Dominick, feeling out of sorts, leaned against the balcony railing of the 3302 presidential suite, letting the wind cool his frustration. When Julian's call came in, he picked up with a curt. "What?"
On the other end, Julian immediately noticed Dominick's tone. After a brief pause, Julian continued, "The doctor had just checked Marissa again. It's nothing serious. She's going to be alright."
"Alright." Dominick's voice was impatient and dismissive, matching the frustration in his expression.
As if on cue, Paisley and Serena's laughter carried over from the neighboring open balcony window. Nathaniel's voice followed, mingling with the cheerful sounds and grating on Dominick's nerves.
Dominick's eyes darkened, and he thought irritably, 'Nathaniel's in Paisley's room, huh? Laughing and chatting away like he's having the time of his life. Paisley, your daughter has a father. And yet, here you are, letting another man stay in your room, laughing like nothing's wrong.'
On the other end of the line, Julian had no idea what Dominick was dealing with right now and brought up Marissa. "Dom, earlier today Marissa—"
But the noise from next door was getting under Dominick's skin, making it impossible for him to focus on Julian's words. Dominick immediately interrupted, "Anything else?"
Julian hesitated again. "No, that's it. Just don't forget about the opening gala tonight."
"Got it," Dominick replied. With that, he hung up abruptly, still visibly annoyed.
The laughter next door continued, grating on his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to storm over there, drag Nathaniel out by the collar, and warn Paisley to stop laughing with him.
But just as Dominick turned to do exactly that, he stopped in his tracks. He wondered, 'What right do I have to go over there? I'm not Paisley's husband anymore, and I'm not even Serena's father. I'm just her ex-husband, the man she once had a child with.'
At the same time, in the neighboring 3303 suite, Serena, wearing a princess dress, sat cheerfully in her little pink castle. She grinned and waved at Nathaniel. "Come on over, Prince Charming."
"Here comes the charming prince," Nathaniel said with a faint smile. Hearing Serena's call, he actually walked over, awkwardly folding his tall frame and sitting beside her in the tiny pink castle.
Paisley looked apologetic. "Rena, don't make things hard for him."
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