No Ones POV

Vivien noticed him walking slowly toward her desk, his tall shadow completely blocking out the light. She immediately panicked, grabbing the massive stack of files he had dropped in front of her.

"You will finish all of this right in front of me," Dominic said with starn voice.

"Right now?" Vivien asked, her eyes widening in absolute horror as she looked at the hundreds of data.

Dominic didn’t answer right away. His icy eyes tracked downward, locking onto her lips. As he leaned closer, the faint aroma of black coffee drifted off her breath. So she actually dared to drink coffee made by another man, he thought. The realization made his blood instantly boil with fury.

"Actually, you know what? First, get me a cup of black coffee. Then start. Now," he commanded coldly, his eyes piercing into her soul.

Vivien shivered under his suffocating gaze.

"Y-Yes, boss!" she stammered, hurriedly abandoning her computer and fleeing the office as fast as her legs could carry her.

A few minutes later, she carefully jogged back into the room, holding a steaming mug. "Here is your coffee, boss."

Dominic didn’t even bother to lift the mug to his lips. He glanced at the steam rising from the liquid and immediately pushed it away, nearly tossing it across the desk. "Too hot. Make it colder."

Vivien blinked, completely baffled. "Uh... can’t we just keep it here on the desk until it cools down naturally?" she suggested weakly.

"I said make a cool one. Now!" Dominic snapped, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.

"Right away!" Vivien squeaked. She grabbed the hot mug, sprinted back, and hurriedly brewed another cup. She rushed back and placed it in front of him.

Dominic picked it up, took a mini sip, and immediately set it down with a harsh clatter.

"Too cold. Bring me a medium one."

Vivien’s jaw dropped. Is this guy serious right now?! But seeing the dangerous glint in his eyes, she swallowed her complaints. She ran back to the breakroom and measured the water temperature, returning with a third cup.

He tasted it. "Too bitter. Add some sugar."

She went back, added a single sugar cube, and brought it back.

"Too sweet."

"And again!" Dominic demanded, his voice ringing out every time she took a step toward her desk.

By the seventh trip, Vivien was ready to lose her mind.

"Ahhhhhh, I am literally gonna die!" she muttered aggressively under her breath as she stood out in the hallway, holding yet another mug of coffee. Her legs were going completely numb from sprinting back and forth, and her arms were shaking.

"This absolute devil! This psychotic, grumpy, high-society monster! I swear, I am going to write a book where his character gets hit by a literal truck!"

She stood right in front of his office door, aggressively cursing him out in her head and glaring at the wood.

Suddenly, the door swung open from the inside.

Dominic stood tall in the doorway, his imposing frame looming over her as he stared down with an impatient expression. "How long are you going to make me wait?"

"I, uh..." she stammered, her voice catching in her throat as she instinctively took a half-step back.

Dominic didn’t say another word. He simply snatched the cup from her trembling hands and turned, walking back into the spacious office.

Lord, please let him like this one. I swear, if he accepts this, I will never touch a single drop of coffee again for the rest of my life!!! she pleaded silently, closing her eyes and tightly crossing her fingers.

Dominic sat down at his desk and glanced up, noticing her lingering by the doorway. Her face was a bit sweaty from all the running, her cheeks flushed a bright rosy pink from the exhaustion and frustration. Suddenly, a strange, intense heat flared up inside his chest. A vivid forbidden scene flashed right in front of his eyes- the same girl beneath him, pinning her down, her face wearing that exact same breathless, flushed expression. She was wearing nothing.

His grip on the coffee mug tightened. He forced himself to look away, taking a slow sip of the liquid. The temperature was perfect. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, he finally decided to let her slide. This endless back-and-forth was his silent punishment for her daring to drink coffee made by another man, and she had learned her lesson.

Vivien practically sagged with relief. Overjoyed that the coffee torture was finally over, she slumped into her chair and immediately began typing away.

Hours passed in complete silence, broken only by the steady clicking of keys. One by one, the office lights in the outer hallway turned off as the other workers packed up and left for the night.

Soon, only Dominic and Vivien remained in the entire office. Vivien stifled a massive yawn, rubbing her tired eyes, and glanced across the room. Dominic was still sitting perfectly straight, completely focused on his laptop screen without a single hint of exhaustion.

Tsk. Is he even human? Doesn’t this guy ever feel tired? she thought, rolling her eyes.

A few minutes later, she successfully compiled the final script. Happily standing up from her desk, she stretched her sore arms and gave him a bright smile.

"All done, boss! Can I finally leave now?!" she said, her voice dripping with excitement at the thought of her warm bed.

Seeing her looking so incredibly happy to leave his side instantly sparked an irritation in Dominic’s chest. He closed his laptop with a snap.

"You’re forgetting your daily duties as my personal maid, Vivien," he said, his voice commanding tone. "We are heading to my penthouse. Now, follow me."

All the excitement instantly vanished from Vivien’s face, her smile dropping into a glare. I swear to God, the very next time I cook for him, I am definitely mixing rat poison into his food! she aggressively screamed in her mind.

A few minutes later, they stepped out of the building and got into his black luxury car. This time, there was no assistant in the front seat. Dominic adjusted his rearview mirror, started the engine, and began driving into the quiet city streets himself.

Soon they reached his penthouse villa, and almost on cue, the clouds outside finally broke. A heavy storm started. Within minutes, the lights flickered twice and died completely.

The power was cut off.

Dominic came out of his master bathroom, freshly showered and wearing a loose black silk robe. He found Vivien in the kitchen. She had already finished preparing a simple dinner and she was currently packing her things, clearly about to leave.

"Stay over. It’s storming heavily outside," he said. He pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down to have his dinner.

Vivien looked out the window. Indeed, the weather was terrifyingly bad "But isn’t walking through a literal hurricane still safer than staying under the same roof as this grumpy suit?" she thought frantically. She didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. Just thinking about his eerie connection to Dante gave her intense goosebumps.

Dominic stared at her conflicted expression with perfectly calm, unbothered eyes. He took a bite of his food, chewed slowly, and then spoke in a casual tone. "You can leave right now if you want. But if something happens to you out there, I had better not see my company’s name on the morning news for negligence."

Vivien gulped, This capitalist tyrant!

Defeated, she quietly set her bag down and sat at the opposite end of the table. Seeing her surrender, Dominic reached over and smoothly pushed a few of the freshly made dishes in front of her.

"Eat up," he commanded smoothly. "And there is a guest room over on the second floor. You will find some spare clothes inside the closet to freshen up. I am going to bed now. Do not disturb me."

With that, he stood up and walked away into the dark hallway.

Vivien stayed frozen in her seat, completely stunned. She looked at the empty hallway, then down at the steaming food in front of her.

Yeah... I am definitely overthinking all of this, she thought, letting out a long breath she didn’t know she was holding.

"He is just the visual inspiration for Dante, not the actual literal obsessive maniac from that book. This cold, arrogant, corporate block of ice could never be a psycho mafia yandere boss"

Feeling much more relieved, Vivien picked up her fork and took a big bite of the food.

However, because of the dark room, she failed to notice the faint smirk playing on Dominic’s face just before he closed his bedroom door. He had heard her every thought, and having her trapped right where he wanted her was entirely going according to his plan.

Soon, Vivien found the guest room on the second floor. She was completely, utterly exhausted. Deciding she couldn’t sleep in her sweaty work clothes, she took a quick shower to wash away the stress of the day. After drying off, she opened the large closet drawer and found a soft nightgown neatly folded inside.

She picked it up, frowning. Whose clothes are these? Oddly enough, the gown looked like it would fit her size perfectly. A chill ran down her spine. It felt a little too intentional, so she didn’t dare to wear it. Instead, she chose to put her own worn-out clothes back on. Walking over to the bedroom door, she turned the deadbolt until it clicked securely into place.

Finally feeling a bit safer, she climbed into the large bed and closed her eyes.

The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyelids felt oddly heavy- way heavier than usual. A sudden, weakness washed over her entire body, making her limbs feel weak. For some strange reason, she felt like she knew this exact feeling from somewhere before... Shaking her head weakly against the pillow, she tried to dismiss it. It’s probably just because I worked way too hard today, she thought to herself. Within seconds, her consciousness faded, and the quiet room was filled with the sound of her soft, steady breathing.

Not long after she fell under, the locked bedroom door suddenly made sound

click.

The lock turned smoothly, the door swung open, and a tall figure stepped into the dark room

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Dominic casually tossed the key and walked toward the bed, his dark eyes fixed on the sleeping girl.

Before he had pushed those dinner dishes in front of her, he had made sure to crush a few sleeping pills into the food. After all, she had tested his patience a lot today by running off to Enzo’s villa, and she deserved a proper punishment for being with other men behind his back.

He walked over to the side of the bed and leaned down, watching her chest rise and fall in a slumber. He stretched out his hand, his long fingers gently brushing the stray bangs away from her forehead to reveal her entire face in the dim light.

She was absolutely breathtaking. And up close, she definitely looked like the girl who had been haunting his dreams every single night.

His eyes darkened with an obsessive intensity.

"You made me wait so long," he whispered into the quiet room, his deep voice dripping with hidden desire and yearning.

His entire body burned with the urge to take her down right then and there, to claim what was his, but he knew he couldn’t scare his little kitten away this soon.

He needed to play the long game. He wanted to wait a bit more for her to notice the clues, a bit more for her to discover the terrifying truth about this reality. And once she finally realized who he truly was... he was never, ever letting her go.

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To Be Continued