Chapter 24 : A New Rival
Alina’s POV:
By Monday morning, I decide I officially hate Dominic Vale.
Not because he’s cold or arrogant neither is he emotionally unavailable.
No.
I hate him because somehow he manages to sound calm while completely destroying my sanity.
“You’ve been overthinking things lately.”
The audacity of that man to say that while being the reason I can no longer function normally.
I spend the entire morning at work aggressively trying to focus on spreadsheets while replaying yesterday’s conversation instead.
It’s not productive.
At all.
“You’re glaring at your laptop,” Mia says from the desk beside mine.
“I’m working.”
“You look like you’re threatening Excel personally.”
I sigh and lean back in my chair. “I’m having a week.”
“That sounds serious.”
“If I disappear mysteriously, assume emotional damage.”
Mia narrows her eyes suspiciously. “This about the billionaire again?”
I nearly choke on my coffee.
“What billionaire?”
“The one your mom’s marrying.”
I stare at her carefully. “Why would this be about him?”
“Because every time his name comes up, you suddenly look like you need therapy.”
Fair.
Very fair.
Before I can respond, my manager walks into the office area.
“Conference room in ten minutes,” he announces. “We’re meeting with the Vale Foundation representatives.”
Every muscle in my body freezes instantly.
No.
Absolutely not.
Mia notices my expression immediately. “You okay?”
“Define okay.”
Unfortunately, I already know exactly which representative is probably coming.
And twenty minutes later, my fears become reality.
Dominic walks into the conference room wearing a dark navy suit that immediately ruins my emotional stability.
Of course he does.
Because apparently life enjoys humiliating me publicly now.
The second his eyes land on me, something shifts subtly in his expression.
Recognition.
Awareness.
Danger.
“Mr. Vale,” my manager says quickly while shaking his hand. “It’s an honor.”
Dominic greets everyone politely before his gaze returns to me.
“Alina.”
Professional.
Smooth.
Like he wasn’t cornering me emotionally in my mother’s apartment less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Mr. Vale.”
His mouth twitches faintly at the formality.
Traitor.
The meeting begins normally enough.
Too normally.
Dominic discusses upcoming charity investments while everyone around the table listens attentively.
Meanwhile, I spend the entire presentation painfully aware of him.
His voice.
His hands.
The way his attention occasionally flickers toward me when nobody else notices.
This should be illegal honestly.
Then halfway through the meeting, the conference room door opens again.
And suddenly the atmosphere changes.
The man walking inside is easily one of the most attractive people I’ve ever seen.
Tall.
Sharp smile.
Dark blond hair slightly messy in an intentional way.
Confident.
Dangerously confident.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says casually before glancing around the room.
Then his eyes land on me.
And stay there.
Interesting.
“Sebastian,” Dominic says evenly from across the table.
The slight coldness in his tone immediately catches my attention.
So does the way Sebastian grins afterward.
“Well,” Sebastian says while taking the empty seat beside me, “this meeting just became significantly more interesting.”
I blink slowly.
Bold.
Very bold.
“Sebastian Cole,” he says easily while offering his hand. “Please tell me you’re not another terrifying finance executive.”
I shake his hand despite myself. “Disappointingly, I work in marketing.”
“Even better.”
Dominic’s expression hardens almost invisibly across the table.
And suddenly I understand.
Oh.
This man knows exactly what he’s doing.
The realization should probably concern me more than it does.
Instead, I find myself weirdly entertained.
The meeting continues, but Sebastian keeps finding reasons to speak to me specifically.
Small comments.
Quiet jokes.
Easy charm.
Normally, I’d ignore someone this obviously flirtatious in a work meeting.
But unfortunately, watching Dominic slowly become irritated is proving deeply satisfying.
At one point, Sebastian leans slightly closer while reviewing one of the proposal documents.
“You look familiar,” he says thoughtfully.
“I don’t think so.”
“No, seriously.” His eyes narrow playfully. “Have we met before?”
“I’d remember.”
“That sounded dangerously confident.”
I laugh despite myself.
Across the table, Dominic’s jaw tightens.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
Especially when Sebastian keeps smiling at me afterward.
By the end of the meeting, the tension in the room feels strangely divided.
Professional on the surface.
Personal underneath.
And Dominic has become noticeably quieter.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
As everyone begins gathering their things, Sebastian turns toward me again.
“So,” he says casually, “do you always look this stressed at work, or is today special?”
“I’m beginning to regret speaking to you.”
“That means you like me a little.”
“Confidence really is free.”
His grin widens immediately.
Before I can respond again, Dominic suddenly appears beside us.
“You’re holding up the schedule, Sebastian.”
The calmness in his voice somehow sounds more threatening than actual anger.
Sebastian looks entirely unbothered.
“Relax. I’m networking.”
“With my employees?”
I blink instantly.
My employees.
The possessiveness in that sentence lands harder than it should.
Apparently Sebastian notices too because his smile shifts slightly.
Amused now.
“Oh,” he says lightly while glancing between us. “That explains the atmosphere.”
Dominic’s expression turns colder immediately.
“What atmosphere?”
Sebastian stands smoothly. “The one where you look two seconds away from firing me for speaking to her.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
My pulse jumps because somehow Sebastian has managed to notice tension between Dominic and me within a single hour.
That cannot be good.
Dominic’s voice stays controlled when he finally speaks.
“You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?”
Sebastian’s eyes flick briefly toward me again knowingly.
I suddenly feel very warm.
“I should get back to work,” I say quickly before this conversation becomes an actual disaster.
Smart decision.
Very smart.
Unfortunately, Dominic follows me into the hallway seconds later.
Of course he does.
I stop walking near the elevators and turn toward him immediately.
“What was that?”
His expression stays unreadable. “What was what?”
“That weird possessive corporate intimidation thing you just did.”
“I wasn’t intimidating him.”
“You absolutely were.”
Dominic loosens his tie slightly while staring at me.
“He was flirting with you.”
The bluntness catches me off guard.
“So?”
“So I didn’t like it.”
Something flips unexpectedly inside my chest.
Dangerous reaction.
Very dangerous.
I cross my arms defensively. “You don’t get to be jealous.”
His eyes darken slightly. “Why not?”
I stare at him in disbelief.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’re literally engaged to my mother?”
The reminder visibly irritates him now.
Good.
Maybe he should feel uncomfortable.
“You were enjoying it,” he says instead.
“What?”
“The flirting.”
I let out a shocked laugh. “You cannot possibly be serious right now.”
“You smiled at him.”
“He was funny.”
“He was trying to get your attention.”
“And?”
Dominic steps closer slowly.
Not enough to scare me.
Enough to affect me anyway.
“And I didn’t like watching it.”
The honesty in his voice sends heat rushing through me immediately.
God.
This man is impossible.
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“Probably.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
His gaze lingers on my face carefully.
Then lower this time, he says, “Did you like him?”
The question catches me off guard.
“Sebastian?”
“Yes.”
I shrug casually even though my heartbeat suddenly feels unstable again.
“He seems nice.”
Something dangerous flashes across Dominic’s expression instantly.
Sharp.
Possessive.
Jealous.
And somehow that realization affects me more than it should.
Before either of us can continue, the elevator doors open beside us.
People begin stepping out.
Reality crashes back immediately.
Distance.
Boundaries.
Common sense.
I step backward quickly.
“This conversation shouldn’t be happening.”
Dominic watches me carefully.
“No,” he says quietly. “But it is.”
The weight behind those words settles heavily between us.
Because every conversation lately feels like another line being crossed.
And deep down?
I think we both know we’ve already gone too far to pretend otherwise.