Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Chapter 2 A Timeless Crush

Dominic froze at that instant. His expression appeared extremely cold under the dim lights.

"Bella, you're asking for trouble!"

Indeed, Bella knew she was asking for trouble. Back then, when her mother, Dorothy Jones, brought her to the Miller family, she called out his name for the first time.

Yet, he rejected her brutally. "You disgust me, just like your mom," he said.

The still air once filled with intimacy was replaced by hostility. Dominic was squeezing Bella's wrist so hard that she felt it might snap at any minute. Finally, he got up and left after slamming the door behind him. The world went quiet instantly. Bella lay on the bed like a soulless puppet, where the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain she was going through.

Some people were buried in obscurity from the very start. It felt as if they were trapped in an endless dark tunnel, and each step was a struggle for them.

Bella took some time to get up. She walked toward the bathroom and washed all the exhaustion away.

In the year that Dorothy was terminally ill, the both of them had no choice but to turn to the Miller family for help. Dorothy could only think of her childhood friend, Richard Miller, as Bella's father had abandoned them. However, this situation eventually led to the divorce of Dominic's parents.

mother, Margaret Reed, left him when he was eight and disappeared without

following year, Dorothy passed away. Shortly after, they received the shocking news that Margaret had also died of illness in a foreign place. Dominic and Margaret didn't get to see each other one last time. Dominic blamed all of this

eye, 19 years had passed. Three years ago, Richard passed away,

rummaged under her bed for the ledger before curling up in bed to examine it closely. Ever since Dominic went abroad three years ago, she had been

with just another 100 thousand dollars, she'd be able to repay the money that the Millers had spent

Miller family in any other way. She could only try her

Bella and Dominic. He could regain his peace once she

gathering herself, she quickly got out

Miller Manor had resigned when Dominic left. All this while, Bella was the only one taking care of the huge manor. Since Dominic was back, someone had to cook for

table ready in the dining room. However, Dominic didn't show up

jet lag since he had just returned from abroad. The food was getting cold, so Bella gathered her courage and went upstairs to knock on his door. "Breakfast is served,"

to knock again, and he finally responded, "Go

returned to the dining table. While eating, she considered the possible part-time jobs she could take on during her weekend

footsteps coming from the stairs. When she looked up, she saw Dominic with an irritable look on