Mr. Corporate Law

5.7: Day Seven - Back to Business

Later that day, after romping around with Dominic in the bathroom, we were directly instructed to go back to Los Angeles and get on with our jobs like nothing happened as investigators did what they could to seal the deal for Nathaniel, who was still locked up somewhere secret. We were the only ones who knew that he was locked up and under investigation, and in order for other people to stay out of the way, Julia - with her fake baby bump - played the heartbroken bride so perfectly as she told every single guest that Nathaniel got on a plane and left her with a note to cancel their wedding. It didn't take long for whispers to echo and the resort to empty with gossiping guests leaving one by one.

We were the last bunch to leave near midnight.

I never let go of Dominic's hand ever since we left the resort, and I tried my best not to exchange looks with his Uncle when we caught glimpse of him walking into a black SUV with men in suits. Even though we made a deeper connection after everything was aired out, my heart still weighed heavy and my voice lacked confidence to say anything to Dominic. We really needed to talk, like a proper conversation to sort out ourselves and what we'd do from here on out. But that'd be for later.

Much later.

When Nathaniel Walsh was officially locked away from all of us. Just like we wanted.

For now, I tried to play pretend throughout the plane ride, even trying to talk to Erika without the feeling of betrayal taking control of me. I smiled when she did, felt intrigued when she expected me to, and gave her a hug before we parted. She's my best friend, and despite the large secret that briefly distanced the gap between us, I really couldn't stay angry with her for as long as I thought I could. Especially when she told me that Hamish broke up with her right after Dominic whisked me away from the group, and he reasoned that things never would have worked out as he planned to leave and go back to the Chicago office, which happened after he was approached by his old head of office boss at one of the special events with the proposition to go back as the consultant.

Don't worry.

Hamish said the same thing to my face right before we boarded the plane. He told me that the reason he'd agree to do so was because there was nothing left for him in Los Angeles anymore, which saddened me, considering that I really did think that he'd stay around heck of a lot longer. We didn't talk about it any further because, well, Dominic gave me the both of us quite a dark glare, which I could understand why. He didn't say much after that, but he did make a surprising comment about Hamish's strong role in everything.

I only smiled.

Nothing truly felt right and victory wasn't ours until the final verdict. I also wasn't surprised that no one said a word or made conversations about anything to do with what happened and, well, just Nathaniel in general. We slept throughout the flight, pretending like nothing happened.

Home felt absolutely great though.

Being able to stretch and breathe knowing I was safe and secure in the comfort of my own home. I was able to stop looking over my shoulder, stop wondering if someone out there was after me, stop thinking that I'd be the next victim of a man's odd agenda, and just fully stop caring. The moment we arrived through that door, I tossed my things over the coffee table and threw myself over the sofa, it felt so nice and comfortable. This was home. This was where all the magic happened, the blossoming of my relationship with the man I loved, through the engagement phase, the hardships and the troubles, and most importantly, him. My adventure started with him and should end with him, right?

I peeked over my shoulder towards Dominic with his half-bothered expression as he lugged his bag and mine through the door, the clenching of his teeth as he broke one drop of sweat down the side of his face before slamming the door. Dominic and I managed to make eye contact, his expression smoothly transitioned to a bright smile as he unclenched the handles of the bag and came over to me like nothing else mattered, and by the time I got myself to properly sit up, he slipped his arms beneath my knees and around my body, scooping me off the sofa and towards the bedroom. A cynical chuckle echoed through the short hallway.