9. Lena
Lena
B ringing Dominic home to meet my parents? Stressful. But not for the usual reasons. I’m mostly afraid we’ll slip up, and they’ll figure out the whole thing’s fake. They know me way too well.
Dominic, on the other hand, will be great, I’m sure of it. He has that annoying kind of charm that doesn’t need effort, like he was born knowing how to win people over before he even says a word.
My mom’s going to be thrilled. She’d pretty much given up on the idea of me ever getting married, so this is going to feel like a little miracle to her.
I only called my dad a few hours before we got here. I figured it’d be easier to break the news if I gave him a heads-up, told him I was coming home with my boyfriend, and that we had something important to share.
I haven’t brought a boyfriend home since I left for university.
High school flings don’t count; none of those were serious.
I’m guessing my mom’s already over the moon.
She called me back right away, slightly panicked that she didn’t have time to prepare, and hit me with a whole list of interview-style questions about Dominic.
I dodged most of them by saying he’s a good friend of Lexi’s boyfriend.
When she asked what he does for a living, I told her he’s a hotel director.
I left out his last name, no way I’m letting my parents google him and find all those tabloid articles: his reputation, glamorous exes, and party photos from flashy hotel events and exclusive clubs.
“What do your parents do?” Dominic asks.
The engine hums steadily as the view outside slides by. We’re just a few kilometers from Istria, my hometown. It’s a small place not far from Tomis, the port city where I live now with Dominic.
“My mom’s a nurse at the town hospital. My dad teaches literature.”
“Do you have a big family? Cousins, uncles, aunts?” he digs further.
“Yeah, lots on my mom’s side. My dad was an only child. My grandma had him later in life, after she retired from performing. She never told him who his father was, just that she really wanted a child.”
“You don’t have any siblings, right?”
“I do. One brother. He’s fifteen. You’ll meet him,” I go on.
“You’ve never mentioned him.”
“He’s still in school. There’s not much to say.”
My phone buzzes next to me. It’s a message from Dex, my go-to intel guy.
He’s the one who helps me keep my files and sources protected, and the first person I call when I need hard-to-find info.
After seeing the numbers in that prenup, I asked him to dig into Dominic’s finances. It didn’t take him long.
I open the message: “Lena, you seriously hit the jackpot with Monti. His family’s worth close to 1.
4 billion. Their empire is built around high-end hotels along the coast near Tomis.
The crown jewel is the Minerva Hotel & Club.
But that’s just the beginning. They also hold shares in a nationwide real estate fund, own land in key development areas, and have stakes in banks, port infrastructure, and a few publicly traded tech companies.
You really landed well. Honestly, you should start paying me. ”
A low whistle escapes me before I can stop it. Dominic turns to look at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah. My mom’s just... already being dramatic,” I say, biting my lip to keep a straight face.
I knew Dominic was rich, but this... this is beyond anything I imagined. We’re not talking about a successful family business. This is an empire.
Connections, power, access, he’s playing a whole different game. No wonder he didn’t even flinch when I warned him my investigation might affect his business. He can definitely handle Anton.
I wonder how he’s going to react to my parents’ modest house.
We’ve got our small-town habits, and I wouldn’t blame him if he got bored.
Thank God my family doesn’t know who he really is.
I glance over at him, and he looks completely at ease, like this is just another drive.
For a second, I almost forgot we’re just minutes away.
I shake myself out of the daze and start giving him directions as we roll into town.
He pulls up in front of the house. At least he didn’t bring one of his flashy sports cars.
He chose something low-key and comfortable, though still polished enough to turn heads on these quiet streets.
The house looks modest, with a little front yard and the same uneven driveway I used to rollerblade on as a kid.
We step out of the car, and before I can even shut the door, my mom rushes out to greet us, visibly emotional. My dad stays in the doorway. And Kai, my tall, scruffy-haired teenage brother, walks straight past Dominic to check out the car instead.
“Dominic, this is my mom.”
“Dahlia Medina,” she says warmly, pulling him into a hug. Even with my mom wrapped around him, her head barely reaching his shoulder, Dominic stays relaxed, like being pulled into a stranger’s hug is just part of his day.
He looks right at home: jeans, a soft gray shirt, and that navy blazer that somehow makes him look like the kind of man who always finds parking and never runs out of phone battery.
Of course he does. My parents get one look at him, and he’s already winning them over, calm, warm, confident.
Like he belongs here. Like he wants to be here.
But then there’s his cologne, amber and cedarwood, subtle still impossible to miss.
It doesn’t just whisper rich, it announces it.
If anything gives him away, it’s that scent.
When my mom finally lets go, Dominic steps up to my dad and holds out a hand.
“Dominic Monti. Thank you for having me on such short notice.”
My dad returns the handshake, calm and polite, but his attention is on me. Watchful. Curious. Maybe a little skeptical. Mom quickly loops her arm through Dominic’s, guiding him toward the house. “Oh, don’t be silly. You’re more than welcome.”
“Kai,” she calls over her shoulder, “come say hi to your sister’s boyfriend!”
“What’s his name again?” Kai mutters near my ear, already pulling out his phone to look Dominic up.
I don’t answer, he heard it the first time. I nudge him lightly in the arm, and we all head inside.
Dominic ends up stealing the spotlight, and honestly, I’m grateful. It means no more hugs from my mom and no comments about me not eating enough, not sleeping enough, or not wearing dresses on special occasions.
The table’s already set, and my mom waves us over to the table.
“Nice car,” Kai says casually to Dominic as we walk in. “What engine does it have?”
Dominic glances at him, amused. “Hybrid. Quiet, but still fast enough to be fun.”
Kai gives a small nod, like he’s reserving judgment. “Hmm. Respect.”
Dominic asks where the bathroom is, and my dad offers to show him.
“You could’ve at least worn a dress today,” my mom says, pulling me into a quick hug. “You never take off those jeans.”
Looks like I couldn’t even escape one of her usual comments. She doesn’t push it, I can tell she’s more focused on what Dominic’s going to think of them.
She points toward the table. “Do you think Dominic’s going to like it? He’s very handsome, you know,” she says, winking.
Classic Dominic effect. Kai has disappeared, which instantly worries me. Dominic’s just coming back from the hallway, and I risk leaving him alone with my parents for a couple of minutes to go wash my hands.
I find Kai waiting in the hallway, phone in hand. He doesn’t say a word, just shoves the screen in my face. He’s already Googled Dominic. There are photos. Lots of them. Dominic with women, Dominic at parties, Dominic and I at that charity event with the mayor.
“This guy’s cool,” Kai says, raising an eyebrow at me. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”
I reach up and grab him by the collar, not hard, just enough to bring him down to my level. “Listen up. You knock it off, okay? Don’t go showing that to Mom and Dad. Give him a chance, okay? He’s not like that with me. He’s… different.”
Kai pulls a face, then shrugs and smirks at me. “If you say so. Just don’t let your guard down too fast, alright?”
Kai was still pretty young when everything happened with Anton. No one told him the full story back then, but he saw enough.
He saw my pain, even if he didn’t understand it, he felt it. The kind of hurt you don’t need explained to know it’s real. And as he got older, he started piecing it all together.
Since then, he’s carried this quiet, protective instinct. Like it’s his job to make sure I never go through that kind of pain again.
When I get back to the living room, chaos is already unfolding. People are pouring in through the front door like it’s some kind of holiday—friends, cousins, aunts. One by one, they hug Dominic.
He’s surrounded, cornered, smiling politely through it all, like a movie star who needs to take photos with all the fans. He keeps his posture straight, his charm intact, but I can tell he’s calculating his odds of escape.
At some point, he takes off his blazer. Big mistake. Without it, his shirt clings to his chest and shoulders in all the right ways. And the jeans? Let’s just say they’re doing him no favors when it comes to staying under the radar.
Long legs, narrow waist, and just enough tension in the fabric to get all the aunties curious. And of course, Dominic acts like he has no idea. Or worse, he knows exactly what he’s doing and is just enjoying the show.
Eventually, a few of the aunts remember I’m also in the room, and suddenly I’m the one getting smothered with hugs and congratulations. All because of Dominic, of course. Like I’ve somehow won a prize.
My dad catches my eye from across the room and just shrugs, smiling like he’s both amused and silently wishing me good luck.
Just as I feared, my mom told everyone we were here to introduce my boyfriend. And judging by how quickly she pulled this gathering together, she was hoping there’d be a proposal involved.