CHAPTER 32

DOMINIC POV.
I storm into the dining room, my anger and frustration boiling over. The staff, sensing my mood, scramble to attend to my needs. The table was already set, and the sight of Mia’s place setting angered me more. “Clear Mia’s place at the table and send her dinner to her room.” I growl. The omega’s exchange nervous glances but silently hurry to adhere to my commands. I watch as they efficiently clear the table, erasing all evidence of Mia's presence and I suddenly felt irritated by the cleared sight.
Without a word, the Omega’s disappear. Leaving me alone to stew in my own thoughts. I sit down, the dining room suddenly feeling suffocating. My gaze drifts back to the empty chair across from me, where Mia should be sitting., but instead she wants to cry her eyes out in her room.
Why did she have to cry? Why did she have to look so vulnerable? I thought angrily to myself. I look at the meal in front of me. The omega’s had outdone themselves again by preparing this delicious meal, but my appetite has vanished. My mind kept replaying with images of Mia's tear-stained face, her sadness could practically be felt in the air. Damn it! I shouldn't care! She’s my son’s fiancé, not mine. But those tears... they unsettled me.
I recall the way Vivienne comforted her, the gentle touch on her shoulder. A pang of... something... burns within me. Possessiveness? Jealousy? I clench my fists on top of the table. She was getting under my skin in a way that unsettled me and made me feel weak. I try to shake of all thoughts of Mia, but her crying has unsettled me so much that I can’t shake it off. I feel furious at myself for my loss of control. For the first time in years, I'm unsure of how to react and I feel the strong sense of possessiveness coming over me and it took a lot to stop myself from getting up and marching back to her room.
I reminded myself that what I was feeling, was wrong. She's Tony's fiancée, my son's betrothed. The thought alone should be enough to extinguish these feelings but the thought of Tony having her for the rest of his life, fills me with jealousy and for a moment I wondered what would happen if I were to claim her for myself? I shake my head at the thought but the more I think about it the more I wanted her for myself. Maybe I should just save us all the trouble and let her go. Let her leave so that she could live her life as she wished. My heart stuttered with an unknown fear at the thought of her leaving. It seems to me like that wasn’t an option for me as well.
One thing was for sure… Tony didn’t deserve her, but did I? I thought to myself.
My mind replays our interactions like a broken record. Her nervous smiles, her fiery defiance, and her vulnerable tears. I recall how she tried to hide how nervous she was during our first meeting at the interview. Yet, she refused to back down and to be intimidated by me.
Each memory cuts through my defences, making me realize again how much she has gotten under my skin. I inhaled a big breath as I tried to calm my raging emotions. This woman was making me lose my grip on my sanity. I had to do something about this situation otherwise it is going to be the end of me… but what? I thought.
Just then, Vivienne enters the dining room. She had a troubled look on her face, but I could also sense that she was angry. As she neared me, I feel my anger boil over. "Vivienne," I say, my voice icy, each word dripping with disdain. "I'm surprised you'd bother coming to me sense you were so distracted with other things." I sneered at her. She stopped a few feet from me, and I saw her eyes narrow slightly.
Although Vivienne's expression remains neutral, I could now see a flicker of that anger in her eyes. "I was merely offering comfort, Dominic. She's going through a difficult time, and it is a lot for her to take in at the moment so I think she deserves a good cry to let out her emotions." She says and I utter a mirthless laugh. "Crying makes a person weak, Vivian? And don’t pretend you are not just doing it to benefit yourself.” I snapped at her.
Vivienne's face pales, her voice taking on a hint of steel. "That's not true, Dominic. I care about Mia, and I don’t like to see her hurt." I snort in disbelief. "You care? You only care about the luxurious gifts and life I provide you, the protection I give you. Don't pretend to be something you're not, Vivienne."
Her eyes flash with anger and hurt as she glares at me. “I guess you don’t know me that well after all then.” She said and this annoyed me. I wave my hand towards the doors of the dining room in a dismissive manner. "Go to my bedroom," I order. "Wait for me. If you're not there, I'll find someone who will be." I say and for a moment my threat hangs in the air between us.
Vivienne's angry gaze lingers on mine, a spark of defiance in her eyes that I have never seen before. "You're unbelievable, Dominic," She spits at me, and I am momentarily taken aback. "I have been nothing but loyal to you for years and have done everything you asked of me. But then, Mia came along. Someone who I came to really care about." she spoke, her face taking on a concerned look when she mentioned Mia. "But suddenly, I'm disposable. A mere accessory to your desires." She said and I could see the hurt shining in her eyes now.
"Enough, Vivienne." I said, not wanting to hear anything more. Vivienne on the other hand wasn’t finished. "You are blinded with your obsession with Mia." She says, her voice cutting deep, and I was shocked to hear her say what I have been trying to keep to myself. "You can't see the damage you're causing. Not only to yourself but to Mia.
Her words strike a nerve, exposing the raw emotions I've struggled to contain this evening.
"And what about me, Dominic?" She demands, her voice cracking with emotion. "Don't I deserve better than to be cast aside like yesterday's trash?" She demanded as I see tears forming in her eyes and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt but I would never admit. “So, I hope you will understand that I will not do as you say and to go to your room. I deserve to be treated better than this.” She states. Her voice was firm even though she was close to tears. Without waiting for me to respond, she turns on her heel and leaves the dining room, returning to her own bedroom.
The silence after Vivienne left is deafening to my own ears. I gaze around the room, my eyes settling on the elegant dinner table, still filled with food that was supposed to be for dinner and something inside me snaps.
I utter an angry roar as I sweep my arm across the table, sending everything crashing to the floor. The sound of shattering glass echoes through the room, but it does nothing to calm me, and I overturn the dining room table next. The remainder of what was left on the table, crashed to the floor. My anger still simmers as I collapse back into my chair, cradling my head in my hands. My mind reels, consumed by the turmoil that's been building for weeks.
Vivienne's words replayed in my mind before it was replaced by Mia’s crying face. My head pounds with an upcoming headache and my thoughts race uncontrollably. I was at a loss on what to do next.