Dominic's sudden shift in mood had me waving a white flag in surrender. I shouldn't argue with him now. He pointed a slender finger at my name list and sent me a glare full of warning. Pettily, I turned away and huddled closer to Shannon. Dominic had made a mess on my name list, and I could only swallow my rage as I circled the names of the auditionees on Shannon's copy instead. Shannon had not caught on to our lovers' spat and was confused about my aggressive scribbling on her name list. I glanced at Dominic in displeasure. He's being ridiculous! It's James' company who wants to shoot this movie! What makes him think he can swan in here and scoff at my choices? Hmph! I liked all my choices, especially Quentin Woodson. I love him on his reality show.“What's wrong? Is Mr. Hartnell upset about something?” Shannon kept her voice down as the auditions were still ongoing. “He's crazy. Just look at this! Does he think it's fun or something?” My jaw clenched involuntarily from annoyance as I stared at the crossed-out names on my name list. Regrettably, I dared not step on his toes to avenge my sense of injustice. Shannon chuckled and said, “I'm pretty sure he's jealous. I didn't think he'd behave so pettily. It's called eye candy for a reason! It's not like anything is going to happen. Though I must say, Liliana, you seem like the meek little lamb in this relationship.” As far as our relationship went, I had no complaints about Dominic's behavior and generosity. I only took issue with his somewhat extreme jealousy at interactions with other men. While I understood that jealousy was a manifestation of his love for me, I did find him overly sensitive at times.He never used to be like this. Even if he got a bit jealous, he wouldn't do something as outrageous as this. The casting drew to a close at four in the afternoon. We would evaluate the remaining auditionees after the new year. Before today's casting ended, Dominic grabbed my name list again and returned it to me with more names crossed off. Instead of arguing with him, I turned to Shannon and circled all the names he had crossed off on her sheet. What the heck is Dominic doing? At this rate, I shouldn't bother picking anyone; he's just going to reject it anyway. I can't be responsible for ruining some bright young talent's future. It was all too easy for Dominic to destroy a celebrity's future in the industry. After we wrapped up the casting, James treated us to dinner. Well, it was more of a welcome dinner for the directors and producer. Shannon and I were insignificant in the grand scheme of things.Dominic seemed to know Emille and the others well as they chatted over dinner. The acquaintance did not surprise me since fashion design and showbiz were closely-connected industries. All in all, dinner was a pleasant affair. Shannon and I dutifully toasted the others from time to time but were otherwise left to our own devices. We each went our separate ways after dinner. Shannon was heading to her parents for the new year, and she left after sending me well wishes for the holidays. The minute Dominic and I got home, he slammed the door shut and pinned me against it. I could barely utter a word as his head swooped down in a fierce kiss. We were skin-to-skin bare moments later. His behavior told me that he was still upset about what happened during the casting. The couch? Really? He can't even wait till we're in the bedroom? Worst of all, that jerk had the gall to ask me if I saw the error of my ways.He's lucky he's stronger than me, or I'd have kicked him to the ground! How was any of that my fault? He's overreacting! I knew it was pointless to engage in a battle of wills with him. I could not overpower him in terms of physical strength or determination. In the end, I swallowed my pride and agreed with him meekly. I naively thought that he would be satisfied with my reply. Instead, he brought it up several times more throughout our lovemaking. I was both physically and emotionally exhausted by the end. Dominic carried me to the bathroom after that. I relaxed into his embrace, unable to feel or move my limbs. “What's so great about those boys anyway? Aren't I so much better?” His shameless musings had me rolling my eyes in response. I was, however, too tired to call him out on it. Anything to keep you happy. Dominic was busy over the next couple of days and only returned late at night.Instead of bothering him, I poured my time into drawing my comics. The people at Flash Media had decided to push out a pre-release for “The Wind And Cloud” around New Year as a gesture of appreciation toward their fans. On the thirtieth of December, Jake reached out to me and told me that Nicholas had woken up. Monica had been transferred out of the ICU, though she remained unconscious. Her old age probably hampered the rate of her recovery. I did not know if Nicholas had asked him to do so, but Jake turned on the video halfway during our call. Poor spirits aside, Nicholas looked much better, and I was relieved. We only chatted for a few minutes. I thought it was important for Nicholas to rest more and focus on his recovery. Dominic called me shortly after Jake hung up to tell me the same thing. It turned out he had been paying attention to Nicholas' condition all this while. That same night, Nicholas' official Twitter account posted an update on his recovery, garnering well wishes and relieved comments from his fans. Shannon called me from her parents' place and expressed her wish to visit him after the new year. I found it rather presumptuous to assume that our visit would be welcome to Nicholas, and I told her that we should revisit the idea a bit later. Dominic and I were supposed to go to my parents' on New Year's Eve, but alas, he ran into some urgent matters, and I found myself heading home alone for the holidays. He did not confirm with me when and if he would join me. Dominic only promised that he would come over immediately after handling the issue. I knew how busy he was during this period, and it would be unreasonable for me to force him to neglect his work so he could spend the holidays with my family. Once I got home, I explained the situation to my parents, who thankfully did not seem too upset by his absence. I was glad to find my grandfather in good spirits, and Louis' presence lifted my mood immensely. I spent the first day of the new year in the company of my family. Though Dominic remained absent from the festivities, he gave us a phone call. Naturally, my parents hung on to his every word. Before I came to my parents' house, I had removed the engagement ring. I did not think it was a good time to bring up the matters of my delayed marriage while Dominic was absent. My feelings about this marriage were, at best, hazy. I felt queasy imagining the questions my family would have regarding the matrimony. In the end, Dominic was a no-show. He left the country shortly after our call. An unexpected call on the morning of January the third disrupted my peaceful holiday. I frowned the minute I saw the caller ID.Ms. Porter's diligence is admirable. But what on earth does she expect me to say?