Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella) novel Chapter 360

Bella felt a bit embarrassed by his intimate gesture, especially with so many people around. "Don't do that. It's embarrassing."

He feigned displeasure. "What's so embarrassing about it? Am I not good-looking enough?"

Bella genuinely had no way to refute his statement. Carefully, she took a bite of her steak, managing to avoid his fork.

This jerk… He had the audacity to act as if he had her completely under his thumb. When he was fierce, it felt as if he could take her life. However, he refused to let her go entirely, choosing instead to win her over with gentleness.

After dinner, Dominic didn't insist on going to her house. After saying their goodbyes, he drove off.

As she watched his car disappear into the darkness at the end of the road, an inexplicable sense of emptiness washed over her.

The invisible thread that connected them seemed to tighten. It felt as if he could easily pull it and control her with just a gentle tug. This wasn't good for her, but somehow, it didn't feel entirely bad either.

…

The next day, when Bella arrived at the hospital, she found breakfast waiting for her on her desk, along with a note from Lana. It was an apology for what had happened before, expressing a genuine hope that Bella could truly forgive her.

She felt slightly troubled, so she took the breakfast and found Lana to return it. "No one's going to bother you anymore, so you don't need to do this. We might not be able to be friends, but we can still be colleagues. Let's just keep our distance and focus on our work."

Lana looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Bella didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "As if I used to be rich! That was only because I was with him. Let's not worry about who's paying… Let's just fill our stomachs first. I'm exhausted and starving right now."

When they arrived at the restaurant, Bella realized that Felix was already there. Lia had made plans with him in advance, and Bella hadn't known.

After exchanging greetings and sitting down, Felix handed them the menu. "So, I'm just here to hold the table? Lia, you're really good at timing. If you guys had followed your original schedule, you wouldn't have found a spot."

Lia chuckled. "You're always punctual, so we trust you to save us a seat. Thanks for that."

While they were ordering, Bella noticed a group of people entering through the restaurant's front door. Leading the way were Leonard and Dominic, followed closely by Daniel and Diane, along with the three brothers from the Sawyer family and several bodyguards.