Chapter 235: Are you trying to burn the house down

Clara had no idea how long she had been asleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind, however, she could hear a faint voice calling out to her.

"Hey, are you alive?"

Her brows knitted at the interruption, but the voice didn’t fade.

Slowly, Clara opened her eyes.

For a moment, everything remained blurry. She blinked several times until the unfamiliar face hovering above her finally came into focus.

"Who are you?" she whispered, staring at him in confusion.

The man’s eyes remained fixed on her, filled with concern.

"I think I should call the doctor."

Suddenly, his face seemed to shift.

And when Clara blinked again, the person before her was none other than Dominic.

"...Dom?"

The fog in her mind instantly cleared.

Clara jolted upright.

"Why are you taking me to the doctor?"

Only then did Dominic realize that she was finally awake. The tension in his shoulders immediately eased, and he let out a quiet breath of relief.

"I’ve been trying to wake you for a while," he explained. "I called your name, but you wouldn’t respond. I thought something might be wrong."

He hesitated before adding,

"Honestly, I was starting to think I went a little too hard last night and you actually passed out."

"..."

Clara stared at him.

Technically, he wasn’t lying.

She had been exhausted enough to sleep deeply, but she certainly hadn’t passed out.

She closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her thoughts before looking back at him.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Dom. I’m perfectly fine. I was just sleeping really soundly."

She deliberately left the dream out of the explanation.

There was no way she was telling Dominic about it.

If she did, she knew exactly what would happen.

He would drag her to the doctor without wasting a second and probably insist on getting her entire head scanned.

Dominic said nothing, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

"Are you sure?"

Clara nodded.

"I’m sure."

Then she opened her arms.

"Now come here and hug me."

Dominic didn’t hesitate.

He leaned forward and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

[Then why did she ask who I was?]

The thought briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside.

Clara, however, remained thoughtful.

She had mistaken Dominic for someone else.

For that brief moment, the face she had seen had belonged to another person—a boy she had met decades ago.

It had been nothing more than a fleeting memory.

Yet somehow, that boy had left an impact on her life that she had never completely forgotten.

Dominic hesitantly pulled away from the hug, his gaze shifting toward the phone resting on the bedside table.

"I think you should check your phone," he said.

Clara blinked before following his gaze. After a moment, she nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay."

Dominic climbed out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, leaving Clara to reach for her phone.

She stretched lazily before grabbing it from the bedside table.

The moment she unlocked the screen, she noticed a missed call from Adrian.

A smile immediately spread across her face.

"Adrian..."

Without wasting another second, Clara tapped his name and returned the call.

The phone barely rang before he answered.

"Clara?"

His familiar voice instantly made her smile widen.

"Hello, Mr. Adrian. You called me?"

"Yes. I wanted to check if you were okay. I tried calling earlier, but you didn’t answer."

Clara glanced toward the bathroom door.

"Sorry. I was asleep."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Adrian spoke.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but could you come and meet me?" he asked.

Clara nodded instinctively, even though he couldn’t see her.

"Sure. I’ll come."

She had wanted to meet Adrian sooner after the charity incident, but everything involving Dorothy and the Hayes family had kept her busy.

Now that she could finally breathe a little, she decided it was time to visit him.

She even planned to bring his favorite dessert.

"I’ll see you soon," Clara said with a smile.

"Alright. See you."

The call ended, and Clara placed the phone beside her.

She smiled to herself before getting out of bed, only to stop when she saw her husband standing there, freshly showered and looking annoyingly handsome.

"Heading somewhere?" Dominic asked, and Clara gulped before nodding.

Clara could have spent her entire life adoring her husband, but knowing she had already said some of it, she chose to dismiss her shameful thought.

"Mr. Adrian wants to meet me. And I think it’s about time I thanked him properly."

Dominic said nothing for a moment before nodding. He had already done his part, but Adrian was Clara’s client, so it was only natural for her to meet him as well.

"Okay," he said, and the couple quickly got ready and headed out for work.

This time, however, Toto would be staying home under Butler James’s watchful eye.

***

While Clara was looking forward to meeting Adrian, Dorothy and Julianna were struggling just to afford a proper meal.

The money Dorothy had left was quickly running out, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they were left with nothing.

Their life had completely turned upside down. Not long ago, Dorothy had lived comfortably, never having to worry about where her next meal would come from. She had believed that her wealth and connections would always protect her.

Now, even the simplest necessities had become a struggle.

Closing her eyes, Dorothy tried to think of a way out when a loud scream suddenly came from the kitchen.

"What happened?"

She immediately dropped everything and rushed inside.

The moment she entered, she froze.

The food on the stove was burning, filling the kitchen with smoke, while Julianna was sprawled across the floor, completely covered in flour.

"Mom, please help me."

Julianna reached out toward her mother, expecting Dorothy to help her up.

Instead, Dorothy hurried toward the stove and immediately turned off the burner.

"You useless girl! Are you trying to burn the entire house down?"