Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

DOMINIC

I exhaled, the relief flooding through me so intensely that my knees almost gave out. Nurned to my grandmother, whose expression had turned sour, and I said, “Granny, this is Celeste. She is my guest. I cooked for her. So that should tell you how important she is to me.”

“Wow!” Imelda suddenly exclaimed, her face lighting up with surprise “You cooked? Dominic, I have wanted to taste your cooking for so long.”

She hurried toward the dining, her hand reaching out to open the pots that sat on the table. I moved quickly, intercepting her before she could touch them, my hand closing around her wrist and pushing it away gently but firmly.

“Everything here is Celeste’s favorite,” I said. “The food is only for her.”

Celeste walked back toward the dining, her voice soft and apologetic. “It is okay, Dominic. If she wants to eat it, she can. I don’t mind.”

“But I do,” I told her. “I do mind.”

I pulled out a chair for Celeste and gestured for her to sit. She hesitated, glancing at my grandmother who was glaring at her with undisguised hostility, and then she sat down. My grandmother began to complain immediately, her voice rising with indignation.

“What is going on with you, Dominic? I do not understand. We just arrived after a long trip and I am hungry. Imelda is also hungry. Why are you acting this way? It’s like you are not happy to see us.”

I gritted my teeth, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Grandma, I arranged for you to be taken to a different building. The mansion I prepared for you has so many maids at your beck and call. There is even a professional chef there. You could have everything you want there. That was where I planned for you to stay. Why did you come here? There is so much food over there. You know what? It is not too late. I will call the driver and let him take you both there.”

“No,” my grandmother said, her voice firm. “I am not going and neither is Imelda. Why would we go there? We came here to see you. And you never said anything about keeping us in a separate building. All of a sudden your driver told me that he was taking us to a different address. If I had not taken note of this address when we spoke, you would have tricked me.”

“Granny, what are you saying?” I asked, frustration bleeding into my voice. “I would have still come tomorrow to see you, okay? You both cannot stay here tonight.”

“No, I just came. This is my grandson’s house. I am not leaving.” She crossed her arms, her chin lifting in that stubborn gesture I remembered from my childhood. “And we are very hungry. So you need to find something for us to eat.”

“Granny, you know I hate cooking,” I said. “There is no way I can go into the kitchen to make food for both of you.”

“You hate cooking but you cooked for this girl?”

“Wow, Granny, Dominic’s cooking is so delicious. You have to taste this. Seriously.”

My grandmother smiled and went to sit beside her, reaching for a plate. She turned to look at me, her expression shifting from pleasure to disappointment.

“You ruined my plans today, Granny,” I said, my voice flat. “And you know how upset I get when my plans are ruined.”

“Dominic, I am really disappointed in you,” she replied, her voice heavy with reproach. “Do you remember the conversation we had months ago? You said yes to this alliance. If you had not agreed, I would not have brought Imelda all the way here.

Back home, she is treated like a princess. Do you know how good her family has been to me? Do you know how they treated me like I was their own family? You agreed to this alliance and now you are acting as though we just dumped this on you. How do you expect Imelda to feel?

She is so young. She has such a bright future. And yet, she left everything and came here to be your wife. We have already filled her head with the idea. She is so excited to marry you. She has even fallen in love with you. And now she is here and you are acting like this?”