Chapter 46: I never hired anyone to beat him

Dominic’s cold gaze swept across the living room before finally landing on Eric.

The moment their eyes met, Eric instinctively shrank into his seat.

His heartbeat quickened.

He had always feared Dominic.

Not because the man shouted or lost his temper, but because Dominic never needed to.

One look from him was enough to make people question every decision they had ever made.

Standing quietly beside him, Clara couldn’t help but steal a glance at her husband.

A smile slowly spread across her face.

He’s so cool.

She had always known Dominic possessed an overwhelming aura. Even without saying a word, he could silence an entire room.

But this...

This was the first time she had watched him effortlessly suppress his own family.

Not even Helena dared to speak.

Clara’s admiration instantly reached its peak.

"My husband is so cool!"

She beamed proudly before giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

The living room fell into complete silence.

"..."

"..."

Everyone stared at Clara.

Who complimented her husband like that in the middle of a family confrontation?

Only Clara.

Dominic, who had been maintaining his usual cold expression, froze ever so slightly.

Then...

A faint blush quietly crept across his ears before spreading to his cheeks.

It wasn’t obvious. But it was there.

Jonathan blinked.

He leaned toward Grace and whispered,

"Honey..."

Grace didn’t take her eyes off Dominic.

"...Did our son just blush?"

"I..."

Jonathan rubbed his eyes.

"I think he did."

Grace looked equally stunned.

She had watched Dominic grow from a quiet little boy into the intimidating head of the Sterling family.

She had seen him negotiate billion-dollar deals without changing his expression.

She had seen him face powerful businessmen without blinking.

She had even seen him reject countless women without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

But this...

This was the first time she had seen her son blush because of a single compliment.

Jonathan looked utterly fascinated.

"So all these years..."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"The final boss was defeated by one sentence."

Grace couldn’t help covering her mouth to hide a smile.

Meanwhile... Dominic cleared his throat.

His face quickly returned to its usual calm expression.

"..."

(Did I blush? Impossible. I’m perfectly composed.)

Unfortunately... His slightly pink ears betrayed him completely.

Clara looked at him with sparkling eyes.

He’s blushing!

She looked ready to explode from excitement.

This is adorable!

Dominic noticed her staring. His expression stiffened.

Please stop looking at me.

(The more you stare... the harder it is to pretend nothing happened.)

Clara bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Then she looked at him again.

"...You’re still cool."

The blush immediately deepened.

Jonathan almost choked.

"I saw it again."

Grace nodded absentmindedly.

"So did I."

Across the room, even Nicholas looked mildly surprised.

He had never imagined his ice-cold grandson could blush over something so simple.

Only Helena and Alaric wore unpleasant expressions.

They had been trying to build tension moments ago.

Now the atmosphere had somehow turned into a husband-and-wife comedy.

As everyone remained distracted by Dominic’s rare reaction, Clara’s eyes wandered toward Grace.

The moment their eyes met, Clara’s face lit up.

She happily raised her hand.

"Hi, Mom!"

Then she gave Grace an energetic little wave, accompanied by a bright, innocent smile.

"..."

Grace froze. For a few seconds, she simply stared.

She... she’s waving at me?

Jonathan quietly nudged her shoulder.

"I think she’s saying hello."

"I can see that."

"So... Aren’t you going to wave back?"

Grace hesitated before awkwardly lifting her hand.

"...Hello."

The second Grace returned the greeting, Clara’s smile grew even brighter.

"Good morning!"

She sounded so cheerful that it almost made everyone forget why they had gathered in the first place.

Jonathan couldn’t help laughing under his breath.

"Our family meeting..." He looked around the room before shaking his head.

"...has somehow become a kindergarten reunion."

Even Nicholas had to suppress the corners of his mouth from lifting, while Dominic stood beside Clara wondering, not for the first time, how his seemingly fearless wife could turn the most serious situations completely upside down with nothing more than a smile.

Helena watched Clara’s carefree behavior with growing fury.

"Look!" she snapped, pointing at Clara. "This is exactly what I was talking about. Instead of lowering her head and apologizing to my son, she’s shamelessly greeting everyone as though nothing happened!"

The smile on Clara’s face faded.

She slowly turned toward Helena.

Their eyes met.

Helena’s glare was filled with hostility, while Clara simply smiled politely.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Swan," Clara said pleasantly. "I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you were there."

Helena’s face instantly darkened.

"Enough!"

Her voice rang through the living room.

"This has gone too far!"

She turned to Nicholas.

"Uncle Nicholas, how can you allow this? She’s openly mocking us in front of everyone!"

Nicholas drew in a slow breath, his gaze shifting toward Clara.

Just as he was about to speak, Clara calmly interrupted.

"And how exactly have I mocked you, Mrs. Swan?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"I merely said what I saw."

"You—"

"You accused me of disrespecting you because I greeted everyone except you."

Clara shrugged lightly.

"But I honestly didn’t notice you."

"If that’s enough to offend you..."

She smiled innocently.

"...then perhaps the problem isn’t with me."

"You!"

Helena pointed an accusing finger at Clara.

"Stop twisting my words!"

"I’m not twisting anything."

Clara’s voice remained calm.

"You’ve been calling me violent, reckless, and disrespectful from the moment I walked in."

She glanced around the room before looking back at Helena.

"But no one has asked me what actually happened."

Helena scoffed.

"What else is there to hear?"

She pointed at Eric.

"Look at my son!"

"His face says everything."

Clara nodded.

"It certainly does."

Everyone looked at her.

Clara slowly shifted her gaze toward Eric.

"I’ll admit it."

"I hit him."

Eric’s eyes lit up.

Helena immediately folded her arms.

"So you admit it!"

"I do."

Clara answered without hesitation.

"I punched him."

"I kicked him."

"I even threw him onto the floor."

The room fell silent.

Grace looked at Clara in surprise.

Jonathan frowned.

Even Nicholas looked slightly taken aback.

Helena let out a triumphant laugh.

"You all heard her!"

"She admitted everything!"

"So now—"

"But..."

Clara’s single word stopped her.

"I never hired anyone to beat him."

Her expression turned serious.

"That part..."

"...is a complete lie."

Eric’s pupils shrank.

Helena’s expression stiffened for a fraction of a second before quickly recovering.

"My son has no reason to lie!"

"Really?"

Clara reached into her handbag.

"Then perhaps Mrs. Swan can explain something for me."

She pulled out her phone.

Eric’s heartbeat immediately accelerated.

No...

She wouldn’t...

Clara calmly unlocked the screen.

"I have a rather interesting recording."

Helena’s confidence wavered.

"What recording?"

"The one your son seems to have forgotten about."

Clara looked at Eric whose face paled at the glint in her eyes.