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We had been driving for what felt like hours, but was probably only around 15 minutes. It wasn't a surprise that Dominic's place was outside of the city, that's where most rich people lived anyways. If you had enough money for it, that was. Lots of people lived in penthouses or insanely expensive apartments, similar to Ryla and Mae's family. I never really understood why housing was so expensive.
Finally, I spotted a rather large property ahead. Dominic took a turn, and I could only assume that was his place. The car approached a tall black gate with an entrance code, and it stopped to unlock the gate. Dominic rolled his window down, pressed his wrist against the black panel, and the gate opened.
I guess he had one of those chips in his wrist.
The gate revealed one of the biggest mansions I had ever seen.
I gaped up at the building in complete disbelief. It was tall and modern with beautifully big windows. The outside was a matte black colour with tinted wood accenting done of various places. There had to be around 6 garages attached to the place as well.
The car stopped in front of one, not daring to go inside. Dominic got out of the car, and so did I, and then his place seemed to get even bigger in person. He walked up to the sleek front door, scanned his wrist, and the door unlocked.
To say the inside was even more breathtaking would be an understatement. It was something that I couldn't even put into words.
The man looked at me as he began to dile a phone number. "Your room is upstairs to the right, and your things are already moved in." He stated as he paced towards the backyard.
The staircase was tall, with glass railings and gaps between the steps. As I made my way upstairs, a sense of anticipation built within me. Each step seemed to echo in the wide, open hallway, and as I reached the top, I couldn't help but marvel at the luxurious surroundings.
I pushed open the door to the right, and was greeted with a sight that took my breath away. The room was spacious, with large floor to ceiling windows that allowed the soft afternoon light to shine in.
The ceiling was unnecessarily tall, but wrapped in off white dim strip lights that made their way around the bed as well. It was massive king bed, covered in linens of shades off whites with throw blankets and pillows. None of which were from my old house.
One of the accent walls had built in bookshelves, which were already organized and stocked with the books that I had from my place. They were placed specially in alphabetical order of the author, then in the exact order of what seemed to be the publishing dates; I could tell because every single one of my Jane Austen books were organized that way. The mover definitely had a lot of time on their hands.
A remote was laid on top of the covers, and I could only assume it was for whatever top of the line electronic devices were hidden inside of the room. I guessed this is was how you lived when you were a billionaire.
Another door connected to the wall opposite to my room was left open. I took a peak, only for it to reveal one hell of a walk in closet. It was a sight to behold, organized meticulously with ample space to accommodate all my belongings. I noticed my clothes, neatly hung and organized by color, awaiting my attention. All of my shoes were placed along the shelves, and purses as well. It only disturbed me a little that someone had seen all of my clothing.
And then there was another door, which would probably lead into another series of doors, like some strange horror movie. I turned the knob, and found myself standing in front of the most luxurious bathroom that had ever existed. It was surreal.
My jaw was quite literally to the floor. Sure, my family was rich, but not this rich. My parent's place was traditional, while this was just some next level modern shit.
And then it dawned on me. What the hell did this man do for a living? It had been made clear that whatever he did was dangerous, so he must've been getting paid a lot to be able to live like this. Maybe he was in a gang. That would explain him returning to the restaurant all bloody and beat up.
I didn't even bother to take a deeper look into the bathroom. Instead, I shut the door, and did the same to the closet door. I sat by the edge of my bed, suddenly overwhelmed by my living situation.
This wasn't me. I didn't deserve to be living like this in this twisted luxury, not after what I had done.
I didn't deal well with change either. The reason that I hadn't broken down crying yet was because so much had happened to me that I hadn't had time to even begin to process it all. The tears would probably come in 2 days at the least, and then they wouldn't stop for another week.
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In the time that followed, I basically just stayed cooped up in my room, FaceTiming Mae and Ryla. I didn't bother trying to explore the house further, since I would probably just be in Dominic's way, and I had all the time in the world to explore later.
I ended up telling Mae and Ryla all about the reason why I left the club without them, what happened at the restaurant, and where I was now.
"So when do we get to come over?" Asked Mae, her hand resting on her cheek with a smile. Ryla and her were together in Mae's apartment, but Ryla seemed to be paying more attention to her phone than to our conversation.
"Honestly?" I took a breath and lowered my voice. "Not for like- a really long time. We're not exactly on the best of terms." I said, not being totally sure on how to word my sudden hatred for this man.
Mae's eyebrows furrowed as she rolled over onto her back, still keeping Ryla in the frame. "What's that supposed to mean?"
I shrugged. "I don't know." My train of thought stopped for a moment. I didn't know why I really hated him. Sure, he was everything I was against; men who lie, men who have big egos, billionaires, but that was all of the information that I had gathered from the course of only 5 days. How much would I find out during the rest of my life? Maybe he wasn't so awful.
My actual train of thought came back, and yes. Yes, he was definitely awful. "We just.. we just don't get along. He's kind of a huge dick."
She laughed at me. "He is a huge dick or has a huge dick?"
"Mae!" I exclaimed, my eyes darting towards the door, making sure he wasn't just lurking around. "Seriously though. How do you go about hating someone that you had sex with in just a matter of days?" She hushed her voice.
"Well first off, he lied to me." It was th first thing that came to mind, but arguably the least of my problems between him.
Curiosity piqued, she asked, "Mhm, and..?"
"And that's a big no for me considering why my last relationship ended."
"Yeah, okay. Valid." She said, nodding in understanding, I prodded further, "He's an asshole."
Her agreement was swift, but then she surprised me, saying, "Yeah.. but he's got money. What's his net worth? Like a billion?"
Two.
"And like this guy is seriously hot—like.. like I don't know how to put it into words kind of hot," she continued.
Curiosity getting the best of me, I inquired, "You know what he looks like?"
I didn't know that she noticed him in the club, or maybe she decided to use her FBI like stalking skills to look him up. Then again, I doubt it would be that hard since he was like- a billionaire.
She smiled, a small and guilty giggle escaping her lips, "I saw you guys leave the club together. Ryla, back me up here." Ryla, who had been absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, glanced up and replied, "Hm?"
Mae shook her head, a hint of exasperation evident in her voice, "Dude. Get off of your phone." She said, pushing her face playfully. Ryla rolled her eyes before turning off her phone, placing it in-front of her. "Yeah, okay. He's not terribly awful looking."
"You guys are no help, honestly." I told them as a joke. They weren't supposed to be complementing him, it was seriously not helping my case.
Ryla's expression turned from playfulness to being offended. "We're literally the ones who called you to ask to hang out, we never planned on trying to 'help' you." She emphasized.
"Ry," Mae interjected in an ushered tone. Ryla's words stung a little and clearly caused my smile to fade. "What? I'm just saying, can't you like- not talk about one of your three hundred problems all of the time?" Her voice was vindictive and targeted.
I didn't know what I did wrong.
"Well, this was big news, I mean.." I hesitated, my voice trailing off. "I don't know, I just thought you might want to know."
"Okay, well just give us a moment to breathe next time." Why was she suddenly so hostile towards me? I didn't understand, not at all.
"Of course, yeah. I'm sorry I didn't-" I began to apologize.
Before she could finish, Ryla interrupted with a warm smile, "We kind of have to go now. Love you." She hung up the phone immediately, leaving me slightly embarrassed and dumbfounded.
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It was around 6:00pm when I heard a knock at my door. It was a delicate noise, yet it filled the whole room. I was doing nothing but staring at the ceiling, contemplating my entire existence after what Ryla had told me. Did I really only talk about myself?
I guess I had just been so caught up in my own life that I didn't realize that maybe my friends didn't really want to hear about it. Then again, Ryla had been distant and oddly bitter towards me. I tried to bring it up with Mae, but she just brushed it off.
I sat up on the edge of my bed, my feet just brushing the floor. "Come in." I said, my voice barely audible. The door quietly opened, revealing Dominic who now wore a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants standing in my doorway. "I need to talk to you." He said, his black and wet hair glistening in the light.
I couldn't deny it, he was incredibly attractive, and I guess I was lucky I didn't have to marry some old guy.
His words took me by surprise. Talking to him was the last thing that I had planned for my day. His head tilted towards outside of door and then he disappeared.
I flopped down onto my back, the clean and white linens providing brief comfort for me. I let myself lay there for a few more seconds before forcing myself to get up and face whatever my dreadful husband wanted to talk to me about.
I made my way out of my room, then down the painfully long stairs, and into the kitchen where Dominic stood. It was quite modern, with brand new top of the line appliances and whatever technology was available for kitchens these days.
I found myself dragging my fingers along the dark marble counter tops before leaning on my elbows. "So what was it you needed to talk to me about?" I tilted a head. He stood there, his back pressing against the tall refrigerator with a glass of water in hand.
"Boundaries." He stated simply.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Boundaries?"
He nodded. I wasn't sure what kind of rules I was supposed to be expecting, but if he told me I wasn't allowed to have other people over, I would go ballistic.
"My office, the basement," he paused. "And my bedroom are strictly off-limits," he emphasized, his tone unwavering.
"Likewise," I replied, "Is that it?"
The man let out a grin. It wasn't exactly unknown that I wasn't the most patient person, but part of it had to do with Dominic being so intimidating. I hated how his presence seemed to have some sort of effect on me. If it were any other man, I would have gutted him clean with all sorts of insults, but not him.
Instead of responding, he slid me a white envelope from across the counter. It was already opened, and the words peaked from out of the opening. "What am I looking at?" I turned my wrists.
"Read."
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Dear Angelo,
We are delighted to extend a cordial invitation to you and your wife for our highly anticipated Auction Gala, a glamorous and exclusive event that promises to be an unforgettable experience for all attendees.
Event Details:
June 21st, 2023 - 8:25pm
WMA's Auction House
Black-Tie/Formal Attire
Our prestigious auction will feature a diverse array of exquisite art pieces, rare collectibles, fine jewelry, and exclusive experiences from 20 different countries, all up for bid to discerning connoisseurs like yourself.
Sincerely, WMA
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I shrugged my shoulders at the invitation. "What the hell is WMA?" I asked. I had been to one or two auctions in my life due to my father, and I had heard of over hundreds of acronyms for organizations, none of the, being 'WMA.'
I wasn't exactly psyched about having to attend yet another auction either. I went to one two years ago, and it was safe to say it was the most boring experience of my life. It was filled with a bunch of old men who kept on nagging me about what I planned to do with my life.
Dominic shook his head, his dark hair beginning to dry. "It doesn't matter."
I dropped my head down in annoyance. If the rest of my life living with him would be like this; him not telling me anything, I don't think I would survive. "This is in three weeks." I held up the signature, waving it in his general direction. What kind of event would give two days notice? That was some next level bullshit.
"Glad you figured that out."
"I don't exactly have the most formal attire in my closet at the moment." Usually I would, but I didn't. It had been a hot minute since attending a formal event like this, and many of my appropriate clothing didn't fit me anymore.
"That's not my problem."
"No, it is actually. I don't have shit, my dad cut me off. So if you want me to look halfway decent while by your side, you're going to have to give me some money to go out and buy something."
A hand slid into the pockets of his sweatpants."Your dad already called to inform me about your situation." The sound of keys and what not jingling sounded until he pulled out his black leather wallet, taking out a black Amex card and handing it to me as he passed by.
"And I've already picked a dress for you." His mischievous smirk painted the room with an air of playful secrecy, and then he headed towards the basement. I couldn't help but groan as my head sunk in between my arms, which were casually sprawled on the counter.
I guess the waterworks would have to wait for another few days.
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