Chapter 199: A doghouse it is

Morning came with the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.

Dominic’s eyes slowly opened, and the first thing he saw was Clara sleeping peacefully beside him, her head resting on his bicep.

She was even drooling slightly.

Dominic stared at her for a moment before glancing down.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the puppy was comfortably squeezed between them, sleeping as though he owned the entire bed.

Dominic rubbed his forehead and looked at the puppy in disbelief.

The little creature hadn’t even stirred despite the knocking.

"And you had the nerve to look offended when I kissed my wife," Dominic muttered.

The puppy continued sleeping peacefully.

Dominic narrowed his eyes.

"Unbelievable."

Another knock came from the door.

This time, Dominic had no choice but to get up.

He carefully slipped out of bed and walked toward the door before opening it.

"Good morning, Master. Sorry to disturb you, but Officer Ethan is waiting downstairs," Butler James said, pursing his lips.

If there hadn’t been a visitor waiting, James would never have dared disturb his master and madam this early in the morning.

Dominic frowned at the mention of Ethan, remembering the officer’s words from the previous night before he had left the venue.

"Alright. Tell him to wait. I’ll be down shortly."

"Of course, Master."

Dominic closed the door and turned around.

His eyes immediately widened.

Clara was sitting up in bed, looking at him with sleepy eyes. Her hair was completely messy, and there was still a faint mark from the pillow on her cheek.

The sight almost made Dominic smile.

"When did you wake up?"

Clara ignored his question.

"Why is Officer Ethan here? Did something happen?"

After everything that had happened the previous night, Clara wanted to keep a close eye on the case. The last thing she wanted was to miss something important.

Dominic sighed.

"I asked him to come."

Clara immediately threw the blanket aside and stepped out of bed.

"Then I’m coming too."

Dominic stared at her.

"You just woke up."

"So?"

"You haven’t even washed your face."

Clara looked down at herself before glancing back at him.

"I’ll do it downstairs."

Dominic was speechless.

Before he could say anything, a familiar voice came from the bed.

"Wauuu... Wau!"

Both of them turned toward the puppy.

The little troublemaker was now wide awake and wagging his tail.

Clara smiled.

"See? He agrees with me."

Dominic stared at the puppy. "Of course he does."

The puppy barked again, and this time Dominic sighed.

[Fine. Apparently, I’m outnumbered.]

***

Meanwhile, downstairs, Butler James handed Ethan a glass of water.

"Thank you," Ethan said with a small smile before taking a sip.

His eyes wandered toward the staircase, and the moment he saw the couple walking downstairs, he paused.

At first, everything looked perfectly normal. Then he noticed the small puppy nestled comfortably in Clara’s arms.

Ethan’s brows immediately furrowed. "Wait a minute."

James glanced at him. "Is something wrong, sir?"

Ethan pointed toward Clara with the glass still in his hand.

"I thought that puppy was supposed to be put up for adoption."

James followed his gaze and then shrugged. "It was."

"Then why is she carrying it around like it belongs to her?"

James took a moment to observe Clara, who was happily rubbing the puppy’s tiny head.

"I suppose the adoption process didn’t go as planned."

Ethan let out a quiet scoff. "I can see that."

He wouldn’t have minded Clara being friendly with the puppy if she hadn’t been the one who came to him asking for help in the first place.

They were supposed to be searching for missing people. Not missing dogs. And certainly not dogs that somehow ended up being treated like members of the family.

Ethan sighed as he remembered their earlier conversation.

If only he hadn’t told Clara how difficult it would be for them to track down a missing mother dog, perhaps she wouldn’t have immediately decided that putting the puppy up for adoption was the better option.

Apparently, that plan had lasted about as long as her patience. Now the puppy was back in her arms.

Ethan watched Clara coo at the little creature before muttering, "So much for adoption."

James hid a smile. "Perhaps she changed her mind," he said.

"She didn’t change her mind," Ethan replied dryly. "The puppy changed it for her."

James chuckled under his breath.

Ethan took another sip of water and shook his head.

Soon, the couple joined them, with Clara greeting Ethan as they approached.

"Good morning, Officer Ethan."

"Good morning," Ethan replied.

His eyes slowly drifted toward the puppy nestled comfortably in Clara’s arms.

Before he could say anything, Clara spoke.

"Oh, well, I changed my mind. He’s not up for adoption anymore."

The moment she announced it, Dominic turned his head and shot her a questioning look.

"When did that happen?"

Clara glanced at him as if the answer were obvious.

"When he almost went missing twice. I can’t risk losing him again."

Dominic stared at her.

For a moment, he seemed completely speechless.

So did the two men standing nearby.

James exchanged a quick glance with Ethan, who was still trying to process Clara’s sudden change of heart.

"But you were the one who wanted him put up for adoption," Dominic finally reminded her.

"I know."

"And you said it was the best option."

"I know that too."

"Then what changed?"

Clara looked down at the puppy, who happily licked her fingers.

"This."

Dominic blinked.

"This?"

"Yes." Clara nodded seriously. "He almost disappeared twice. That’s enough proof that I need to keep him close."

Ethan pressed his lips together, clearly struggling not to laugh.

James, however, wasn’t nearly as successful and quietly cleared his throat to hide his amusement.

"So, a doghouse it is?" James asked, and Clara couldn’t help but smile as she looked down at the little puppy in her arms.

"Yes. A doghouse it is."

James nodded, looking between Clara and the puppy.

"Well, I suppose that settles it."

Clara chuckled softly.

The puppy happily wagged his tail, seemingly pleased with the decision.