Chapter 231: I know everything

After throwing Julianna out of his life, Alex had made up his mind about one thing—he was going to win Clara over at any cost.

And the first thing he did was start following her.

Alex knew going to the Sterling Mansion was no longer an option. Dominic’s guards had already thrown him out on his wedding day, and he had no intention of experiencing that humiliation twice.

So instead, he started looking for Clara at the bakery.

However, when he found her there, she was always busy, surrounded by Lily and Silvia. The two girls were exactly the ones Julianna had told him about.

Alex decided to stay away.

He didn’t want to approach Clara in front of them and attract unnecessary attention. If he was going to talk to her, he wanted to do it privately.

It took an entire day before he finally got the opportunity.

Now, seeing Clara standing alone outside the restaurant with Toto in her arms, Alex knew he couldn’t let the chance slip away.

He walked toward her.

"Clara."

She immediately turned around. The coldness in her eyes made him pause for a moment, but he quickly composed himself.

"You? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

Clara’s expression hardened.

"Why?"

Alex took a deep breath. "Because I wanted to talk to you."

Clara remained silent, but her eyes saw straight through Alex’s facade.

She knew exactly why he had suddenly decided to appear in front of her, even after everything he had done had been exposed.

Julianna had lost everything. Her family’s wealth was gone, their connections were disappearing, and there was nothing left for a man like Alex to leech from.

And now, Clara was the only option he had left.

He probably thought he could manipulate her again by pretending to be remorseful.

Alex blinked several times, forcing tears into his eyes. His lips trembled as he hurried after her.

"Clara, I’m sorry. I was wrong to cheat on you. I shouldn’t have—"

Before he could get any closer, Toto suddenly barked.

"Wau! Wau!"

Alex immediately stopped in his tracks.

He looked down at the little puppy.

Toto looked adorable, but the deadly glare in his eyes made Alex instinctively take a step back.

Clara glanced down at Toto before looking back at Alex.

"Good boy," she murmured.

Alex swallowed and decided to continue from a safer distance.

"Clara, please listen to me. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but there’s something you need to know."

Clara said nothing.

Alex took her silence as permission to continue.

"It was Julianna who seduced me. She was the one who wanted revenge on you because she wanted to marry Dominic."

Clara’s expression didn’t change.

Alex quickly continued.

"She hated you for taking the place she thought should have been hers. She wanted to ruin your relationship with Dominic, and she was willing to do anything to make that happen."

He paused, watching Clara carefully.

"She was the one who drugged you on your birthday."

Clara’s eyes finally hardened.

Alex saw the reaction and immediately pressed on.

"She wanted to frame you and stop Dominic from marrying you. That was her plan from the beginning."

He lowered his voice, making himself sound as remorseful as possible.

"But things didn’t go the way she expected."

Clara’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"What happened?"

Alex clenched his hands.

"She had arranged for someone else to be with you that night. But the person she intended to use never showed up."

His eyes flickered toward her.

"And instead, Dominic ended up being the one who stayed with you."

For a moment, silence settled between them.

Alex took another step forward, but Toto immediately growled.

Alex froze.

"Okay..." he muttered, glancing nervously at the puppy. "I’ll stay here."

Clara almost rolled her eyes.

Alex quickly returned his attention to her.

"I’m telling you everything because I want you to know the truth. Julianna manipulated me too. She made me believe she loved me, but she only wanted to use me."

Clara finally spoke.

"And now you’re telling me this because?"

Alex’s expression faltered.

"I want to make things right."

Clara gave him a cold look.

"Or you want me to believe that you’re the victim."

Alex went silent.

She had seen through him again.

And judging by Toto’s expression, the puppy had too.

"Believe me, Clara. I never would have done any of that, but Julianna made me. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me. I love you."

Clara let out a quiet chuckle.

Everything Alex had just told her was something she already knew. Still, she had never expected him to openly expose Julianna just to save himself.

"You lost me the moment you chose to side with Julianna and made me feel guilty for cheating on you."

Her smile disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.

She still remembered how badly she had broken down when she believed she had betrayed the only man who had ever truly loved her.

What she hadn’t known at the time was that Alex had deliberately pushed her deeper into that guilt, hoping she would eventually turn against Dominic.

"I don’t love you anymore, Alex."

Her voice was calm, but there was no room for negotiation.

"And I made that clear the day you came to me and accused Dominic of abducting you."

Alex’s eyes widened.

"H-How did you know?"

"I know everything, Alex."

Clara’s gaze hardened.

"I knew you and Julianna planned your so-called abduction. You wanted to frame Dominic so that even after I married him, you could continue using me against him and eventually get your hands on his money."

Alex’s face paled.

Both he and Julianna had been hiding their own ulterior motives from each other. They had thought they were manipulating everyone around them while secretly using one another for their own desires.

But neither had realized one thing.

Clara had already seen through both of them.

"You came here thinking you could fool me again," she said coldly. "But you should have known better."