Chapter 2 - The Reckoning at the Clinic
Derek took an instinctual step back, his hand shaking violently as he tried to pull Britney behind him. Britney looked ready to faint, clutching her designer purse like a shield.
"I... Mr. Russo," Derek stammered, his voice squeaking as sweat poured down his neck. "Sir, there’s been a mistake. We were... we were just here for Britney's appointment. We didn't know—"
"I asked Chloe a question," Dominic interrupted, his dark eyes fixated on Derek with lethal precision. He didn't raise his voice, but the weight of his words made the entire room freeze. "Who are you?"
I adjusted my sweater, sitting up on the examination table while Dr. Miller hurriedly handed me a paper towel to wipe the ultrasound gel from my stomach.
"That's Derek," I said, my voice steady and cold as I looked at my ex-fiancé. "My former fiancé. The one who left me five months ago via a note on the kitchen counter. And two hours ago at the café, he and his girlfriend made sure to inform everyone in the building how 'fat and discarded' I looked."
The temperature in the hallway dropped below freezing.
Dominic slowly turned his full attention toward Derek. His left hand subtly flexed, the silver signet ring on his pinky catching the light.
"You insulted the mother of my child?" Dominic asked, taking a slow step into the corridor.
"I didn't know!" Derek gasped, falling to his knees as Dominic's head bodyguard, Marco, placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, pressing him down onto the linoleum floor. "I swear to God, Mr. Russo, I didn't know she was pregnant! I thought she just... I was just joking! It was a stupid joke!"
"My child is not a joke," Dominic said softly, stopping right in front of the kneeling man. He looked down at Derek as if he were a cockroach beneath his boot. "And Chloe Vance is no longer a woman you are permitted to speak to, look at, or even think about. Do you understand me?"
"Yes! Yes, sir! Absolutely!" Derek sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
"Marco," Dominic commanded coldly, without breaking eye contact with Derek. "Find out what company this coward works for. Buy it by 5:00 PM today. Fire him, blacklist him from every firm in the Midwest, and ensure his lease in the city is revoked by nightfall."
"Right away, Boss," Marco replied calmly.
May you like
Britney let out a choked scream, but Dominic ignored them both as if they were invisible. He turned back into the room, walked up to my bed, and extended his large, warm hand toward me.
"Come, Chloe," Dominic said softly, his voice shifting back to that shocking tenderness. "You're done in this place. I'm taking you home."
