Chapter 13 Celeste's breath caught . Her instinct was to step back , but she gripped her bag tighter and forced herself to stand her ground . [ ] She smiled . " Mr. Ashford . It's been a while . " ] Dominic's jaw clenched , his gaze boring into her face . "Impressive . You made me search for three full years . " [] Celeste said , " Not as impressive as you , Mr. Ashford . " [ ] She laughed bitterly . She'd thought she could escape Dominic's notice . But less than two hours after leaving the lab , he'd found her . Perhaps she should thank the Aerospace Institute . At least it had sheltered her for three years , given her time to focus on her studies . [ ] Now that break was over . Time to deal with her own mess . ess . Celeste looked at Dominic , pushed down the churning emotions , and said calmly , " Why did you want to see me , Mr. Ashford ? " [ ] She figured her abrupt departure three years ago had bruised his ego . Maybe he wanted compensation of some kind . [ ] Then Dominic stepped forward , gripped her wrist , his voice dropping low . " Come back with me . " Celeste froze . " Mr. Ashford , our contract has expired . " Dominic said flatly , " The past three years were just your vacation . You'll be compensated in full . One million a month . Forty million for three years . How's that ? " is over . There's nothing between us anymore ! " ] ] Celeste stared at him in disbelief , biting her lip . Dominic ignored her , continuing as if she hadn't spoken . " Not enough ? Fifty million . " [ ] Celeste took a deep breath . She'd imagined running into Dominic again countless times . She'd wondered whether she'd feel more indifference or lingering emotion . ]] But standing before him now , she realized what she felt most was helplessness . She closed her eyes . " Dominic , we're done . " Dominic's eyes darkened . " That's not your decision to make . " [ ] He stared at her intently , his voice rough . " I can pretend the past never happened . " [ ] " Celeste , from now on , stay by my side . " Not a question . Not a plea . Even with emotion behind it , still the same unquestionable authority . ] ] Celeste looked into his dark eyes . Something rippled through her heart like wind across water , then vanished just as quickly . [ ] Dominic hadn't changed at all . But she was no longer the Celeste of three years ago . She pulled her wrist free . " Impossible . " " Celeste . " Dominic's voice was heavy . His patience was wearing thin , but looking at her , even his anger seemed to dampen . He asked , " Why ? " [] Celeste closed her eyes . " Because- " ] " Because she has a boyfriend now ." 0 A cool youre came from behind . Celeste turned to see Adrian , somehow having returned . [ ] He walked over slowly and extracted Celeste's wrist from Dominic's grip with cold efficiency . ] Then he laced their fingers together , holding their joined hands at their sides . [ ] " I just saw a wedding dress in that shop window . It would suit you perfectly . How about wearing it when we get married ? " ] Adrian's tone was casual , but Celeste felt like her hand was being crushed . [ ] She pressed her lips together . From the corner of her eye , she saw Dominic's clenched fist , knuckles white [ ] Chapter 13 She smiled . " Sure . Let's go try it on now . " [ ] She leaned against Adrian's arm and looked up at Dominic's frigid expression , smiling sweetly . [ ] " Mr. Ashford , my boyfriend and I have plans . We'll be going now . " [] " If the opportunity arises , we'll certainly invite you to our wedding . "