Chapter 169: Lingered around and left

Silvia swallowed.

Lily forced a smile.

"Madam," she said carefully, "perhaps we should remember that murder is generally frowned upon at public gatherings."

Clara’s lips twitched.

"I wasn’t planning to murder anyone."

"Your eyes disagree," Silvia muttered.

Clara looked back at Dominic, who was still surrounded by the women.

"They should be grateful I’m in a good mood today."

Lily and Silvia tightened their hold on her arms.

Neither of them dared to let go.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the venue, someone looked utterly confused.

"Honey... is Clara trying to run somewhere?" Jonathan asked, staring at the scene before him. "And why are her teammates holding her back?"

Grace followed his gaze and immediately spotted Clara standing between Lily and Silvia, both of whom had a firm grip on her arms.

At first, Grace furrowed her brows in confusion. But then she noticed the murderous glint in Clara’s eyes and followed her line of sight.

Her gaze landed on the group of women surrounding Dominic.

Realization dawned on her face.

"Oh," she murmured.

Jonathan looked at his wife expectantly. "Oh, what?"

Grace simply shrugged.

"They better not let her go," she said calmly. "Otherwise, I fear every woman in this venue will disappear within the next five minutes."

Jonathan’s eyes widened.

"Disappear?"

Grace pointed subtly toward Dominic, who was still surrounded by several women trying to catch his attention.

Jonathan stared at the crowd, then glanced back at Clara. Her expression had grown increasingly dangerous, and the muscles in her jaw were visibly tense.

"Ah," he said, finally understanding. "So that’s the problem."

"Apparently," Grace replied.

Although everyone knew Dominic was married, very few people had ever seen his wife. Since her identity had remained a mystery for so long, many guests had begun to wonder whether the rumors were even true.

Some even believed Dominic had invented the story of his marriage simply to discourage women from approaching him.

Grace, however, knew the truth.

A few months ago, when she had wanted Dominic to settle down, she had introduced him to several suitable women. Some came from influential families, while others were beautiful, accomplished, and perfectly capable of standing beside him.

Dominic had rejected every single one of them.

He had barely spared any of them a glance, much less shown interest in pursuing a relationship.

Grace had never pressed him for an explanation. She assumed that, as usual, her son simply had no interest in romance.

Then, one day, Dominic had casually announced that he was getting married. To Clara.

It had been a tremendous surprise. Grace and Jonathan had been delighted that their son had finally decided to settle down. But when they eventually met Clara, their expectations had been thoroughly shattered.

Clara had been nothing like the graceful, obedient daughter-in-law Grace had imagined.

She was outspoken, unpredictable, stubborn, and completely rude seemed to possess more courage than common sense.

At the time, Grace had struggled to understand why Dominic had chosen her.

But now, watching Clara glare at the women surrounding her husband as though she were preparing to declare war, Grace couldn’t help smiling.

She had once believed Dominic was difficult to understand.

However, Clara was even more complicated.

The two of them were clearly obsessed with each other, yet neither seemed willing to admit it.

Dominic claimed to be indifferent, but one flirtatious message from Clara had been enough to turn his ears red.

And Clara, who had been praising his handsome face moments ago, was now ready to chase away every woman who dared stand too close to him.

Grace shook her head, amused.

"They really are a strange couple," she murmured.

Jonathan glanced at her. "Should we stop Clara?"

Grace looked at him as though he had asked whether they should challenge a wild animal.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I value my life."

Jonathan nodded solemnly. "That’s reasonable."

Across the venue, Clara struggled against Lily and Silvia’s hold.

Grace watched her with a faint smile.

Perhaps understanding love isn’t difficult after all, she thought. Perhaps it simply makes people act ridiculous.

***

"Okay, fine. I’m not murdering anyone," Clara finally declared, reluctantly giving up her struggle.

However, Silvia and Lily remained unconvinced.

They exchanged a suspicious glance before looking back at their madam.

"We doubt that," one of them muttered.

Clara glared at them. "You two have such little faith in me."

"Can you blame us?" Lily asked.

Although Clara was desperate to march over and shove every woman away from her man, she knew she couldn’t act recklessly—not when she had specifically asked Dominic to treat her like any other subordinate working at the event.

She didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, especially from those who were already whispering that she had secured the opportunity through the Sterling family’s influence.

Clara knew Dominic could have made everything easier for her the moment she told him about the business she wanted to establish. He could have opened doors, introduced her to influential people, and ensured her success with a single phone call.

But she didn’t want to rely on him for every aspect of her life and career.

She wanted to work her way up and earn success that was truly hers—success worth celebrating without anyone claiming she had received it through her husband.

Unfortunately, none of that made it easier to watch women eyeing Dominic as though he were the main attraction of the evening.

"You can trust me, girls," Clara said, releasing a deep breath. "As much as I want to pluck their eyes out, I know I can’t do that here."

Silvia’s lips twitched. "That’s reassuring. Although the fact that you’ve already considered plucking their eyes out is slightly concerning."

Clara ignored her.

I might find another way to deal with them later, she thought.

For now, she would let the matter slide.

"Are you sure?" Silvia asked, studying her carefully.

"Yes," Clara replied firmly.

Only after receiving her assurance did Silvia and Lily finally release her arms.

Silvia straightened her dress and sighed. "Madam, you really need to control yourself, especially when you have a rival wandering around, waiting for an opportunity to strike."

Clara frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Miss Julianna," Silvia clarified. "She came looking for you earlier before finally finding you."

Lily’s eyes widened as she nodded. "And you know what the strange part is?"

Clara glanced between them. "What?"

"She actually apologized for her mother’s behavior at the bakery that day," Lily revealed.

Clara’s expression immediately changed.

"Julianna apologized?"

"Yes," Silvia confirmed.

Clara narrowed her eyes.

That was suspicious. Julianna Hayes was not the type to apologize without a reason.

"What else did she do?" Clara asked, and Silvia answered with a serious tone.

"Lingered around and left"

"..."