Bernard's POV
The sight that greeted me when Penny opened her apartment door stopped me cold. Her hair was disheveled, her face painted with pure shock, but what truly captured my attention was the figure lounging behind her in the living room.
Dominic.
He had positioned himself on her sofa as though he owned every inch of it. His body language was deliberately casual yet commanding—one arm stretched across the back cushions, his legs positioned with calculated dominance, that insufferable half-smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Every detail of his posture was designed to communicate one thing: control. Control over the space, over the situation, perhaps even over Penny herself.
The atmosphere grew dense with unspoken challenge. I didn't wait for an invitation that clearly wouldn't come. Instead, I moved past Penny with measured precision, letting the door close with a definitive click that seemed to announce my intentions.
