Chapter 25: Shadows of the Past

The man standing in the doorway remained unfazed by the intensity of Dominic’s stare, not budging an inch as the tension in the room crackled like electricity. He was tall and donned a sleek black suit that exuded an air of danger. His icy smile sent a shiver racing down my spine.

Dominic’s fists were tightly clenched at his sides, his gaze fixed on the man like a predator eyeing its prey. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and almost growled, “What do you want, Thomas?”

The name Thomas felt unfamiliar yet stirred something within me, a sense of recognition that gnawed at my memory. Who was he? Why did he seem to have a deeper connection with Dominic than anyone else present?

“I’m here to resolve an old issue,” Thomas replied, his tone calm but laced with an underlying threat. “And you, Dominic, have a debt to settle.”

I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing. An old issue? A debt? What was he referring to? What obligation did Dominic have to this man?

Dominic’s jaw tightened, his face betraying no emotion. “I’ve paid enough,” he stated coldly. “This ends here.”

The two men stood locked in a tense standoff, the silence almost palpable, thick with unspoken words. I longed to interject, to say something—anything—but my voice had deserted me. The atmosphere felt suffocating, as if the walls were closing in on me, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on my chest.

Thomas took a step forward, his gaze finally shifting to me. “Ah, Elena Sinclair,” he said, his tone almost taunting. “The woman Dominic can’t seem to shake off. You’ve been quite the nuisance for him, haven’t you?”

I felt a surge of anger bubbling to the surface. “You’re one to criticize,” I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him. “What do you want with Dominic? And why involve me?”

Thomas’s smile widened, a hint of malice evident. “Oh, dear Elena, you’re entangled in something much larger than you comprehend. This isn’t merely about Dominic and me.” His eyes sparkled as he glanced between us.“This is about the sins of the past—sins that need to be paid for.”

I straightened up, my anger sharpening my voice. “What sins are you referring to? What are you saying?”  

Dominic's gaze briefly shifted to me, his eyes softening for a moment, as if he wished to shield me from the impending truth. But he quickly redirected his focus to Thomas, his demeanor hardening. “If you think you can intimidate her, you’re mistaken. I’ll settle any debt I owe you, but this ends tonight.”  

Thomas's chilling laughter reverberated through the room. “You believe you can just pay it off? You think it’s that easy, Dominic? You’ve been evading this for years. You’ve concealed the past beneath a mountain of lies, but some debts can’t simply be wiped away.”  

The tension between the two men escalated, an unseen force pressing down on us. My heart raced, a mix of fear and curiosity battling within me. What was this all about? What had Dominic done that provoked such a thirst for revenge in this man?  

Thomas stepped closer, now mere inches from Dominic, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “I know what you did, Dominic. And I understand why you did it. You can pretend your hands are clean, but they’re not. I will ensure you pay for everything you’ve done.”  

Dominic’s lips twisted into a snarl, his fists relaxing. “This is enough. If you’re here to threaten me, then state your purpose. If not, get out.”  

Thomas remained still, his gaze shifting back to me, his eyes narrowing. “You should tread carefully, Elena,” he warned, his tone smooth yet icy. “You’re teetering on the edge of a precipice, and you have no idea how far the drop is. You’ve picked the wrong side.”  

A shiver coursed through me. The wrong side? What did that even imply? His words struck me like a slap, causing me to reconsider everything I thought I understood. Was Dominic truly the man I believed him to be? Or had I been blinded by my own thirst for revenge—revenge against him and his family for the wrongs they had inflicted on mine?  

Dominic’s gaze remained fixed on Thomas, his posture tense. “You don’t scare me. If you have a point to make, make it. Otherwise, get out.”

For a brief moment, it appeared that Thomas might escalate the confrontation. However, to my astonishment, he took a step back, his face shrouded in a dark, inscrutable expression. “I’ll go easy on you this time, Dominic,” he stated. “But you can’t escape your past indefinitely. Eventually, it will find you.”

I turned my gaze to Dominic, hoping to catch any hint of unease in his demeanor. Yet, his expression remained as inscrutable as always. Still, an unsettling feeling lingered within me, suggesting there was more beneath the surface than he was revealing. The more I pondered, the clearer it became that I didn’t just seek answers from Dominic—I craved the truth, even if it meant shattering everything I knew.

As Thomas walked away, his footsteps resonating in the stillness, I felt the gravity of the situation weigh heavily upon me. The man I had loathed for so long—who had devastated my family and coerced me into this engagement—was harboring secrets far beyond my imagination. But what were those secrets? And was I prepared to confront them?

“Dominic,” I said softly, my voice unwavering despite the turmoil within me. “What’s happening? What did he mean about debts? About the past?”

At the mention of “past,” Dominic’s jaw clenched, but he hesitated to respond. He stood there, his gaze fixed on Thomas as he faded into the shadows, the door clicking shut behind him. It felt as though the weight of the world had just been placed on his shoulders.

“Dominic,” I urged again, moving closer. “You can’t keep avoiding this. What did he mean? What’s the truth?”

Finally, he turned to me, his eyes steely yet flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite identify. Was it pain? Regret? I couldn’t tell, but it was enough to make my stomach churn.

“There are things, Elena,” he began, his voice heavy with feeling. “Things I’ve buried for so long that I’m not sure I even remember them clearly anymore. But Thomas—he’s not merely a disgruntled businessman. He’s part of something much larger.” And I’ve been trying to keep you out of it. Keep you safe.”

Safe? My heart raced at the word. Safe? It had been ages since I felt that way. If anything, it was Dominic who had plunged me into this chaotic situation, not the other way around. 

“I’m not looking for your protection,” I stated firmly. “What I need is the truth. You’ve kept me in the dark for too long, and I refuse to sit here while you shield me from it. What’s the debt? What did you do?”

For a brief moment, I noticed a flicker of uncertainty in Dominic’s expression, revealing the internal struggle within him. I had pushed him to his limits, and for an instant, it seemed he might finally crack. But then his composure returned, and his face became a mask of determination once again.

“I can’t share everything with you,” he replied, his tone low. “Not yet. But I promise I will. When the time is right.”

“And when will that be?” I pressed. “When can I expect that?”

His gaze softened slightly, and for a fleeting moment, I glimpsed the man behind the cold CEO façade—the one who had once been open, who had cared about more than just power and vengeance. But that man seemed lost, replaced by someone burdened with too many secrets.

“I can’t afford to lose you, Elena,” he said softly. “Not with everything at stake.”

I was at a loss for words. I struggled to understand the whirlwind of emotions within me and what it meant that he cared enough to want to protect me. All I knew was that I was teetering on the edge of something far more significant than I had ever anticipated. And whatever the truth was, it was closer than I realized.

Just then, the ringing of a phone shattered the silence, and Dominic quickly reached for his phone on the nearby table. He glanced at the screen, his expression inscrutable.

“It’s him,” Dominic murmured, his voice tense with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “I need to take this.”

He turned away, stepping into the next room to answer the call. I stood there, staring at the door that divided us, my mind racing in a thousand different directions. The past was closing in on both of us. And when the truth finally came out, it would change everything.