Chapter 241: I won’t scare him again.

"Hubby, stop scaring Butler James."

Clara slowly pulled away from Dominic and gave him a cute little frown.

"He was telling me stories about your childhood so well that I ended up tearing up," she added, sniffing as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.

While Clara acted all cute and emotional, Butler James looked even more petrified.

This time, the look Dominic was giving him made the old man seriously consider running for his life.

"Just what did you tell her about my childhood, Butler James?"

Dominic’s voice was calm, but somehow that made it even more frightening.

As far as he was concerned, there was absolutely nothing interesting about his childhood. So seeing his wife crying after listening to Butler James made him wonder exactly what the old man had told her.

Butler James fumbled for an explanation.

"Master, I only—"

"He told me how obedient you were and how much you liked spending time by yourself," Clara quickly interrupted.

Dominic stared at her.

[And that made her cry?]

Clara pursed her lips, desperately trying to hide her real motive behind the conversation. Her plan to get Butler James talking about the kidnapping incident had failed miserably.

Still, she couldn’t let Dominic become suspicious.

After all, Adrian had said it was nothing more than a rumor, and there were no records confirming it. She had to be careful. One wrong word could make Dominic wonder why she was suddenly so interested in his childhood.

Ignoring his suspicious stare, Clara turned toward Butler James.

"By the way, Butler James, could you take Toto with you?"

Butler James immediately nodded.

"Yes, Madam!"

He had never been happier to receive an assignment.

Anything was better than standing under his master’s scrutinizing gaze.

He quickly picked up Toto and hurried out of the room.

Once Butler James was gone, Clara turned back to Dominic.

"Hubby, you aren’t following the rules."

Dominic blinked.

"What rules?"

"You’re supposed to be nice to everyone. Look what you did. You scared Butler James."

She pouted accusingly.

Dominic stared at her for a moment.

[What was I supposed to do when I walked in and found my wife crying, only to discover that the person sitting with her was Butler James?]

He knew Butler James was probably the most sensible person in the entire household. But the old man had been talking about his childhood—something Dominic rarely discussed.

Naturally, his guard had gone up.

And judging by the speed at which Butler James had escaped, perhaps he had been a little too intimidating.

Clara continued pouting.

Dominic sighed and reached out, gently wiping the last trace of tears from her cheek.

"Fine. I won’t scare him again."

Outside the door, Butler James quietly let out a breath of relief.

Thank God.

Then Toto barked in his arms.

Butler James glanced down at him and covered his mouth.

"You almost got me killed today, little one," he said, quickly walking away before the couple caught him.

***

Clara smiled before wrapping her arms around Dominic once again. Although Dominic still wasn’t entirely convinced that she had become so emotional after hearing about his childhood, he decided not to question her further.

"Dom, if I asked you to tell me about your childhood, would you?" she asked, pulling back slightly and looking up at him innocently.

[Just so she can end up crying again?]

"No," Dominic replied immediately.

Clara’s lips formed an adorable pout.

"Why?" she asked, pulling away completely.

"Because I don’t want to see you cry."

His answer left Clara blinking.

Dominic wasn’t particularly fond of talking about his childhood. It wasn’t simply because those memories involved his mother. There were many things from that time that he had long since buried and had no desire to dig up again.

Besides, he was perfectly content with the life he had now.

He didn’t need to revisit painful memories just to explain them to someone else.

And if telling Clara those stories meant seeing tears gather in her eyes again, then Dominic would rather keep them to himself.

He could tolerate his own memories.

What he couldn’t tolerate was seeing Clara hurt because of them.

Clara stared at him for a moment, her expression slowly softening.

"You really won’t tell me?" she asked again, almost as if hoping he might change his mind.

Dominic shook his head firmly.

"No."

"But I’m curious," Clara complained.

"That curiosity is going to get you into trouble one day."

Clara narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you calling me troublesome?"

"I didn’t say that."

"You implied it."

Dominic couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression.

"You’re the one who asked."

Clara crossed her arms, pretending to be offended, but a small smile soon appeared on her lips.

She had wanted to know more about his past, but perhaps she had been looking at it the wrong way.

Dominic wasn’t hiding his childhood because he didn’t trust her.

He simply didn’t want those memories to become a reason for her to cry.

And somehow, that realization made her heart ache even more.

[Why isn’t she saying anything? Is she really that eager to know about my childhood?]

Dominic wondered as he watched Clara’s sudden silence.

However, little did he know that Clara wasn’t quiet because she was upset. She was simply thinking of another way to get him to open up without making him uncomfortable.

"You’re right. I don’t want to cry too much and end up worrying you," she said after a moment. "So I won’t ask about it, but..."

She paused, her eyes meeting his with a soft, fond gaze.

"If you ever feel like sharing, I’m always here to listen. And I promise I won’t get emotional."

Dominic stared at her, momentarily caught off guard by her words.

Clara smiled gently.

"I won’t force you to tell me anything, Dom. You can tell me whenever you’re ready."

Although Clara knew quite a bit about Dominic’s life, she realized that she had never truly taken the initiative to understand him on a deeper level.

She had always known the important parts of his past, but knowing someone’s history was different from knowing the person who had lived through it.

And now that she was ready to truly be there for him, Clara didn’t want to simply hear his stories.

She wanted to hear them from him.

Not because she was curious, but because she wanted Dominic to know that he never had to carry those memories alone.

"If you ever want to talk," she added softly, "I’ll listen."

Dominic remained silent, but the warmth in his eyes told Clara that her words had reached him.

Dominic remained silent, his eyes fixed on Clara.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Clara’s heart began beating faster under his intense gaze, and she instinctively lowered her eyes. However, before she could look away completely, Dominic reached out and gently tilted her chin upward.

"You really mean that?" he asked quietly.

Clara nodded.

"Of course."

Something softened in Dominic’s expression.

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her face. Clara’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t move away. Instead, she unconsciously closed the distance between them.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss.

It was slow and tender at first, but when Clara’s fingers curled lightly around the fabric of his shirt, Dominic’s restraint seemed to weaken.

He kissed her again, lingering this time.

Clara’s cheeks flushed as she pulled back just enough to catch her breath.

"Dom..."

"Hmm?"

"You’re getting carried away."

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"You’re the one who hugged me first."

"I was being affectionate."

"So am I."

Before Clara could come up with a reply, Dominic leaned down again, placing a soft kiss against her forehead before trailing another along her cheek.

Clara couldn’t help but smile. Just as she was about to wrap her arms around him again—

"Sir!"

The sudden shout from outside made both of them freeze.

"Sir! Toto!"

Dominic’s expression immediately darkened.

Clara blinked in confusion. A moment later, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

"Wait, Toto! Come back here!"

"Woof!"

A small blur suddenly dashed past the bedroom doorway. Behind him came Butler James, practically running after the mischievous dog.

"Toto! Stop!"

Clara stared at the doorway before bursting into laughter.

Dominic closed his eyes and sighed.

"Of all the moments..."

James finally appeared, panting heavily as Toto proudly ran into the room and jumped onto the bed.

"I’m terribly sorry, sir," James managed to say between breaths. "But Toto escaped again."

Dominic stared at the dog.

Toto stared back.

Clara laughed even harder.

"Looks like someone wanted to join us."

Clara forced a smile, though deep down she wanted to scold Toto.

***

Dominic quickly got changed before picking Toto up in his arms.

"It’s time for your lessons," he said firmly.

Clara nodded, despite Toto giving them his most pitiful look. Neither of them paid him any attention.

Finally, Toto lowered his head in disappointment and reluctantly allowed Dominic to carry him away.