Chapter 22: Women in love
"Is that so?"
Clara’s eyes lit up at Dominic’s praise. The hint of nervousness on her face disappeared, replaced by a bright, satisfied smile.
She pulled out the chair beside him and sat down without hesitation. "Then you should eat more."
She picked up another cookie and placed it on his plate. "I made plenty."
Turning to everyone else, she clapped her hands happily. "And the rest of you too! I baked enough for everyone, so don’t be shy."
She grinned mischievously. "Think of it as helping me advertise my future bakery."
The servants exchanged amused glances before stepping forward one after another.
Clara eagerly handed each of them a cookie.
"Come on. Everyone has to try one."
Lily accepted hers first.
The moment she took a bite, her eyes widened dramatically.
"Oh my goodness..." She covered her mouth in disbelief. "It melts in your mouth!"
Before anyone could respond, she had already taken another bite. "This is the best cookie I’ve ever eaten!"
Within seconds, she was happily reaching for another one.
Standing beside her, Silvia crossed her arms. She glanced at Lily suspiciously.
"You’re exaggerating."
"I am not!"
"You always overreact when food is involved."
Silvia looked unconvinced.
One bite. That’s all. I’m only proving she’s overreacting.
She picked up a cookie and cautiously took a small bite.
Crunch.
Her expression froze. The buttery cookie practically melted on her tongue, followed by the rich aroma of vanilla and chocolate. Her eyes slowly widened.
"..."
Without saying a word, she quietly reached for a second cookie.
Lily smirked. "I told you."
Silvia coughed awkwardly. "...I’m only confirming the consistency."
"With a second cookie?"
"...Quality control."
The entire staff burst into laughter. Even Butler James couldn’t hide the smile on his usually composed face.
He looked at Clara with genuine admiration. "Madam..."
He nodded appreciatively. "These are exceptional. I’ve tasted countless desserts over the years, but these are among the finest."
The head chef nodded in agreement. "I have to admit..." He looked at the cookies thoughtfully. "I’m impressed. The texture is perfect. The sweetness isn’t overwhelming. I’d love to learn how you made them."
Clara’s smile grew even brighter.
"Really?"
The chef nodded sincerely. "Without question."
Hearing everyone’s praise made Clara feel as though all the effort she had put into baking had been worth it.
She let out a small breath of relief before instinctively turning toward Dominic. Only then did she realize... he had been watching her the entire time.
Clara blinked. For a brief moment, she forgot what she had been about to do. Then, almost unconsciously, she picked up a fork.
Cutting off a small piece of the cake she had baked, she held it out toward Dominic. A playful smile curved her lips.
"Ah... I want to feed you."
The room instantly fell silent.
Dominic stared at the fork hovering in front of him. His mind went completely feral.
(...She’s feeding me?)
(In front of everyone?)
(Does she even realize what she’s doing?)
He slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. She looked completely natural. Completely innocent. As though feeding him cake was the most ordinary thing in the world.
(Why is she smiling like that...?)
(Is she trying to test me?)
(...Or am I the only one overthinking this?)
Across the room, Mark discreetly looked away.
Boss... Good luck.
Lily quietly nudged Silvia. "Do you think Master will eat it?"
Silvia whispered back, "I don’t know. But Madam looks determined."
Clara tilted her head slightly, still holding the fork in front of him.
"What are you waiting for? The cake isn’t going to feed itself."
Dominic remained motionless.
(Everyone is watching.)
(If I refuse... she’ll be disappointed.)
(If I accept... they’ll never let me forget this.)
His thoughts raced back and forth before he finally let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Clara watched him struggle to decide and couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
So he really does get flustered.
For some reason... she found that side of Dominic incredibly adorable.
Just as Clara was about to lower her hand, Dominic leaned forward and quietly took the bite from the spoon.
Clara froze.
For a second, she simply stared at him.
Dominic chewed calmly before swallowing. "...It’s delicious."
His voice was as composed as ever, but the simple compliment was enough to make Clara’s heart skip a beat.
A warm feeling spread through her chest and a bright smile blossomed across her face.
"Then eat some more."
Without giving him a chance to protest, she scooped up another bite and held it out in front of him.
Dominic looked at the spoon before looking at Clara.
(She’s doing it again...)
(In front of everyone...)
(Does she really not feel embarrassed?)
He glanced around the dining room. Every servant had conveniently found something else to look at, though their ears were clearly paying close attention.
Mark lowered his head, pretending to be fascinated by the floor.
(They’re all pretending not to watch...)
Dominic let out an almost imperceptible sigh before opening his mouth again.
Clara happily fed him another bite. The corners of her lips lifted higher.
One spoonful became two. Then three. Soon, she was enthusiastically feeding him everything she had made.
"Try the cheesecake. And this cookie too."
"Oh! You haven’t tasted this one yet."
Dominic accepted each bite with surprising patience.
(At this rate...)
(She’s going to feed me the entire dessert menu.)
Across the table, Butler James watched with an expression of pure disbelief. The head chef rubbed his eyes.
He had served the Sterling family for years. Never—not once—had he imagined seeing the cold and distant Dominic Sterling quietly allowing someone to feed him in front of an audience.
Even Hannah was stunned. Her brows slowly furrowed. Is she showing off their relationship now?
The sight irritated her more than she cared to admit. Almost unconsciously, another face appeared in her mind.
Eric.
If he hadn’t been away on a business trip, the two of them would probably have been having dinner together instead. Instead, she was sitting here watching her brother and Clara act like a happily married couple.
The thought made her mood sour. Finally, she slapped her hand lightly on the table.
"Alright, that’s enough."
The room fell silent. Hannah looked at the pair with exaggerated annoyance.
"Can you two stop making everyone jealous?"
She leaned back dramatically. "Watching you like this suddenly makes me miss Eric."
Clara paused in the middle of reaching for another cookie.
"Oh...speaking of Eric... I think I saw him earlier today."
Hannah looked up.
"What?"
"I was at the supermarket this afternoon," Clara spoke casually, as though mentioning the weather. "I’m pretty sure I saw Eric getting into a car with another woman."
For a brief moment... The dining room became completely silent.
Then Hannah frowned. "That’s impossible."
She answered without hesitation. "Eric is out of town on a business trip."
Clara blinked. "I know what I saw."
"You must’ve mistaken someone else for him."
"I don’t think so."
Clara remained surprisingly calm. "It looked exactly like Eric."
Hannah gave a short laugh. "Clara. My boyfriend has been away for two days. I talked to him this morning. He isn’t even in the city."
Clara met her eyes. "I’m not trying to argue with you. I’m simply telling you what I saw. I’m fairly certain it was him."
Hannah’s smile disappeared.
"I said you were mistaken."
"And I’m saying I wasn’t."
Clara’s voice remained gentle.
"There was a woman sitting beside him. They drove away together. I saw it with my own eyes."
Hannah’s patience snapped. She pushed her chair back with a sharp scrape.
"Enough!" Her voice echoed through the dining room.
"I don’t know why you’re saying this. But I trust Eric. He would never betray me."
Clara didn’t flinch.
"I’m not asking you to believe me. I’m only telling you what I witnessed. If I were in your position... I’d at least make sure everything was alright."
Those words only fueled Hannah’s anger.
"Oh, I get it now." A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"So this is your plan?" She pointed accusingly at Clara.
"First, you pretend to be kind. Then you try to plant doubts in my mind. You want me to suspect Eric so you can manipulate me."
Clara’s expression fell slightly.
"Hannah..." she breathed. "I have no reason to manipulate you. I only thought you deserved to know."
"I don’t need your concern." Hannah’s voice turned cold.
"And I certainly don’t need lies about the man I love."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Clara sighed inwardly. She had expected this reaction.
After all, in her previous life, Hannah had loved Eric so deeply that she had refused to believe anyone who spoke against him.
Even undeniable truth had once sounded like slander to a woman in love.
This time... It seemed nothing had changed.