Chapter 251: Dom this friend is important to me
Dominic felt as though he had waited an eternity for his laptop to turn on. However, the moment he finally reached for the keyboard to reply to Clara, he realized she was no longer online.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.
He couldn’t help wondering what Clara must be thinking about him. After hesitating for a moment, he resumed typing, apologizing for the sudden disappearance and the inconvenience it had caused.
"I really need to be more careful next time," Dominic muttered, making a mental note to himself.
Just then, the study door flew open, startling him in his seat.
"Wifey?" he murmured, his fingers freezing above the keyboard.
Clara stood by the doorway, practically fuming. Her eyes were fixed on him, her chest rising and falling with barely contained frustration, while one hand rested firmly on her hip.
[W-Why is she looking at me like that?]
Dominic swallowed nervously.
He had been doing his best to keep his online identity a secret from his wife, and now, just when he thought he could finally breathe a little easier, she had appeared out of nowhere.
What had he done this time?
Meanwhile, Clara stepped into the study and slammed the door shut behind her.
Even Toto, who had been wandering around the room without a care in the world, stopped in his tracks. The little puppy blinked at his mother, looking just as confused as his father.
However, before either of them could figure out what was happening, Clara marched straight toward Dominic.
He instinctively clenched his hands, one of them resting beside the illuminated laptop screen.
His gaze darted between the computer and his approaching wife. The moment she stopped in front of his desk, his breath caught in his throat.
"Dom, can you help me torture someone?"
Dominic blinked.
"W-What?"
The look in Clara’s eyes made him increasingly uneasy. She even cracked her knuckles, prompting him to stare at her hands as though they were the most dangerous weapons in the world.
The Dominic Sterling feared by countless people had somehow become the one trembling before his own wife. Before he could gather his thoughts and ask another question, Clara suddenly let out an exasperated groan.
"Argh! I really want to hit someone right now!"
Dominic stared at her.
"..."
[And what exactly am I supposed to do with that information?] his voice faltered mentally.
Clara, meanwhile, was too frustrated to notice his bewilderment.
She couldn’t believe Vanta had gone silent on her even after she had won their match. She had been waiting for his response, only for him to disappear without another word.
But now that her initial anger had subsided, she began to reconsider.
What if something came up?
She remembered Vanta mentioning how busy his life had been lately. Perhaps something urgent had demanded his attention, leaving him with no choice but to log off.
"Yes, that’s right," she muttered, nodding to herself.
Dominic watched her with growing conflict.
[First, she storms in here looking ready to murder someone. Then she starts talking to herself. Now she’s agreeing with herself. What on earth is going on inside that head of hers?]
Unfortunately for him, Clara was far too occupied with her own thoughts to notice that her unpredictable behaviour was slowly driving her husband insane.
Just when Dominic finally ran out of patience, he reached for Clara’s wrist and gently pulled her onto his lap. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, securing her against him.
Clara stared at him in surprise, clearly caught off guard by his sudden action.
"You’re talking to yourself when you have me right here?" Dominic asked, maintaining his usual composure.
Clara blinked. A moment later, his words registered, and she forced an awkward smile.
"Is that so? I didn’t even realize."
"..."
Clara made no attempt to explain herself. However, when Dominic continued staring at her, her smile gradually faltered.
"Who is this person you want to torture?" he asked.
Only then did Clara remember why she had come to the study in the first place.
She had intended to question Vanta about the trafficking incident from years ago. After all, he had been one of the children they had managed to rescue.
However, when Vanta began questioning her identity, she realized convincing him wouldn’t be as easy as she’d expected. She had been trying to find a way to prove who she was, and just when she finally got the opportunity to bring up the incident, the man had suddenly gone silent.
Leaving her hanging.
What Clara hadn’t anticipated was that storming into Dominic’s study to vent her frustration would land her in another predicament altogether.
"Well..." She hesitated, uncertain how much she should reveal.
Then she remembered the agreement she and Dominic had made. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she drew a deep breath.
"A friend," she finally answered.
Dominic regarded her with the same unreadable expression.
"You don’t have any."
Clara’s lips twitched.
I know that. You don’t have to rub it in my face!
She pressed her lips together, forcing herself to let go of the urge to argue with him. Instead, she shifted slightly in his arms and turned to face him.
"Well, I did have one. He disappeared without a word one day, only to suddenly show up again after all these years. And guess what? Just when I thought we were finally going to have a proper conversation, he went silent on me again!"
Dominic’s brow furrowed slightly.
Clara had deliberately kept her explanation vague. She didn’t want to mention the trafficking incident or reveal anything that might make him suspicious.
"He?" Dominic repeated.
Clara offered him a small smile.
"Yes. He was an online friend I met while playing a game. We started talking, and eventually, we became friends."
As she spoke, Clara studied Dominic’s face, trying to decipher what was going through his mind.
But to her surprise, he remained silent.
Usually, she could tell when something bothered him, especially when it involved another man. Yet now, he seemed almost unnaturally calm.
That’s strange. Shouldn’t he be jealous that I have a male friend? Why has he suddenly gone so quiet?
Clara narrowed her eyes slightly, watching him with suspicion.
Meanwhile, Dominic’s expression remained unreadable. After all, the man she was complaining about was sitting right there, holding her in his arms. And he was beginning to wonder just how much trouble he had gotten himself into.
Clara continued studying Dominic’s face, but the more she looked at him, the harder it became to understand what he was thinking.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, she raised both hands and gently cupped his face, turning it toward her.
"Dom, why aren’t you saying anything?"
Dominic lowered his gaze to meet hers. "What do you want me to say?"
"Anything!" Clara exclaimed before softening her tone. "You’re usually so quick to react whenever I mention another man. Why are you so quiet this time?"
A faint smile tugged at Dominic’s lips. "Would you prefer it if I told you to stop talking to him?"
Clara hesitated. "No, that’s not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean, wifey?"
Clara pressed her lips together, momentarily struggling to find the right words. She wasn’t sure how much she could tell him without revealing something she wasn’t ready to discuss yet.
After a moment, she brushed her thumb over his cheek.
"Dom, this friend is important to me."
The faint smile disappeared from Dominic’s face. Clara noticed the subtle change in his expression and quickly continued.
"I know it might sound strange because we’ve never met in person, but we’ve known each other for years. There are things about my past that I shared with him, things I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone else back then."
She paused, searching his eyes. "When he suddenly disappeared, I thought I’d never hear from him again. And now that he’s back, I don’t want to lose contact with him without even understanding what happened."
Dominic remained silent, his arms still resting around her waist. However, the vulnerability in Clara’s eyes made him swallow the questions threatening to spill from his mouth.
"Is that why you’re so upset that he hasn’t replied?" he asked.
Clara nodded. "Partly."
"Partly?"
She let out a quiet sigh. "There’s another reason, but I can’t explain it to you just yet."
Dominic’s gaze sharpened slightly. "And why is that?"
Clara gently squeezed his cheeks, preventing him from leaning forward as he usually did when he wanted an answer.
"Because I need you to trust me first."
He stared at her. "You’re asking me to trust you when you won’t tell me what’s going on?"
"I know how that sounds." Her expression softened. "But I’m not keeping it from you because I don’t trust you, Dom. I just need a little more time to figure things out myself. When I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything. I promise."
For a moment, Dominic said nothing. Finally, he raised one hand and covered hers against his cheek.
"All right."
Clara blinked. "Really?"
"Don’t make me repeat myself, wifey."
A relieved smile spread across her face, and she leaned forward to press a quick kiss against his forehead. "Thank you, Dom."
Dominic caught her hand before she could pull away.
"But I have one condition."
Clara’s smile faltered. "What condition?"
His eyes narrowed playfully. "You can have as many friends as you want, but don’t forget who your husband is."
Clara stared at him before bursting into laughter. "Are you seriously jealous?"
"No."
"Dom!"
"I’m simply reminding you of your priorities."
"Of course you are," she teased, pinching his cheek.
Dominic sighed, pulling her closer.
Clara finally felt a sense of relief washing over her as she continued to hug Dominic back.