Chapter 200: Stealing my wife

After handing the puppy to Butler James, who carried him away to feed him, Clara and Dominic turned their attention back to Ethan.

Dominic had already pieced everything together, and he had even made sure the police were involved. He had provided them with the evidence against Vincent, but he knew that despite everything pointing toward the man, Vincent wasn’t the real mastermind.

The person truly responsible was still free.

And they had no solid evidence against her.

"We checked the surveillance footage around the venue," Ethan began. "Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the man who disguised himself as a staff member and approached Miss Lily."

Clara’s brows furrowed.

"What do you mean you couldn’t find him?"

Ethan sighed.

"We went through every available camera angle. There was nothing."

"The sketch artist?" Dominic asked.

"We had one prepare a sketch based on the descriptions Lily and Silvia gave us," Ethan explained. "We compared it with the footage and checked the list of staff members who were present at the event. No one matched."

Clara frowned deeper.

"So you’re saying he wasn’t there?"

"No," Ethan replied. "I’m saying we can’t find any record of him being there."

Dominic and Clara exchanged a brief look.

They already knew where the problem lay.

The area where Clara had set up her stall wasn’t covered by any surveillance camera. It was a blind spot, conveniently positioned right where the mysterious man had appeared.

They had checked the surrounding footage several times, hoping to catch him entering or leaving the area.

Nothing.

Not a single suspicious movement.

"How is that possible?" Clara asked, clearly frustrated. "Lily and Silvia both saw him. They spoke to him. How can there be absolutely no trace of him?"

"I know," Ethan said.

"Then he had to be there."

"He was," Ethan replied calmly.

Clara stared at him.

"Then where did he go?"

Ethan leaned back and let out a long breath.

"That’s exactly what we’re trying to figure out."

"There’s nothing left to figure out."

Dominic’s calm voice made both Clara and Ethan turn toward him.

"We’re not going to find him."

Clara frowned. "Why are you so sure?"

"Because whoever sent him knew exactly what they were doing," Dominic said. "He’s probably already gone underground. Or he fled the country the moment he finished the job."

Clara’s expression turned thoughtful.

Dominic wasn’t wrong.

There was no way Julianna would have gone this far without considering what would happen to the person she hired once the job was done. She would have made sure there was a way to silence him—or at least make him impossible to trace back to her.

Ethan remained quiet for a moment before slowly nodding.

"You may be right."

Dominic glanced at him.

"If this was planned as carefully as we suspect, disappearing afterward was probably part of the plan from the beginning."

"And if he really has left the country," Clara murmured, "finding him won’t be easy."

Ethan gave her a serious look.

"Not without something that can lead us to him."

"So, does that mean we can’t get Julianna arrested?" Clara asked.

Ethan shook his head.

"Not yet. We can’t arrest her based solely on Thomas’s accusation when all the evidence we have points to Vincent Hayes."

Clara’s expression darkened. She wasn’t bothered by Vincent being detained. What frustrated her was the fact that Julianna had managed to protect herself.

"For now, let things be as they are," Dominic said calmly.

Ethan nodded, then paused.

"There’s one more thing. About the Raine Wilsmith case—we’ve reopened the investigation."

Clara immediately looked at Dominic, her heart skipping a beat.

Dominic’s expression remained firm.

"Make sure the real culprit is brought to justice."

Ethan nodded.

"We will."

With that, he turned and left the mansion, leaving Clara and Dominic standing in silence.

Clara suddenly turned toward Dominic and reached for his hand.

"Mind taking a walk in the garden with me?"

Dominic nodded without hesitation.

The couple soon stepped onto the vast lawn, walking side by side. Clara kept her hand wrapped around his arm as they strolled through the garden in comfortable silence.

"Thank you," she suddenly said.

They both stopped.

Dominic turned to face her, his brows slightly raised.

"For what?"

"For believing in Gen and reopening her mother’s case." Clara smiled softly. "I’m sure she deserves justice."

Ever since Clara had learned that Thomas had falsely accused Gen of killing her own mother, she had found herself determined to help the young girl. Gen had lost years of her youth behind bars for a crime she hadn’t committed, and Clara couldn’t simply stand by and let that injustice continue.

At the same time, she had made sure Gen wouldn’t take matters into her own hands. If Thomas had wronged her, Clara wanted him to face the consequences through the law.

Now, seeing Dominic willing to help her seek justice, Clara’s heart fluttered.

She had told him the truth only once.

And yet, he hadn’t dismissed it or asked her to forget about it.

Instead, he had quietly taken action.

"But that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to go on another adventure and risk your life," Dominic said.

Clara couldn’t help but chuckle.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Then how will you come and rescue me, hubby?"

Dominic instantly went still.

The single word caught him completely off guard.

[Hubby sounds great.]

Clara immediately bit back another laugh after hearing his thoughts.

"Why are you smiling?" Dominic asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"I’m not."

"You are."

Clara tried to hide her grin, but it was already too late.

She might not have realized it before, but every time she managed to leave Dominic speechless with one of her bold remarks, he noticed the little chuckle that followed.

And apparently, he found it suspicious.

"Nothing," Clara said innocently. "I’m simply trying to figure out how easily my endearments make you shy."

Dominic raised an eyebrow.

"I’m not shy."

"Really?"

"Really."

Clara’s smile widened.

"Maybe I should start calling you ’hubby’ more often, then."

The tips of Dominic’s ears turned red.

He quickly looked away.

"I wasn’t feeling shy."

Clara couldn’t resist.

She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Are you sure?"

Dominic looked back at her.

"All I can see is your flustered face, hubby."

She deliberately emphasized the last word.

Dominic’s cheeks grew even warmer.

[She really likes calling me that.]

Clara’s lips twitched.

Apparently, so did she.

She tightened her arms around his neck and smiled sweetly.

"Looks like I found your weakness."

Dominic sighed, though the small smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.

"Keep teasing me, and you’ll find out what mine is."

Clara’s eyes widened playfully.

"Is that a threat, hubby?"

Dominic stared at her for a moment before chuckling.

"Consider it a warning."

Clara didn’t say anything. Instead, she found his reaction adorable.

She liked it when Dominic voiced his thoughts so freely around her. It reminded her of how he had been in their past life, although things were different now.

Her husband was genuinely trying to work on his communication skills, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the effort.

"Well, we didn’t agree that we were going to keep the puppy?" Dominic asked.

Clara immediately pouted.

"But we can’t let anyone take him. He’s so cute."

She deliberately made her voice as sweet as possible, knowing exactly how effective her act could be on Dominic.

Unfortunately, it worked.

[Does that mean he’ll be squeezing between us every night? No. Absolutely not. I’m not letting that happen.]

Clara pursed her lips, trying desperately not to laugh.

Dominic’s fear was obvious.

After all, last night had already given him enough reason to be suspicious of the puppy’s intentions.

"No. He is not cute," Dominic quickly objected.

He’s trying to steal my wife from me. He’s a cute little thief.]

Clara nearly laughed.

"Dom, we lost him twice in a single day," she said, putting on her sweetest expression. "What if he gets lost again? Do you want me to keep worrying about him and lose my mind?"

Dominic stared at her and blinked.

[Lose her mind? Is this puppy really that important to her? But what if she actually does? Clara has changed so much lately. I can’t even tell when she’s joking anymore.]

He fell silent.

Clara’s lips twitched as she listened to his thoughts.

The man was genuinely questioning her mental stability while simultaneously worrying that she might actually lose her mind over the puppy.

"Fine," Dominic finally said.

Clara waited.

"But he is not sleeping in our bed."

Her expression immediately fell.

"Okay."

"And he’s not sleeping anywhere near you either."

Clara pouted. "But I like caressing his little face."

Dominic immediately looked away. "You can do that to me. I don’t mind."

Clara stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter.

Dominic frowned. "What?"

"So the mighty Dominic Sterling is jealous of a tiny puppy?"

He looked completely unimpressed by the accusation. "I’m not jealous. I simply have boundaries."

"Boundaries?"

"Yes."

Clara grinned. "You’re competing with a puppy for my attention."

Dominic remained silent. Although he found the whole situation ridiculous, he didn’t bother correcting her. Because, deep down, he did want all of his wife’s attention for himself.

And now, somehow, a tiny, fluffy puppy had become a legitimate threat to their precious time together.

Dominic glanced toward the direction James had carried the puppy.

[He’s going to regret coming into this house.]

Clara’s lips twitched again. Apparently, she had just discovered her husband’s newest rival.