Chapter 86: You have finally graduated

Dominic couldn’t wipe the smile off his face even after arriving at the company.

Every time he recalled Clara’s flustered expression from that morning, the corners of his lips would unconsciously curl upward.

Mark, who had been walking beside him, noticed immediately.

He looked at his boss, rolled his eyes, and sighed.

Hopeless.

The elevator doors opened.

Without wasting another second around his lovestruck boss, Mark headed straight for his own office.

Dominic, meanwhile, walked toward his.

However, the moment he pushed open the door, the smile on his face disappeared.

"Not bad."

A familiar voice echoed through the office.

"I can see my brother is finally turning into a normal human being."

Dominic looked toward the visitor.

"Hannah."

She was comfortably seated on the sofa, sipping the coffee she had shamelessly stolen from his office.

Ignoring her earlier remark, Dominic calmly hung his suit jacket on the coat stand before taking his seat.

"What brings you here?" he asked.

Hannah snorted.

"You know exactly why I’m here, Brother."

She placed the coffee cup down and leaned forward.

"So... when were you planning to tell us about Julianna and Alex?"

Dominic wasn’t surprised.

Mark had already told him everything that had happened after Hannah found the two together. Honestly, he had expected her to storm into his office sooner or later.

"There wasn’t anything to tell," Dominic replied calmly. "Nothing would’ve changed."

Hannah stared at him.

"...Excuse me?"

"It wasn’t my place to interfere."

She blinked twice.

Then slowly rubbed her temples.

"Brother..."

"Hm?"

"Are you actually serious?"

Dominic simply looked back at her.

Hannah let out a dramatic groan.

"This was your golden opportunity!"

"...Opportunity?"

"Yes! Your once-in-a-lifetime, limited-edition, never-coming-back opportunity!"

Dominic frowned.

"I fail to see the connection."

Hannah slapped a hand over her face.

"Oh, wow..."

She looked genuinely devastated.

"You are hopeless."

Dominic remained silent.

"You could’ve exposed that jerk, protected your wife, and become the biggest hero in Clara’s eyes!"

"I wasn’t trying to become her hero."

"I know!" Hannah threw both hands into the air. "That’s exactly the problem!"

Dominic blinked.

"I simply wanted to avoid upsetting her."

Hannah stared at him for several long seconds before sighing dramatically.

"You know..." she muttered, "...for someone who’s terrifying in business, you’re surprisingly terrible at romance."

Dominic raised an eyebrow.

"I married her."

"By accident!"

"..."

"And somehow you’re still winning!"

Dominic stayed quiet.

Hannah narrowed her eyes.

"I’m starting to think Clara is carrying this marriage."

A rare smile tugged at Dominic’s lips.

"I won’t argue with that."

Hannah looked at him in disbelief.

"See? Even you know!"

She stood up and pointed a finger at him.

"You have the IQ of a genius CEO..."

She paused before shaking her head.

"...and the romantic instincts of a potato."

Dominic looked completely unfazed.

"If Clara likes potatoes," he replied calmly, "then I don’t see the problem."

Hannah froze.

"..."

A few seconds later, she groaned loudly.

"Brother, you’re impossible."

Hannah had always known her brother was hopeless when it came to Clara. But now, seeing him make absolutely no effort to hide it only made her want to throw up.

"Seriously, Brother," she said with a grimace. "Do you plan on telling Clara about Julianna and Alex or not?"

Deep down, Hannah knew it wasn’t absolutely necessary anymore. Clara had finally opened her heart to the marriage, and Dominic no longer needed to prove himself.

Still... she wanted Clara to see the true faces of the people she had once trusted without question.

Dominic remained silent for a few moments before answering.

"No."

Hannah blinked.

"I won’t."

"...Why?"

Dominic leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly twirling a pen between his fingers.

"Because I don’t want any misunderstandings between us."

Hannah frowned but stayed quiet, allowing him to continue.

"Clara trusted Julianna wholeheartedly," Dominic said calmly. "If I accuse Julianna of having a relationship with Alex without solid proof, I’ll only end up looking like the villain."

He paused before letting out a quiet sigh.

"We’ve only just started making progress in our marriage."

His expression softened almost imperceptibly.

"I’m not willing to risk that."

Hannah watched him in silence.

She knew Dominic wasn’t speaking out of fear.

He was speaking from experience.

"It isn’t the first time I’ve tried to warn her," Dominic continued. "Back then, Clara loved Alex so blindly that no matter what he did, she always found a way to defend him."

His gaze lowered slightly.

"Even after Alex left her waiting alone at the airport..."

A bitter smile appeared on his lips. "...she still believed I was the one who had kidnapped him."

Hannah’s eyes widened. She couldn’t imagine how frustrating that must have been.

Dominic had tried to protect Clara countless times, yet every attempt had only pushed her further away.

"No matter what I said," he added quietly, "she chose to believe him over me."

The room fell silent. After a long pause, Hannah let out a helpless sigh.

"You really had it rough, didn’t you?"

Dominic smiled faintly. "It doesn’t matter anymore."

"Why?"

"Because now..." His smile unconsciously deepened. "I have her."

Hannah stared at her brother for a few seconds before shaking her head. "You know..."

"What?"

"You’ve finally graduated."

Dominic looked puzzled. "Graduated?"

"From the ’Misunderstood Husband Association.’"

Dominic chuckled softly. "I didn’t know such an association existed."

"It didn’t."

Hannah stood up with a grin. "But if it did, you’d definitely be its founding president."

Dominic waved a hand dismissively, and Hannah walked out of his office with a smile.

The moment the door closed behind her, however, that smile disappeared.

Just because Dominic had decided to spare Julianna and Alex didn’t mean she intended to do the same.

"Brother, if you’re willing to let those two off the hook, that’s your choice." A determined glint flashed across her eyes. "But I won’t."

A sly smile slowly spread across her lips.

"I’m going to make you the hero of Clara’s life... whether you like it or not."

With that, she resumed walking toward the elevator.

Just as she was about to press the button, her eyes landed on a familiar figure.

Mark.

Her smile instantly returned. But the very next second, it froze.

Mark wasn’t alone. A young woman stood beside him, chatting happily. Even more shocking, Mark was smiling at her.

Hannah narrowed her eyes.

"...Excuse me?" She blinked once. Then twice.

"Who is she?" The cheerful expression she’d worn moments ago vanished completely.

A dangerous smile slowly appeared instead.

"Interesting..." Without another thought, she changed direction and marched straight toward them.

"Mark," she called sweetly.

The sweetness in her voice sent a chill down Mark’s spine.

He turned around. But when he saw that deadly smile on her face, his face paled.

Hannah’s gaze shifted from Mark to the woman standing beside him.

The moment the woman noticed Hannah, she immediately straightened up and bowed politely.

"Miss Hannah."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and practically sprinted out of the cafeteria.

"..."

Mark watched her leave before slowly looking back at Hannah.

He honestly couldn’t decide whether he should be relieved... or terrified.

He had been trying to escape that conversation for the past ten minutes, but the woman had stubbornly continued asking him questions. Just when he thought he’d never get away, Hannah had appeared out of nowhere.

Unfortunately...

She had arrived at exactly the wrong moment.

And judging by the dangerous glint in her eyes, Mark suddenly wished the persistent employee had stayed.

"Miss Hannah," he greeted with a stiff smile. "What a pleasant surprise."

As he spoke, he cautiously took a step closer.

Hannah smiled sweetly.

"Is it?"

Mark’s instincts immediately screamed.

Danger.

"Or..." Hannah continued casually, "did I interrupt your conversation with that woman?"

"I—"

"You two seemed to be having a wonderful chat."

Mark opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

"I even saw you smiling."

Her words landed like perfectly aimed arrows.

Mark felt himself take critical damage.

"I can explain."

"Oh?" Hannah folded her arms. "Please do."

"There... wasn’t anything to explain."

Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"So you smile at random women for no reason now?"

Mark nearly choked.

"I wasn’t smiling at her!"

"Oh? Then were you smiling at the cafeteria menu?"

Mark looked ready to cry.

"Can I choose to remain silent?"

Hannah’s smile widened.

"Denied."

Mark suddenly felt as though he had been backed into a corner. The problem was, there was nothing to explain. He genuinely hadn’t done anything wrong.

What he couldn’t understand was why Hannah sounded so... offended.

Is she jealous? The thought slipped into his mind before he immediately shook it away.

No... there’s no way.

Hannah had only recently ended things with Eric. It was impossible for her to develop feelings for someone else so quickly.

At least, that was what Mark kept telling himself.

Across from him, Hannah watched him fall into complete silence. Then, all of a sudden, a realization hit her.

Why did I even deny him? Her eyes flickered with confusion as an unfamiliar emotion settled deep in her heart.

Just a few minutes ago, she had walked out of Dominic’s office feeling perfectly fine. She had been busy planning how to expose Julianna and Alex.

Then she had seen Mark. And somehow everything else had disappeared from her mind.

The image of him smiling at another woman replayed over and over again.

For some reason, it stung. It felt like someone had quietly jabbed her in the chest.

What is wrong with me? The thought embarrassed her.

Taking a slow breath, she finally forced herself to calm down.

Without saying another word, Hannah turned on her heel and walked away while Mark remained rooted to the spot.

"..."