Arranged To A Billionaire In Coma

Episode7

Ophelia's POV

"I..I just–" I stammered.

"Get lost, and do the job you were paid to do" he cut me off. "Go continue your tour with my mother and stay the f**k away from my things."

Stunned, I tried to speak but no words left my lips.

I couldn't understand what it is about that picture that's making him act the way he does.

Sighing, I took my leave as instructed.

"Ophelia, dear!" Dominic's mother called out to me gingerly from the living room. "Come sit with me" she waved at me as I walked down the stairs.

I forced a smile, and made my way to her.

"Don't worry, you'll have enough time to explore the house," she told me, as I sat down beside her. "Thank you so very much, Ophelia," she held my hand and thanked me again for the umpteenth time. "You have no idea how much this means…" she trailed off. "I was so devastated when I got a call that Nico was involved in an accident," she sniffled and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was so scared that i'll lose him forever when I saw him covered in blood, he was–"

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, as I didn't know what else to say to comfort her, saying comforting words wasn't really my speciality, so I just sat there in silence and rubbed her hand gently. I can't even imagine what she must have gone through at that moment.

Eleanor's phone rang.

"I need to be somewhere important right now," she told me. "I'll be with Dominic tonight, you can stay with him from tomorrow," she said.

"Thank you," I muttered and escorted her to her car that was parked out front. I stayed outside until her car was out of sight.

"You need to do better," Dominic's voice came from behind startling me.

I turned in the direction of the voice and saw Dominic leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and an indifferent look.

"You need to do better, at your job as a doting wife," he repeated.

"What do you mean by that?" I retorted, feeling utterly offended by his words.

"With the way you're acting, our cover would get blown," he explained.

"I've only been here in just a day, remember?" I pointed out, Incase he has forgotten.

"I believe you don't need me to tell you the consequences if our cover gets blown," he said, ignoring my words, and walking away, which only infuriated me.

"What kind of a person are you?" I said from behind, but he didn't even spare me a glance and just kept on walking. "I may not know much about you, but I can tell you're a terrible son."

I seemed to have struck a nerve because he stopped in his tracks, but still didn't turn to face me.

"I don't see why you'd knowingly hurt your mother," I continued, and this time he turned around. "What's going to happen if you just come clean about not being in a coma, do you–"

"You don't know the whole story Miss," he cut me off coldly. "So I suggest you watch your words."

……………

My first night at the Blackwood's wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. Surprisingly it was the most peaceful sleep I've had in a long time, I don't know if this has to do with the fact that I don't have to worry so much about funds for my gallery or because I no longer have to deal with Genevieve, but either way I had a blissful night rest.

I slept in the guest room closest to Dominic's room, but my things were kept in his room. Just like Dominic had suggested, I was able to convince his mom to get rid of all the house help, as this was going to be an obstacle in whatever plans went on in that twisted head of his.

The day looked promising, so with nothing to do I decided to check out most of the places Madame Eleanor couldn't show me during the tour yesterday. While exploring, I came across a wide empty space, and instantly fell in love with it. It had good lighting, and that was exactly what I needed for a mini studio. Since playing the role of a devoted wife I won't have time to go to my gallery this can serve just perfectly.

While I stood in the empty space daydreaming about the amount of work I could achieve here given I had a lot of time on my hands, I heard a car drive in.

"Ophelia dear!" Madame Eleanor called out to me from downstairs in her usual ginger manner.

Panic surged through me as I realized that Dominic was still home, and I can't afford for his mother to bump into him.

I quickly rushed towards his room, and without knocking I flung the door open, and stopped dead in my tracks. My mouth went dry as I took in the sight before me.

Standing just outside the bathroom was Dominic, fresh out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His skin glistened with water droplets from the shower, and every defined muscle seemed to ripple under his skin as he moved slightly. He ran his hand through his wet hair, that curled slightly at the ends and a few strands clinging to his forehead.

The way the towel clung to his hips left little to the imagination, and I could feel my face flush as I struggled to tear my eyes away from him. I had never seen a man look so…. captivating, and undeniably sexy.

"What are you doing?" Dominic's irritated voice snapped me back to reality.

"I– I," my words failed me, as all I could suddenly think about was Eleanor walking in on us like this. The faint clinking of her shoes as she ascended the stairs made me panic, and without a second thought, I rushed over to where he stood, and pushed him back into the bathroom, and against the wall.

"W--What the hell are you doing?" Dominic's eyes widened in disbelief , with his hands hovering in the air unsure where to place them.

"Shhh! Just play along, your mother's coming," I whispered urgently, and placed my hands over his lips as he was about to say something.

A knock on the door came almost immediately, making me flinch, and making me push him to the wall further.

"Ophelia, darling? Are you awake?" Eleanor's voice came next.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and my nails dug into Dominic's skin as I prayed for her not to open the door.

I guess the universe was against me, because the door opened almost immediately.

"Ophelia?" She called out to me again.

"In the bathroom," I managed to keep my voice steady.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," she apologized. "I brought breakfast. Please come down when you're ready."

"Thank you, Eleanor," I responded. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Alright, take you time," I heard her open the door, which was followed by the sound of her retreating footsteps descending the stairs.

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding, and slowly removed my hand from Dominic's mouth, and dared to look at him.

He looked down at his body, then back at me.

"You can get off me now," he said dryly.

"R–right," I stammered, suddenly aware of how intimately we were positioned– his bare chest just inches from my face, his skin warm beneath my fingertips. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" His tone was low, but laced with disbelief.

"I wasn't!" I retorted, still avoiding his eyes. "I'll be more careful next time," I mumbled.

"Next time?" He asked amusedly.

I managed to look at him, and he stared back at me with furrowed brows, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I panicked, okay?" I snapped. "Your mother was coming up the stairs, and you’re supposed to be in a coma, remember?"

"And you thought the best way to handle the situation was to throw yourself at me?"

"It worked, didn't it?" I said defensively, as I knew he was insinuating something else.

"Sure, it did." His tone was dripping with sarcasm. He moved past me, clearly done with this conversation, as he moved to his wardrobe.

I sighed, walked out of the bathroom, and headed for the door.

"You really need to work on your panic responses," his voice came from behind, as I twisted the doorknob.

Choosing to ignore him, I just opened the door and went downstairs to meet Eleanor.

"Did you sleep well, dear?" Eleanor asked politely as she set the dining table.

"Yes, very well," I replied, giving her the best smile I could muster at the moment.

“Don't worry yourself, dear,” Eleanor stopped me, as I tried assisting her. “I can handle this.”

I smiled in response and took my seat. I reached for a piece of toast, trying to act normal, and hoping to distract myself from the embarrassment still burning in my cheeks.

Eleanor was talking about something– I wasn't really paying attention until she mentioned the hospital.

“I’ll be visiting Dominic at the hospital later today, but that'll be after I pick up his younger brother, Arnold, from the airport,” she said, dabbling her lips with a napkin. “Would you like to join me? It would be a great opportunity to introduce you to him. He's been out of the country for a while now.”

“Oh, uhmm, I'd love to,” I lied. “But I think it might be best if I stay here and… settle in a bit more,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “There's still a lot for me to get used to.”

“Of course dear, I understand,” Eleanor smiled gently, and didn't push further.

“Thank you, Eleanor,” I said, and got back to eating absentmindedly. After a few bites, I mumbled something about needing to get something from my room.

Eleanor didn't mind, she just smiled at me and gave me a go ahead.

Making my way upstairs I felt ridiculous at how nervous I was, the images of what happened a few minutes ago and how awkward it was wasn't helping either.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door softly, not really wanting to go back in, but I knew I had to.

A gruff noise came from inside, so I took that as permission to enter, and I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

Luckily, Dominic was fully dressed this time, as he sat down at the edge of the bed, the scowl on his face prominent as ever. He looked at me as if I were the last person he wanted to see, which, let’s be honest, I probably was.

I cleared my throat. “Your mother would be going to the hospital by noon, “ I informed him.

Dominic looked at me boredly, as he leaned back against the pillows, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Uhmm–” I stuttered. “Don't know if you'll find this important, but she mentioned something about picking up your younger brother, Arnold-”

Dominic's demeanor changed instantly, something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

“Did I say something wrong?” I inquired. But as expected I was ignored.

Dominic just stood up from the bed, the creasing on his forehead increasing by the second, as he dialed a number on his phone.

“Arnold's coming back?” he asked, and I just stared at him blankly. I believe I was pretty clear when I said that, there's no need repeating myself.

Dominic's eyes narrowed as he stared at me. He looked like he was piecing something together in his mind, and had other questions for me, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain his sudden curiosity. So, before he could say another word, I turned around and left the room, not bothering to look back even for a second.