Chapter 166: Chapter 166
Celeste’s coffee was already lukewarm, but she kept sipping. She had one hand on her laptop, and the other absentmindedly twisting the corner of the sheet.
It was 6 am in the morning, but she never minded. She texted her boss days ago, but got no reply. She needed to send him another email before her mind could be at rest.
Her brows pinched as she typed, lost in thought, and chasing the focus she barely had.
Behind her, Dominic shifted. The sound was subtle, but it froze her. She turned her head, and caught the crease in his brow when his hand brushed the cold side of the bed where she should’ve been.
Her chest surged with softness, and her heart fluttered. He always reached for her first.
Celeste smiled, soft, and apologetic, before turning back to her laptop. But then her phone rang, splitting the room’s silence open with its sound.
She cursed under her breath and grabbed it, already racing. She wanted nothing to disturb Dominic’s sleep and now, this phone decided to blow up.
Dominic’s eyes opened fully now, fixing on her. She lifted a finger to her lips, silently begging him not to say a word.
He smirked, lazy but mischievous, though his gaze stayed sharp on her, tracking her every move.
Celeste blinked when she saw the caller ID. Her boss. Not Dominic. The one right after him. He should’ve emailed her back, not called.
Why the call?
"Hello, good morning," she said, soft, yet professional when she answered the call.
However, her breath snagged when Dominic’s hand slid over her thigh, his fingers spreading slowly, and deliberately.
Her voice threatened to crack. She spared him a glance, and his look was deliberate when she met him. Playful, but edged with warning.
"Miss Monroe," her boss said on the other end. "Your email about resuming work, I saw it. But Mr. Cross has already informed me you’re not ready. He requested another month, or maybe two."
Celeste’s eyes cut to Dominic. He didn’t flinch. He simply rested his chin on his hand, watching her.
Her throat tightened. "That was true then. But it’s not true now. I can resume Monday."
Dominic’s hand stilled. His body went still too. In the next second, he pushed himself up, his gaze sharpening, and pinning her.
He wasn’t fully sure of what she spoke of, or who she was talking to. But he sure as hell hated what she just said about resuming.
"Miss Monroe," her boss repeated carefully. "You’ll have to take this up with Mr. Cross. He was... insistent."
Celeste stood abruptly, dragging the sheet with her as she walked toward the window. The city stretched outside, cold and uncaring. "You called me Miss Monroe, didn’t you? That means I make my own decisions. I don’t need anyone else’s permission to do my job. There should be no sentiment here."
The silence on the other end was heavy.
"Still," her boss tried again, his voice a bit firmer than his previous tone. "I strongly recommend you speak with him—"
"You’re not listening," she cut in, her tone firm but quiet. "I apologized for the time I took off. But if my employment depends on someone else’s word instead of mine, then maybe I should resign and find somewhere I’ll be treated like an actual employee."
"Celeste—" Dominic’s voice broke from the bed, soft but urgent. He didn’t need to hear more to confirm what she spoke of.
She ignored him, and locked her eyes on the glass in front of her.
"Thank you for your time," she said into the phone.
"You’ll receive a text update soon."
"Fine."
She ended the call and finally turned, her face calm but her pulse frantic.
Turning slowly, she faced him. "What was that?"
"I want to keep you safe," he answered immediately, like he’d been holding the words in his mouth, and waiting for her to give him a chance.
Celeste’s chest ached. She shook her head, fighting the tremor in her voice. "That isn’t safety. That’s you making decisions for me, and trying to cage me. That’s you deciding I can’t handle my own life."
"No, baby," he said softly, stepping off the bed, bare feet silent on the floor. His voice broke gentleness into every syllable. "That’s me trying not to lose you again. You just woke up from a coma two weeks ago. Do you have any idea what it did to me to watch you lie there, not knowing if you’d—" He stopped himself, jaw tight, with his eyes raw.
Her throat closed, but she forced the words out. "I have a life. And you are not the only part of it."
He flinched, like she had physically struck him. His gaze dropped, and his voice lowered. "I have to fly to China next week. I wanted you to come with me."
Celeste’s laugh came out shaky, and exhausted. A bit frustrated even. "Dominic, that’s not how life works. I can’t just drop everything and follow you. You didn’t even tell me until now. You decided for both of us."
Finally, he lifted his eyes back to hers. They weren’t sharp anymore. They were soft. He was ready to listen to her. "I just want you safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted."
Her shoulders slumped, the fight draining from her body. She crossed the room with slow steps, until she knelt on the bed in front of him, tilting her face up to his. "I’ll be safe," she whispered. "I have you. I have Rodger. I’m not alone anymore."
"Celeste..." His voice was a whisper, her name an anchor.
She leaned in, pressed her mouth softly to his, cutting him off his words. "I’ll be fine," she breathed against his lips. "Go to China. I’ll stay here. When you come back, I’ll still be waiting."
Dominic closed his eyes, his forehead resting against hers, his hands cradling her face like she might disappear if he let go.
"I don’t want this, Celeste. I can’t predict your safety, and I hate having issues I can’t predict, or control."