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, âLet me sleep for a bit first. Iâll tell you where I went last night when I wake up.â
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. âOkay, 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. Itâs right there, so look for yourself.â
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, heâs indeed a good man, but thereâs already someone else occupying the space in my heart. As such, thereâs no more space for anyone else. What a pity!
Shannon lifted a hand and waved it in front of me. âWhy are you spacing out now?â she queried. âWell?
Say something!â
After a secondâs contemplation, I admitted, âShannon, I was not with Royce last night, and itâs impossible between us. Last night⦠I was with Dominic.â
Shannon seemed to have suffered a shock, and she only reacted after an eternity. âYou got together with Dominic again? Are you a fool, Liliana?â
âNo, weâre not together per se. Weâre just⦠in a mutually beneficial relationship.â
âWhat does that mean?â Shannonâs expression abruptly turned grave.
âItâs exactly as it means. When he gets married, Iâll sever my relationship with him,â I explained in a mere whisper.
Shannon was momentarily taken aback before she clutched my hand and asked apprehensively, âDid he coerce you? Does he have dirt on you or something?â
In response, I shook my head slowly. âThis matter is actually very complicated, but he didnât 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.â
Shannon froze for a second before she murmured in distress, âHave you taken leave of your senses? By doing so, youâre the one whoâll be on the losing end. And itâll also be you whoâll be wallowing in pain and grief in the end.â
Forcing a smile, I mollified her, saying, âIâll be fine.â
âFine? Youâll be crying your heart out then!â 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 wasnât until I made to alight from the car when we arrived at my house did she finally call out to me.
âIâve never seen such a foolish woman like you. If youâre heartbroken then, remember to ring me up beforehand. Iâll be waiting for you with tons of liquor.â
âI will.â
Honestly, itâs 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 didnât bother asking since it was obvious that he had furtively made a copy for himself.
Regarding him in bafflement, I inquired, âWhy did you come over at this hour?â
The man loosened his tie before plopping down on the couch with fatigue etched on his face. âI came to see whether youâre obediently staying home.â
At once, I was rendered speechless. Jeez, heâs dead on his feet; yet, he doesnât forget to snub me!
Ignoring him, I spun around and went back to my room. But after sitting down for two minutes, I couldnât 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 couldnât help walking over and nudging him. âGo and take a shower before sleeping on the bed. Donât sleep here, or youâll catch a cold,â I urged.
Without opening his eyes, he blurted, âIâm hungry.â
Exasperation flooded me, but still, I queried, âIâll cook some noodles for you, okay?â
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.
âWhat time is it now? Are you going to work?â
âIâm going on a business trip for two daysâ¦â
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 couldnât 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 wasnât just for the sake of my promise to Dominic, but more so because I didnât want to go either.
Nicholas, on the other hand, asked me to call him back when I was free.
I phoned him, but he didnât answer. Guessing that he was probably filming, I didnât continue calling.
At a little over eight at night, he finally called me back.
I hadnât 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, Dominicâs 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 couldnât 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 couldnât 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 Nicholasâ 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 Nicholasâ grandmother, I was just about to greet her when the elderly lady pointed at me excitedly and exclaimed, âOh, arenât you Nickyâs girlfriend?â