Crushed Affections

Felix wanted to ask about their relationship, but when the words came out, they were phrased in a much more subtle way. A smooth talker would never ask questions too directly. Bella knew what he was getting at. "Yes, we're very close."

Just four simple words with no further explanation. She didn't know how to describe her relationship with Dominic anyway.

She didn't ask Felix how he knew about Dominic. There was hardly anyone who didn't know who Dominic was in Joville.

Realizing she didn't want to talk about it, Felix didn't press further.

When they reached the entrance of Miller Manor, Bella got out of the car and waved at Felix and Yvonne. "See you this weekend."

Yvonne leaned out of the car window and looked at the manor curiously. "You live in such a big house but still work part-time. Are you really that poor?"

Bella responded matter-of-factly, "Yes, very poor. If I don't work, I won't be able to feed myself. Drive safely. Goodbye."

She only turned to enter the manor after watching Felix's car disappear down the road. As she unlocked the door, she noticed Dominic hadn't come home yet.

He left much earlier than she did. Had he gone somewhere else?

She didn't dwell on it and turned on the lights. The warm glow slightly dispelled the loneliness. Just as she was about to head upstairs, she heard a car pull up outside-it was Dominic returning home. Felix had just left, so Dominic must have seen his car.

She didn't want to face him as she was still upset about what happened at dinner. She headed straight to her room, grabbed her pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

As she watched the tub fill with water, the pink bath bubbles slowly expanded. It was an oddly satisfying process, something to distract her from the long, lonely evening.

Once the tub was ready, she sank into the water, letting her thoughts drift away. The warmth was lulling her into drowsiness when, suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Her eyes snapped open, meeting Dominic's deep gaze.

Her mind blanked for a moment. "Do you need something?"

He stood in the doorway with an unreadable expression.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, "Come to my room after you're done."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

His words were easy to misinterpret, and Bella couldn't help but overthink. After confirming he hadn't been drinking, she got out of the tub and got dressed. When she reached his room, she noticed the door was ajar. She knocked lightly on the doorframe as she did not plan to go in. "I'm here. What do you need?"

Dominic sat in a chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing outside. But all there was to see was darkness.

"Take your mother's things," he said coldly, pushing a small sandalwood box on the nearby tea table toward her.

The box was old, its color faded, and it wasn't very large.

Upon seeing the box, Bella's heart sank. She quickly stepped forward and gently picked it up.

This was Dorothy's keepsake. No matter how much they moved around when she was a child, Dorothy always took this box with them. Whatever was inside must have been very precious to her. After she passed away, the box had gone missing. Bella had tried to find it, thinking it might have been buried with her mother. She never expected it to be in Dominic's possession.

She didn't blame him for giving it to her only now. Just having it back was the greatest joy she could ask for.

She held the box like a precious treasure, and her eyes reddened. She didn't want to cry in front of Dominic, so she forced herself to hold back the tears. "Thank you."