MasukShare
Chapter 10 — Dominic’s POV
Tanggal publikasi:
2025-12-27 05:46:15
Bab terbaru
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 60: Delilah POV
I couldn’t catch my breath. It felt like the oxygen in my penthouse had been sucked out, replaced by a thick, static tension that made my skin itch. I paced the length of the Italian marble floor, my shoes clicking a frantic, uneven rhythm. Fuck Fuck Fuckkkk!!!! How was this happening? This was not part of the plan. How could I have been so stupid? Oh God, what do I do now? I picked up my phone and as usual, Avery Mane was still trending. She had been trending nonstop since that night at the award show. The headlines of every blog all screamed the same thing. “AVERY MANE: SHOT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION” The words were a physical weight in my stomach, cold and heavy as lead. I looked at my phone, the screen glowing with a relentless stream of notifications I couldn’t stop reading, even though every headline felt like a slap. “BUSINESS MOGUL AND AWARD WINNING INFLUENTIAL WOMAN, AVERY MANE SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT” “SECURITY BREACH LEADS TO ATTEMP
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 59: Avery POV
The knock wasn’t a request to enter.If anything, it was an announcement. It echoed through the hallway of my home. My father didn't wait for me to answer. He was one of the few people who knew about this house. It was one of the places I had come to heal properly.I would not even let Dominic, Vincent or Elias come around.I needed space to think of my next move.My father pushed into the living room with a stride that said he’d already bought and sold the air I was breathing. I suppose all over protective fathers acted this way. “Avery,” he said, his voice clipped.I managed to adjust on the couch.“Hey daddy”He kissed me on the cheek.“How are you feeling today?” He asked and I shrugged.“I’ve been better”I looked past my father and felt the air leave the room. The man standing there wasn't the kind of "bodyguard" you see in movies that were all bulging muscles and cheap suits. He was just… solid. A silent, handsome, immovable object in a leather jacket. He didn't smile
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 58: Avery POV
I didn’t hear the door click. One moment, my vision blurring with the cocktail of exhaustion and industrial-grade painkillers and the next, a familiar voice sliced through the hum of the monitors. “Baby?.” I flinched, my hand scrambling against the stiff hospital sheets for a grip I couldn’t quite find. “Dad!” He had crossed over to where I lay and stood at the foot of the bed, his expensive wool coat draped over one arm like an afterthought. He looked… diminished. His face was a map of gray shadows and drawn skin. There was a quiet, vibrating kind of fear radiating from him. That and something heavier—guilt, thick and stagnant. “You look… awful, oh my baby girl. My innocent baby girl” he said, his voice breaking in the quiet room. “I shouldn't have let this happen.” I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, trying to pull myself together. If I cried now, he would surely follow.“I’m fine, daddy. Really.” I pressed my lips into a thin line, a lie we both recognized.
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 57: AVERY’S POV
The first thing I noticed when I drifted back to consciousness was the throbbing in my shoulder. After that, it was the rhythmic, hum of the monitors as well as the fact that my limbs felt like they’d been dipped in concrete. There was also that odd feeling of emptiness. It was a void where something vital used to sit. I stared at the acoustic tiles of the ceiling, my vision swimming in and out of focus, waiting for my brain to catch up to my pulse. The first coherent thought that formed in my head was “What happened to me?” The memory hit me all at once, a jagged playback of the stage, the lights, the bullet and that glowing, ethereal system that had appeared to me when the world went dark. [SACRIFICE 40% OF ACCUMULATED WEALTH TO SURVIVE] I let out a breath that caught in my dry throat. Forty percent. It was all gone. I didn't need to see a bank statement to confirm it. I could feel the structural shift in my mind, like a pillar holding up a roof had been yanked
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 56: VINCENT’S POV
“Sir, you can’t go up there!” A burly guard in a black suit tried to stand in my way.“I’m not asking for permission. Get out of the way!”I was not leaving this hospital premises until I laid my eyes on Avery and confirmed for myself that she was still alive.My chest felt like it was being crushed by a vice. Every breath was a fight, shallow and burning, like something wild was trying to claw its way out of my ribs. Avery?My Avery? Shot?The words were a physical glitch in my brain. They didn't compute. Avery was the constant. Avery was the one who didn't break, didn't get hurt, didn't lay in a hospital fighting for her life.“Sir!” The guard’s hand clamped onto my bicep. I wrenched it away with a snarl that felt animalistic. “Don’t touch me.”“You need authorization, sir. This floor is—”“She’s my—” I choked on the word.What was she? To the world, she was not mine to claim. At least not yet.I could have lied and said she was just a friend but the way my heart was hammeri
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 55: DOMINIC’S POV
The moment I stepped into the hospital, everything in me had changed. A nurse had tried to get in my way then. “Sir, you can’t go in there. visiting hours are…..” “Move.!!” My voice was cold as steel. The nurse who looked fresh out of college, froze mid-sentence. Good. At least she knew when to shut up. My phone was already at my ear and I was talking to the security detail I had hired. “Lock it down.” There was a pause on the other end. “…Sir?” “I said lock. it. down.” My tone dropped. “I want every entrance monitored. No one gets in without clearance. No one leaves this hospital without being checked.” “Yes, Mr. Greyhound.” I hung up. A doctor who seemed familiar enough with me walked up to where I stood. “Good evening, Mr Greyhound” “Where is she?” “I’m sorry?” “Avery Mane.” Recognition flashed across her face. Worry followed immediately after. “She’s in surgery, Mr Greyhound” “Which floor?” “…Private surgical wing.” “Good.” I walked
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 51: DOMINIC’S POV
There are very few things in this world that truly anger me. I pride myself on being a man who has complete control over his emotions but not today. No. Today I was furious. I felt the kind of anger that settles deep in your chest and turns your thoughts into something dangerous. The mome
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 23: AVERY'S POV
Get a hold of yourself, Avery. I was trying but it was like I had forgotten how to breathe. This man standing before me, Vincent Roland, had taken the literal air out of my lungs. Was it this possible to be this good looking? He took a few steps closer, his eyes never leaving mine. It took all my
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 21: Avery’s Pov
I stood in the driveway of the new estate, the keys heavy and cool in my palm. This wasn't just a house; it was a fortress of glass and limestone, six bedrooms of pure, unadulterated freedom.And it’s all for my dad.A cute little present from his now wealthy daughter. "Avery... sweetheart, I ca
THE SYSTEM GAVE ME A GLOW UP (Ugly no more, men at my feet) 17: Avery’s POV
. I was still riding the high of Dalia’s humiliation. It’s not everyday that you get to put your bully into their place. Just then, the blue screen flickered to life in the back of the car that Dominic has arranged to take me home. This time, the glow wasn't a comforting blue. It was a d
Anda juga akan menyukai
Satisfying Her Darkest Fantasies
Shile1.0M DibacaMy Dad's Bestfriend
Liz Barnet789.9K DibacaThe Divorced Billionaire Heiress
I Wanna Eat Meat16.3M DibacaRude Awakenings
Turquoise Grace1.1M DibacaThe Right Kind of Chaos
Simone Denomy135 DibacaThe Last Light Between Us
SB_Authors105 DibacaHE DIVORCED ME NOW HE CALLS ME AUNT
Theresa 15 DibacaThe Contract Bride of the Billionaire Heir
Silver penz18 Dibaca
