Chapter 11
286words
His jaw literally dropped, eyes wide as dinner plates.
I patted his shoulder and whispered, "It's fine to enjoy this. Just try not to gloat too hard."
He pressed his lips together and gave me a conspiratorial wink.
In that moment, I finally understood why Dominic had always been drawn to those bright, vibrant souls.
Standing next to someone like that made you feel the warmth of sunlight on your skin.
Dominic's face showed naked surprise, his voice carefully controlled.
"Liv, this bar… you managed to keep it?"
I shook my head. "No. Jack gave it to me."
Dominic's eyes narrowed as he glared at Jack.
Jack met his stare calmly, smiling wide.
"Yeah, I gave it to her, Dom. You disappeared without a word, and the crew needed to survive somehow. Liv knew this place better than anyone, so when she got out, I put her in charge."
Dominic's face darkened, his tone hardening. "You're blaming me."
Jack kept smiling. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Knowing Jack was poking the bear on purpose, I stepped in. "Let's drop this for now."
I turned to Dominic. "Want to go home?"
He hesitated, his expression softening. "Do I… still have one?"
"Of course. Remember that apartment you bought me? Come on, I'll take you there."
I grabbed the handles of his wheelchair.
As I passed Jack, our eyes met briefly.
Once outside, my smile vanished.
Looking down at his thinning hair, disgust washed over me.
Even broken like this, he still tried to play the boss in front of Jack.
Desperately clinging to the shreds of his dignity.
The harder he tried to act tough, the more I despised him.
