Bentley's POV
"I can stay on this floor? Are you sure?" I asked, glancing at him. His expression was void of any emotion.

"It's fine, take it," Mr. Giovanni said. "Give me your hand."

I hesitated, wondering if I had heard him correctly. Slowly, I placed my hand in his palm. For the first time, I noticed the stark difference in the size of our hands. Everything about this man intimidated me, even the size of his hands.

Mr. Giovanni held my wrist and placed my palm on the biometric hand scanner. "Alpha, register this fingerprint," he said.

A robotic voice responded, "Fingerprint registered. Door unlocked."

Giovanni walked in. "Alpha, turn on the lights," he commanded.

The bulbs lit up immediately. The room was almost the same size as his, and the bed was neatly made in white and brown—like he had plucked it directly from my mind. The bedside lamps, with their white hues, perfectly matched the table and bed frame.

"You can settle down; I'll be in my room," he said, turning on his heels and heading for the door.

"Thank you, really," I said.

He nodded without looking back and continued walking.

I organized my new belongings in the oversized wardrobe and got ready for the night. Just as I was about to tuck myself into bed, my eyes landed on the gray T-shirt Giovanni had bought.

"Oh, I should return that," I muttered. I grabbed the hanger and knocked on his door, but there was no answer.

"Sir Billionaire... Mr. Giovanni, hello?"

"Come in," a raspy voice called from inside.

I opened the door slightly and peeked in. Giovanni sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, Bentley," he said.

I glanced at his large, bare biceps and quickly averted my gaze, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

"Ahem... I came to give you this." I stretched the packaged gray shirt forward to hide my face.

"It's yours. You were staring at it so much that I had to get it," he said groggily, pulling the sheets over his head.

"Thank you, Mr. Giovanni," I said.

"It's Damian," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the sheets.

"Okay, Damian," I replied, stepping back and locking his door.

I strolled back to my room and buried myself in the blanket’s warmth. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago, I thought my life had ended, and now I was here. Damian Giovanni... I wondered if helping people was a regular habit for him or if my pitiful story had been impossible to ignore.

***

I woke up to the sound of sliding doors closing and subtle footsteps heading toward the staircase. My eyes opened. That must be Damian. I grabbed my phone from the side table and tapped it twice. The screen displayed "8:50" in bold font.

I flung the sheets off, jumped out of bed, and slipped into my cozy bronze bedroom slippers.

"Damian!" I called, rushing out of the room toward him.

He turned to me, already dressed in formal attire.

"Good morning," he said indifferently.

"Morning, Mr. Gio—I mean, Damian." I paused briefly. "You're off to work?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing at his watch as if signaling me to hurry up.

I darted my gaze to the floor. "Sorry, you couldn’t have breakfast because I overslept."

"Alpha made breakfast. I told you before, you’re not obligated to do anything. You can make meals whenever you feel like it," he replied, his tone calm and reassuring.

"Oh, thank you," I said, flashing a smile. "I might go out for a stroll today; I hope you don’t mind."

He raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. "I’m not your guardian. Of course, you can go anywhere," Damian said.

"Oh, that’s good," I replied, forcing an awkward smile. "Have a good day at work... see you later. Bye," I waved.

Damian descended the staircase. "Bye," he said over his shoulder.

I waited until he was out of sight before facepalming. "You just have to make things weird," I muttered to myself.

I walked back to my room and took a warm bath in the tub. Afterward, I hung my camera around my neck and tied my white sneakers’ laces. The cold morning seemed perfect for a classic cheesecake and a cup of mocha.

I took a stroll downtown in dark blue denim and a white jacket zipped up to my neck. I walked into a small library next to a café; there were only two other people inside, besides the librarians.

"What a relief," I thought, browsing the romance and fantasy shelves.

After a difficult decision, I picked five books, signed for them, and left. As I entered the café, the bell jingled. I caught a glimpse of the empty wooden chairs tucked neatly under the tables.

"Good morning, dear. Welcome to Breakfast Delight Café! What would you like to order?"

My eyes turned toward the warm voice. An elderly woman in her late fifties gave me a kind, wrinkled smile.

"Good morning... mocha and cheesecake, please," I said.

"Coming right up. Have a seat, dear," she said gently.

I took a seat by the window and opened one of my fantasy romance novels.

She returned a few minutes later with my order.

"You get an extra slice for being the first customer," she said.

"Oh! Thank you." I smiled back and set my book on the table.

"You’re welcome. Did you just move into the neighborhood?"

"Hmm... something like that," I replied, taking a sip of my mocha.

Thanks to Damian’s suggestion to keep the spare change from our shopping trip, I was able to pay for breakfast.

"That’s nice. I hope to see you often, then," she said, turning and walking away.

I took a bite of the cheesecake. It was better than I expected, though my taste buds hinted it could use a bit more milk.

"I should tell her... Should I? What if I come off as rude?" I debated internally before deciding to mention it when I was about to leave.

For hours, I delved into the world of fiction, immersing myself in tales of elves and mystical creatures.

I was abruptly drawn out by my alarm. It was 1:20 p.m. I closed my book and tucked it into my leather bag. The café was now half-filled with customers. The elderly woman was attending to a few of them.

I waited until she was free, then approached her.

"Thanks for the extra slice. I just think a bit more milk in the cream cheese would have made it different," I said with a smile, hoping she wouldn’t take offense.

Her blue eyes widened slightly. "More milk? I’ll try that. Thank you," she said, grinning.

"No problem. I’ll find time to come again. Bye," I said, waving with a smile.

***

I got home at the estimated time and made lunch. I took my share and continued reading, waiting for Damian to return.

Author's note:
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