Chapter 19

Bella glanced at Dominic and muttered, "I'm not going. You go ahead and swim, but be careful."

Lia misinterpreted her expression. "Are you really going to let Dominic dictate whether you can swim? Is he really that strict? My future man will be under my thumb. I'll be calling the shots."

Bella quickly covered Lia's mouth. "Come on. Let's play in the water."

Ian's girlfriend, Celine, overheard their conversation, and her expression became complicated. She had suspected a romantic relationship between Bella and Dominic; now she was almost certain they weren't siblings.

They arrived late, and soon darkness fell. Lia, a gourmand, went to Leonard to ask about dinner. Leonard was on a call, looking about to hang up.

"What do you want to eat?"

She thought for a moment. "How about barbecue? The view is fantastic. We can grill some food and drink some beer. It's one of life's great pleasures." Leonard summoned a maid to relay the instructions before returning to his room to continue his call. "No one is here with me. Stop worrying about my business. Can't I just have two peaceful days on my birthday?"

On the other end, Diane sighed. "Is that Lia? I recognize her voice. Did you take her out?"

Exasperated, Leonard tugged at his hair. "So what if I did? Just stay out of my business. You're being annoying!"

Diane sighed again. "Fine, fine, I won't pry. I know you're a grown-up now. Just be careful. Lia isn't in great health and can't have children. If she gets pregnant, she'll have to terminate the pregnancy, and that wouldn't be good for her. Just don't do anything irresponsible."

Leonard was near his breaking point. "I haven't even held her hand! What are you thinking? I know her situation better than you do. Focus on your own man, okay? I'll be someone else's man one day. Don't worry."

After hanging up, he collapsed onto the bed, feeling drained. Although Diane worried about his romantic choices, she tended to overlook some things. He understood her intentions weren't controlling; she was scared of Daniel intervening if things went wrong. Considering what happened with Xavier, Leonard was wary. Xavier couldn't stand up to Daniel, costing him the woman he loved. He ended up marrying someone he disliked.

After a while, Lia burst into Leonard's room, holding a plate of barbecue. "Dinner's ready! Why are you just lying around?" Leonard sprang up, pulling his shirt down to cover his exposed waistline. "You can joke about a lot of things, but not that. I'm completely healthy. Take Viagra if you're low on energy, thank you!"

Even though he moved quickly, Lia still caught a glimpse of his toned stomach and smirked. "Wow, look at those muscles! You're looking good. Come on, let's eat!"

Once outside, the group chatted and laughed while enjoying their meal and drinks. As the atmosphere lightened, someone suggested Truth or Dare, and nobody objected. The game began.

The empty beer bottle landed on Leonard. He felt annoyed. "Truth, please. I don't want a dare." Ian, acting as game master, smirked and asked a cheeky question. Leonard jumped to his feet. "I'll take a dare instead."

"Are you still a virgin?"

Ian burst into laughter. "We already know the answer. No need for a dare. Your turn to spin the bottle."

Leonard gritted his teeth in irritation. He spun the bottle, intending to get back at Ian. To his surprise, it landed on Dominic.

(Note: The initial promotional text was removed as it's irrelevant to the story.)