Chapter 157: That girl has changed
After the chaos at the Crimson Crest the previous night, Thomas had barely managed to escape before Gen could catch him.
It hadn’t been easy.
By the time he slipped out of the club, he was already exhausted, and every passing second felt like someone was chasing him.
Fortunately, he had managed to shake off anyone following him.
Instead of returning home, Thomas hid in a rundown motel on the outskirts of the city. Going back to his apartment would have been the first place anyone looked—not just Gen, but the police as well if they became involved.
For now, this shabby little room was the safest place he could think of.
"I need to finish this job and get out of the city as soon as possible," he muttered to himself.
He hadn’t accepted this assignment out of loyalty.
He had accepted it because it paid extremely well.
Once today’s work was done, the money would be more than enough for him to disappear and start a comfortable life somewhere no one knew his name.
Thomas reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out a small sealed sample.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"At least my trip to the club wasn’t a complete waste."
Despite everything that had gone wrong, he had still managed to get what Marco wanted him to collect.
Gen had come dangerously close to ruining everything, but in the end, he had escaped with the sample intact.
Thinking about her made him frown.
"I never expected to see her there."
The image of Gen in a waitress’s uniform flashed through his mind.
For a moment, he wondered why she was working at the Crimson Crest.
Then he shrugged.
"She must’ve changed jobs."
After all, the tiny bakery where she had worked before could hardly pay enough for someone to survive.
He still remembered visiting that bakery after learning she had been released.
He hadn’t gone there because he cared about her.
He had gone for money.
His gambling debts had piled up, and loan sharks were breathing down his neck. He had assumed Gen would be too frightened to refuse him, just as she always had in the past.
Instead...
She had surprised him.
Rather than cowering in fear, she had stood her ground.
She had threatened to call the police.
The confidence in her eyes that day had caught him completely off guard, forcing him to leave empty-handed before attracting unwanted attention.
Thomas clicked his tongue.
"That girl has changed."
A trace of irritation crossed his face.
"If she keeps chasing me, she’ll only become a bigger problem."
He clenched the sample tightly in his hand.
"No..."
"I can’t stay here any longer."
Once he completed today’s task, he would take the money and disappear before Gen—or anyone else—could track him down.
Without another thought, Thomas grabbed his jacket and left the motel.
Outside, he hailed a passing taxi.
The driver rolled down the window.
"Where to?"
Thomas opened the rear door and climbed inside.
"Pristine Group," he replied.
The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb.
As the taxi merged into the morning traffic, Thomas looked out the window, convinced that his plan was finally falling into place.
He had no idea... someone else was already preparing to close the net around him.
***
Back inside the Sterling Mansion, after Clara left with Silvia and Lily, a gloomy silence settled over the house.
Dominic sat on the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees, while Butler James stood quietly before him with his head lowered. Every now and then, the old butler cautiously glanced at the note in Dominic’s hand before immediately looking away.
"She really planned on poisoning everyone..." Dominic muttered, letting out a long, exhausted sigh before folding the note and setting it on the coffee table.
Before heading to the Crimson Crest, he had already gathered detailed information about the men working there. Every one of them was armed, highly trained, and experienced in combat. If Clara had walked into that place alone, she should have stood no chance against them.
Yet reality had proven otherwise.
When Dominic arrived, the once heavily guarded establishment had already descended into complete chaos. Men were collapsing left and right, while Clara had walked out without a single scratch on her.
At first, he couldn’t understand how she had managed to overpower so many skilled fighters.
That was until the investigating officer called.
The explanation had left even Dominic speechless.
His not-so-innocent wife hadn’t defeated the guards through brute force.
She had poisoned every single one of them.
All of the arrested guards had been rushed to the hospital and were now recovering on IV drips after suffering severe food poisoning and relentless diarrhea.
The room fell silent.
Even after hearing the explanation, Dominic still found it difficult to process.
His wife had marched into a den of criminals... carrying laxatives instead of weapons.
Butler James noticed the conflicted expression on his master’s face and gently cleared his throat.
"Master, I’m certain Madam had her reasons for taking such a drastic step."
Although James wasn’t entirely pleased that Clara had kept everything from him, he knew she wasn’t the type to act recklessly without a plan.
Dominic slowly lifted his gaze.
"So that’s why you didn’t bother informing me, Butler James?"
The old butler pressed his lips together but said nothing.
His silence was answer enough.
Dominic leaned back and closed his eyes.
Lately, he could no longer predict what Clara was thinking. Every time he believed he understood her, she did something even more outrageous.
One day she was smiling sweetly at him.
The next, she was poisoning an entire criminal organization.
Knowing she constantly threw herself into danger stirred an unfamiliar frustration within him.
It made him want to lock her safely inside the mansion where no one could lay a finger on her.
But deep down, he knew blaming Butler James would accomplish nothing.
The old man had simply respected Clara’s wishes while carrying out his duty as faithfully as ever.
In the end, Dominic could only let out a weary sigh.
"Forget it," he said, waving the matter aside. "Have you prepared my clothes for tonight’s event?"
"Yes, Master," Butler James replied with a respectful nod. "Everything has been arranged."
Dominic rose from the sofa and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.
He had hoped attending the event would help clear his mind, but the thought of Clara being there did the exact opposite.
Instead of feeling at ease, an unsettling sense of worry settled deep within his chest.
Knowing his wife, there was no telling what outrageous stunt she might pull next.
And that uncertainty bothered him more than he cared to admit.