Epilogue

"I still don't understand how Samantha was able to enter the hotel without rousing suspicions."

Dominic kissed my forehead as my thoughts got driven out of my mind.
"Dave thinks she knew about the secret elevator."

"There's a secret elevator?"

He nodded. "It was built for VIP customers in case of a disastrous event. It's built such that only a few authorized people know the exact location."

Come to think about it, it makes sense that such a huge hotel would adopt that kind of measure.

“So, Sam is really and truly dead?” I turned in the bed to face Dominic who was putting finishing touches to the document displayed on his laptop.

“Yeah. After she left us in the room, she met the cops outside. She unfortunately resisted arrest and uh… she sort of had a gun in her hand. Next thing, she tried to shoot at an officer and he shot her in defense.”

I sat up and shifted to get closer to Dominic. His arm immediately engulfing me into his sides, I managed to whiff more of his cologne into my nostrils. “I still find to believe that she wanted to blow me up.”

“Thank God she did not. I wouldn’t have spared her.”

“As a ghost yeah? Don’t forget you jumped onto the…”

“I know, I know. Don’t remind me about the time I was so heroic.”

“Ugh…” I made a mock disgusted face. “You sound so cocky.”

“Only with you, baby.” His lips found my forehead and they graced it for some seconds. At the same time, his hands went on to caress my arm with the same intensity that makes me want to just jump him without second thoughts. I was already imagining another intimate moment with Dominic, a crazily intimate one, when he interrupted my thoughts. “I spoke with Stanley Sands.”

“Dominic…” His embrace left as I shifted forward, sat properly and faced him, a little disapproving frown in the middle of my face.

“Hear me out. I know you said you don’t want the company at all and I respect that. A lot. But he is your family regardless the length of time between you both that makes you strangers. I felt that, since you just lost someone who was more like a family to you, you would love to have another one.”

“But…”

“He wants to meet you Grace. He wants to meet the woman who carries a part of his elder brother. You don’t have to go, it is your choice really. But it would be nice if you did.”

My hands went on to sweep my recently trimmed hair towards the back, my lips tucked in. As I pondered on his words, I remembered what I had said to myself when we relocated to the Philippines; I was going to fix my life and start all over again with my two favorite people.
Perhaps meeting my uncle would help in the fixing myself part. So, “I guess it is not a bad idea.”

“Thank you.” And I went back into his embrace.

“Do you think Doctor Lumber is still going to try and fight for Ruby?”

“Mmm…” The room became silent after his short response. I looked up at him to check whether he was okay, (cause he has grown so attached to Ruby these days, it would actually be hard for him to just think about their separation).

“Dom…” As he looked down at me, straight into my eyes, I felt my insides melt. For the first time, I was seeing tears well up in his eyes. My heart grew fond. My hand went on to cup the side of his cheek, “Hey Dom. Talk to me.”

“It just pains to know that she really isn’t mine, you know. But then,” his firm face came back and within a second, it was as if he was not emotional few seconds ago. “, with Diane still on probation, there is nothing much he can do now. And if he decides to do anything, he knows how disastrous it can get for him.”

“Dominic…”

“So, have you thought of what you want to do?” I had once talked to him about considering the idea of working something out with Doctor Lumber. Ever since it was proven that he really was the father, I just had this thought that, no matter the circumstances, the two men can always be there for her. That way, if at all Ruby finds out who her real father is in the future, she will be glad at both of them for being there for her.

But Dominic would not hear of it. We even fought at a point about the issue and I really wasn’t ready to have that happen again, so I answered his earlier question. “I think I want to go through with my initial retirement plan.”

His hand resumed traveling to and fro my arm, “And what’s that?”

My hand went on to play with the hem of his shirt. “I have always had this idea of setting up a publishing house that gives young, talented authors out there an opportunity to get published. I was actually saving up towards that dream and now that I have no job at hand, I think I should work towards setting up the company.”

“I like it. Let me know if you need any help.”

“Okay.”

“I mean it, don’t try to act independent to the point that you crack under pressure. I am here for you. Anything you need, let me know.”

Slightly amused by his insistence, I teasingly replied him, “Okay, Mr. Powers.”
And I further punctuated my statement by placing a kiss on his lips. “I am very hungry, or is just me?”

To further what I had initiated, he leaned in a bit closer and engulfed my lips with a fierce kiss. Instantly, I responded and went with the flow, returning it with almost equal intensity, my desiring self giving him more avenue to explore to my delight. After few more seconds, our lips detached, Dominic raised his thumb and swept it over my lips.

“I am hungry too,” he said so huskily. As he leaned even closer to continue what he had just started, I drew back, the idea of teasing him in a torturing way, immediately flying into my head.

“Well, let’s go to the kitchen and find something to eat. “ I did not miss the look of surprise on his face which caused me to smirk. As I walked out of the room, I put in some sexiness, that the groan that came after satisfied me a lot.

“Ruby, where are you?” As I walked past the corridor, I just couldn’t help but be amazed for the umpteenth time at how much my life has changed in a span of three months.

It was just so amazing. Very amazing.

As I walked into the living room of our new house whose structure was not so different from the hotel’s penthouse- both in size and design, my eyes scanned for Ruby who I thought was watching TV. “Ruby, where are you?”

“In here!” Her slim voice replied from her play room.

“Hey there princess, “ I leaned against the door frame. “, what are you up to?”

“Well, I am making a banner for daddy, he wants to ask you to marry him. Oh my God!” She gasped. “I wasn’t supposed to say that.” The little girl ran to a very shocked yet inwardly joyous me. “Please, don’t tell daddy I spilled. Please.”

“It is fine Ruby. I will pretend I never heard you say anything. Enjoy.” As I walked away, my smile increased. There was just this teenage girl smile plastered on my face as I replayed Ruby’s words in my head.

“Ugh… what are we going to eat?” I immediately tucked my smile away as soon as he approached me. Luckily, I was backing him, so I had enough time to look like a regular, normal person.

“How about we just order something?” I suggested as his hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer to him in a manner that wasn’t good for the smile I was trying to hide.

“Good idea. I guess I will have to postpone my plan of cooking for you guys.”

“You know, I am starting to doubt your claims about your cooking skills. Since we moved here, you have been singing that you will cook for us one day, when will your one day come, Mr. Powers?”

His lips found my left shoulder, “Soon, Miss Sands. Soon. Just be patient.”

“Okay *sir*. Let me go…” My phone’s ringtone filled the room. As I walked towards the phone, I wondered who it was. Most probably David. My hand reached for the device that lay dormant on the white couch. The new house was really that similar to the penthouse.

My eyes read the caller’s ID and as my eyes raced repeatedly across the name, I couldn’t just believe it. “Uh… Dominic, you should see this.”

“Samantha?” Even he was surprised. “Pick the call, perhaps someone is calling through her phone.”

I took a deep breath before swiping and after I put the call on speaker, I quietly asked, “Hello?”

*‘Grace. I have been trying your number.’*

The relief that gushed through my system was not of this world. “David, what the heck man? Why do you have Sam’s phone?”

*‘It is a strange thing. Weren’t you telling me about two weeks ago that Sam died like a month ago?’*

“Yes I did. What happened?”

*‘She visited me two days ago.’*

“Uh?” Dom and I shared a confused look.

*‘It is crazy. She looked okay. Very okay.’*

“Are you sure she was the one?”

*‘Very sure. I…’*

“Did you ask her anything?”

*‘I couldn’t say or ask her anything man. I was so shocked, she did most of the talking. She talked about moving out of the country or so. I know this sounds crazy, but I am calling you from her phone right now because she forgot it at my place and I am not joking at all.’*

“This is unbelievable.” I looked towards Dominic again who had a quizzing look on his face. “Perhaps she isn’t dead as the cops thought her to be.”

*‘Maybe. Just be safe, okay? I have no idea what is going on, but just be safe.’*

“Thank you David.” A different kind of heaviness befell my chest as I cut the call. Samantha being alive spelt trouble. Big trouble. And it also means, no one is safe at all.
“Dominic, we need to really investigate what happened after Sam was shot. Something tells me David is not lying. And if Samantha is still alive…”

“Hey, hey.” His hand went on to tilt my head to face him. “Alive or dead. Crazy or not. Trust me when I say, that lady is not going to come anywhere near my family.”

“But…”

“No buts.”

“Dominic… we don’t know how determined she might be this time to find me. We cannot underestimate her.”

Sighing deeply, Dominic turned me swiftly to face him. His hands snaked round my waist and pulled closer to him. “You know how there is always this battle in everyone’s life that just stays there till they die? The good thing about such terrible battles is, no matter how tough it gets, as long as the person pushes and thrives to overcome it, the person becomes stronger and stronger and it goes on like that till the battle is over.”

“Where are you going with this, Dominic?”

“Samantha was our battle. Now that she might be alive, she is our battle and darling, against her wish her pursuing us is just going to push us closer and closer towards each other. And that’s all we need to face this battle, each other.
So, as long as I am here with you, I am not scared of what she might be bringing our way. Instead, I will be ready to whoop her ass again.”

I chuckled. “I never thought Dominic Eliot Powers could ever sound so emotional.”

He gave a grand, warming smile. “It is what being with you does, it brings out the best in me. So, what do you say? Do we stay by each other forever in order to win this battle of ours?”

“Why does it feel like you are indirectly asking me to marry you?”

“That will come later on.”

I smiled instantly, my lips tucking in to hide the grandness of the smile a bit. “Well, Dominic Powers, it will be nice to stay by your side till the end.”

“Forever?” Gosh, cheesy Dominic is just so cute.

“Forever.” And we sealed it with a kiss. “Wait, wait. We are still going to check if Sam is alive right?”

“Definitely.” And the kiss took over again, punctuating our promise.

*** ~
**THE END**


***It feels really good to have shared this simple story of mine with you guys. I really had second thoughts about publishing it initially, but watching it grow from zero to thousands of reads so far assures me that I did not make a mistake publishing it.***
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***See you all. And, do stay safe***.

***P.S: Don't forget to read the bonus chapters after this chapter.***