing.
“Well, I hope so, Dominic,” he drawled, his eyes narrowing. “After all, in this world, timing is everything. One mistake, one slip, and... well, we all know what happens.”
The threat was implied, but I didn’t flinch. I could feel my father’s eyes on me, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. Every moment I spent in this room was another step toward solidifying my place in this world, my dominance. Weakness wasn’t an option, no matter how close to the edge I was right now.
“Everything’s in place,” I said, not letting Carlos see a damn thing. I kept my tone even, my gaze steady. “You have my word.”
I could see the doubt fade from Carlos’s eyes. He didn’t like it, but respected it, at least for now. But I knew that wouldn’t last. He was a shark, always circling, always looking for an opening.
“Good,” my father said, his voice low and cold, the final word on the matter. “Let’s keep it that way.”
I nodded, but my mind wasn’t there. It wasn’t with Carlos, the shipment, or the politics of this family business. No, my thoughts were elsewhere, pulled by a force I couldn’t ignore.
Her face. Her eyes. The heat between us.
Every word she’d whispered to me, every moment where we’d almost crossed that line. I could still feel the burn of her touch, and it was fucking with my focus, with everything I had ever built. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what was at stake. And I knew the risk.
But something about her… something about her made me forget all the rules. Forget the cold calculations.
“Dominic?” My father’s voice cut through the fog in my mind. I blinked, snapping back to the room. His eyes were on me, sharp as knives. “Are you listening?”
Rico glared at me across the table.
I forced my thoughts back, locking them down tight. “Yes, father.”
Carlos gave a little chuckle. He was watching. Always watching. But for the first time in a long time, I didn’t give a damn. I had to tread carefully. Isabella Deluca was the one thing I knew could destroy me if I didn’t keep it under control.