Hayden-The following morning, I rode in the elevator with Dominic and Tristan. Everything had already been explained to me after I went through the hiring process, but one thing still concerned me. Glancing at Dominic’s back, I wondered if I should say what was on my mind.“Talk.” Dominic demanded, and I wondered if he could read my mind or had eyes on the back of his head to notice something was going on in my head.“I…” I twisted my clasped hands a few times. “I was wondering if we could keep it a secret about knowing each other outside of the office.” I mumbled.“Why?” Dominic and Tristan asked.“I haven’t finished college and don’t want others to get the wrong idea. I want to prove myself independently without everyone thinking I have a backer.”“We can keep it quiet for now, but your safety is my main priority. In the office, I will allow a bit of freedom for you to handle matters on your own, but if anyone tries to jeopardize your safety, I will step in.” Dominic tone was sligh
Hayden-When it didn’t look like he was going to calm down any time soon, I walked around the desk. Slowly resting my hand on his arm, I felt his muscles tense. Dominic stared at the door to his office as if he could burn a hole through it.“Dominic?” I whispered.Suddenly, his hand closed around my wrist, and before I knew what was happening, he pulled me onto his lap. Sitting across his lap, my hands rested on his shoulders. My breath hitched in my throat as I looked into his icy gaze.When his arms wrapped around my waist, he jerked me forward until our faces were a few inches apart. His body felt tense as he stared at me, and his gaze dropped to my lips. For the longest time, I thought he was going to kiss me. I didn’t know if I wanted him to or not, but I didn’t think I would push him away if he tried.“I will come back later.” Tristian’s voice snapped me out of my haze, and I scurried off Dominic’s lap.“I am going to go get something to drink.” I mumbled as I hurried out of the
Dominic-Going into the break room, I filled a mug with hot coffee and placed it in the microwave for two minutes. After it was heated, I grabbed the mug, not caring that the handle was hot to the touch. With a destination in mind, I left the breakroom.Arriving at the small office that Devon occupied, I shoved the door open without knocking. Her friends gathered around her on the couch while one bandaged her finger. Not long after I walked in, her attention shot up.“Dominic!” She jumped up with eagerness and rushed to me.I thought I had contained my anger, but the moment she grabbed my sleeve, I wanted to break every bone in her body. Grabbing her wrist, I shoved her other hand away. Holding her wrist up, I applied pressure and bent it backward.“You are hurting me!” Devon shrieked and tried to pull her wrist free.“What gives you the right to say that I am yours?” I glowered, gritted my teeth, and stepped forward to tower over her.“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Devon
Hayden-Over the next week, I busied myself with learning as much as I could. I read over file after file until I could almost memorize different contracts. It felt like a waste of time, but at least I pointed out a few issues I noticed.Dominic never officially assigned me to a task, which annoyed me. Every day, he would take me to work and take me back home, but it was the same thing every day. If things continued like this, I felt like I was going to go insane.For an entire week, my schedule consisted of waking up, getting ready for work, going to work, returning home, eating, getting ready for bed, sleeping, and then starting all over. I never left the office because after the incident on the first day, Dominic had someone deliver coffee and other drinks and food to me, or he would get it himself. I was supposed to be the assistant, yet he was the one assisting me.“Can’t I do anything else?” I asked Dominic after placing a file on the coffee table.“I don’t have anything for you
Hayden-A sound outside the door caught my attention. Devon fell to the ground just as the door to the conference room opened. Confused about why she fell since I never touched her, I looked up and saw Dominic enter. Now I knew. Smiling, I stepped over her and went to stand next to Dominic.“What are you still doing here?” Dominic asked, not bothering to look at Devon.“Don’t blame Hayden. She didn’t mean to push me. I was just trying to apologize for burning her with coffee last week.” Devon answered.“I wasn’t asking you.” Dominic kept his attention on me.“I thought I would clean up the conference room before heading back.” I smiled sweetly as I grabbed the sleeve of Dominic’s shirt and tugged on it lightly.Dominic grabbed the files and the laptop out of my hands. Looking over at Devon, I almost laughed when she tried to stand up and cried out in pain. Her hand flew to her ankle. For as long as I have known Dominic, I knew that the damsel in distress act wouldn’t work on him.“Cou
Hayden-“I revised the contract.” Dominic started as he slid a file across the table. “If you…” He stopped talking when Lexus slid the file back.“I didn’t come here to talk business.” Lexus was still staring at me, which made me a little uncomfortable.“If we aren’t here to discuss business, then there isn’t much for us to discuss.” Dominic began to rise.“Hold on a minute.” Lexus put his hand up and motioned for Dominic to sit down. “We used to be friends. I thought we could catch up and ease a little tension between us. If we plan to work together, shouldn’t we get along?”Dominic settled in his chair again, and I noticed his hands were balled into fists. I didn’t know what was happening between them, but it was apparent they weren’t on good terms. Looking across the table at Lexus, I couldn’t help but think he was up to something.“You’re right.” Dominic said through clenched teeth.“Great.” Lexus smiled and then waved his hand at the man next to him. “We can have a few drinks and
Dominic-Hayden bolted out of the elevator before I could stop her. With a heavy sigh, I caught up with Hayden and threw her over my shoulder. She struggled for a bit, but I kept a firm grip around her thighs.“You are going to be the death of me.” I muttered as I carried her outside.I alerted the lobby to have my car ready when we were in the elevator. It was parked out front with the passenger door open. Placing Hayden inside the car, I knelt to buckle her in. She resisted at first, but her movements were weak.After her seatbelt was secure, I shook my head and stood. She had never given me this much trouble before. When our parents were still alive and married, Hayden had followed me around, constantly trying to get me to talk to her. Whenever I told her to do something, she did it without complaint. Now, it was like she was a completely different person.Closing her door, I walked around to the driver's side. Looking over at Hayden, who had already fallen asleep, I stared at her
Dominic-“Close your eyes. It will be fun.” I said as I grabbed her waist and threw my other arm past her to punch one of the men who tried attacking again.“There isn’t any music.” Hayden complained as she closed her eyes.Pulling out my phone while spinning her around to swing my leg at one of the guys, I quickly played music from my phone. Hayden clung to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Tucking the phone in my pocket again, I continued to swing her around in different directions.She laughed while I used my dance moves to fight against the men. It was a little difficult fighting with her in my arms, but I managed to keep them from touching her. Every so often, I would dip her low to dodge an attack.Hayden continued to laugh, which brought a smile to my face. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed myself. The attackers were slowing down now, their attacks becoming less frequent. Needing to end this quickly, before the song ended or Hayden opened her eyes, danced he
Hayden-Once he bent over, I secured the blindfold around him and led him out of the house. I guided him to the passenger seat of his Jeep, helped him inside, and shut the door. Once in the driver’s seat, I moved the seat up a little before starting the vehicle.It didn’t take long to arrive at the venue. Lily was waiting for us, holding the wedding dress in her hand. Tristan was also waiting with a broad smile on his face. I knew I could trust Lily by getting Tristan prepared. He had a tuxedo similar to Dominic's, except the colors of his tuxedo were opposite of Dominic’s.“We are doing a double date.” I told Dominic as I got out of the car.Another thing to report: Tristan and Lily were officially a couple. This surprised me at first, but I realized I saw it coming once the shock wore off. Lily admitted they had been dating for two months, but I didn’t learn about it until two weeks ago. I didn’t know if they would have a happily ever after, but at least they both seemed happy curre
Hayden-Since Lexus was no longer in the picture, everything seemed a lot calmer. In the last four weeks, Dominic and my father have been working to bring Fox Ink back to its former glory. They also worked on other businesses.I wasn’t involved with anything as much as I wanted, but it didn’t matter. I still owned the companies my grandfather left me, but my father and Dominic wanted to help me smooth things over. It didn’t bother me too much since I didn’t know the first thing about running a business.I offered to give my father the companies, as he should have been the one to inherit everything, but he declined. Once the companies were in shape, he just wanted to teach me to run everything. He told me that if he had been younger, he wouldn’t mind, but a lot of things have changed while he was in a coma.There were still things he needed to learn. He did agree to help manage things for a few years until I gave birth and the child was old enough to start school. My father also remind
Hayden-When I heard the gunshot, I flinched behind Dominic. I was afraid to look, as I wasn’t sure who Lexus had shot. I heard a commotion around me, making me want to see what was happening. Looking around Dominic, I saw Lexus lying on the ground with his mother crying as she sat by his feet.“Is he dead?” Dominic muttered, but he didn’t move away from me.Agent Leo moved over to where Lexus was, knelt beside him, and felt for a pulse. “He is dead.”Only after confirmation that Lexus was dead did Dominic move away from me. “Although things are finally over, it is a pity he didn’t live long enough to face his crimes.”“Cuff her.” Agent Leo motioned toward Lexus’s mother.“Wait!” I rushed forward and blocked the FBI agent who walked toward Lexus’s mother. “Can’t you let her go?”“It is okay, Dear.” Lexus’s mother patted me on my back. “This is for the best.”“But from my understanding, you haven’t done anything wrong. You even helped us.” I didn’t know why I was trying to help her, bu
Dominic-As soon as I saw the flash of metal, I reacted. Lurching forward, I pushed past Agent Leo. I didn’t care about anything other than preventing Lexus from harming Hayden. Putting myself between Hayden and Lexus, I grabbed the blade of the knife with my hand.“It is over. You have lost.” I ignored the pain of my palm being cut open as I kept a firm grip on the blade.With my free hand, I removed my mask. Lexus released the knife and stepped back right into Agent Leo’s hands. Dropping the knife, I wrapped the mask around my injured hand. As Leo tried to cuff Lexus, I turned around and pulled Hayden in my arms.“You all tricked me!” Leo screamed.“Dominic?” My chest muffled her voice.“It is me.” I tightened my hold on her as I thought about how close I came to losing her. “I never should have pretended and let you be the one to expose him.”“Wait.” Hayden wedged her hands between us, shoving me away from her. “This was your plan?” She looked from me to Tristan, then to Agent Leo,
Hayden-Upon arriving at the press conference, I was a bundle of nerves. Throughout my school years, public speaking had never been my thing. I could perform in front of an audience, but this was a lot different. It helped that Alexander stood in front of everyone with me since he handled the inheritance.“I knew you would do the right thing.” Lexus covered the microphone and leaned over to whisper. “Don’t worry. If you do your part, I will release your friends.”Little did Lexus know that Lily, Tristan, and my father were in the crowd wearing masks. Taking a deep breath, I tried to keep my emotions to myself so he wouldn’t suspect anything. Nodding my head, I looked down at my feet.“First, I want to address that Dominic Fox was recently hit by a car and passed away. Although there have been issues between us in the past, we were good friends. Some time ago, I bought many shares of his company because we planned to join Parker Publishing and Fox Ink to embark on a path to lead the wo
Hayden-Over the next couple of days, news about Dominic’s condition blew up. Other than the day Lexus announced he would hold a press conference, I haven’t been able to return to Fox Ink. Almost everyone had been fired, including Tristan. Lexus brought over his employees to keep Fox Ink running.I had almost announced that I was the company's largest shareholder, but Tristan suggested I wait. Agent Leo informed me that the press conference was the perfect opportunity to bring Lexus down. I thought I would be able to do something to save Fox Ink from Lexus, but there wasn’t anything I could do.“Isn’t Tristan supposed to be here by now?” My father rolled his chair out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of sandwiches.“I got a text from him an hour ago, informing me he would be late.” I leaned back on the couch, crossing my legs under me.“Any news about how Dominic is?” He placed the plate on the couch next to me.I had a craving for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so my father want
Hayden-When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed in the same room as Dominic. “How long was I asleep?” I asked Tristan, who was the only other person in the room.“Twelve hours.” Tristan stood from his chair and came to sit next to me on my bed. “How are you feeling?”“Fine.” I turned to look at Dominic, who seemed to be sleeping. “Has he woken up? How is he?” I returned my attention to Tristan.“He hasn’t woken up, and there is a chance he won’t, at least not for a while.” He diverted his gaze.Lifting the covers off me, I climbed out of bed. Walking a few feet to Dominic’s bed, I sat beside him. As I had done with my father, I held his hand in mine. I said nothing, afraid I would start crying if I tried.“Hayden?” Jack’s voice came from the door, so I turned to look at him.“What is it?”“Your father woke up.” Jack’s eyes moved from me to Dominic and back again. “If you want to stay here, I can tell him you won’t return now.”“No. It’s okay.” I placed Dominic’s hand back on the
Hayden-Sitting beside my father, I waited for him to wake up. His breathing tube was already removed now that he was breathing on his own. Other than choking on the tube, he hadn’t fully woken.“How long do you think it will take?” I asked Jack, who was sitting in the room with me.“I don’t know, kiddo. I am still blown away by all of this. He has never shown any signs of waking in all the years I have been taking care of him. I don’t know what you said to him, but whatever it was, he must have heard you.”“Do you really think he heard me?” I moved my knee on the bed and rested my hands on it, still holding my father’s hand.“He must have. Before he ended up like this, he had told me that your mother was pregnant. I can still recall the sound of his voice when he told me. Your dad was excited about being a father. I wish he had had the chance to watch you grow up.”“You two must have been close.” I muttered as I glanced at him.He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. “We were c
Dominic-I hadn’t wanted to leave Hayden, but Agent Leo said it was urgent that we meet today. By now, he should have received everything to convict Lexus. We still had to be cautious, but at least this was almost over.“Thank you for seeing me today.” Agent Leo greeted me after I entered the safe house where I had stayed after he had rescued me from the police station.“If you hadn’t told me it was urgent, I wouldn’t have come. Hayden just found out her biological father is still alive, although he is on life support.”“You should have said something. I would have come to you.” Agent Leo motioned toward the chair across from him. “Since you are here, we will make this quick so you can return to her side.”Sitting at the table with Leo, I scanned the numerous papers scattered around the table. “What is all this?”“I have compiled everything we need to handle Lexus. I also have new leads on everyone who he is working with. Lexus has been busy lately, meeting with a lot of people, all o