Chapter 6: The girl who saved him
Meanwhile, in a luxury hotel suite, Alex was still seething with rage after being slapped and humiliated by Clara.
Julian, who had rushed over after hearing what had happened at the Sterling Estate, was equally stunned.
The plan had been flawless—or so they thought.
Alex would claim that Dominic’s men had kidnapped him on his way to the airport, giving him the perfect excuse for failing to meet Clara. As expected, he had appeared bruised and disheveled, hoping Clara would once again rush to his side and turn her anger toward Dominic.
Instead...she had slapped him. Not once, but twice. Worse, she had openly acknowledged Dominic as her husband.
"You told me blaming Dominic would make Clara hate him even more!" Alex roared.
His fist slammed into the bathroom mirror.
Crash!
Glass shattered across the marble floor.
Alex stared at his bleeding knuckles, but the pain barely registered.
For years, Clara had followed him like a loyal puppy, believing every lie he fed her. She had defended him without question and never doubted his intentions.
Yet today...she had looked at him as though he were nothing more than a complete stranger.
"She should’ve been cursing Dominic," Alex growled through clenched teeth. "Instead, she called him her husband. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
His shoulders trembled with barely restrained fury.
Even Julian instinctively took a step back.
She had never seen him this angry.
But after a brief moment of silence, a calculating smile slowly spread across her lips.
"You’re looking at this the wrong way, Alex."
He shot her an impatient glare.
"What do you mean?"
Julian walked over to him, her voice calm and reassuring.
"Think about it. Clara has been obsessed with you for years. She practically worshipped you. Do you really think she’d suddenly forget all that just because she married Dominic?"
Alex remained silent.
"The slap..." Julian continued thoughtfully, "...might have been nothing more than an act."
She gently rested a hand on his arm.
"Perhaps she wanted Dominic to believe there’s nothing between the two of you anymore. After all, Dominic already suspected you. If Clara openly defended you today, wouldn’t that only make him more suspicious?"
Alex frowned.
Julian could tell he was beginning to consider her words.
"Don’t forget," she added softly, "every time Dominic tried to expose you, Clara was always the first person to defend you. And more importantly..."
A smug smile curved her lips.
"...she still believes everything I tell her."
Alex’s expression gradually relaxed.
The rage in his eyes slowly gave way to contemplation.
Julian stepped closer, tracing a finger lightly along his jaw.
"You’ve spent years wrapping Clara around your finger. One unexpected incident isn’t enough to erase all of that."
She leaned in and brushed a brief kiss against his lips.
"I know you’ll win her back."
Alex looked at the woman standing before him.
Unlike Clara, Julian knew exactly how to soothe his pride and tell him what he wanted to hear.
A crooked smile finally appeared on his face.
"So..." he murmured, slipping an arm around her waist, "you’re saying I still have the upper hand?"
Julian smiled confidently.
"Of course."
Satisfied with her answer, Alex pulled her into his arms.
"I knew you’d understand me."
Julian laughed softly as he carried her toward the bed.
The tension that had consumed the room moments earlier gradually dissolved.
The lights dimmed as the hotel suite fell quiet, leaving the pair alone for the rest of the night.
Neither of them noticed that their confidence would soon become the very thing that led to their downfall.
***
[Sterling Estate]
Inside the study, Dominic had just finished reviewing the last of his documents.
After Hannah unexpectedly announced that she would be staying at the Sterling Estate for a while, he hadn’t had the heart to refuse her. What surprised him even more, however, was Clara’s willingness to make amends for the mistakes she had made earlier.
He leaned back in his chair, his brows knitting together in confusion.
"What is she trying to do now?" he muttered to himself. "How can someone change so completely overnight?"
The question had been bothering him ever since the wedding.
The Clara he had known until now had been stubborn, impulsive, and determined to stay as far away from him as possible.
There had even been moments when he seriously considered calling off the wedding.
Not because he didn’t want to marry her...
But because he feared forcing her into the marriage would only make her hate him even more.
Yet every time he reached that conclusion, another thought stopped him.
He knew exactly what kind of people surrounded Clara.
Alex.
The Hayes family.
None of them truly cared about her.
If he let her go, she would only end up trapped in a life far more miserable than the one she imagined she would have with him.
Dominic let out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes.
Almost instantly, an old memory resurfaced.
It had happened years ago.
He had only been thirteen.
At the time, the Sterling family had countless enemies, and kidnapping attempts were nothing new.
That day, while trying to escape a group of men chasing him through a crowded street, he had nearly been cornered.
Then she appeared.
A young girl no older than eleven or twelve.
Without the slightest hesitation, she had grabbed his hand and pulled him into a narrow alley before hiding him inside an abandoned storage room.
"You have to stay quiet," the little girl had whispered nervously. "They’re looking for you."
Despite being frightened herself, she had stayed outside long enough to mislead the kidnappers, sending them running in the opposite direction.
By the time Dominic came out to thank her...
She was already gone.
All she had left behind was the memory of her bright smile.
For years, he searched for that girl.
He wanted to thank her, wanted to know her name. But no matter how hard he looked, he found nothing.
As time passed, he slowly accepted that he might never see her again.
Until her twenty-fourth birthday. Through an unexpected coincidence, he finally learned her identity.
The little girl who had once saved him...was Clara Hayes.
Without wasting a second, Dominic went to find her.
Instead of the reunion he had imagined for so many years, he arrived just in time to witness Julian secretly drugging Clara’s drink during her birthday celebration.
If he hadn’t intervened that night... Clara would have fallen into the hands of someone with far more sinister intentions.
Dominic’s gaze darkened.
He knew what he did afterward had been selfish. Rather than simply rescuing her and walking away... he had used that opportunity to bring Clara into his life.
Even if it meant she would hate him for it. Even if it meant she would never understand why he had made that choice.
Because to him living with her hatred was far better than watching her life be destroyed by people who never deserved her trust.
"You might hate me, Clara, but all I did was to protect you." A sad smile crossed his face before he stood up and left the study.