Chapter 11

Louise rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. So basically, someone drugged her, and he ended up getting the benefit? Sure, they were married, and this was bound to happen eventually, but seriously, not this fast - this was only their second time seeing each other. She licked her dry lips, stuck without a clue of what to say next. Her gaze dropped to the white dress on the floor - her dress. She frowned slightly. "Could you maybe... look away?" Dominic paused for a second, then let out a light chuckle. He turned and casually took a seat on the couch, legs crossed like he owned the room. Even though he only had a towel wrapped around his waist, he still somehow looked effortlessly classy and attractive. Louise swallowed hard. She was completely uncovered right now - even if she tried to grab some clothes, it wouldn't go smoothly. "You..." "I've already seen everything," he cut her off, eyes openly sweeping over her. Her face, still flushed from sleep, had a soft, natural glow, and her tousled hair framed her shoulders in a way that was... oddly captivating. He looked away after a beat, then began walking toward her. Every step he took echoed in her chest; by the time he stopped in front of her, she could barely breathe. She blinked, and the next thing she knew, he was leaning in - so close she could smell the faint scent of his body wash. "You-" Before she could finish, his lips were already on hers. She froze, not even reacting. When he finally pulled back, he calmly said, "Get ready. I'll wait downstairs. I'll drive you to the office later." She shook her head. "I can go on my own." "I don't feel safe letting you," he said, firm and direct. Then, as if it were no big deal, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "I don't want what happened last night to happen again." Louise couldn't quite describe what she was feeling. After all these years, no one had really looked after her that way - not when she was overwhelmed, not when she was hurting. And after losing her mom, it had felt like the last person who loved her was gone too. She had pulled herself through that all alone. But now, just from him saying "I don't feel safe letting you", she suddenly felt like crying. She sniffled a little, throat tight. "Thanks." "We're married, Louise," he replied with a smile, then suddenly pulled the towel from around his waist. Louise yelped, quickly covering her eyes. "What the hell are you doing?!" He tossed on some clothes and repeated himself, "I'll be downstairs." Only when she heard the door close did she finally relax a bit. She got dressed in a hurry, then grabbed her phone. It only rang twice before the call connected. Instantly, she snapped into her usual boss mode. "Before I get to the office, I want all the parking lot surveillance from noon to night yesterday. You've got one hour." Ian didn't question her orders, just quickly responded, "Yes, Ms. Bennett." She hung up, then took a few minutes to wash up before stepping out of the bathroom. And then saw someone quietly standing in the room. "Ma'am, I brought clean clothes." Louise glanced over. It was a freshly released Gucci piece - simple but elegant. "Ma'am?" she asked, a bit surprised. The woman smiled, nodding. "You're married to Mr. Ellis now. Of course you're ma'am."