Chapter 46

Gerard nodded. “Yeah, I told Ms. Gilden to check if you needed anything, Mr. Reid. Tot she came back not long after.”

Dominic leaned back on the chaise lounge, lost in thought.

Vespera woke up early the next morning. Seeing that Nancy was still asleep, she quietly slipped out of the room and made her way to the restaurant for breakfast. The night before, she had only had a small piece of cake on the yacht by, hunger gnawing at her so fiercely that she nearly went out in search of food.

Now, with her hunger finally satisfied, she found herself with some free time. Instead of heading back to her room, she wandered through the hotel. The hotel radiated a quintessential Southeast Asian charm. The tropical garden was lush and full of life. Tall palm trees swayed gently in the breeze, their fronds rustling softly. Standing beneath them, she closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the morning sun filter through the leaves. The early breeze was light, carrying the fresh, earthy scent of damp earth.

Vespera looked around, appreciating the vibrancy of the world—the passion, the freshness, the brilliance. It would never lose its vitality, even without a man or love in her life. Then, the sound of footsteps reached her ears, gradually growing louder. The light around her dimmed slightly, and the crisp morning air grew heavy with the scent of sweat and testosterone.

She opened her eyes and found herself face-to-face with a broad, solid chest, dressed in black athletic wear. Dominic’s pectoral muscles were firm, droplets of sweat glistening on his perfectly sculpted collarbones. The sensual curve of his Adam’s apple and soft, rose-tinted lips only added to his striking presence.

“Ms. Gildon, is there something wrong with your eyes?” he asked, his warm breath brushing against her face like a soft tropical breeze. His chiseled face leaned in, his expression tinged with concern.

Vespera snapped out of her daze, hurriedly rubbing her eyes before stepping back. “The sunlight’s too bright. I just feel a little dizzy.”

“If you keep staring like that, it won’t just be dizziness—you might go blind,” he teased.

Vespera was left speechless. She kept rubbing her eyes, still feeling awkward about the events of the previous night.

“Mr. Reid, were you out for a morning run?” she asked, grasping for anything to change the subject.

Dominic gave a quiet hum in response, casually wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel. As he stood beneath the tree, he suddenly asked, “You were the one spying on me from the third deck of the yacht last night, weren’t you?” Vespera froze, her eyes widening as she turned to face him.

“Spying? Who was spying on whom?”

“I wasn’t spying!” she quickly shot back. “The second I got up there, I saw your…”

Dominic’s face remained unreadable. “That thing?”

“You know what I mean!”

“Be specific.”

Vespera stared. “Two… doing that… that thing! I left immediately! I barely saw anything, I swear!”

His unrelenting gaze forced her to give in. “I saw you two kissing. A kiss that was quite passionate. Is that clear enough for you?”

“You’re mistaken.” Dominic’s tone was firm, offering no room for debate.

Vespera didn’t believe him, of course, but she could pretend. After all, whether they had kissed or not wasn’t really her problem. So, she nodded obediently. “Okay, I was mistaken.”

Dominic didn’t seem satisfied. He frowned, studying her expression closely. “You don’t believe me?”

“I do. Totally believe you.”

“I don’t like kissing. Especially not with women.”

Vespera felt as though she had stumbled upon a hidden truth. So, Dominic’s preference… But that didn’t make sense. Wasn’t he tangled up in some complicated relationship with Nancy? Maybe he used to be attracted to women, but now he wasn’t. Her thoughts spun in confusion as she blinked at him.

“In any case,” Dominic continued, “I’m correcting you because you were mistaken. That didn’t happen. As my secretary, you shouldn’t be carrying such misconceptions.”