Chapter 51: You can read minds?
The night stretched on far longer than either of them had expected.
The two women had emptied their hearts over countless glasses. They had cried, laughed until their stomachs hurt, cursed every terrible man they could think of, and somehow, by the end of it all, found themselves appreciating each other.
"You know..." Hannah slurred, resting her chin on the table. "I should thank you."
Clara blinked several times before pointing at herself.
"Me?"
"Yes, you." Hannah nodded with unusual seriousness despite the rosy flush covering her face. "If you hadn’t exposed Eric, I would’ve kept loving that jerk while he happily cheated behind my back."
Clara stared at her for a second before grinning.
"Wait... are you actually thanking me?"
"I am."
"You’ve had too much to drink."
"I have," Hannah admitted proudly. "But I’m sober enough to know you’re right."
She sighed and leaned back.
"When you first warned me, I thought you were lying because you hated Eric. But..." She lowered her eyes. "Your words never left my mind. Then I found that earring in his room."
She laughed bitterly.
"That was the moment everything finally clicked."
Clara folded her arms dramatically.
"Good. Because if you still believed him after that, I would’ve dragged you to the hospital."
"The hospital?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
"A brain scan." Clara deadpanned. "I would’ve asked the doctor if your brain had gone on permanent vacation. Who blindly trusts a man like that?"
Hannah slowly turned to look at her.
"...You did."
Clara’s smug expression froze.
"You trusted Alex," Hannah continued mercilessly. "That useless freeloader chased your money, and you still worshipped him."
Clara opened her mouth. Then closed it.
"...Fair."
"Not just fair." Hannah poked her forehead. "You were worse than me."
Clara rubbed the spot with a pout.
"I know..." The teasing smile gradually disappeared from her face.
Memories she wished she could erase surfaced one after another. She remembered overlooking every warning sign.
Every lie. Every manipulation.
She had believed Alex loved her.
Instead... he had pointed a gun at her.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched.
"...You’re right." Her voice trembled.
"I was blind." Her eyes slowly reddened. "I couldn’t see who Alex really was until it was too late."
Too late...
She remembered another man. A man covered in blood.
Dominic. Even now, she could still picture him shielding her without hesitation.
She had never understood why he kept protecting someone who had done nothing but hurt him.
He had given his life... for a woman who didn’t deserve it.
A tear escaped despite her efforts to stop it.
Seeing the sudden sadness in Clara’s eyes, Hannah’s irritation disappeared. She quietly handed her a tissue.
Clara accepted it with a sheepish smile. After a long silence, Hannah finally spoke.
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Don’t hurt my brother."
Her voice was soft this time.
"No matter what happens... don’t play with his feelings." She smiled faintly.
"Dominic Sterling acts cold, but he’s... genuinely a good man. He deserves someone who loves him."
Clara looked down before smiling weakly.
"He already is precious to me."
Hannah blinked.
"...Really?"
Clara nodded. "Very."
Without warning, she suddenly stood up so quickly that the chair nearly toppled over. She raised one hand dramatically toward the ceiling.
"I, Clara Hayes, swear—"
Several nearby customers turned to stare. Hannah immediately grabbed her sleeve.
"Sit down!"
"No! This is an important declaration!"
"You look like you’re joining the army!"
Ignoring her, Clara puffed out her chest.
"I promise I will never hurt Dominic Sterling again!"
Hannah stared at her.
"...Again?"
"I mean... ever!"
"You almost confessed to something."
"I didn’t."
"You definitely did."
Clara cleared her throat loudly.
"Moving on!"
Hannah narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"So..." She rested her chin on her palm. "If you’re serious... How exactly are you planning to make my emotionally constipated brother fall in love with you?"
Clara froze.
"...Huh."
"Don’t ’huh’ me."
"I..."
She scratched her cheek. "I haven’t really thought that far."
Hannah snorted. "So you’re declaring your love with absolutely no strategy?"
"I’ll figure something out."
"Like?"
Clara frowned as though she were solving the world’s greatest mystery.
Flowers?
No.
Dominic wasn’t the flower type.
Cooking?
She could bake...
Wait.
His favorite desserts!
"I’ll make him cakes."
"He already has chefs."
"...Right."
"I’ll buy him gifts."
"He owns half the city."
"...Also true."
"I’ll compliment him."
"He’ll think you’re sick."
"...That’s possible."
Hannah burst into laughter.
"You’ve got absolutely nothing!"
"I do!"
"What?"
Clara suddenly snapped her fingers.
"I’ll listen to his thoughts!"
"...."
Hannah blinked.
"...What?"
Clara nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly! Every time he’s thinking something, I’ll know what he likes, what he wants, what annoys him—"
She stopped. Her drunken brain finally realized what had just come out of her mouth.
"..."
Hannah stared.
"...Listen...to his thoughts?"
Clara’s eyes widened.
"I..."
"You can read minds now?" she asked in awe.
"No!"
"You literally just said you’d listen to his thoughts!"
"I meant..."
Clara frantically waved both hands.
"...His expressions!"
"You said thoughts."
"I meant expressions!"
"You definitely said thoughts."
"I misspoke!" she laughed awkwardly.
Hannah leaned closer with narrowed eyes.
"...Are you secretly a psychic?"
"No!"
"A witch?"
"No!"
"An alien?"
"What kind of alien falls in love with Dominic?"
"I don’t know! Maybe handsome CEOs are popular on your planet!"
Clara buried her burning face in both hands.
"Oh no..."
"What else are you hiding?"
"Nothing!"
"You can tell the future too?"
"No!"
"Can you read my thoughts?"
"I said no!"
"You hesitated."
"I didn’t!"
Before Hannah could continue interrogating her, a deep voice suddenly came from behind them.
"...Listening to my thoughts?"
Both women froze.
Clara’s entire body stiffened.
That voice... It couldn’t be.
Very, very slowly, she turned around.
Dominic Sterling stood only a few steps away, one hand in his pocket.
His unreadable gaze rested solely on her.
Judging by the faint lift of one eyebrow... he had heard every single word.
Clara’s mind went completely blank.
Hannah looked at her. Then at Dominic. Then back at Clara.
"...Well," Hannah muttered under her breath.
"...This should be interesting."