405: [Bonus chapter] Her scent on him

[Bonus chapter] Her scent on him

Spending some time with Ivy somehow distracted Heaven from her thoughts, but not enough to completely get rid of the things that muddled her mind. The family gathering ended 'peacefully.' At least everyone survived in one piece.1

Heaven joined Dominic in keeping the guests occupied, although she mostly talked to the elders who were known as neutrals in the family and only thought of the best for the family. She stayed away from the younger relative to save herself some trouble. Thankfully, Axel kept his cousins occupied. 

Throughout the night, Silas would throw shades on his cousin which Dominic ignored. And just like that, Heaven excused herself to rest early while some of the Zhu relatives left. Dominic stayed outside since he was the host of tonight's gathering. It was already late, so they would be spending the night in the old residence.

"Hmm…" Heaven stayed on the balcony with a glass of wine as her company and a framed photograph she got from the family room. "What am I going to do now?" 

Her long lashes fluttered as she batted her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the photograph while taking a sip from the glass. She licked her lips, leaning back against the chair, holding the photograph up.

'Should I tell him?'she wondered, tilting her head to the side. 'Or does it really matter?'

Heaven was reluctant to give Dominic the full truth in one go because of many things. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dominic and his love for her, but because of a low percentage chance that he might not accept this truth, existed. 

She might be someone who often took risks, but this was not something she could easily gamble her life with. If living a lie was the only way to keep her husband and son, then she wouldn't mind killing Hera completely.

'He always says the present is what's important,'she told herself, letting out another deep exhale for the umpteenth time since coming into the room's balcony. 'I can't just tell him, I was that girl so abruptly.'

Heaven closed her eyes as her head throbbed. Deep lines appeared between her brows as she shut her eyes even tightly, feeling this tension wrapped around her head. As Heaven gravitate on what to do with this information in her head, she felt a person's presence by the door. 

"Dom, since when did you learn how to walk without making a sound?" she asked even before she opened her eyes. Her eyes slowly cracked open, cocking her head back, turning her head in the entrance's direction. 

"I was trying to be careful." Dominic smiled, taking a sit across from her. "I thought you were already sleeping."

"I thought so too, only to realize I prefer sleeping with my husband by my side." Heaven smiled back, watching him glance at the photograph in her possession. 

"Why are you looking at that?"

"Uh? Oh, this?" Heaven raised the photograph, looking at it nonchalantly. "I borrowed it from Mom because I wanted to show it to you."

"Why do you want to show it to me?"

She grinned playfully. "Because I never thought you were a bit chubby when you were a kid. You're so cute — like a bear."

"At this point, my mind immediately thinks of Mr. Cruel when one mentions bear."

"Haha!" Heaven pulled her feet from the vacant chair, sitting upright. Putting down the wineglass on the round table between them, she leaned closer a bit. "Darling, have you seen my childhood photos?"

Dominic nodded. "Yes. In Father's resting place."

"Right… hehe." her chuckle sounded a bit awkward, clearing her throat as she lifted her chin. "Did everyone leave?"

"Mhm, but some stayed overnight." 

"Oh? Who?"

"Uncle Sam and Aunt Audrey and some more because they were all planning to go fishing tomorrow with Mom and Dad." 

"Oh… how about cousins?"

"I don't know if they will stay overnight, but they were with Axel. Silas said he would stay in the old residence for a few weeks."

Her brows creased. "You're letting him?"

"It's Grandma's request."

"But Grandma is already asleep."

"She is, but Silas is still her grandson." His lips pressed into a subtle smile. "Butler Fu already prepared his room, so that means Grandma has already foreseen his plans to stay. Well, Silas used to be the sweetest grandchild."

"I see." Heaven rocked her head, a lot calmer now after the mention of Butler Fu. 

For some reason, that old butler gave off this very reliable air that she only felt toward some people like Bear. Even though Butler Fu was way older — almost at the same age as Grandma Zhu — her instinct told her it was foolish to judge the butler base on his age. 

"Dom, why didn't you tell me about Silas?" she asked solemnly. "If you told me about him, I wouldn't be so surprised back there."

"I… forgot." Dominic ran his tongue across his inner cheek, sighing. "He didn't cross me until Axel got problems with his company. And I got a lot of things in my mind that I forgot to tell you, sorry."

"It's alright. I'm just asking out of pure curiosity." Heaven smacked her lips. "He resembles you and until now, I'm surprised."

"Will you ever mistake him for me?" 

"Hmm?"

"If he dressed up, will you not recognize him?"

The corner of her mouth curled up into a confident smirk. "Even with my eyes closed, I will know who my husband was and not."

Relief instantly dominated his face, remembering how she knew it was him even before she looked in his direction just moments ago. That was his only worry, after all. 

"Silas is good at many things, but he… he's particularly talented at copying me," he shared with another deep exhale. "It's a little problematic since some of our relatives still mistake who is who before Grandma sent him abroad."

"Don't worry, my love." Heaven placed the photo on the table before pushing herself up. She sauntered her way to the seat across from the chair she previously sat on, making Dominic lean back on instinct as she sat on his lap. 

Heaven rested her arms over his shoulders, facing him squarely. "I have a very good nose, and I can smell you even from a mile away."

"What if he wears the same perfume?"

"Even if he wears the same perfume, he will never copy my lingering scent on you." Her smirk stretched.

They held each other's gaze before he lifted his hand to cup her face. His other hand was on her back. 

"Now, I feel more reassured. My heart is at ease," he remarked, stretching his neck so his lips could reach hers. "For some reason, I missed you today."

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