Vespera''s car had already driven off.
Gerard quietly pressed down on the elerator.
As he drove, a new address shed on his screen.
He nced at it—it was Vespera''s parents'' house. He already knew it from the background check he''d done.
But why would she be headed there?
When he arrived, he spotted Vespera standing outside, chatting animatedly with a charming, well-dressed man.
They seemed to be enjoying each other''spany.
The more Vespera smiled, the colder Dominic''s expression became.
The two cars entered themunity, one following the other.
At first, Vespera didn''t notice anything unusual.
It wasn''t until they hit a long red light midway through the drive that she caught a glimpse of the car behind her.
Why was Dominic there?
He had no reason to be on this road after leaving their apartment on his way to work.
Unless... He had followed her.
Had he seen her talking to Benjamin?
A wave of worry stirred in Vespera''s chest, but it quickly faded.
After all, Fawn had already introduced Nancy into the picture to try to drive them apart.
What was there left to fear?
There was no need for her to say or do anything-nothing she said or did mattered anymore.
Nancy held no significance either; she was just another pawn.
She was just another warning-another reminder of where the Reid family stood.
Whether it was Roxanne or Nancy, pawns like them were plentiful.
One after another, they took their turn, each emphasizing the same harsh truth- everyone was enough, except for her.
The ending had already been sealed on the final page, and Vespera had seen it long ago.
Everything that unfolded along the way was just a twist, a way to add drama to the story.
With that realization, something inside her eased.
Before long, Vespera arrived at the office.
As she got out of the car, Dominic and Gerard followed suit.
"Good morning, Mr. Reid, Mr. Nicholson," Vespera greeted them, falling into step beside Gerard.
Together, they made their way upstairs.
"Today, you''ll be taking over Ms. Gildon''s tasks," Dominic said nonchntly as he entered the office.
Gerard was Dominic''s right-hand
man, the one who was always in and
out of his office. He managed- everything from the dailymute. to handling both work and personal affairs.
Vespera and Gerard watched in silence as Dominic vanished into his office.
"Vespera, are you sure you''re okay?" Gerard asked, his voice tinged with concern. Dominic''s mood had seemed off.
"I''m fine," Vespera replied cheerfully.
She walked back to her office, humming a tune as she went.
Since the oue was already determined, she figured she might as well let them stir up all the drama.
After all, it certainly wouldn''t be her who ended up in tears.
"This doesn''t feel right," Gerard thought to himself.
No, scratch that this waspletely ridiculous.
...
Because of Dominic''s order, Vespera and Gerard switched tasks for the day.
At 9:30 am, she made him a coffee and brought it into his office.
Stepping aside, she began tapping on her tablet, going over his schedule.
Out of the blue, Dominic spoke up, "Ms. Gildon, why have you suddenly be so cold toward me?"
With a serious, contemtive expression, he blurted out a personal question. Vespera froze for a moment, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. "I haven''t," she replied.
Dominic took a sip of his coffee, his brow furrowing as he observed her closely.
His sharp eyes scanned every inch of her face, not missing a single detail.
"Ms. Gildon, are you really going to try and lie your way out of this again?"
After all, it wasn''t the first time she''d done so.
Vespera knew she couldn''t escape him. She stepped closer, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.
In a soft, affectionate tone, she
murmured, "I''m not denying it. I are
really like you, and your skills
impressive. Next time-"
Before she could finish, Dominic''s expression darkened, his voice slicing through her words. "So,
gel.ne
another round?"