Chapter 14 - THE FIRST THING DOMINIC COULD NOT BUY
Skylar returned to Philadelphia in January.
She did not accept a position at Hayes Technologies.
She did not allow Dominic to pay her tuition.
And she did not agree to become the permanent face of his corporate reform campaign.
She wanted her life to belong to her.
Dominic respected that.
It was harder than he expected.
For most of his adult life, problems had been solved through money, influence, or authority.
Skylar responded to none of those things the way he anticipated.
When he offered to arrange an apartment near campus, she declined.
When he offered to fund additional research travel personally, she directed him toward established institutional grant programs.
When he asked whether he could visit, she said:
“You can ask me again after my qualifying review.”
Dominic stared at the message for nearly a minute.
Then replied:
Understood. Good luck.
Henrik found the exchange hilarious.
“You have finally met someone who cannot be acquired.”
Dominic looked irritated.
“Thank you, Henrik.”
“My pleasure.”
Meanwhile, the Aurelian investigation continued.
Victor Sloane faced criminal proceedings involving fraud, forged documents, and the scheme connected to Elias’s accident.
Lionel Mercer became a central subject of the cultural-property investigation and faced legal claims concerning transactions with questionable provenance.
Charles Whitmore was removed from supervisory duties pending the university’s findings.
He eventually lost his position after the investigation established serious research and confidentiality misconduct.
Gordon no longer managed Lauronie.
The restaurant’s owners had reviewed his actions and introduced new procedures for reporting harassment and retaliation against staff.
Skylar was glad.
But none of those consequences became the center of her life.
She had papers to write.
Languages to teach.
Research to complete.
Her father continued rehabilitation in a facility closer to Philadelphia.
He did not miraculously regain the ability to walk.
His condition remained difficult.
But consistent care improved his strength, comfort, and independence.
For the first time in years, Skylar could visit him without calculating how many hours she would need to work afterward.
Dominic’s life changed too.
He stepped away from direct control of the cultural-assets division while the independent review continued.
Hayes Technologies adopted stricter acquisition oversight and separated the AtlasVault platform from Aurelian’s disputed provenance records.
Henrik eventually agreed to consider a smaller investment in the independently reviewed technology business.
No antiquities deal was included.
Dominic accepted the conditions.
He also began visiting Lauronie occasionally.
Not for expensive performances of sophistication.
Sometimes just for dinner.
He tipped properly.
Learned the names of the servers.
And stopped snapping his fingers.
One evening, a young waiter accidentally spilled sparkling water near his cuff.
The waiter went pale.
Dominic reached for a napkin.
“It’s water.”
The waiter stared.
Dominic smiled faintly.
“You’re allowed to make mistakes.”
Henrik, seated across from him, almost choked on his drink.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Dominic Hayes?”
Dominic ignored him.
But he smiled.
Six months after Skylar returned to Penn, she completed a major doctoral review.
Her committee approved the next stage of her research.
That evening, Dominic sent her a message.
Congratulations, Dr. Hastings-in-progress.
She laughed.
Then typed:
That title is premature.
His reply came immediately.
I’m optimistic.
She stared at her phone.
Then, before she could overthink it, she wrote:
I’ll be in Manhattan next weekend. Would you like to have coffee?
Dominic Hayes had negotiated billion-dollar acquisitions without his hands shaking.
Now he sat staring at a coffee invitation as though his entire company depended on choosing the correct answer.
Finally, he wrote:
Yes.
A moment later, another message appeared.
Your choice of café.
Skylar smiled.
May you like
For once, Dominic had understood the most important condition.
She would be the one choosing where they met.
