Chapter 50: You Have Some Nerve

Instinctively, Bella straightened up and tried to mask her surprise. "Did you not sleep, or have you just woken up?"

Dominic crossed his arms and looked at her coldly. "What do you think?"

Bella chuckled nervously. "I think you've just woken up. I'm exhausted from the night shift, so I'm going to take a shower and get some sleep. Please take care of breakfast," she added.

Her body stiffened. "I'm tired! I heard you. What's your problem?"

He stood up and walked toward her, pressing one hand against the wall and trapping her between him and the wall. His ice-cold gaze bored into her. "How dare you hide from me! You're a coward, Bella!"

"I got back from the hospital. I'm a walking petri dish right now," she said weakly.

Sure enough, he backed away as if avoiding a plague. But this time, he was plainly pissed. "Didn't you want to leave? Then you should have let me 'play' with you until I was satisfied."

Her heart sank, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she plastered on a brave face. "I can be at your beck and call, but I'm not a prostitute. There's no need to insult me like that. I've already learned how hurtful your words can be. I'm willing to be with you, but not anymore." Dominic noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and held himself still for a while. Time seemed to stall as they stared at each other. The thirty seconds felt like an eternity, more agonizing than any she'd ever been through.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he spat out, "You seem to have forgotten who's in control here."

After he left, she showered and, despite staying up all night, felt sleepy. She ate breakfast absentmindedly, tended to the new plants on the balcony, and spent some time on her phone. She was well aware of her exhaustion—her body was crying out for sleep—but the gnawing at her heart kept her awake. Soon, she had a piercing headache. Then, suddenly, she heard the door open. Instinctively, she sat up in bed and tried to figure out what it was.

Sure enough, Leonard's voice sounded outside her bedroom. Dominic had gone back to his own place, so he was crashing here for a few days. Bella found the intrusion less than ideal, but she didn't want to stay with her mother; she's always nagging me about getting married, and I'm sick of it. They simply couldn't stay together.

Bella just hummed in response, closed her eyes, and tried to force herself to sleep. After all, the master bedroom was Dominic's. It was up to him who could stay there. Besides, from their past interactions, Leonard seemed like a decent person.

By the time she woke up, it was already evening. While she was cooking dinner, Leonard emerged from the bedroom, drawn by the aroma.

Bella found the dangling head of garlic intriguing.

Leonard, on the other hand, seemed to be in a good mood as he chattered away. She hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying until he declared, "I bet you think I look nothing like my dad, don't you?"

It was only natural for her to be curious. Bella glanced at him. "To be honest? I've never come across a mixed-race individual where one set of features completely overshadows the other."

Leonard didn't shy away from the topic. "That's pretty obvious. Everyone knows I'm not his biological child. My mother was pregnant with me when my dad came into the picture, and I was born that same night. Not long after, he married her. She was his wife. Quite a story, huh?"