Chapter 6 – Terms of Possession

(Dominic’s POV)

The hospital bill crumpled beneath my fingers, sharp paper corners biting into my skin like it could bleed answers. I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. I stood in the center of my office, the silence between us louder than anything Club Lux could ever pump through its sound system.

Across from me, Anna stood with her back to the door, her arms wrapped tightly around her bag like it could protect her from the truth—or from me. Like I hadn’t already torn the lock off every door between us tonight.

She was guarded, lips pressed into a tight line, but her eyes—they gave her away. Brown, defiant, beautiful. And trembling.

I stared at the bill again. CT scans. Blood work. Chemotherapy.

Not for her. I knew her too well. She would’ve said something if it were her body breaking. This wasn’t Anna’s pain. This was someone else’s. Someone she would do anything for.

And I hated that I didn’t know who.

“Who is it?” I asked, my voice low, precise. Controlled—but just barely.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“You heard me.” I looked up, eyes locking with hers. “Who are you doing this for?”

She blinked, thrown off. “It’s not—” She shook her head. “It’s not what you think.”

“No?” I took a slow step forward. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re lying to my face, working yourself into the ground, hiding hospital bills like you’re running some kind of goddamn con. So help me understand, Anna.”

She inhaled sharply, the pulse at her throat fluttering like a warning bell. “It’s none of your business.”

The words tasted like betrayal.

“None of my business?” I repeated, quieter this time, more dangerous. Another step. She didn’t move, but her knuckles whitened around her bag.

I stood right in front of her now. Close enough to see the way her lip quivered. She was fighting herself. I could feel it.

“You think I’m going to stand here and let you fall apart for some other man?” I said, my tone sharpening. “That I’ll just watch you throw yourself to the wolves for someone who didn’t even show up tonight?”

Her mouth opened. She froze. That one moment of hesitation was everything I needed.

“There’s no one else,” she whispered.

The relief that hit me was instant—and infuriating. Why should I care that there was no one else? Why did it matter that she hadn’t replaced me?

Because I hadn’t replaced her.

“Then why won’t you tell me the truth?” I demanded, stepping even closer, caging her in. “Why all the secrets? Why show up out of nowhere, five years after disappearing, and still lie to my face?”

“I don’t owe you anything,” she snapped, the fire flaring in her again.

And God, I wanted that fire.

“You do,” I growled. “You owe me every minute of silence you gave me. You owe me every night I spent wondering what the hell I did to lose you. You don’t get to vanish without a word and come back pretending like we’re strangers.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her throat working around words she couldn’t say.

“You were everything to me,” I said, softer now, but not weaker. “And you left.”

She looked away. That alone was enough to crack something inside me.

“You think I can just ignore this?” I held up the bill again. “Anna, you’re in trouble. Whoever this is for—it’s serious. And you’re standing here like I’m your enemy.”

She didn’t speak. But her eyes glistened.

“I didn’t ask for your help,” she said, voice quieter.

“You don’t have to,” I replied. “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not.”

That got her attention. Her head snapped toward me.

“I’m offering you a deal,” I continued, watching her every reaction. “I’ll take care of all of it. The debt, the hospital, everything. You won’t lift a finger. You won’t work nights in that club. You won’t scrape by another day.”

Her brow creased. “Why?” she asked, barely a whisper.

“Because I want you.”

Her breath hitched, her posture stiffening like I’d just slapped her.

“Of course you do,” she muttered bitterly. “That’s what this is really about. Not the bills. Not the mystery. You just want me on a leash again.”

“No,” I said. “I want you where I can protect you. Where I can see you. You think I’m going to let you disappear again? Not a chance.”

She took a half step back. I mirrored her.

“What’s the catch?” she asked, voice tight, skeptical.

I gave her the truth.

“You’ll work for me. Personal assistant. Days, evenings. You’ll be on-call. Close.”

Her stare narrowed. “And?”

I let the silence linger before finishing, voice low and certain.

“And at night, you’re mine.”

Her eyes widened. The shock, the disbelief—it hit all at once.

“You want me to what?”

“You heard me.”

“You’re disgusting,” she spat.

“Maybe,” I said, calm as stone. “But I get what I want. And what I want—is you. In my space. In my bed. Close enough that you can’t keep lying to me.”

“You are out of your mind,” she said, stepping away. “You think I would ever agree to that?”

“You will,” I said simply. “Because whoever this bill is for… they’re running out of time. And you know it.”

She froze.

Got you.

Her lips parted, but no sound came. Her throat worked around the words she couldn’t say, and her fingers dug into her bag like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

“Don’t do this,” she said finally, her voice cracking. “Don’t reduce this to some... twisted game.”

“This isn’t a game,” I said. “This is me putting everything on the table. You want to save whoever this is? Let me help. Let me own it. And you.”

Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked them away fast, replacing them with a look that should’ve cut—but didn’t.

“You’re a bastard.”

I gave her a slow, cruel smile. “And you’re out of time.”

She turned sharply, ripping the door open with enough force to make it slam against the wall.

I didn’t follow her.

I didn’t need to.

Because desperation always wins. And whether it was tonight, or next week, or the moment that next bill came in…

Anna Rodriguez would come back to me.

And when she did, it would be on my terms.