CHAPTER 205: ANYTHING FOR YOU, PUMPKIN[DOMINIC’S POV]

The minute the bell rang, chaos exploded outside the school gates....kids screaming like they’d been set free from prison, parents parking, teachers yelling goodbyes no one listened to.

I leaned against the car, sunglasses on, pretending to look cool... like the chillest adult alive while low-key sweating through my shirt. Because.... I might have forgotten what grade Alia was in.

Third? Fourth? She talked like she was fifty and cursed like she paid bills.

Then I heard her before I saw her.

"DOMINIC!!!"

She shot out of the crowd, backpack half open, lunchbox dangling, one shoe untied.....yelling my name.

"Whoa, slow down, superstar!" I laughed, kneeling a bit as she practically slammed into me for a hug. "You tryna give me a heart attack?"

She grinned up at me, with her huge sparkly eyes. "You’re here! Where’s Ash? He didn’t come?"

I removed my sunglasses and smiled softly. "Ash sent me. Said I’m your driver today, miss."

She squinted, looking suspicious. "You? My driver?"

"Yup. Full-time chauffeur. Five-star service." I pulled a pair of kid-sized sunglasses from my jacket pocket....pink frames, rhinestones, ridiculously extra. "And since we’re leaving in style..."

Her jaw dropped. "Omg, these are perfect!"

She put them on, tilted her head like she was in a fashion shoot. "Do I look famous?"

"Like a mini Beyoncé," I said, opening the car door.

She climbed in, giggling, and I slid into the driver’s seat.

"Alright, Miss Superstar," I said, turning the ignition and blasting the stereo, "we’re rolling out in style!"

The bass thumped, windows down, her little head bobbing to the beat as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"This is awesome!" she shouted over the music.

I grinned. "Seatbelt check?"

She flashed me a thumbs up. "Done."

"Good."

We drove like that.... loud music, hair flying, her talking about everything from her art project to a girl in her class who thinks unicorns are overrated "like, be serious, who hates unicorns?"

She giggled so hard she snorted, then started talking again.

"Also my friend brought her hamster to school but it escaped during math and bit Zayn’s finger, and now everyone calls him Rat King oh! And I have a class show next week and I’m the narrator!"

I blinked. "How are you still breathing? You didn’t even pause."

She ignored me completely, still going. "Are you famous?"

I grinned. "Only in very small circles."

She gasped dramatically. "So you are famous! I knew it! Can you sign my notebook? I’ll sell it when you become a millionaire!"

"Deal," I said, checking her from the rare view mirror.

Then, out of nowhere, she went quiet.

Her voice dropped small. "Dom?"

"Yeah?"

"Those bad people didn’t come today."

My hand froze mid-turn of the steering wheel.

I glanced at her in the mirror. She was staring out the window now, her small fingers twisting the strap of her backpack.

"That’s good," I said softly. "They’re not coming back, okay? You’re safe."

Her lower lip trembled. "You promise?"

I nodded. "I promise. Nobody’s taking you away from Ash. Or me."

She stared at me for a second, then whispered, "Okay." And just like that, she turned back to the window, started humming again. "Where are we going?"

"Wherever you want," I made a U-turn. "You’ve had a long day, yeah? Let’s get you something nice."

Her eyes widened. "Anything?"

"Anything," I said.

Ash was going to kill me later, but whatever. She deserved it.

At the mall, chaos resumed.

Alia dragged me into every store that had color, noise, or sparkles. She tried on sunglasses shaped like hearts, sprayed half a perfume bottle on her wrist, and made me carry three plushies, two notebooks, a pink hoodie, and one random kitchen spatula "because it’s cute."

She strutted ahead like a mini influencer, announcing, "When I’m famous, you’ll be my assistant."

"Assistant?" I said, pretending to be offended. "I’m your manager, at least."

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, "you can be both. But I’ll pay you in friendship bracelets."

I laughed. "That’s the best deal I’ve had all week."

Halfway through the candy aisle, she looked up at me, mouth full of sour belts. "Dom, when’s Ash coming?"

."Soon," I said. "He’s just...busy."

She nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Tell him I’m mad he didn’t pick me up. But also tell him I love him. But also tell him I’m still mad."

"Got it, ma’am."

"Exactly," she said, holding up a gummy worm. "He’ll understand."

"You’re my favorite adult," she said suddenly.

"You’re my favorite pumpkin" I teased.

"I know," she said proudly.

We checked out with two shopping bags full of things I definitely didn’t plan on buying.

Two boxes of shoes because she "couldn’t pick just one color." Then came clothes.... hoodies, skirts, a jacket that looked straight out of a music video. She made me take mirror selfies with her in every store, changing poses like she was on a Vogue shoot.

At one point, a group of teens actually asked to take pictures with her. "She’s so cute," one girl whispered.

"Not cute," Alia replied with hands on her hips. "She’s cool."

I couldn’t stop laughing. "She’s also humble, in case you missed it."

When we stopped for smoothies, I posted a few pics on my story.... her strutting with her shopping bags, both of us in our shades looking ridiculous and unbothered. Caption: Driver and CEO on a business trip.

My phone started blowing up immediately ...comments from our friends, hearts, people asking if she was my kid.

Alia leaned over my shoulder to look. "They love me," she said proudly, sipping her smoothie. "I’m famous now."

"Obviously," I said. "Soon you’ll forget us all when you’re rich and have bodyguards."

As we walked out, she grabbed my hand, swinging it.

When we got back to the car, she slumped into her seat, looking tired, surrounded by shopping bags.

"Dom?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You think Ash’ll like my new hoodie?"

"He’s gonna love it," I said, starting the car. "He always does."

She smiled sleepily. "Good. ’Cause I bought it to match his. Thank you, Dominic"

"Anything for you, Pumpkin."

And I swear... for a kid who never stops talking.... that silence that followed was the softest thing I’d ever heard. She was so exhausted she slept off.

No wonder Ash would fight the world for her, I thought. I would too.