Chapter 14 Avoiding Temptation
Alina’s POV:
Avoiding Dominic becomes my new life goal after the shopping disaster.
Because apparently being alone with him for longer than five minutes immediately turns my brain into emotional soup.
Unfortunately, the universe seems deeply committed to ruining my plans.
By Monday morning, my mother is already talking about him over breakfast.
Again.
“Dominic wants us to join him at the charity gala next month,” she says while scrolling through her phone. “Apparently the entire business world attends every year.”
I stare into my coffee. “That sounds terrifying.”
“It sounds exciting.”
“It sounds like rich people pretending to enjoy tiny expensive food.”
My mother laughs softly. “You’re impossible.”
I shrug before taking another sip.
I barely slept again last night.
Mostly because Dominic texted me at almost midnight.
You disappeared quickly yesterday.
I ignored it for thirty whole minutes before eventually replying.
That’s usually what people do after awkward situations.
His response came immediately.
Was it awkward for you?
I never answered.
Because the truth would’ve been dangerous.
No part of being around Dominic feels awkward anymore.
And that’s exactly the problem.
“You’re doing it again,” my mother says suddenly.
I blink. “Doing what?”
“Drifting away mid-conversation.”
“Maybe your wedding is emotionally overwhelming me.”
“Oh please. You act like I’m marrying a mafia boss.”
I nearly choke on coffee.
If only she knew how accurate that energy feels.
“He’s intimidating,” I say carefully.
“He’s reserved,” she corrects.
No.
Reserved is a quiet librarian who enjoys tea.
Dominic is something else entirely.
Calm on the surface.
Dangerous underneath.
My mother studies me for a moment before smiling slightly. “He likes you, you know.”
My stomach tightens immediately.
“Why does everybody keep saying that?”
“Because it’s obvious.”
I look away quickly. “Well, he shouldn’t.”
The words slip out before I can stop them.
Silence falls instantly.
My mother frowns slightly. “That came out strangely aggressive.”
I force a laugh. “I just mean... I don’t need another protective billionaire in my life.”
“You don’t even have one now.”
If only she knew.
\---
By noon, I’m walking through a bookstore downtown trying to clear my head.
Books are safer than men.
Books don’t stare at you like they know exactly how you sound when you lose control.
I freeze mid-step.
Absolutely not thinking about that.
I grab a random novel from a shelf purely for distraction.
“Judging by your expression, I’m guessing that book offended you personally.”
I nearly jump out of my skin.
I turn around too fast and come face to face with Sebastian Cole.
Tall.
Blond.
Annoyingly charming.
And currently smiling at me like he’s already entertained.
“You scared me,” I mutter.
“Sorry. You looked deep in thought.”
“That’s a dangerous condition lately.”
His eyes flick toward the book in my hand. “That one’s terrible, by the way.”
I glance down at the cover. “You haven’t even seen the title.”
“I’m confident.”
I laugh despite myself.
Sebastian grins immediately like he just won something.
“You laugh easier than I expected.”
“That sounds oddly judgmental.”
“It’s observational.” He gestures toward the café section upstairs. “Coffee?”
I hesitate.
Not because I’m interested.
Mostly because saying yes to harmless coffee with Sebastian feels infinitely safer than thinking about Dominic for another second.
“Fine,” I say finally.
His smile widens. “I knew the book insult strategy would work.”
\---
An hour later, I’m actually enjoying myself.
Which feels suspicious.
Sebastian is easy to talk to in a way Dominic isn’t.
No suffocating tension.
No dangerous eye contact.
No feeling like one wrong sentence could ruin my life.
Just conversation.
“So let me get this straight,” Sebastian says while leaning back in his chair. “Your dream vacation involves sleeping and avoiding human interaction?”
“That sounds peaceful.”
“That sounds mildly concerning.”
“I support dramatic rest.”
He laughs. “You’re funny.”
“I’m exhausted. There’s a difference.”
His gaze lingers on me a second longer than necessary.
Not intense like Dominic’s.
Lighter.
Interested.
Before I can redirect the conversation, Sebastian speaks again.
“You know, I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
My stomach tightens immediately.
“That sounds ominous.”
“At a dinner maybe?” He studies me thoughtfully. “Wait... Eleanor Hayes.”
I internally panic.
“She’s my mother.”
“That’s it.” His expression shifts slightly. “You’re connected to Dominic Vale.”
Connected.
That word suddenly feels way too accurate.
I force a casual smile. “Unfortunately.”
Sebastian laughs. “That bad?”
“You’ve met him, right?”
“Fair point.”
I relax slightly after that.
Maybe this is fine.
Maybe normal conversation with a normal attractive man is exactly what I need right now.
Then my phone lights up beside my coffee cup.
Dominic.
My heartbeat instantly betrays me.
Sebastian notices the screen before I can flip it over.
His eyebrow lifts slightly. “Speaking of intimidating billionaires.”
I grab the phone too quickly. “It’s probably wedding stuff.”
A lie.
And apparently not a convincing one.
Sebastian leans back slowly, still watching me. “You seem nervous every time his name comes up.”
“I’m nervous around powerful men in general.”
“Mm.” His expression says he doesn’t fully believe that.
I ignore the message completely.
Then the phone buzzes again.
And again.
Jesus Christ.
Sebastian laughs softly. “He seems persistent.”
“You have no idea.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them.
Because now Sebastian looks genuinely curious.
Before he can ask questions, I stand up too quickly.
“I should go.”
“That sudden?”
“Yes.”
He studies me for a moment before nodding. “Alright. But at least let me walk you downstairs.”
The entire time we head toward the exit, my phone keeps buzzing in my purse.
Like Dominic somehow senses I’m deliberately ignoring him.
Honestly, he probably does.
Outside the bookstore, Sebastian stops beside me with his hands in his pockets.
“I had fun today,” he says.
“That makes one of us.”
He laughs immediately. “Liar.”
Maybe a little.
“Can I see you again?” he asks.
The question catches me off guard.
Before I can answer, a familiar black car suddenly pulls up along the curb beside us.
My stomach drops instantly.
No.
Absolutely not.
The tinted back window lowers slowly.
And there he is.
Dominic.
His expression is unreadable at first.
Then his eyes move from me to Sebastian standing beside me.
The atmosphere changes immediately.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Sebastian notices too.
“Well,” he says lightly, “I suddenly understand your nervousness around powerful men.”
I want to disappear into traffic.
Dominic steps out of the car slowly, adjusting the sleeve of his black coat before looking directly at me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask before I can stop myself.
His gaze stays locked on mine.
“You weren’t answering your phone.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“You said you were downtown earlier.”
Oh my God.
I stare at him in disbelief. “Did you seriously track my location from one casual conversation?”
Sebastian lets out a quiet laugh under his breath.
Dominic ignores him completely.
“I called three times.”
“I noticed.”
“Then why weren’t you answering?”
Because I was trying not to think about you while having coffee with another man.
Definitely not saying that aloud.
“I was busy.”
For the first time since arriving, Dominic finally looks at Sebastian directly.
The tension between them hits instantly.
“Clearly.”
Sebastian folds his arms slightly, amused instead of intimidated. “You must be Dominic.”
“And you are?”
“Sebastian Cole.”
Something flickers across Dominic’s face at the name.
Recognition.
Not friendly recognition either.
Interesting.
Sebastian glances between us before smirking slightly. “I feel like I interrupted something complicated.”
“You didn’t interrupt anything,” I say quickly.
Dominic’s eyes return to mine immediately.
And somehow that’s worse.
Because there’s something territorial in the way he looks at me right now.
Something possessive.
Which makes absolutely no sense considering he’s still engaged to my mother.
Sebastian notices it too.
I can tell by the way his expression changes subtly.
“Well,” he says after a moment, “I’ll let you two... whatever this is.”
“There is no this,” I say immediately.
Sebastian’s mouth twitches like he doesn’t believe me at all.
“Sure.”
After he leaves, silence crashes down between me and Dominic.
Dangerous silence.
I turn toward him sharply. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“You showing up like some emotionally unstable stalker.”
His jaw tightens slightly. “You ignored me.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to interrogate me.”
“I wasn’t interrogating you.”
“You practically glared Sebastian into another dimension.”
Dominic steps closer slowly.
Not touching me.
Just enough to make my pulse react anyway.
“You seemed comfortable with him.”
The quiet jealousy in his voice catches me completely off guard.
I stare at him. “Are you serious right now?”
His expression stays calm, but I can see the tension underneath it now.
Barely controlled.
“You were smiling at him.”
I actually laugh in disbelief.
“You’re engaged.”
“And yet,” he says quietly, eyes locked on mine, “you were still the only thing I noticed the second I got out of that car.”
My breath catches.
God.
This man is going to ruin my life.