Love the Second Time Around

Chapter 130

Chapter 130 Do Him A Favor

Pushing Shannon away, I stumbled into the room and tumbled right into bed.

Before I closed my eyes, I muttered, “Let me sleep for a bit first. I’ll tell you where I went last night when I wake up.”

Then, I promptly fell into a deep slumber, only rousing when it was almost noon.

As soon as I opened my eyes, Shannon was already eagerly demanding answers while my mind was still groggy with sleep. “Okay, no more giving me excuses now. Quick, tell me whether you went to look for Royce yesterday! Earlier this morning, just after you had dozed off, he came over with breakfast. It’s right there, so look for yourself.”

Looking in the direction where she was pointing, I was greeted by the sight of a myriad of food on the small table.

A moment later, I retracted my gaze. Ah, he’s indeed a good man, but there’s already someone else occupying the space in my heart. As such, there’s no more space for anyone else. What a pity!

Shannon lifted a hand and waved it in front of me. “Why are you spacing out now?” she queried. “Well? Say something!”

After a second’s contemplation, I admitted, “Shannon, I was not with Royce last night, and it’s impossible between us. Last night… I was with Dominic.”

Shannon seemed to have suffered a shock, and she only reacted after an eternity. “You got together with Dominic again? Are you a fool, Liliana?”

“No, we’re not together per se. We’re just… in a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“What does that mean?” Shannon’s expression abruptly turned grave.

“It’s exactly as it means. When he gets married, I’ll sever my relationship with him,” I explained in a mere whisper.

Shannon was momentarily taken aback before she clutched my hand and asked apprehensively, “Did he coerce you? Does he have dirt on you or something?”

In response, I shook my head slowly. “This matter is actually very complicated, but he didn’t coerce me. Shannon, my current relationship with him will only persist for a few months at most. When he gets married, things will be over between us.”

Shannon froze for a second before she murmured in distress, “Have you taken leave of your senses? By doing so, you’re the one who’ll be on the losing end. And it’ll also be you who’ll be wallowing in pain and grief in the end.”

Forcing a smile, I mollified her, saying, “I’ll be fine.”

“Fine? You’ll be crying your heart out then!” Shannon cut me a glare.

At that, I kept mum.

On our way back, we were both silent for the entire trip. Shannon was angry at me, but I knew that she just wanted the best for me.

It wasn’t until I made to alight from the car when we arrived at my house did she finally call out to me.

“I’ve never seen such a foolish woman like you. If you’re heartbroken then, remember to ring me up beforehand. I’ll be waiting for you with tons of liquor.”

“I will.”

Honestly, it’s nice to have friends!

After going home, I focused all my attention on drawing though I did make myself a bowl of noodles sometime in between.

When it was almost midnight, I suddenly heard the sound of someone unlocking the door outside. Upon taking a gander, I saw that it was actually Dominic.

Despite glimpsing the keys in his hand, I didn’t bother asking since it was obvious that he had furtively made a copy for himself.

Regarding him in bafflement, I inquired, “Why did you come over at this hour?”

The man loosened his tie before plopping down on the couch with fatigue etched on his face. “I came to see whether you’re obediently staying home.”

At once, I was rendered speechless. Jeez, he’s dead on his feet; yet, he doesn’t forget to snub me!

Ignoring him, I spun around and went back to my room. But after sitting down for two minutes, I couldn’t resist going back to the living room.

Dominic was still sitting on the sofa, but his eyes were closed, and he seemed to be asleep.

At the sight of his sorry state, I couldn’t help walking over and nudging him. “Go and take a shower before sleeping on the bed. Don’t sleep here, or you’ll catch a cold,” I urged.

Without opening his eyes, he blurted, “I’m hungry.”

Exasperation flooded me, but still, I queried, “I’ll cook some noodles for you, okay?”

I waited for a long while before I finally got a murmur of acquiescence in reply.

However, when I was done cooking and wanted to call him to eat, I realized that he had truly fallen asleep. He seemed to be slumbering soundly, his breathing deep.

I pondered for a moment, but in the end, I decided against waking him. After arranging him properly on the couch, I snagged a blanket from the room and draped it over him.

Then, I took my tablet to the living room. Putting a cushion on the floor, I sat down on it.

Dominic was tall in stature, so I was worried that he would fall off in the middle of the night.

I was quite energetic in the beginning, but I gradually grew drowsy during the latter half of the night. I wanted to go back and sleep in my room, but I worried about him, so I rested my head against the couch and dozed off.

While I was groggy with sleep, I felt someone scooping me up.

Blinking an eye open, I saw that Dominic was carrying me to the bedroom.

At that, I closed my eye drowsily. Only when I sensed the soft covers surrounding me did I finally open my eyes while half-asleep.

“What time is it now? Are you going to work?”

“I’m going on a business trip for two days…”

I heard Dominic telling me that he was going on a business trip, but I truly had no inkling of whatever else he said after that.

When I racked my brains upon waking up, I still couldn’t remember anything other than the fact that he had gone on a business trip.

In the afternoon, both Royce and Nicholas sent me a WhatsApp message. Besides, I also had two missed calls from the latter.

Royce wanted to ask me out for a meal, but I declined right away. It wasn’t just for the sake of my promise to Dominic, but more so because I didn’t want to go either.

Nicholas, on the other hand, asked me to call him back when I was free. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

I phoned him, but he didn’t answer. Guessing that he was probably filming, I didn’t continue calling.

At a little over eight at night, he finally called me back.

I hadn’t contacted him for a long time, aware that he would definitely be swamped with filming.

Furthermore, I was afraid that I would land him in hot water, Dominic’s threat toward him back then still vivid in my mind.

Anyhow, things seemed fine at the moment, for all those people who previously slandered him on the Internet had now disappeared.

While I couldn’t see his countenance, I could hear the weariness from his voice alone.

It turned out that Nicholas phoned me because he needed me to do him a favor and visit someone on his behalf. He was on a tight schedule recently, so he couldn’t leave the set.

Although Dominic told me to cut off contact with Nicholas, I only regarded him as a friend. Besides, he had helped me multiple times. It was rare that I had an opportunity to help him out, so I agreed without an ounce of hesitation.

The next day, I did some shopping as per his request. Then, I hailed a taxi and headed straight to the location he gave me.

178, Cobalt Avenue turned out to be an old house. That was where Nicholas’ grandmother, Monica Cross, resided.

I rang for the doorbell for a long time before an elderly lady with gray hair opened the door. Although she was up in years, she seemed to be in good health.

Guessing that it was probably Nicholas’ grandmother, I was just about to greet her when the elderly lady pointed at me excitedly and exclaimed, “Oh, aren’t you Nicky’s girlfriend?”