8. Dominic #2
“I called in a favor. And... you should know, pink was the only color they had in stock.”
She gives me a deadly glare. “Do I come across as someone who likes pink?”
“Nope. But now you’ll think of me every time you use it. Or whenever someone comments on the color. See? You’re already lighting up just talking about it.”
I reach over and flick on the small bedside switch. A warm light settles over the room. Lena doesn’t pull away. I feel her sigh, long and low, as her eyes drifts to the window. The night is fading. The first light is already slipping through the glass.
“My life won’t calm down until I close the Anton chapter,” she says, her voice tense, almost a whisper.
I watch her for a few seconds, trying to read between the lines. I still feel like something’s missing.
I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready for. But if I’m on your side now… the more I know, the more I can actually do. And I get the feeling this goes way deeper than some professional grudge. What is it really, you and Anton?”
I feel her tense beside me, visibly shaken. “Anton is everything I hate. Lies, corruption, cruelty dressed up as charm. People like him and his family keep getting away with it. So they get bolder. Greedier. More vicious.”
She pauses, takes a deep breath, then goes on, her voice stronger now: “I’ve collected so much over the years.
Now I’m ready to publish. And when it hits, it won’t just make noise, it’ll burn.
That’s why I needed to speak to the Mayor.
And that’s why I accepted your offer. Because for the first time, someone with real power is standing next to me.
The Rinaldis aren’t just powerful, they’re protected, feared, well connected.
If I go public, it’s not just about me anymore.
It’s about the victims. The sources. Everyone who trusted me enough to speak.
Their names, their safety—it’s all on the line. ”
I reach for her hand and cover it with both of mine. Not just to steady her. I need to feel her when I say this.
“Lena, I think we should get married first. Then you release the storm. How long can you wait?”
She pulls her hand back gently, unsure. “Anton’s about to announce his run for mayor. That’s his big plan, to take over the whole city with money and fear.”
I lean in, not smiling this time. Just making sure she knows I mean every word. “That’s not going to happen. They’re not the only ones with money. And I’m pretty sure the Mayor still has something to say around here.”
Her mouth tightens like she’s not fully convinced. “I don’t know. Why does the Mayor tolerate him? What if he’s just like Anton?”
“I’ve known Mayor Lang for years. He’s a family friend. He’s honest. He’s done a lot of good for this city.”
She frowns slightly, still not buying it. “Something’s going on,” she mutters. “I can feel it.”
I smile, thinking of yesterday’s call. “You’ll get your answers. The Mayor called me yesterday, he wants to meet you soon. Lunch at the hotel.”
She turns sharply, eyes lighting up. “You’re only telling me this now? Of course I want to meet him!”
I laugh, watching her come alive so suddenly. “You had a lot on your plate. I figured I’d save the good news for when you could actually enjoy it.”
She shoots me a look, half amused, half annoyed, then her face shifts, turning serious again. “If we’re really doing this wedding soon, we have a lot to prepare.”
“We can do a civil ceremony next week. Make it official. Then tell everyone we’re planning a big wedding later. That’s the simple and fast plan.”
She pauses, thinking. When she speaks again, her voice is quieter.
Hesitant. “We’ll have to talk to our families.
Mine won’t be easy. They’ll have questions, we’ll need to sound believable.
I’ll have to go home and face my dad, and that’s…
not exactly simple. I hate lying to him.
My mom, though? She’ll be thrilled. She’ll probably throw a party the second she finds out I’m getting married. ”
I meet her eyes. “With my side… it won’t be complicated. My mom’s going to love you.”
My voice softens without meaning to. “She’s the one who really matters.”
Then I straighten. “But we still need to get our story straight, simple, clear, and easy to sell.”
Lena looks thoughtful. “I think the easiest thing is to start with the truth. Something real, easy to remember.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. Something that feels real, but still interesting enough to catch attention. We’ll be in the spotlight either way. Alice will control what goes public. She’s good at keeping things tight.”
“Dominic, we can sell any story we want to the press. But with our parents, we have to be believable. We can’t trip over the details.
What if we tell them the truth? That we met at your club and you kicked me out because you were being your usual charming, self-important self. Think that’ll win them over?”
“I say we tweak that a little,” I offer, ignoring the sarcasm.
“The club part is good. But let’s say I stepped in to help you with a drunk client, that’s how I noticed you.
Then I found out you were friends with Lexi, Gabriel’s girlfriend.
We both jumped in to help her and... that’s how it started.
It grew. And boom, now we can’t stay away from each other. ”
She taps her finger on her lips, grinning like she’s just had the best idea. “Hmm. That could work—with a few small tweaks. Something closer to the truth.”
“Like what?”
She raises an eyebrow, eyes gleaming. “Like... you were into me from the start. Obsessed, really. You kept chasing me, wouldn’t leave me alone. And I resisted your charm for weeks.”
She leans in, smug now. “But the second I gave you a real shot, you panicked at the thought of losing me, and proposed.”
I let out a short laugh, playing along. “Wow, that really flips the original version. But yeah, your story’s better. I can’t resist your sarcasm, anyway.”
Lena shoots me a playful look, eyes gleaming. “Trust me, it’ll be way more believable to the women chasing you. They’ll get the whole ‘obsessed with someone’ thing. It’ll show them this is serious. And I’ll make sure no one ever doubts you’re mine .”
I keep forgetting, she still doesn’t know the full truth behind why I need this marriage. And yet she’s already throwing herself into it, owning her part, with full force. Still, I can’t help how good it feels hearing her say I’m hers.
“God, Lena. The way that sounded—‘ mine .’”
“Too much for your ego, Monti?”
“No, Sassy. Let’s go with your version. You’ll have fun telling it, and honestly, it suits you.”
Her expression hardens, voice dropping, steady, low.
“Dominic, this investigation is going to stir things up. A lot of people won’t like it. I don’t have much to lose. As a journalist, I’m used to taking risks. But the Monti business... it could take a hit.”
I reach out, brushing her cheek, hoping to ease the tension in her voice. “We’ve never been the type to avoid the harder path, especially when it’s the right one. Don’t worry about me. We’ve got enough money and lawyers. We’ll be fine.”
She studies me for a moment. “You’re not even going to ask about the actual investigation? And what I’m planning to expose about Anton?”
“Lena, I trust your work. Completely. The rest is just... ‘for better or worse ,’ right?”
“I hate to admit it, but you’re surprisingly decent,” she says.
“You have no idea just how surprising I can be.”
I pull her into me for a hug, mostly. Maybe a kiss, if I’m lucky. I’m pretty sure we’ve finally settled everything. But then she tenses. Just slightly. Her gaze, which had finally started to soften, sharpens again, serious, almost guarded.
There’s a shift in her. Something unsettled. I feel it before she even opens her mouth.
“Dominic,” she begins, her voice low, hesitant. “You need to know something…”
She pauses, eyes dropping. Her hand lifts, just slightly, and brushes the corner of her mouth.
That small, automatic gesture. I’ve seen it before.
When something hits too close. When she’s on the edge of saying more, but doesn’t.
Something in me tightens. I already know I’m not going to like where this is going.
“I just... I don’t want you to expect anything more from this.”
She swallows, her voice lower now. “I mean, emotionally... I’m not, I don’t know how to be available right now. I can’t promise to be anything more than... than who I am at this moment.”
I know exactly what she means, and damn it, it pisses me off. She’s pulling away again, shutting a door I thought we’d just cracked open. But for now, I give her the lie she needs.
“I didn’t expect anything else, Sassy. Tomorrow, we go back to pretending we can’t stand each other. Just the way you like it.”
She looks up instantly, a glint of sarcasm cutting through the haze in her eyes.
“No, Dominic. Just the way you like to provoke me, so I have to respond.”
I grin, not buying it. “Are we ever going to agree on anything? Or is this just going to be an endless negotiation?”
“I don’t know,” she says with a small, teasing smile. “Sometimes your charm might break through my defenses, and I’ll go along with one of your wild ideas.”
Her answer both amuses me and intrigues me, like everything else about her. “Wild? Please. Realistic ideas, Lena. Solid, reasonable, well-supported proposals. And if you don’t believe me, just look at our marriage. That so-called ‘wild idea’ of mine is actually happening.”
“You’re so annoying when you’re right,” she mutters, yawning dramatically as she covers her mouth.
“I’m getting sleepy.”
I smirk. “Sassy, that’s the oldest trick in the book.”
But she’s already leaning against me, head resting comfortably on my chest. I feel her finally relax, fully. And my body responds before I think, pulling her closer, holding her there.
It’s the first time she’s let herself get this close. And somehow, it feels… natural. Things are moving fast. Fear, pressure, the whole mess, it’s all pushing her into my arms. I don’t mind that part. But if I’m serious about protecting her, I need to know more than she’s ready to share.
I’ll have Leo dig around the university campus. Quietly. Ask questions. Because I’m starting to believe something terrible went down between Lena and Anton, something worse than she’s let on. And now, Lena’s a Monti. No one hurts a Monti and walks away.