Chapter 963: Her Boyfriend Is an Expensive Model (7)

Meanwhile, the studio entrance opened.

Hazel walked inside with Rika.

She was dressed elegantly but comfortably, her appearance neat and understated. She had travelled to surprise Dominique, expecting to find him between shoots, perhaps complaining about the heat or bothering his assistant about something completely unnecessary.

She had even considered bringing him something to eat.

After all, she knew how easily he forgot about meals whenever he became occupied with work.

But the moment she entered the studio, her attention was drawn towards the photography set.

And the first thing she saw was Dominique standing very close to another woman.

His hand was around Brittany’s waist. Brittany’s hand rested against his chest and Dominique was looking into her eyes with an expression Hazel had never seen him use on anyone else...an expression full of affection.

Hazel stopped walking.

For a moment, she simply stood there, her gaze fixed on the two of them.

Her eyes moved from Dominique’s face to the woman’s hand resting against his chest, then returned to his expression.

Something inside her heart tightened.

She knew it was a photoshoot.

She understood perfectly well that models were expected to pose together, sometimes hold hands, stand close or even pretend to be romantically involved for a campaign. There was nothing particularly unusual about what she was seeing.

She had seen his most of photographs, knew how popular he was and understood that working with other models was part of his profession.

Still...

She didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

Her expression gradually turned cold as she watched Brittany smile at him.

For some reason, she suddenly wanted that woman to move away from Dominique.

Why is she standing so close to him?

Rika, who had been walking beside Hazel, noticed her sudden silence. She followed her gaze towards the photography set and immediately understood what was happening.

Her eyes moved towards Hazel’s face.

Oh.

This was interesting.

She glanced at the two models again, then back at Hazel.

The photographer was still giving instructions, completely unaware of the little drama unfolding near the entrance.

Hazel remained where she was.

She folded her arms across her chest, her expression unreadable.

It’s just a photoshoot.

She reminded herself.

There was no reason to react. Dominique was working, and she had no intention of interfering with his professional responsibilities.

She understood that.

She really did.

But then Brittany laughed at something the photographer said and moved a little closer to Dominique, her fingers lightly curling on his shirt fabric.

Hazel’s expression became even colder.

Still, she could move away a little.

She looked down briefly, pressing her lips together.

What exactly was wrong with her?

She had never been particularly possessive, nor had she ever cared about whom Dominique worked with. He had his own career, his own friends and his own life. She had never felt the need to interfere in any of it.

So why was she suddenly so irritated?

And why did the thought of another woman receiving that affectionate look from him bother her so much?

She looked at Dominique again.

He was smiling charmingly, that was the most annoying part.

Hazel had seen him smile countless times. She was familiar with his ridiculous grins, his exaggerated expressions and the way he became particularly pleased with himself whenever someone complimented him.

But this expression was different.

It was gentle, full of love, and affection.

Rika leaned slightly towards her.

"Are we going to say hello?" she asked quietly.

Hazel didn’t immediately answer.

Her gaze remained on the photography set.

She had come all this way to surprise him but now she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to walk over and greet him or simply turn around and leave.

For a moment, she considered doing the latter.

Perhaps she could wait until the shoot was over or perhaps she could leave without announcing her arrival.

But before she could make a decision, the photographer finally lowered his camera.

"Excellent! That’s enough for now. We’ve got plenty of good shots!"

Dominique immediately released Brittany and stepped away.

His expression returned to normal and he rolled his shoulders slightly, feeling relieved that the session was finally over.

He had been standing under the studio lights for hours and his first thought was to get something cold to drink.

"Kyle!"

His assistant, who had been waiting nearby, immediately approached with a bottle of water.

"Here, sir."

Dominique accepted it with a nod.

"Thanks."

He twisted open the cap and took several long sips, enjoying the cool water against his dry throat. He could feel the heat slowly settling, and he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Finally," he muttered, looking towards the photographer. "Are we done?"

"For now! We still need to review the pictures, but the main shots are finished."

"Awesome."

Dominique took another sip.

Then he noticed something...Someone was watching him.

He glanced to the side, expecting perhaps one of the crew members to ask him something.

Instead, he found Brittany looking directly at him.

She was standing a short distance away, her expression rather playful. When their eyes met, she tilted her head slightly, winked at him and then lightly bit her lower lip.

Dominique nearly spat out the water.

What the hell?

He quickly swallowed, coughing once into his fist.

For a moment, he simply stared at her, wondering whether he had imagined the entire thing.

Brittany smiled.

"Hey!"

She began walking towards him, her heels clicking against the studio floor.

Dominique lowered the bottle slightly.

"Uh..."

Before he could ask what she wanted, Brittany stopped beside him and reached out, placing a hand on his arm.

Dominique looked down at her hand, then back at her face.

He was about to politely ask her to give him some space when someone suddenly caught his hand and pulled him backwards.

The movement was so unexpected that he nearly lost his grip on the water bottle.

"What—?"

He turned around sharply, his eyebrows drawing together in surprise.

His eyes widened.

For a moment, he simply stared at the person standing behind him.

It was her.

Hazel.