Chapter 14: I will not tolerate anyone raising a hand against her
Clara quietly watched as Julian stood beside Vincent, gently trying to calm him down.
The corner of her lips lifted into a faint smile. Even now...Julian was wearing the same familiar mask. The kind, considerate daughter. The loving sister.
"You don’t have to defend her all the time," Vincent snapped, shaking Julian’s hand off his arm.
"I should’ve known bringing her back into the Hayes family would only bring trouble."
He glared at Clara with unconcealed disappointment.
"First, she embarrasses us by trying to run away from her wedding. Now these photographs are all over the internet."
He threw the phone onto the coffee table with a loud thud.
"Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Our family is being mocked. And you’ve dragged the Sterling family into this mess as well. They are not only our in-laws but also one of Hayes Group’s biggest shareholders."
His face darkened further. "If this affects our relationship with them, will you take responsibility?"
Clara met his furious gaze without the slightest trace of fear.
"Father is right, Julian." Her sudden words startled both Vincent and Julian.
"You don’t have to keep defending me." She smiled faintly. "I can speak for myself."
Julian’s brows knitted together. Something about Clara today felt completely unfamiliar. It was as though the timid girl she used to manipulate had disappeared overnight.
Clara picked up the phone from the table and calmly looked at the photographs. Then she said, "These photographs aren’t mine."
"..."
Every servant in the room froze.
Vincent stared at her in disbelief. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Julian quickly nodded in agreement. "Clara, what are you saying?"
She pointed at the screen. "It’s clearly you and Alex. Everyone can see that. How can you possibly say these aren’t your photos?"
Although Julian sounded confident, her heartbeat had already become erratic.
She knew the truth. The photographs were originally hers and Alex’s. She had simply paid someone to edit Clara’s face onto them before leaking them anonymously online.
No ordinary person would notice the difference.
Clara looked at Julian calmly. "I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me...then have the photographs examined professionally."
Julian’s smile almost cracked. Vincent, however, wasn’t convinced.
"You still refuse to admit your mistake?" His voice rose with every word.
"I’ve already seen enough evidence. You think you can fool everyone with a few excuses?" He took two angry steps toward Clara.
"You’ve become more shameless than your mother ever was!"
Without thinking, Vincent raised his hand. This time... Clara didn’t move. She simply watched him quietly.
Just as his hand was about to come down—
"Mr. Hayes." A deep, icy voice echoed through the living room.
Vincent froze. Every servant immediately lowered their heads.
Dominic Sterling had returned. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, he strode into the living room with calm, measured steps.
His expression was unreadable. Only the freezing aura surrounding him revealed his anger.
His gaze fell on Vincent’s raised hand. "If you value your relationship with the Sterling family...I suggest you lower your hand."
The room instantly fell silent.
Vincent’s face stiffened. "D-Dominic..." He slowly lowered his arm.
Dominic stopped beside Clara before speaking again. "My wife entered the Sterling family yesterday." He looked directly at Vincent. "Touching her inside my home...is the same as disrespecting the Sterling family."
His voice remained calm. Yet every word carried unmistakable warning.
"If there is a next time...you’ll face the consequences."
A cold sweat broke out across Vincent’s forehead. He had come here intending to pressure Clara. Never had he expected Dominic to appear at that exact moment.
Julian, on the other hand, quickly stepped forward, putting on her usual gentle smile.
"Mr. Sterling, please don’t misunderstand. Dad was only upset after seeing the news online. We’re all worried about Clara." She looked at Dominic earnestly.
"I know this situation looks terrible, but we’re trying to resolve it peacefully."
Dominic didn’t even spare her a glance. He walked past her as though she didn’t exist.
Julian’s smile froze on her face. For the first time in years...she felt completely ignored.
Just then, Mark hurried into the living room with a tablet in hand.
"Boss."
Dominic accepted it without a word.
"Our cybersecurity team analyzed the photographs as soon as they began circulating." He turned the screen toward Vincent.
"The initial visual edits were convincing. But after a forensic image analysis..." Mark tapped the screen. " ...our experts found multiple signs of digital manipulation."
Several enlarged sections of the photographs appeared.
"The facial proportions don’t perfectly match the original lighting," he opened another report. "Our team is confident these photographs were digitally altered to make it appear as though Madam was with Alex."
Mark looked at Vincent. "In other words, someone deliberately fabricated this scandal to defame Mrs. Sterling."
The color drained from Julian’s face. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she struggled to maintain her composure.
She had never imagined that Dominic would have the photographs professionally examined before confronting anyone.
For the first time since arriving at the Sterling Estate... a flicker of genuine panic surfaced in her eyes.
"See for yourself, Mr. Hayes," Dominic said calmly, handing the tablet to Vincent.
"If this report isn’t enough to convince you, I’ll have my team identify the person responsible for creating and spreading these fabricated photographs."
Julian’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked at Dominic.
His expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever, but the warning in his words was unmistakable.
If Dominic investigated further...it wouldn’t take long for him to trace the photos back to her.
The thought alone sent a chill down her spine. She quickly forced a smile.
"There’s no need for that, Mr. Sterling," Julian said hurriedly. "I’m sure your team’s findings are accurate. Since they’ve already confirmed the photos were edited, there’s no point wasting any more time investigating."
Dominic’s eyes shifted toward her. The simple glance made Julian’s palms grow damp with sweat.
Just then, Clara, who had been quietly observing everything, suddenly spoke.
"Wait a second..."
She stepped closer and looked at the photograph on Vincent’s phone again.
Tilting her head thoughtfully, she murmured,
"Julian... haven’t I seen you wearing this dress before?"
The living room instantly fell silent, and everyone’s gaze shifted toward Julian.
Her face turned noticeably pale.
Clara walked over and held the phone beside Julian.
"See?" She pointed at the dress in the photograph. "It looks exactly like the limited-edition dress you bought a few months ago."
Julian stared at the screen, her heartbeat pounding violently in her ears.
Damn it... Why does she have to remember the dress now?
Trying to steady herself, Julian forced out a laugh.
"T-There are plenty of people who own the same dress. How can you assume it’s mine?"
Clara blinked innocently. "But wasn’t yours from the limited collection? I remember you showing it to me and saying only a small number were released."
She smiled as though she had simply remembered something amusing. "So I thought it looked familiar."
Julian’s fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag.
For a terrifying second...she felt as though Clara could see straight through her.
Did she figure it out?
"No..." Julian replied quickly, shaking her head. "I would never do something like this."
She looked at Clara with an aggrieved expression. "You’re my sister."
Clara’s eyes briefly flickered toward the beads of sweat forming on Julian’s forehead. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I never said the woman in the photo was you." She spoke gently, almost apologetically. "I only said the dress looked familiar. I’m sure there are other women who bought the same design."
Julian secretly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
For a moment she had genuinely believed Clara was about to expose her.
Clara, meanwhile, found Julian’s panic oddly satisfying. Only then did she turn toward Vincent.
"So, Father..." She met his gaze calmly. "Is this proof enough? Or would you like my husband to continue investigating until the person responsible is found?"
Vincent’s expression shifted repeatedly. From anger...to confusion...and finally...to embarrassment.
He looked at Dominic, whose cold gaze never left him. After a long silence, Vincent finally lowered his head slightly.
"There’s no need. I believe Mr. Sterling." The anger that had consumed him moments earlier had completely disappeared.
Dominic nodded once. "Good." His voice remained calm. "Then this matter ends here."
He looked toward the entrance. "You may leave."
Vincent and Julian were both stunned. Neither of them had expected to be dismissed so directly. However, one look at Dominic’s icy expression was enough to tell them there was no room for negotiation.
As they turned to leave, Dominic’s voice rang out once more.
"Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Hayes."
Vincent stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around and met Dominic’s unwavering gaze.
"Clara may have once been your daughter. But she is now my wife."
A brief silence followed.
"So from this day forward... I will not tolerate anyone raising a hand against her. It doesn’t matter who that person is. Even if it’s her own family."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Even Clara was stunned by the warning.
Vincent’s face, on the other hand, stiffened.
For the first time...he truly understood what it meant for Clara to be protected by the head of the Sterling family.
Without saying another word, he nodded stiffly before leaving with Julian.
Only after the front door closed did the oppressive atmosphere inside the living room finally begin to ease.