Chapter 78 Man Of The House

Chapter 78 Man Of The House
DOMINIC POV:

I smiled. 

One conversation and he had changed his tunes? Well, then. He wasn’t as bothersome as I had previously believed.

“Did he add a condition?” Eileen asked, filled with anxiety.

“No, instead, Arthur is willing to settle for a quarter of a million dollars.”

Slashed his price in half. So much for being a master negotiator. 

Eileen gasped. “Why would he do that?” she wondered. She looked at me, suspecting I had a hand in the matter.

“He came to see me today. I chased him out of the office.”

Eileen’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry,” she blurted out. “I didn’t think–”

I pressed my finger against her lips. Then, I spoke into the phone on her behalf. “Allow him to stew over it some more. If he can slash it once, he can do it again.”

“Understood,” Gardener replied curtly. “I’ll keep you updated.”

To whom he said this was unknown, but Eileen sagged once the call was cut off.

Lucy hung her head, her joy sapped by the mere mention of Arthur. “I’ll take the kids upstairs. The two of you have a lot to talk about,” she murmured under her breath.

She had grown accustomed to carrying both the kids together. We all had. Once she was up the stairs, I turned to face Eileen.

“Are you upset I spoke to him without letting you know?” I asked.

She bit her lip. “Had I known he would go to you…” She shook her head in disbelief. “Did he make a scene at the office? Oh god, everyone must be gossiping now.”

It was amazing how she considered the feelings of others before her own. She didn’t feel belittled that I had kept information from her. Instead, she considered that I might have been humiliated by our private affairs being aired in public… in front of the people I employed.

“The guards stopped him. Don’t worry about it. There are no rumors.”

She leaned into my arms. “I don’t want this to affect you, Dominic. You’re already doing so much and now he tries to leech off you.” Anger seeped from her throat.

I drew soft circles on her shoulder. “I wanted him to come to me, Eileen.”

She gulped. “Why?”

“I saw how speaking to him affected you. And I can’t stand my woman being in distress. As the man of the house, as our kids’ dad, I think I should take charge.” I reached over with my free hand and pinched her nose. “How can I let a random kid snatch away my family?”

She offered me a watery smile.

“I worry that he will say something to hurt you.”

I couldn’t tell her that there was little that could hurt me. He was a stranger to me, and nothing he said made a scratch on me. But they hurt her. He could hurt her at any time. How could I allow her to face it and stand aside? 

If it meant wasting my time on him, I would do it all over again.

“I expected him to be more hateful,” I told her frankly. “Didn’t you say he had anti-establishment ideals?”

Eileen finally laughed. “Well, that went out of the window when he saw you had money. Now he is all for capitalism.” 

I nudged her nose again. “I wonder what an anti-establishment bloke would do with a job… What a shame. It could have gone to someone more worthy.” 

I had contemplated making a call and ruining his job offer, but it would look bad in court. If Eileen found out, she would also look at me differently. 

“Don’t do anything rash,” she warned me.

“I won’t. I just want to see how low we can take his asking price.” 

“Will you really pay him?” she wondered. 

“I would rather not,” I said frankly.

Eileen rested her head on my shoulder. “What do you think he will do next?”

“Panic,” I replied without thinking. “And once he panics, no matter what his lawyer says, he will not have the patience to listen.”

Eileen gasped. “You want him to make a mistake.”

“I want him to make a mistake.” And never have the chance to threaten my happy family again.

She pulled away. I felt a stabbing pain in my heart, knowing my mask had dropped. She finally saw my ruthless side, which I had tried very hard to hide from her.

“Is this how you conduct business?” Her question took me by surprise. 

“Unfortunately,” I admitted. “If I don’t be harsh, I will be buried along with all the employees who rely on me for wages.”

She simply stared. 

“Are you scared of me?” My voice was low. My throat tightened and I waited with bated breath for her answer. 

“No. It’s just… new to me. I always imagined you would be the kindest boss, but you are cold to your competition.”

I chuckled. “From your eyes, I can tell you find that… appealing.”

A sly smile spread across her lips. “Oh, you can read me now?”

“Like a book.”

She placed her hands flush against the floor and leaned in, her face a few inches from mine. “Then, where did you put the bookmark?” she whispered. 

I narrowed my eyes. My gaze fell to her loose collar, showing off her cleavage. Heat pooled in my stomach. Ruled by my cock alone, I answered, “I believe I forgot to insert it. Shall I go find the page I was on?”

She nodded. “I think you should.”

“The shower sounds like the perfect place for it,” I whispered. I shot up to my feet and extended my hand for her to take. 

“And get it wet?”

“That’s the whole point.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me. She collided with my chest and I picked her up bridal style. She squealed in surprise and clung to me as I sprinted up the stairs and down the hallway to our bedroom.

I heard the door to the nursery shut softly and praised Lucy for her discretion.

I placed her on the bathroom floor and ripped my clothes off my body. She quickly undid her pants and wriggled her hips to get it off. Impatiently, I crouched down and pulled it off her and threw it aside.

I was right where I wanted to be.