009

Selene POV.

The office was white. Not cream, not ivory—white. The walls, the blinds, the ceiling tiles. There was nothing warm or inviting about it. It was sterile, professional, and smelled faintly of rubbing alcohol. I felt small in it. Especially when I had walked in and saw him.

Dominic.

He was seated behind the sleek glass desk, a tablet in hand, flipping through what I assumed was my resume or application. His expression was unreadable, lips set in a firm line, brows slightly furrowed. He looked up, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

“Miss Stephens,” he said finally, tone clipped and professional, like he was speaking to any other applicant. “Please, have a seat.”

I hesitated before sitting across from him, my heart knocking against my chest. The last time I saw him, I walked out of his house with a baby in his arms and ten million dollars in my account. And now… he was interviewing me?

He tapped the screen. “You majored in pre-medical studies. You graduated top of your class three years ago but didn’t proceed to housemanship or residency. Why?”

I cleared my throat. “Marriage life happened.” I answered even though it sounded weird.

His eyes lifted briefly to meet mine. “Marriage” he repeated. “Right.”

He said nothing more for a while. Just skimmed the tablet in front of him, scrolling through lines I couldn’t see. Then, without looking up, he asked, “Do you still plan to pursue your medical training?”

“I do. That’s why I applied here.” I straightened my spine. “I want to get back on track and finish what I started.”

He nodded slowly, finally placing the tablet down. “So why now?”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Why not three years ago? What changed?”

Your brother happened, you happened. I thought. But I didn’t dare say it.

“I needed time,” I replied instead. “To sort out myself properly before I resume and I think I have figured it out now.”

There was a flicker in his gaze then. Something that recognized the meaning in those words. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

“You aced every part of your written application,” he said. “Your scores on the entrance assessments were nearly perfect. You even submitted a mock case review that outperformed current trainees.” He leaned back in his chair. “Why haven’t you been working in the field?”

“Because I married the wrong man, and he didn’t want a wife with ambition I guess,” I said bluntly.

His jaw clenched ever so slightly, but he didn’t comment. “You have potential, Selene. Real, rare potential. And this campus is only one of the many places you could make your mark. You said you want to become a medical consultant right?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You still want to open your own diagnostic center?”

I stared at him. “How do you—”

“I remember,” he said, cutting me off, his voice low. “You told me once, when you were six months pregnant with Aria”

I swallowed hard.

Dominic stood up and crossed to the window, his hands tucked into his pockets as he stared out at the skyline. “You’re probably wondering why I’m the one interviewing you.”

“Yeah, I really am, I'm confused.”

He turned, his eyes holding mine. “Because I own this hospital.”

I blinked. “You what?”

He started walking slowly back to his desk. “This and several others across the state. I’m a director-level surgeon. And I’ve been in the medical field long before I returned to confront my brother”

My mouth parted. “Wait—wait. You’re a surgeon? How?”

“Yes I am.”

“And also… the CEO of your father’s company?”

“ Yeah, that too.”

“But how—how is that even possible? You were in charge of Blackwell Enterprises.”

“I studied medicine abroad in Europe. I was already in my final year when my father passed. I didn’t come home because I wanted nothing to do with the empire my was trying to steal for himself. But after I finished my training and became licensed, I realized I couldn't run any farther”

“So you came back to reclaim the company then?.”

“I came back to take what was mine Selene and I did.” His gaze darkened. “I bled for that seat, that was why I married you for an heir because it was stated in my father's will and after I got it. I've handed the daily operations to someone else because it’s not my passion. Medicine is.”

I stared at him, stunned. “I—Dominic, why didn’t you ever say this? Why did you keep all this hidden all these while. I doubt your brother even knows?”

He looked at me, face unreadable again. “ Adrian doesn't know and you were never supposed to get involved in the first place but well—”

Something twisted inside me. A heavy knot of feelings I couldn’t even begin to name. This man was a walking contradiction, rich and brilliant and full of secrets. And the more I learned, the more I realized how little I actually knew him.

I stood abruptly. “ I'm sorry but I can’t do this.”

He blinked. “What?”

“This job. This hospital. This… proximity. I can’t work here, not with you anywhere near it Dominic”

“You won’t have to,” he said immediately. “I don’t operate here anymore. This location isn’t my base. I’m only here for senior-level interviews.”

My hand was already on the doorknob. “Still, I can’t.”

“You need this, Selene. This job, this future. You’ve worked for it. Don’t throw it away because of me.”

I didn’t respond. My heart was racing. My head felt stuffed with memories I’d tried to forget and feelings I wasn’t ready to process.

“I’m not trying to trap you,” he said. “I meant what I said that day. You’re free. You don’t owe me anything. No dime”

I paused and slowly turned back to face him.

He took a step closer, his voice gentler now. “Think about what this could do for you. For your dream. You also once said you wanted to build a place for women. A place where women could get care without fear or judgment. You could start that here. We support innovation. We fund startups. We’ve helped people with less vision than you build clinics from scratch. Selene, this job isn’t just about a paycheck. You want to be in a position where Adrian looks at you and regrets, where he buys tickets for millions of dollars to see you?”

“I don’t want to owe you anything,” I whispered.

“You don’t. I promise you that, this offer isn’t from me. It’s from the board. You earned it.”

Then he added, “Besides, you already left. Aria is fine, she's getting good care by a nanny. You’ve proven you can walk away. Working here doesn’t mean you’re coming back either”

I bit my lip hard. “I need to think.”

“Then think. But don’t run, you're pursuing your life, and I won't contradict it for anything”

And just as I reached for the door again, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, frowned slightly, then looked back up at me.

“I almost forgot,” he said, his voice clipped again.

“There’s a new research grant being opened up tomorrow. For female-led medical innovations. The winner gets full funding to start their own facility up to twenty million in support. If you do take the job, you might want to prepare your pitch.”

I turned my head slowly. “Why are you telling me this?”

He smirked. “Because if you don’t apply… someone else will.”