No One’s POV

"Go get ready," he commanded, sitting on her small couch as if he owned it.

Vivien sighed, defeated. she served him a quick cup of coffee and went to the bathroom to shower and change for her so-called "new job."

While the water ran in the shower, Dominic stood up and began to walk around the small apartment. It was tiny, but it was cute and filled with a specific, cozy style. Something felt odd to him. He felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this aesthetic somewhere before. The more he looked around, the more he felt like he knew her presence.

Then, his gaze landed on a book lying on the edge of the desk. The cover looked strangely familiar to him, as if he had seen the design somewhere. But just as he reached out to pick it up, the bathroom door flew open.

Vivien ran out of the shower, still dripping wet, and snatched the book away, hiding it behind her back.

"Personal stuff shouldn’t be touched! Don’t you know that, Mr. Valente?" she snapped, her chest heaving.

Vivien’s heart was pounding loudly. She had seen him looking at it- Stuck in a Mafia Romance. She couldn’t let him see the descriptions or the sketches of Dante inside. He would definitely think she was a creep who had been stalking him, or worse, he’d see the resemblance and things would get even more complicated.

"I didn’t know you were into ’mafia’ things," he said coldly. He worked hard to keep his face like stone, hiding the emotions he was feeling just now.

He looked down at her, and the air in the small room suddenly felt thick. Her hair was still wet, and the fresh, clean smell of her soap filled the space. Her face was flushed pink from the steam of the shower, making her skin look radiant. As a stray drop of water dripped from her bangs onto her collarbone, a sudden, vivid scene flashed in front of Dominic’s eyes.

It wasn’t a memory of Vivien. It was a woman with red hair... a flushed face... and he was there, kissing her passionately on a bed. The image was so real, so intense, that he felt a physical jolt.

Vivien cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Young girls like these things! You wouldn’t understand, Mr. Valente!"

Dominic snapped out of the strange vision. He looked down at her once more, then turned his head away instantly, his jaw tight. "Whatever," he muttered, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.

Vivien bit her lip, feeling a sting of

embarrassment. She thought he turned away because he disliked looking at her mess of an appearance. She figured she probably looked ridiculous to a man like him.

However, as she turned to find her shoes, she failed to notice the deep red tint creeping onto the tips of Dominic’s ears.

"Get your things," he said, his back still turned to her. "The car is waiting. And leave that book here. You won’t have time for fantasies today."

__________

The door was finally fixed, and Dominic dismissed the workers immediately. He didn’t want them catching even a glimpse of her in that state- wet hair and flushed skin.

The mere thought of other men looking at her made something deep inside him burn with a strange jealousy. He pushed the feeling aside and got into the back of his car.

The moment he sat down, he reached up and loosened his tie with one hand, his breathing heavy.

"Bos—" his assistant began to speak, but stopped when he saw Dominic’s expression.

"Turn on the AC," Dominic commanded. He was feeling hot- really hot. It wasn’t just the weather , his whole body felt like it was on fire.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to find his usual cold calm, but his mind kept flashing back to that image of her emerging from the steam.

The assistant stayed quiet, stealing glances through the rearview mirror at his boss’s flushed face. Don’t tell me they actually did something in there... Oh my Lord! he thought, his imagination running wild.

Sensing the gaze, Dominic opened one eye and glared at his assistant. The man instantly looked away, terrified.

Suddenly, a soft knock came on the window.

Vivien was standing outside. She had changed into a pair of simple baggy jeans and a cream-colored, oversized knitted sweater. Her hair was dry now, pulled up into a messy bun, while her bangs fell back over her forehead, hiding her eyes again. Her thick glasses were perched back on her nose, making her look like a nerd once more.

"Get in," Dominic ordered, his voice still a bit rough.

Vivien silently climbed into the backseat, sliding as far away from him as possible to create space. She clutched her bag to her chest, looking out the window as the car pulled away.

The drive was dead silent. Dominic stared straight ahead, but he was acutely aware of the girl sitting just a few feet away from him. The scent of her soap was already filling the small space of the car, making the AC feel like it wasn’t working at all.

Vivien watched the passing scenery with growing dread. This wasn’t the road to the university, and it certainly didn’t look like the way to a normal corporate office. Her imagination, fueled by years of reading dark plots, began to run wild.

Where is he taking me? What if he’s taking me to a hidden warehouse to sell me off? Oh no, what if he has even more evil intentions? I’m too young to be a missing person! Her face went through a dozen expressions in a minute- frowning, tensing, and then pouting as if she were about to burst into tears.

Dominic watched the tiny drama play out on her face from the corner of his eye. It was like watching a silent movie. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

"Hah. Even if I tried to sell you, no one would buy you in the black market," he said smoothly, not even looking up from his laptop

Vivien’s spiral of fear snapped instantly into pure offense. "What do you mean by that?!" she squawked, turning toward him.

"Exactly what I said," Dominic replied, his fingers tapping away on the keyboard. "You’re clumsy, you’re late, and you’re wearing a sweater three sizes too big for you. You’re a liability, Miss Vivien. Not an asset. No one wants a maid who trips over her own feet."

"I do not trip! I was... testing the gravity!" Vivien gasped, clutching her oversized sleeve.

"And for your information, I am a very high-quality person! I have skills! I can write 5,000 words a day, I can cook rice in a microwave, I can sleep for straight 12hour, and I am very sellable!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Dominic finally closed his laptop and turned his head slowly to look at her. A dark, amused glint appeared in his eyes. "Oh? You’re sellable?"

He leaned in closer, his shadow completely covering her. "Then maybe I should definitely sell you. I know a few people who would pay a lot for a talkative little bunny who can’t keep her mouth shut."

Vivien’s eyes went wide, and she instinctively backed into the car door. "Wait, no! That’s- that’s illegal! You can’t sell your personal maid! That’s against the contract!"

"I am the one who wrote the contract," Dominic reminded her, his voice a low, teasing rumble.

"And you just told me you were a high-quality product. It would be bad business not to listen to my ’employee’s’ advice."

"I-I was joking! I’m a terrible product! Zero stars! Do not buy!" she huffed, crossing her arms and accidentally hitting his shoulder with her baggy sleeve. "And you! You’re just a... a mean, rich, grumpy statue! You’re so stiff I bet you sleep standing up in a suit!"

"I am the man currently paying your rent," Dominic reminded her, his gaze dropping to her pouting lips. "So unless you want to find out how ’stiff’ I really am, I suggest you stop calling me names."

Vivien opened her mouth to retort, then closed it, then opened it again. "I-I was going to say a handsome statue," she muttered under her breath, turning her head back to the window in a hurry.

"I heard that," Dominic whispered, his heart doing that strange fast beating thing again.

"No, you didn’t! You have old man ears!"

Dominic didn’t push the conversation further.

He opened his laptop, focusing on his work with a cold expression that made it seem like the playful argument had never happened.

His assistant, however, was having a mental breakdown behind the steering wheel. He couldn’t believe his ears. She had the guts to talk back to him like that? And he just... let it slide? The assistant shook his head violently.

Is he in love? No, no way. I’d rather believe the world is ending than believe my boss is in love.

He had worked for Dominic for years and had never seen him tolerate even a second of disrespect, yet here was this girl calling him an "old man."

Finally, the car pulled up in front of a dashing, glass-fronted office building. It was a masterpiece of modern architecture.

Vivien stepped out and looked up, her jaw nearly dropping. It was grand, intimidating, and incredibly beautiful. For a split second, she felt a pang of nostalgia. Being here felt like being back in the book, playing the role of Viella. But the reality hit her hard- she wasn’t the rich, spoiled heiress anymore. She was just a broke college student in a messy bun, officially starting her life as a maid.

Dominic walked toward the entrance, gesturing for her to follow with a flick of his hand.

"Keep up, Vivien," he said without looking back.

The security guards at the door bowed deeply as Dominic passed, but their eyes immediately shifted to the girl trailing behind him. They looked at her oversized sweater and thick glasses in total confusion.

As they entered the lobby, the silence was broken by the quiet whispers of the employees.

Every head turned. The sight of their cold, untouchable CEO arriving with a girl who looked like she just rolled out of a library was the biggest scandal of the year.

"Wait, that’s not Miss Amelia, is it?" one receptionist whispered to another.

"Of course not! Look at her clothes," the other replied. "Then who is she? A relative? A side chick? A captive?"

They shrugged, but the gossip was already spreading like wildfire. One of the staff members hurriedly ducked behind a pillar and dialed a number on their phone.

"Hello? You won’t believe this," they whispered into the receiver. "The Boss just walked in with a girl. No, not a model. A girl in a... sweater. Yes, you need to tell her. Now!"

Vivien felt the weight of a hundred eyes on her back. She tucked her head down, trying to hide behind her bangs. She felt Dominic’s presence in front of her- strong, steady, and completely unbothered by the stares.

He led her straight toward the private executive elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, he caught her eye in the reflection.

"Welcome to your new reality, Miss Troublesome," he murmured. "Try not to break anything on your first day."

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TO BE CONTINUED