Chapter 226: Chapter 226 Pink Everything
Elara
I had started to notice something weird about Dominic.
Not just weird. Suspicious. Like, I-need-to-call-someone suspicious.
He was wearing a pink hair tie around his wrist. Not mine. A new one.
I had never seen him wear anything pink in his life.
The man owned exactly three colors: black, charcoal, and sometimes navy if he was feeling wild.
Now? Pink. On his wrist. In public.
His car was suddenly full of plush toys scattered across the dashboard. Little fluffy bunnies. A cat with oversized eyes. Something that looked like a cartoon avocado with a face.
They stared at me every time I got in, and I hated them.
The seat cushions had been swapped for pink ones. Barbie pink. The kind of pink that screamed for attention.
"What is going on with you?" I pointed at his wrist. Then the dashboard. Then the seats. My hand was moving everywhere because I did not have enough words. "Keep this up and I’m going to start wondering if you’ve switched teams."
Dominic did not even look embarrassed. Not even a little bit. If anything, he looked proud. Like he had just won an award.
"Baby." He leaned back against the headrest with that infuriating smirk. "You know better than anyone whether I’ve switched teams or not."
My face heated. Instantly. All the way up to my ears. "That’s not the point."
"I read online that this helps attract a daughter." He said it like it was obvious. Like he was explaining something simple to a slow student. "Little girls are soft and pink, right? So I’m creating the right environment."
I blinked at him. Once. Twice.
"You saw this on TikTok," I said flatly.
"...Yes."
"Dominic."
"It had a lot of likes. The comments said it worked."
I pressed my fingers to my temples. "You are the Alpha King. You have literally made grown wolves cry with a single look. And you are taking parenting advice from TikTok."
"It is a reliable source," he said, completely straight-faced.
I stared at him. He stared back. Neither of us blinked.
I lost.
I stared at him. "Dominic. I’m not even pregnant yet."
"Yet."
He said it like the word itself was a promise. Like he had already decided how this was going to go, and my body just had not caught up to his plan yet.
"You’re already picking out the baby’s gender before there’s even a baby."
He did not answer. Which was an answer.
"What if it’s a boy?" I asked flatly. I crossed my arms. "You’re going to be devastated."
"I won’t be devastated."
But the look in his amber eyes told me he would probably just be less enthusiastic about a son. Way less enthusiastic.
I imagined him holding a baby boy with the same expression he used during boring council meetings, and I almost laughed.
"You would love him anyway," I said. Not a question.
He paused. "I would love him anyway."
But he said it like it required effort. Like loving a son would be a choice he had to make, while loving a daughter would be as natural as breathing.
I let it go. For now.
The car fell quiet for a moment. Just the hum of the engine and the soft thump of the wipers.
I thought we were done talking. But apparently, he had been waiting for the right moment.
"By the way," Dominic said after a moment, "do you want to have dinner with Dr. Reed?"
I paused.
I knew Quinn Reed had helped Dominic in the past. He had mentioned it a few times.
But something about the way she looked at him, the way she smiled a little too warmly, made my instincts flare.
"Didn’t you say you already paid her for her help?" I asked carefully.
"Yeah I paid her already." Dominic shrugged. "We do not owe her anything. Skip it if you want."
I did not even hesitate. "I want to skip it."
No guilt. No second guessing. I just did not like the way Quinn looked at him. That was reason enough.
Dominic did not ask why. Did not push. He just pulled out his phone and typed a quick message. Done.
It caught me off guard. "That’s it?"
"That’s it." He put the phone away. "You said no. That is all I need."
I studied him for a second. I expected some pushback. At least a question. But he looked completely relaxed. Like canceling on a woman who clearly had a crush on him was no big deal.
"Are you going to tell me I am being crazy?" I asked.
"No." He said it flat. "If you do not like her, I do not need her. Simple."
He reached over and took my hand. Just held it. No big speech.
"Besides," he added, "I like it when you get jealous. It is cute."
I wanted to argue. But I was smiling too hard to pull it off.
