Chapter 116: There is only one way to find out
Clara wanted nothing more than to march back into the bedroom and smack her husband on the head.
Somehow, she managed to resist the urge.
Instead, she focused on cleaning herself up, letting the cool water calm the frustration bubbling inside her.
By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, the suite had gone completely silent.
There wasn’t a single sign of Dominic.
She let out a long breath.
"Calm down, Clara," she muttered to herself. "As much as your hands are itching to hit your husband, remember... he was right."
She might have been disappointed that Dominic had stopped kissing her so abruptly, but deep down she knew they couldn’t have gone any further.
Not while she was still on her period.
A reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
"Fine... I’ll forgive him for being considerate."
She paused before narrowing her eyes.
"But the way he said it..." she grumbled, flipping her damp hair over her shoulder. "I’ll make sure he remembers those words for the rest of his life."
Just imagining the horrified look on Dominic’s face when he realized what he’d blurted out made her anger ease a little.
Her phone suddenly rang, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Officer Kaleb.
Her playful expression disappeared instantly.
"Yes, Officer Kaleb."
"We found the man, Mrs. Sterling."
Clara’s expression immediately turned serious.
"I’ll be there right away."
She ended the call without another word.
After quickly changing into the casual clothes Dominic had already arranged for her, she grabbed her essentials and left the company suite.
Outside the building, she hailed a taxi.
Before getting in, she quickly typed a message.
I’m heading out for an important lead. Don’t worry. I’ll call you later.
She hit send.
"I’ll probably have to deal with his sulking later anyway," she murmured with a helpless smile before slipping her phone back into her pocket.
As the taxi pulled away, Clara leaned back in her seat.
Hopefully, Officer Kaleb had finally found the breakthrough she had been waiting for.
***
Meanwhile... Dominic was halfway through an important meeting with several international clients when his phone vibrated.
Normally, he would’ve ignored it. But seeing Clara’s name flash across the screen, he discreetly picked it up beneath the table.
The moment he finished reading the message... his expression froze.
Across the conference table, Mark noticed the change almost instantly.
...Here we go again.
He had only just returned in time for the meeting, and judging by Dominic’s face, disaster had struck.
Back when Dominic had discovered Hannah’s photos on Mark’s phone, Mark had narrowly escaped execution by distracting him with news about Clara being in danger.
It had worked. Miraculously.
But now... there was no emergency to save him. Only silence.
Mark secretly folded his hands beneath the table.
Dear heavens... Boss finally got the woman he’s been chasing for years. Please don’t let him remember my crimes today. Amen.
He cautiously peeked at Dominic.
Nothing. No glare. No icy stare.
Mark quietly sighed in relief.
I survived.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
...Wait. That’s even worse.
His boss wasn’t angry. His boss looked... heartbroken.
Oh no. Madam definitely scolded him.
Mark almost felt sorry for Dominic. Almost. After all, watching the once-feared CEO Sterling sit around looking like a puppy that had just been kicked out of the suite was strangely entertaining.
Across the table, one of the clients cleared his throat.
"Mr. Sterling?"
Dominic blinked.
"Hm?"
"The proposal..."
"...Right."
He looked down at the document but couldn’t read a single word. His mind was somewhere else entirely.
His wife had simply sent a text and left.
No teasing. No emojis. Not even a heart. Just...
I’m heading out.
Dominic slowly lowered his phone.
...Did I really mess up that badly?
He replayed the scene in his head.
"You should go clean yourself."
Dominic closed his eyes for a brief second.
Congratulations, Dominic. Out of every romantic line you could’ve said... you chose the one sentence guaranteed to get you thrown out of the bathroom.
Across the table, Mark watched his boss silently torture himself.
He couldn’t help it anymore. He lowered his head and bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.
Boss... for someone who’s a genius in business, you’re unbelievably hopeless when it comes to your wife.
The meeting continued.
Dominic heard every word. Understood absolutely none of them.
***
Meanwhile, Clara arrived at the police station and met Officer Kaleb, who was already waiting for her with a file in his hand.
"We’ve gathered all the information we could about the man who tried to steal from your shop, Mrs. Sterling," he said as he handed the file across the desk.
After everything that had happened that night, Clara had become convinced there was far more to the incident than a simple robbery. Gen’s reaction, her fear, and the fragments of her past that she had reluctantly revealed all pointed to something much darker.
After confronting Gen, Clara had made an unusual request to Officer Kaleb. Instead of arresting the man immediately, she had asked him to keep the investigation discreet and simply inform her if the man resurfaced.
Without concrete evidence, arresting him would only complicate matters.
More importantly, Clara knew exactly what kind of person Gen’s father was.
A man who could murder his own wife, frame his only daughter for the crime, and continue walking freely without facing justice was capable of anything.
The thought alone made her stomach twist.
She still remembered the day Gen had finally trusted her enough to reveal the truth.
The two years she had spent in juvenile detention...
The humiliation...
The pain of being branded a murderer for a crime she had never committed.
Gen had chosen to leave that nightmare behind and start over.
She wanted a new life.
A peaceful one.
Clara refused to let her past drag her back into darkness.
Looking back now, Clara was grateful she had lied about the stolen cash.
Had she admitted that money was actually missing, the police investigation would have become much more extensive. Gen’s connection to Thomas might have surfaced, forcing her to relive everything she had fought so hard to escape.
That was the last thing Clara wanted.
So instead, she had convinced Officer Kaleb to temporarily halt the case while quietly keeping an eye on the suspect.
She had been certain Thomas would eventually make another move.
A greedy man never stopped chasing easy money.
But days had turned into weeks.
And he never showed up again.
That silence bothered her far more than another robbery would have.
"Did you notice anything suspicious about him, Officer?" Clara asked, breaking the silence.
Kaleb leaned back in his chair before answering.
"Honestly... no."
He folded his arms.
"We’ve been keeping an eye on him just as you requested, but so far he hasn’t done anything that would justify further action."
Clara frowned.
"Nothing at all?"
He shook his head.
"He keeps to himself, does odd jobs here and there, and hasn’t caused any trouble. From what we’ve observed, he appears... harmless."
The word made Clara’s brows knit together.
Harmless?
That wasn’t the Thomas Gen had described.
"Is that your professional opinion?" she asked carefully.
Kaleb nodded.
"Based on the evidence we have right now, yes. We can’t investigate someone indefinitely without a reason."
Clara lowered her eyes for a brief moment.
"I understand."
She couldn’t exactly ask him to investigate Thomas because of Gen’s past.
Without proof, everything would sound like baseless accusations.
Besides, Officer Kaleb had already done more than enough by honoring her request and, most importantly, keeping Dominic completely unaware of the situation.
Dragging Dominic into this now would only worry him.
And until Clara knew the truth herself, she wasn’t ready for that.
She forced a small smile.
"Then I suppose I don’t have anything to worry about."
"I wouldn’t say that," Kaleb replied calmly. "Just... stay cautious. If he contacts you or shows up again, call me immediately."
"I will. Thank you, Officer."
After exchanging a few more words, Clara left the police station.
The afternoon breeze brushed against her face as she stepped onto the sidewalk, but it did little to ease the uneasiness growing inside her.
She stopped beside her car, staring blankly into the distance.
"This doesn’t make any sense..."
She whispered the words to herself.
"There is no way a man like Thomas would simply give up."
Greedy people didn’t suddenly become honest.
Especially not someone like him.
Gen had described her father countless times.
A selfish man.
A manipulative liar.
Someone who would exploit anyone if it benefited him.
If Thomas had really discovered where Gen was, there was no chance he would simply disappear without demanding something.
Money.
Blackmail.
Or worse.
Yet he had remained completely silent.
That silence was exactly what frightened Clara.
She closed her eyes, replaying every conversation she’d had with Gen.
"My father will never change."
"He only cares about himself."
"If he ever finds me... he’ll come after me again."
Those words echoed in her mind.
Suddenly, Clara’s eyes snapped open.
A realization struck her so suddenly that her heart skipped a beat.
"No..."
She murmured.
"What if he’s not waiting for the right opportunity..."
Her expression slowly hardened.
"What if he’s already planning something much bigger?"
A determined glint flashed across her eyes.
"There is only one way to find out what that man is really up to."
Without another moment of hesitation, Clara got into the taxi.
She already knew exactly what she had to do next.