The luxury hotel bar was quiet, almost too quiet for a Thursday night. Low jazz music hummed in the background. The lights were dimmed just enough to make everything feel intimate—but Alicia wasn't here for romance.
She was here for answers.
And there he was.
Dominic stood near the window, his tall figure dressed in a tailored black suit, his hands buried in his pockets as he stared out over the skyline. The moment he turned and saw her, Alicia noticed it—the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight he carried.
But she didn't let her heart soften.
She sat at the far end of the private booth.
"One hour," she reminded him.
Dominic sat down across from her. "Thank you for coming."
"Get to the point, Dominic."
He took a deep breath. "I never planned to meet Camilla. That wasn't the plan. I met you that night at the hotel, remember?"
"I remember everything," she said bitterly. "Especially waking up alone."
"I didn't leave because I wanted to," he said quietly. "I left because I received a call that changed everything."
She crossed her arms. "Let me guess—your fiancée?"
"No." His jaw clenched. "My father. He had a heart attack. I had to fly back to France within hours."
Alicia froze.
She hadn't expected that.
"I tried to find you after," he continued. "But you didn't leave your name. No number. Nothing. I only knew your face… and then I saw you again—next to your sister."
Alicia blinked. "You knew? From the beginning?"
He nodded. "The moment I saw you standing beside her, I knew it was you. But I didn't know she was your sister. Not until your parents introduced you to me—as the help."
The memory hit her like a slap.
Her parents had introduced her as just Alicia. Not their daughter.
"That's when I realized something was off," he said. "They were hiding you. Your mother didn't even mention you once during our meetings."
Alicia's heart beat faster. "So why didn't you stop it?"
"Because your father is threatening me."
Her stomach dropped.
"What?"
Dominic leaned forward, his voice lower. "Your family is nearly bankrupt. Your father is drowning in debt from failed investments. He approached me under the guise of partnership… but he made it clear—if I didn't marry Camilla, he'd expose something I've fought years to keep buried."
Alicia's lips parted, but no words came out.
"My company, Hale Holdings, was involved in a financial scandal ten years ago. I was seventeen. My brother was responsible, but he used my name on the documents. If that scandal resurfaces, everything I've built will be destroyed."
"And Camilla?" she asked, barely able to breathe. "She knows?"
"No. She's a pawn, Alicia. Just like you were."
The world tilted.
Alicia stood up, dizzy with rage. "So you're playing along? Marrying her to protect yourself?"
"I thought I had no choice," he said, standing too. "But then I found out… about the baby."
She froze.
His voice softened. "You should've told me."
She swallowed hard. "I didn't know if I could trust you."
"I don't blame you." He stepped closer. "But I want to protect you. And our child."
Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away.
"You have no idea what this family has done to me. You weren't there when they treated me like a burden. When Camilla stole everything from me, over and over."
Dominic gently reached for her hand.
"I'm here now. I don't want to marry Camilla. I want to find a way out."
Her breath caught.
A part of her wanted to believe him.
Another part warned her—don't fall again.
"So what now?" she whispered.
"We fight back," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "Together."