DOMINIC

At first, the name was vague.

I don't even recall the night she kept referring to. But after some seconds of deep thinking, I made the connection.

My hands stretched mid-air and a huff of disbelief escaped my lips.

"You are Grace's friend."

"In the flesh." The grand smile that followed made my entire system recoil in disgust. It was quite evident that she was a psycho and that means I have to be careful with the words I say.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" I asked once I shook the shock away.

Her mouth made a clicking sound.

"I knew I would be asked that question at some point, but I didn't you would be the first to ask." She took one more step and my feet quickly reacted. I found another area to stand. Thankfully, all she did was sigh and resumed her talk. "I am doing this because Grace... Because..."

Suddenly, she thumped her foot on the ground while her face carried an expression that suggested that she was trying to form her words.

Her melodrama was hardly amusing or engaging. I soon became impatient and I asked, "Where is Grace?" My eyes travelled to the door of her room. "Is she in that room?"

"Shut up!" Her blazing eyes dared me to continue talking. "Just shut the hell up, Dominic." My shoulders squared and I wondered what her deal was. "Can you stop it already? Stop talking about that damn woman for one second." Her words were filled with toxicity, it made me wonder how Grace met someone like her. "Is Grace the only fucking woman in the world? Why so much fuss over her?"

Her desperation and fury grew and caused her feet to hurry towards me as she said, "Dominic, ever since that party, I loved you more than I loved myself." She attempted to reach for the collar of my shirt, but I stopped her hand with a light slap. That refusal failed to deter her. " For two fucking years, Dominic. For two years, I have done nothing but work toward getting closer to you. And... and I was so close. I was already close but..."

Her teeth gritted, her entire face displayed great anger. "That fucking Grace just had to ruin everything. She destroyed all my hard work and I almost gave up. But when I saw that she was already falling for you, I knew I had to act fast. I tried to paint you as a terrible person, but nothing worked, she was so sure she liked you."

I don't know why I'm still listening to this woman, but if my patience will ensure that Grace is safe at the end of the day, I guess I have to maintain this pace.

So, with no words falling out of my lips, I watched as the woman crashed under the weight of the immense hatred that filled her soul. But the more I looked, the more disgust I felt.

The fact that she endangered Ruby and Grace because of some silly feeling she had made me angry but I managed to keep that emotion in check.

After seconds of raging breathing from the woman, she faced me and I noticed the desperation I saw earlier.

"Dominic, I need you to understand that I did all of this because I love you." She appeared to be nearing the verge of tears. "We are meant to be together. I feel it every time I wake up."

"Can I see Grace now?"

"I am not done talking, Dominic." The glare in her eyes was enough of a message. Before I could react, a creepy grin formed on her lips. "Don't you want to know how I planned everything? You must be curious about how I got Ruby. Don't worry, when I am done, I will let you know where Grace is."

"I am listening."

"After Grace confirmed that you both were in a relationship just as the media rumoured, I was angered. I was losing you and I did not like it at all. So while hatching a new plan, I was lucky to meet two of your former lovers who had grudges against Grace. With their help, I dropped some nice messages but you just had to take it seriously." She shook her head.

"You moved out of the country because of my messages. But I'm not angry about that. I loved that move because it showed me how much you would protect me once I got into your arms. So, I decided to be patient."

"So, when Grace called you, you pretended to be hurt so that you could lure her out of hiding?"

"Huh?" Her confusion briefly confused me. "When did I call her?"

For a second, I was about to believe the woman, but I dismissed that thought. "Just let me know-"

"Ruby was not kidnapped. Nah." She chuckled softly. "I just lured her out of the hotel using a very neat trick. With the help of my secret room, everything went smoothly and my plan became solid once again."

"Then. I texted Grace. And as I expected, she showed up at the bakery!"

The fact that I was not yet to drop a slap on her face surprises me. She kept talking as if she was narrating some random, fictional story.

"Where on earth is Grace, Samantha?"

Her chain of laughter broke, the side of her lips slowly formed a dome and her eyes narrowed at me.

"What is your problem, Dominic? Don't you love me? I did all this to finally be with you. You should love me for that."

Gosh, this lady is crazy.

"No, I do not love you. I can't love you because I don't know you."

"I am here. You can know me right now. Anything you need to know, just ask about it."

"I don't want to deal with this. Where is Grace?"

"What is this fuss about Grace? Is she more than that whiny, overthinking fool and loser who mourned someone's death for two straight years? Open your eyes, Dom, she is..."

"The woman I love and I will not allow you to speak about her that way!" I fumed with all the anger I was trying to keep away. Then, with heavy steps, I began to approach her until her eyes flickered with fear. "Now," I stared right into her eyes while I ignored the itch to pin her against the wall, "tell me where Grace is."

"Fine." Her brows jerked with unusual confidence as she found her temporarily lost voice. "It is your funeral. At this point, I don't care what happens to you." She resumed walking towards Grace's room and I followed. "Since you have decided to take Grace's side, just go to hell with her."

The smug look on her face as she opened the door made me suspicious, so I hurried towards the door.

And when my sight fell on an unconscious, tied-up Grace, my legs failed me. Seconds passed and I struggled to gain some composure and all I could do was question the chuckling maniac behind me.

"What on earth is this? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"Well, Dominic Powers, you are about to find out."