Jasmine's POV
"Why not?" His voice remained calm, but something flickered behind his eyes. Confusion. Maybe hurt.
"Because this dress costs more than most people make in a year. Because everyone is staring at me. Because—" I gestured helplessly at the fabric. "Because I can't accept something like this from you."
"I see." His jaw tightened. "You know, there's really nothing to be embarrassed about."
"What? No. That's not—"
"You don't want people knowing I gave this to you." He took a step back, creating the very distance I'd wanted moments ago. Now it felt like a chasm. "You don't want to be associated with me that way."
"Dominic, you're twisting my words."
"Am I?" His expression shuttered, the warmth draining from his features until he looked every bit the powerful alpha CEO every
