Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 193

Dominic’s phone vibrated against his thigh. The sound was low, and muffled by the thick fabric of his suit, but the weight of it pulled his attention back to it.

Ronan had promised to call, with answers.

Celeste stiffened faintly in his arms when she felt the buzz. She didn’t move away. Neither did he. Rather, his arms tightened around her

His hand remained splayed over the back of her head, and her face was still pressed against his chest. He could feel her breathing against him, shaky and uneven, and the faint trace of her perfume lingered where her hair brushed his chin.

He pulled the phone out without letting her go. One arm stayed around her waist, firm and unyielding, while his other hand slipped into his pocket and drew the device out.

The screen lit his jawline in a cold glow. Ronan.

He answered with a curt swipe. "Talk." He ordered, in no mood for pleasantries.

Static hissed for a second, then Ronan’s voice came through, low and clipped, carrying the kind of heaviness that made even silence tighten.

"You’re not going to like this." He said, through the other end.

Dominic’s jaw flexed. "Then say it." He stopped himself from sounding so harsh, because Celeste was directly in his arms. He didn’t want her to flinch.

Celeste’s fingers curled tighter in his shirt. She didn’t try to pull away. She listened, and he let her.

Ronan exhaled sharply. "It’s one of yours who did it, and it cost you to lose all that money. A man inside is selling you out. He’s been leaking your shipment routes to the Chairman. For money."

Dominic’s hand stilled on Celeste’s back. Only his thumb moved, dragging a line over her spine in an unconscious attempt to keep her steady. Though his own blood was boiling.

"Name. Give me a name." Dominic said.

There was a pause. Paper rustled faintly on the other end, and then Ronan spoke again. "The report wasn’t clear. But the code he left behind—" Ronan stopped, and his voice dropped lower. "It was the Black Cipher."

Dominic’s gaze darkened.

The Black Cipher wasn’t just numbers. It was the old system, used only by men who knew better than to write their betrayal plainly.

"What’s the interpretation?" Dominic asked. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ronan’s reply was cold, and clinical, like he was dissecting a corpse. "Every third line, every seventh word. It says: Gate. South. Midnight. That’s where the exchange is happening. The chairman’s man will collect what would be brought there."

Celeste shifted slightly against Dominic’s chest. She didn’t understand the code, but she could feel the stillness that had taken hold of him.

Dominic’s lips thinned. His free hand tightened on the phone. "And the traitor? Give me a name right now."

Ronan sighed. "Still buried. But I’ll dig him out," he said. "He won’t breathe much longer."

Silence stretched between them.

Then Ronan spoke again, softer this time. His voice came out too soft for someone like him. "Dominic... Why don’t you just marry Theresa and end all of this? You loved her once. You can do it again. The Chairman wouldn’t touch you if you were tied to her. You know that. You both decided on a deal and in less than a week, he’s doing this. He’s already showing that he shouldn’t be trusted."

Celeste’s pulse spiked. She thinned her lips, reasoning with Ronan. She remembered Theresa’s words about letting Dominic go if she really loves him.

She blinked against Dominic’s chest, her breath catching, but she didn’t speak.

Dominic didn’t move for a long moment. The only sound was the quiet tick of the clock on the wall and the faint hiss of the line.

Finally, his voice came, low and steady. His voice held a threatening cold edge. "I would have shot you for saying this if you were before me."

The line went silent.

Even Ronan didn’t speak.

Dominic lowered the phone slowly from his ear. His grip on Celeste hadn’t loosened once, but the veins stood out faintly on the back of his hand. His heart beat hard against her cheek, not just steady, but violent, and restrained only by willpower.

Celeste swallowed, her throat tight.

Dominic finally ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket with controlled precision.

He lowered his chin to rest lightly against Celeste’s hair again, his lips brushing the crown of her head.

"Forget what you just heard," he murmured. His voice was back to being soft and coaxing.

Celeste tilted her face up slightly, her lashes still wet. Her voice broke in a whisper. "What if he was right?"

Dominic’s gaze dropped to her.

He blinked at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "What if he was right about Theresa? Lives are going to be involved in this. Amara is already involved with no idea of what surrounds her. All of these could end if you just marry Theresa. Isn’t that what Carlos wants? Isn’t that what_"

Dominic cut her off with a kiss.

His lips pressed against hers, sudden and fierce, stealing her words before they could poison the air any further.

Celeste gasped against him, startled by the force of the kiss, but his hand was already on her jaw, then sliding up to frame both sides of her face. His palms held her firmly, possessively, as if he could erase every single thought in her that dared wander toward doubt.

He pulled back just enough for his eyes to lock with hers. His gaze was burning, and unyielding.

"Never," Dominic said, his voice hoarse, and sharp with fire. "Never put another woman’s name in my mouth like that. Not when I’ve already chosen you."

Her lips trembled. They parted, but no sound came.

His thumbs brushed over the dampness on her cheeks, rough but reverent. His gaze didn’t waver. "Even if it meant saving my life, Celeste, I would not choose anyone else. I would not leave you, and I sure as hell wouldn’t stand here letting you think someone else is right for me. Don’t you dare suggest it again."

Her chest hitched, and her breath caught at the rawness in his voice.

He leaned closer, his forehead nearly brushing hers. "You are everything for me. Do you understand? You. Not Theresa. Not anyone else. Just you."

Celeste blinked rapidly, her throat was too tight to speak. All she could do was nod. A tiny, broken nod that made his grip on her face soften, though he didn’t let her go.

"Words, baby." He urged.

"Yes," Celeste answered.

"Good," he muttered. "That’s the last time I’ll hear you say otherwise."

Her heart thudded in her chest, and her hands clutched at his shirt like she might fall without him.

Then, interupting them, his phone chimed.

A message.

The sound cut through the moment, tugging his attention downward. His hand left her cheek reluctantly as he slipped the phone back out. However, his arm still tight around her waist.

His eyes scanned the screen once, briefly. The muscles in his jaw flexed, but whatever the message was, he didn’t share it right away.

Instead, he looked back at her. His gaze softened only slightly.

"Do you want to join me somewhere?" Dominic asked.

Celeste blinked up at him, her brows knitting faintly. "Where?" she whispered.

Dominic didn’t answer yet. He just watched her, waiting for her to say yes before he gave her the rest.

"Yes," she answered, trusting him.