CHAPTER FIVE

DOMINIQUE'S POV

"You called?" I cursed in my mind when I heard my stammering and very surprised voice.

Seriously, when have I been intimidated by someone I was just talking to on the phone?

I heard Gale's soft laugh on the other line which made my face feel even hotter. I shouldn't be acting this way, Jeez!

"Stop laughing, will you?" I yelled at him, but instead of keeping quiet, he just laughed at me even more. He sounded so amused, and it makes me feel a lot more irritated.

"Will you stop laughing or shall I hang up?" I threatened him, which seemed to work because he suddenly became quiet and pacified.

"You're really scary, milady. Even though I'm not in front of you now, you still have the same effect on me," he said in a low voice.

I could feel the fast beating of my heart as he said those words to me. I quickly warned myself, it's not right for me to feel this way. I promised myself that I will never let anyone hurt me again. And I don't intend to break that promise.

"Oh, you suddenly fell silent, were you falling for me already, milady?" He teased. I don't understand why I feel so red even though I can't see him now. When did he start affecting me this way? And more importantly, why did I let myself be affected this way? Fuck!

"In your dreams, Gale Andrew, I will never fall for you. Why are you calling me anyway?” I asked him, trying so hard to sound annoyed to cover up this feeling of embarrassment within me.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice before I go to sleep tonight. Good night, Milady, and see you soon," he replied and quickly hung up.

I was left stunned as I held my cell phone against my ear. I heard his words over and over in my mind, it kept on replaying like a broken record. I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling of my room, now I'm confused by the strange reaction of my heart. I had just come from a breakup, and my heart is still in pain. So it makes me wonder why my heart reacts this way with Gale. I wanted to scold myself and remind myself that I barely even know him and that I might end up getting hurt, but my stubborn heart tells me otherwise. That night, I went to sleep with my mind full of doubts and confusions.

"Ma'am, these are the documents you need to sign," I turned to Mariz, my secretary, when she suddenly spoke.

I didn't even realize that she was already inside my office if she hadn't spoken. I just nodded at her and said, "Please leave it on my table, thank you."

When she got out, I immediately took care of the papers, most of them were budget proposals and other documents that had already been approved by the board during the previous meeting. I signed several documents including contracts sent by our business partners. I had a slight headache due to the lack of sleep last night.

Come on, Dominique. Get a grip on yourself! You shouldn't be thinking about him.

I wanted to laugh at myself because I sounded like a crazy person talking to myself. I stood up for a moment and walked towards the window of my office, it was made of glass and I could clearly see the towering buildings outside from where I was standing. I sighed and straightened myself up.

"Are you okay?" a voice caught my attention.

I looked at Camille and smiled. She was standing in front of my desk and was carrying more documents that also needed my attention. I quickly returned to my seat and gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite mine.

"Yeah, I'm okay. My mind is a bit clouded right now," I replied with a smile.

"I hope it's not Vonn who's messing with your mind, huh," she replied, raising her eyebrows.

My smile widened as she said those words. I may not always say this, but I'm lucky to have Camille as my friend. She's sweet and she's honest. She is the type of person who doesn't sugarcoat things and will say what she wants to say even if it will hurt you. Unlike Krisna, who was very kind and quiet, but deep inside, she'd been stabbing me behind my back.

"Don't worry, I'm trying not to think about him. Actually...” I said, deliberately hanging on what I was going to say. I don't know, how can I tell her about the call last night?

"What? Please don't leave me hanging," she asked in an irritated tone, making me giggle.

"Well, actually, I was thinking about Gale. He called me last night," I began. There, I said it.

"Oh, so what if he called you now?" I laughed when I saw her face reddening in anticipation. She sounded irritated, but the truth is, she just wanted the details.

"He called me last night, alright. When I asked him why he called me, he said that he wanted to hear my voice before he goes to sleep," I lowered my voice because I suddenly felt embarrassed.

“OMG! Like seriously? Girl, I really think he likes you!“ she screamed and began teasing me.

"He said something else, the reason why I was wide awake last night," I said in a much lower voice.

"What did he say? Oh please, I need the full details!” Camille shrieked, and then she pulled my hands. I glared at her.

"See you soon, that's what he said. I don't understand why I can't get that out of my mind since last night," I said and looked away again.

"Girl, I'm rooting for both of you. I hope he's the one who finally make you happy again," Camille squealed with joy on her face.

"Mille, I'm not yet ready for another commitment. And besides, Gale is just a friend," I answered hesitantly. A friend, huh? I almost laughed at what I said, when have we become friends? As far as I can remember, we were just strangers and nothing more.

"Girl, haven't you heard what they say? If it's for you, then it's for you. You'll never know what God has in store for you. Anyway, these papers need your signatures asap. Also, at the back is a copy of the layouts and proposals for advertising that will be discussed at the next meeting with the board.” She handed me the folders she was carrying and waved goodbye before finally leaving my office.

I flipped through some documents but my mind wasn't cooperating, so I decided to go home early. Lately, I've always been out of focus, which is not good because it affects my work. A lot of things come to my mind. I'm always in deep thoughts, if it's not Vonn and Krisna, it's Gale that boggles my mind.

"Mariz, please tell my Dad that I will be out early today. I'm not feeling so well," I told my secretary before I walked down the building.

While leaving the building, someone familiar caught my attention. He was leaning on the hood of his Mercedes-Benz while his hands were on his pockets. He was wearing a simple light gray V-neck shirt and a denim pants, partnered with his white sneakers. His eyes looked back into mine and held my gaze captive. I gulped when he suddenly smiled at me. He casually walked in my direction and stopped in front of me.

"Good afternoon, Milady, you look even better in the afternoon," he greeted with a smug smile on his face.

I was speechless for a moment. He's so bold, and I can't help but to feel embarrassed, knowing that we're just outside the building. People may hear him, and I don't want to be a trending topic for anyone.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Won't you even say hello or good afternoon to me? Of course, I'm here to pick you up," a small grin appeared on his lips while not taking his eyes off my face.

The way he stared at me made me feel nervous and uncomfortable, so I avoided looking at him. I can feel myself blushing from his words, and I don't know why.

Why is he saying those things? And more importantly, why does he need to pick me up?

Everything was so confusing.

"Why? Why are you doing and saying these things?” I asked confused.

Suddenly, his face became serious as he continued staring at me. There was something in the way he looked that made my heart beat faster. I don't understand how he can confuse my mind and emotions with just his presence and intense stare. It was as if he was hiding so many emotions in his eyes.

"There are some things we can't explain through words because we, ourselves, have no idea why we are doing such things. Believe me, Milady, I have no idea why I am here. I just found myself driving towards your office, hoping to catch a glimpse of your beautiful face. All I know is that, ever since that night you cried on my chest, I couldn't get you out of my mind," he uttered which only confused my mind even more.

My mouth fell open while my eyes widened, as if I couldn't believe what I heard. I was stunned when he suddenly grabbed my hand and led me into his car, but what surprised me more was that I didn't even even say a word to oppose him. Instead, I just let him held me and take me to where he wants to go.

Gale turned around and sat in the driver's seat, after a while he started the car. I just sat like a statue who couldn't speak. When I finally recovered, I hit him in the arm.

"That hurts! What was that for, Milady?” he asked with a frown as he continued to drive.

"You don't really know, huh? Are you crazy, Gale? You made me ride in this freaking car without even asking for my permission! You didn't even ask me if I wanted to go with you!" I was shaking him.

He stopped the car on the side of the road and caught my hands. I turned my eyes to him again, and I looked at him sharply.

"Why did you stop?" I snorted.

Gone was the seriousness in his eyes, and a silly smile appeared on his lips. It was too late when I realized that I sounded like I really wanted to be with him.

He gently held my face and made me look at him. I realized how close we are to each other...and that our lips were an inch away. I stared into his eyes and suddenly my heart skipped a beat. It's as if it already knows those eyes that every time I stare at them, it immediately reacts wildly.

His eyes were serious and intimidating. He stared at my lips for a long time. I swallowed hard when he licked his bottom lip, I don't understand why I followed every movement of his tongue. After a while, he focused his eyes on me again and locked my fingers in his hand. My chest trembled as his gaze seemed to drown me. My chest pounded when he spoke again,

"I will ask you now then, do you want to come with me, Milady?"