Chapter 229: He is a nice man

Mark felt like his heart had leaped straight out of his mouth when he saw his boss smiling at him.

For a moment, he genuinely wondered if he had done something wrong.

For God’s sake, stop scaring me like that.

He had already started imagining the worst when Dominic suddenly turned his eyes toward him.

Mark’s breath hitched.

Dominic frowned at his dramatic reaction, completely unaware that his smile had nearly scared the life out of his assistant.

"Why are you shouting?" he asked, his expression returning to its usual stoic state.

Mark blinked.

He doesn’t even realize what he just did?

His heart was still racing, but Mark quickly composed himself. He wasn’t going to let his boss see how easily that creepy smile had rattled him.

"Boss..." He cleared his throat. "What exactly were you trying to do?"

Dominic glanced at him briefly before lowering his gaze back to the tablet in his hands.

"Practicing smiling."

Mark stared at him.

"...What?"

Dominic continued scrolling through the screen as if he hadn’t just dropped the most concerning statement Mark had heard all week.

"You asked what I was doing."

"I know what I asked." Mark swallowed. "But why were you practicing smiling?"

"I wanted to see if I could."

Mark’s lips twitched.

Could?

He looked at Dominic cautiously.

That wasn’t a smile. That was the face of a maniac who had just decided to haunt someone’s dreams.

Mark had seen Dominic smile a few times before, and, surprisingly, those smiles had always been gentle and sincere.

But this one?

This one belonged in a horror movie.

"Then, Boss, I suggest you practice smiling with a little more affection."

And maybe don’t scare the person you’re smiling at.

Dominic paused, seemingly considering his words carefully. After a moment, he gave a small nod.

"Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind."

"..."

Mark stared at him.

What in the world is wrong with him today?

His boss was acting completely out of character. Not only was he actually listening to Mark’s advice, but he hadn’t even given him a death glare for criticizing his smile.

That was somehow even more terrifying.

Mark shifted uneasily in his seat.

I really need to postpone that confrontation.

He had been planning to talk to Dominic about his and Hannah’s relationship, but seeing him behave like this had completely destroyed his courage.

At this rate, I’m even more scared than before.

He glanced at Dominic from the corner of his eye.

His boss was calmly scrolling through his tablet, looking perfectly normal.

Mark swallowed.

Maybe I should wait until he’s back to being terrifyingly normal.

Because somehow, a stoic Dominic was much easier to deal with than a smiling one.

While Mark was still lost in his thoughts, Dominic suddenly turned off his tablet and looked directly at him.

"Do you know who Hannah is dating?"

The question caught Mark completely off guard.

For a second, he simply stared at his boss.

Then, very slowly, it felt as though his soul began leaving his body.

Oh no.

The way Dominic was staring at him made Mark feel as if his boss could see straight through him. It was almost as though Dominic already knew everything and was simply waiting for Mark to confess.

This is it. My days are numbered.

"W-Why would you ask me that, Boss?" Mark stammered, his voice barely audible.

Dominic didn’t answer.

He simply continued staring.

Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Boss?"

Nothing.

Mark swallowed hard and shrank further into the seat.

Why isn’t he saying anything?

The silence was making everything ten times worse. But then Dominic spoke.

"I thought you might know. After all, Hannah has been unusually reliable on you lately," Dominic said before looking away.

Mark blinked.

For a moment, he was convinced his boss had figured everything out. But when Dominic seemed to sink into his own thoughts, Mark finally relaxed.

Maybe he has no idea about us.

"Or maybe I’m simply overthinking it. Why would Hannah tell you about her relationship?" Dominic added casually.

Mark’s worries immediately flew out the window.

He mentally breathed a sigh of relief before muttering, almost to himself, "I’m sure the person she’s dating must be nice."

Dominic raised an eyebrow.

"How can you say that?"

His deep voice startled Mark, who immediately realized how suspicious he had sounded.

"W-What I mean is..." He cleared his throat. "Miss Hannah is a smart woman, and I’m sure the person she’s dating must be a nice man."

Dominic studied him thoughtfully.

"Hannah can be smart and still ended up falling for that jerk, Eric."

He paused.

"Which only proves she’s not that smart."

"..."

Mark stared at him.

Was that supposed to make me feel better?

He pressed his lips together, desperately trying not to laugh.

"Well..." Mark cleared his throat. "Love can make people do foolish things."

Dominic glanced at him.

"Apparently."

Mark’s smile faded.

Why do I suddenly feel like we’re talking about more than Eric?

He quietly turned toward the window.

I should really stop talking before I accidentally confess my entire life story.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

Mark kept his eyes fixed on the window, pretending to be deeply interested in the traffic outside. Beside him, Dominic remained unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

Mark slowly glanced at him.

Dominic was staring at his tablet again, but judging by the slight frown on his face, he clearly wasn’t reading anything.

Please don’t start thinking again.

Mark had a terrible feeling that Dominic’s thoughts were far more dangerous than his questions, and remaining silent was the only choice now.

***

Thud!

The door flew open, sending a cloud of dust straight into Julianna’s and Dorothy’s faces.

Julianna immediately scrunched up her nose at the unpleasant smell.

"Mom, I’m not staying here," she complained, waving a hand in front of her face. "This place is a dump."

Dorothy ignored her and turned toward the man standing by the door.

"Here’s the money," she said, handing him the cash.

The man took it without a word, gave them a brief glance, and walked away.