Page 64 of Bound in Ruin

She rolls her eyes again, letting out a dramatic sigh, but despite her endless complaints about my overbearing, dictatorial ways... she doesn't tell me to leave the room. She keeps her gaze locked on mine the entire time, letting me stay right by her side.

When the doctor finally finishes dressing the small graze, gathers his equipment, and steps out of the suite alongside Helena, the oak doors click softly shut behind them.

Rosalia looks up at me from the edge of the bed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes," I say plainly, completely unapologetic.

A quiet, helpless giggle escapes her lips, her eyes softening as she shakes her head. "You are so, so annoying, Dominic."

I don't reply right away. I step closer to the bed, looking down at her flushed face, feeling that strange, unfamiliar tug in my chest again. "Can I hold you?"

She blinks, slightly caught off guard by the pull in my voice, before nodding gently. "Yes."

I pull back the soft duvet and slide onto the mattress beside her, wrapping my arm around her waist with extreme care, pulling her back against my broad chest. My chin rests near her shoulder, her sweet shampoo scent filling my lungs as a quiet silence settles over the room.

After a few peaceful minutes, Rosalia turns her head slightly, her dark eyes finding mine. "So... what have you actually been up to with Judge Sterling?"

"Dante tried to buy him," I reveal quietly, my fingers tracing slow, steady circles into the fabric of her lounge top near her hip. "He offered him a fortune off the books to ensure you lose the will case."

Rosalia lets out a sharp, bitter scoff, staring straight ahead at the wall. She doesn't say a word, but I can feel the tense fury radiating through her frame.

“I got you, sweetheart. I'll make sure you get what’s yours.”

She nods without a word.

I keep holding her, keeping my touch steady until her breathing slows down, her shoulders relax, and the weight of exhaustion takes over. Within twenty minutes, she drifts off into a deep, peaceful sleep against my chest.

I lean in, pressing a brief, tender kiss to her warm forehead, and stare down at her quiet, sleeping face for a long moment before carefully slipping out of bed.

The screen of my phone lights up on the nightstand. It's a text from Keane: meet me in the study. We have it.

I quietly slip out of the master suite and head down the hallway to my office, pushing the doors open to find Keane waiting near the desk, holding a thick leather folder.

"The full dive on Judge Arthur Sterling," Keane says, sliding the file across the mahogany surface toward me. "Offshore accounts, shell companies in the Caymans, and a very serious paper trail linking him directly to Dante's money men. If this goes public, he loses his bench, his reputation, and his freedom."

A dark, victorious smile touches my lips as I skim through the bank statements and signed wire transfers. "Perfect."

"I’ll go pay the judge a visit," I say, shutting the folder with a sharp thud. "We are very close to getting everything we need, Keane."

Keane studies my face, an unreadable expression settling over his features. He pauses, leaning his hands on the back of the leather armchair.

"After getting what you need, Dominic..." Keane asks softly, his voice heavy with a warning he rarely ever uses with me. "...will you be able to deal with the fallout?"

My heart skips a beat. I have no response.

CHAPTER TWENTY

ROSALIA

On Monday morning, our black SUV glides smoothly up the private drive of the Grand Regency Hotel, pulling to a halt beneath the polished glass canopy. The venue for the Guardian magazine interview is an exclusive, top-floor suite overlooking the skyline.

I look down at my silk dress, my pulse quickening just a bit. This isn't like the photo shoot; it's a full-length feature on the mysterious, powerful Dominic Kane and his new wife.

I turn in my seat, locking eyes with Dominic. "We need to practice."

Dominic raises an eyebrow, resting one wrist over the steering wheel. "Practice what?"

"The questions!" I say, exasperated. "This is a couple's interview, Dominic. You know the interviewer is going to ask how we met, how we fell in love, how you proposed... all of it. And you definitely cannot tell them you bought me from my father like a piece of high-value inventory."