Chapter 96: More Than Family

Bella tried to stay angry, but she couldn't. Her hands were stiff, and she couldn't move. Dominic lynched her waist, making her gasp in pain. He kissed her. His tongue explored her mouth. After a while, he pulled back.

Noticing the tears in her eyes, he asked softly, "Are you crying?"

Bella tried to hide her feelings, turning her head. "No, I'm just going back to sleep," she mumbled. Her voice sounded soft and a little sad, like a kitten's. He held her close, but remained fairly restrained, aware of their public surroundings.

Dominic's anger subsided. He said seriously, "You can stay at Lia's place for now. When Amber leaves, you can move back. I'll try to keep her from bothering you, but with her attitude, it might be hard. Just try to avoid any trouble."

He seemed to know Amber well, which made sense given their two-year relationship.

Bella's voice was flat. "So, you came here just to tell me not to go home? Why go through all this? Don't worry, I wasn't going back anyway." Dominic didn't stop her as she left.

Back in the apartment, Bella stood by the window, looking down. Seeing his car still there made her heart race. Why was he still around? Why was he acting so strangely? Why couldn't he just be the same as before? Why did he have to kindle even the smallest hope in her already cold heart?

Early the next morning, Lia's loud yelling jolted Bella awake. She hadn't slept well and had dark circles under her eyes. "What's going on? Can't I get ten more minutes of sleep?"

Lia shook her awake and shoved her phone in her face. "Wake up and look at this!"

Blinking groggily, Bella saw a notification for a large money transfer. "What's this? Did someone send you money?"

Lia exclaimed, "It's from Dominic! He even sent me a message saying thanks for taking care of you. It's like he's treating you like family—no, more than family! And you still think he doesn't care? 500,000 should last you for years!" Bella's sleepiness vanished. "He sent the money? You need to send it back. I can take care of myself…"

Lia looked frustrated. "I want to return it, but he said not to. If he's being this generous now, who knows what he'll send next—maybe a house?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Forget it. Just keep the money and use it. I'm going to work. I'm exhausted…"

At the hospital, Bella felt uneasy about the money. Was he trying to make up for not letting her return to Miller Manor? He didn't need to. The manor was his, and she chose to leave. Just because she had lived there for years didn't give her the right to stay. Dominic owed her nothing.

After her morning work, Bella was too tired to go out for lunch, so she ordered takeout. While unpacking her food, she heard the click of high heels and smelled Amber's perfume. Bella frowned. "What's she doing here now?"

The final sentence, "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," is inappropriate for the cleaned-up text and has been removed.