Chapter 120: Smells Like Love

Bella stared at Dominic's message, her mind going blank. She wondered if Lia had joined them because she'd been so accurate in her predictions.

Before she could process it, Dominic saw her message and replied immediately: "You reckless woman. We'll talk when I get back. For now, you can push that ear-piercing aside."

She heard her heartbeat pounding in the quiet parking lot. She put a hand over her chest, trying to calm herself, but it was no use. She wondered if Dominic understood what it meant to be a couple. She didn't need to stoop so low, even if he wanted revenge. If it was a hopeless romance, Bella didn't want it.

"Who did you scratch the car?" Ian appeared from nowhere.

Bella instinctively locked her phone. "Uh, there weren't any better spots left, and my parking isn't that great. How much do you think it'll cost to fix the scratch? I have no idea."

Ian looked at the damage and held up two fingers. "Probably this much."

Bella asked, "Two thousand dollars?"

Ian gave Bella a weird look. "Twenty thousand dollars. What were you thinking? Don't worry, Dominic's loaded. You can mess it up however you like. He won't know what to do with his money if there's no woman to spend it on."

Bella was taken aback, but this was nothing compared to Dominic's earlier message. Distracted, she went to the office and put on her coat. The familiar smell of disinfectant helped her regain her composure. Since Dominic wasn't around, Bella went home earlier than usual, which improved her sleep.

The next morning, she saw messages Dominic had sent in the middle of the night—photos of the places he was. He always had a knack for photography, and the breathtaking city scenery was perfectly captured. After looking at the photos, Bella was confused, as Dominic had never contacted her voluntarily before. Now that he was sending her photos of his locations, she felt an unusual feeling, like the beginning of love.

Bella looked at her phone as if it were a hot potato and tossed it onto her bed before hurrying to get ready.

By the time she reached the hospital, she checked her phone out of habit and saw another message from Dominic: "You still have plenty of time to come to terms with reality. I'll be gone for another 17 days." Did he think he was avoiding the situation by not replying?

Bella wasn't one to avoid things, and she knew ignoring it wouldn't solve anything. She decided to confront him directly and replied: "We've been siblings for so many years, and I'm used to you hating me. I'm not cut out to be your girlfriend. I had too much to drink the other night, and I appreciate you humoring me. Let's just pretend Simon never existed. I can't accept being used as part of some revenge plan. Love is sacred to me, and it shouldn't be mixed with hatred."

The moment she sent the message, Dominic called.

Bella panicked and immediately silenced her phone. Her heart raced as if it would leap out of her throat. Sending texts was easy, but the second she had to hear his voice, she chickened out. She couldn't answer. After three missed calls, a message appeared: "If you don't pick up, head back immediately."

Bella clenched her jaw and forced herself to call him back, pretending she hadn't been rattled. "I was busy. Either you spit it out now, or we can talk later."

Dominic's smooth, magnetic voice came through the phone. "Is that so? Then why did you call me the second I said I was coming back?"

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