Love the Second Time Around Novel

Chapter 45

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Nicholas stared at the microphone in surprise for a moment before saying with a smile, “Sure! I’m pretty good at this song!”
Oh, that’s right! Nicholas is very good at both acting and singing! Crap, am I overestimating myself by inviting him to a duet with
me? I don’t want to end up embarrassing myself in front of him!
James didn’t expect me to invite Nicholas to a duet; he was evidently stunned for a brief moment. He then tried to snatch the
microphone from me, but I stepped out of the way before he could reach it.
“What? You wanted me to sing, didn’t you? Why are you trying to stop me from singing now?”
“I’m trying to save your dumb ass right now, Liliana!” James muttered with a solemn look on his face.
I instinctively turned toward Dominic when I heard that, and he looked like he was about to explode from anger.
What the hell is his problem? Is he that angry at me for not singing with him? I mean... He didn’t say he wanted to sing, so...
“Hey, Liliana! I’ll restart the song, okay? We missed the first part,” Nicholas spoke up all of a sudden.
“Okay!” I replied without any hesitation, only to feel a chill travel down my spine.
James let out a helpless sigh as he watched from the side, much to my annoyance.
What? I’m singing a song like he asked me to! Why can’t I sing it with someone other than Dominic?
The music began playing once again, and Nicholas shot me a glance to remind me of it starting.
I nodded at him in acknowledgment. Despite it being a fun session, I simply couldn’t shake the pressure of singing with someone
like him.
Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation on my left hand that was trembling from nervousness. Nicholas had gripped my hand with his
own.
“Relax, I’m your friend, remember? An ordinary guy, just like everyone else.”
I broke into a smile when I heard his words of comfort.

Nicholas is right! Silly me! Putting his amazing charm aside, he’s just another fellow human being like me!
That thought seemed to help me a lot. Although I didn’t do very well in the intro part, I was able to pick up the pace shortly after

and finish the song with relative ease.
It was my first time doing a duet with a superstar, and the fact that it was a difficult song made me feel even better about myself.
“I got it all on video! Man, this stuff is golden! Let me know if any of you guys want a copy of it!” Shannon shouted excitedly after
the two of us were done with the song.
That last sentence was meant for James and the others, but none of them responded to her whatsoever.
I cast another glance at Dominic, and the look in his eyes was so cold that it felt like he could freeze everything within a hundred
feet.
James and the others had odd looks on their faces as well, but I chose to ignore them.
“That was some amazing singing, Nicholas! Have you ever considered releasing an album or something? I’m sure it’d sell
like hotcakes!”
With his existing popularity, I was certain that his talent in singing would elevate him to a whole new level within the industry.
“I prefer acting. That’s why it’s my main career. Singing is just a little something I do as a hobby every once in a while.”
“Oh...” I lowered my gaze in disappointment. What a shame...
“Liliana.” I looked back up at him when I heard him call my name.
“If I were to produce an album, would you buy it?”
His question caught me completely off guard, but I instinctively responded, “Yes! I’ll definitely buy it!”
Shannon chimed in and said she would buy it as well, prompting the three of us to burst into laughter.
“Are you done, Liliana? Have you forgotten what you’re supposed to do? How dare you get all chummy with some random
stranger like this?” Dominic shouted furiously all of a sudden, scaring everyone at the scene with his booming voice.

Him calling me out like that made me feel extremely humiliated, and I snapped back at him angrily in response, “I have the right
and freedom to talk to anyone about anything!”
I then grabbed hold of Nicholas’ arm as I continued, “Besides, Nicholas is not a random stranger! He’s the dream guy every
woman in this country wishes they could be with! I can’t believe how rude you are!”
Dominic had a terrifyingly vicious gaze in his eyes as he spat the words out, “Come here and say that to my face one more time!
I dare you!”
Right as I found myself frozen in fear, Nicholas took a step forward and stood between us.

“You should be gentle toward women,” he stated firmly.
I nodded profusely in response from the safety of his back.
Dominic looked as savage as a bandit as he yelled, “How I treat her is none of your f*cking business!”
Um... Did Dominic just swear? From what I remember, he hates swearing! He’d lecture me all day just for saying “sh*t” in front of
him!
“I couldn’t care less about how you treat others, but Liliana is off-limits.”
Oh, my god! This is like those scenes in romance movies where the male lead steps up and defends the female lead from the
bad guys! Nicholas being the male lead, me being the female lead, and Dominic being the bad guy, of course! Man, this feels so
good for some reason!
Unfortunately, that dreamy moment was quickly shattered by Dominic’s furious voice.
“Liliana! You have three seconds to get your ass over here!”
Naturally, I refused to do so; I would be practically marching to my own death.
“Liliana!” Dominic shouted at me again, but I refused to budge.
“Come on, Liliana. I’ll send you home,” Nicholas stated, his gentle tone contrasting with Dominic’s menacing attitude.

As tempting as it was to let him send me home, I knew my limits. In the end, I chose to refuse his offer. Pissing Dominic off was
one thing, but letting Nicholas actually send me home would be me going overboard.
Besides, I didn’t want to put him through trouble either.
“That won’t be necessary. These guys drove here, so they can send me home. You should head on back to your private room,
Nicholas. I’m sure your friends are waiting.”
“It’s fine, I can just call them and let them know about the change of plans. I’ll be worried about your safety if I don’t send you
home myself.”
Man, Nicholas sure is a great guy...
“You don’t have to.” I figured he was probably worried that Dominic would hurt me and said after giving it some thought, “Actually,
he and I have known each other for a very long time. He may have a bad temper and say some really mean stuff, but he won’t
actually hurt me or anything, so don’t you worry!”
Eventually, Nicholas reluctantly gave in to my coaxing and nodded in acknowledgment.
He followed me outside the private room. Upon exiting, he handed me his phone number so I could call him if I needed any help.
I returned to the private room after saying goodbye, only to have James pat me on the shoulder as he whispered, “Liliana, I’ve
tried my best to save you, but you stubbornly chose to refuse my help. Don’t blame me for whatever happens next, okay?”
What does he mean by that?

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