Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)
Chapter 368 Not Picky at All

Bella didn't even have time to respond before he let himself in, leaving her standing there with her keys in hand, completely thrown off. Were they... even that familiar with each other?

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that, after showering, he asked her to go next door to his place and grab a fresh change of clothes for him-including underwear. She was a young woman living alone, and he was definitely not a kid. Considering they barely knew each other, a thousand kinds of frustration ran through her head.

Still, wanting to get her overly comfortable new neighbor out of her apartment as quickly as possible, she reluctantly went next door, grabbed the clothes, and handed them over. Then, she escaped to the kitchen, busying herself with cooking.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she saw him leaning over to peek into her pot. "Smells good. Didn't expect you could cook."

Out of politeness, Bella asked tentatively, "Want to join?"

She swore she was just being polite, but he accepted immediately, "Sure, thanks."

Flustered, Bella silently added more ingredients to the pot.

When she came out of the kitchen with the food, she found him sitting comfortably on her couch, watching TV. He looked so at ease that the scene was almost picturesque.

She told herself to just think of him as a little brother while trying to stay calm. She then called him over to eat.

At the dinner table, Bella stayed mostly quiet, while the young lad seemed perfectly at ease and even made small talk. "So, where do you work, miss? You get home pretty late."

Hearing him call her "miss" actually made Bella feel a bit better about the situation. "I work at a hospital. I'm a doctor. I used to be in the cardiac department, but now I'm in the emergency department. Late nights are just part of the job. By the way, I still don't know your name. I'm Bella Jones."

The young lad traced his fingers along the edge of the table. "Wesley Ortega."

He looked young, so Bella asked instinctively, "You don't live alone, do you? Aren't you still in school?"

Wesley shook his head. "I live alone.

I got tired of being at home, so I decided to get out on my own for a while. School doesn't matter that much. Let me guess... You're 25 right? That makes you a whole six years older than me, but you look young."

Bella raised an eyebrow, a little suspicious. "How'd you know I'm 25?"

Wesley held up his phone with a mischievous grin. "Your hospital's registration system lists the doctor's ages and lots of other info. I did a quick search, and there you were."

Bella hadn't realized it would be so easy for him to replace that.

swr

Here he was, just 19, already living on his own. When she was 19, she wouldn't have had a clue how to survive outside Miller Manor.

As they chatted, she suddenly heard the sound of keys turning in the lock. Bella's stomach tightened, and she quickly stood up to go to the door.

Dominic walked in, not noticing anyone else at first. He looked around as he took off his shoes, then realized his pair of slippers was missing. "Where are my slippers?"

Bella blinked, glancing down at Wesley's feet.

When had he slipped on Dominic's slippers?

At that moment, Dominic's gaze shifted to Wesley, and his gaze darkened. "Bella... So, you're not picky at all?"

Bella rubbed her temples, feeling the

awkwardness rise. "He's my neighbor a kid who just moved in His shower is broken, so he

1.n

borrowed mine. I invited him to stay

for a meal... Have you e

Dominic didn't respond, instead giving Wesley a cold, assessing look before heading toward the bedroom.

From his perspective, Wesley had the potential to be a rival, so he was not exactly a kid.

Wesley, seemingly oblivious to the tension, looked at Bella and asked, "Miss, is that your boyfriend?"