Claudia thought something was wrong with her eyes. Staring at the man's face just inches away, her heart beat a little faster...
The next second, he noticed her too.
The moment their eyes met, the air around them seemed to freeze.
His dark gaze locked onto her face, studying her like she was some kind of strange creature, and for a brief moment, even he seemed caught off guard.
"Dominic!" Ivan was the first to approach, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile. "Come, come, have a seat! Sorry about that—just a little family squabble. I thought you'd be arriving later. Please, sit down!"
Then he leaned in close to Claudia, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "This is Belinda's fiancé. An honored guest. Stop making a scene and get out of here."
Fiancé?!
The word hit her like a physical blow. Claudia's body went rigid, her disbelieving gaze snapping back to the man...
At the same time, Victoria hurried over with an apologetic, fawning expression. "Dominic, I'm so sorry about all this. Your first visit to our home and you walk into such chaos. How embarrassing for us. Please forgive the mess!"
"This girl is the daughter from my husband's first marriage," Victoria continued, eager to distance herself. "She's always been wild and difficult—constantly causing trouble. But don't worry, she doesn't live with us. Ivan and I will handle this... private matter."
Dominic said nothing. He simply cast a cold glance at Claudia, then looked away.
That look of disgust and indifference made his contempt perfectly clear.
Of course. After a year of sleeping with her, he'd seen exactly who she was—shameless, selfish, materialistic to the core. And now he'd just witnessed her slap an elder. In his eyes, she was nothing but trash.
"Sis, why do you have to turn everything upside down every time you come home?"
Belinda sidled up to her, reaching out to stroke Claudia's hair with exaggerated gentleness. She adopted the posture of a wounded innocent. "If my mom said something that upset you, I'll apologize on her behalf, okay? You can take it out on me all you want. Just please... don't go after my mom anymore. Her heart is weak—"
"Get away from me." Claudia hated having her hair touched. Especially by this two-faced snake.
She shoved Belinda away.
Belinda stumbled backward, arms flailing, about to crash to the floor—until Dominic caught her just in time.
That was the last straw for him.
His eyes blazed as he glared at Claudia. "Try touching her again. I dare you."
The threat made Claudia pause.
She watched him holding Belinda in his arms, playing the devoted protector, and it finally sank in: he was going to marry this woman.
"Fine." Claudia's jaw tightened, a cold smile curling her lips. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was being threatened.
In one swift motion, she grabbed the glass of water from the housekeeper's tray and hurled it straight into Belinda's face.
Then she tossed the empty glass into a nearby trash bin, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the door like nothing had happened.
She'd barely taken a few steps when a rough hand clamped around her arm—
She looked up and found herself staring into Dominic's eyes again. They were dark as a storm, burning with barely contained fury.
Claudia tried to wrench free, but his grip only tightened, crushing her arm like he wanted to snap the bone.
She stopped struggling. Instead, she tilted her head and asked lightly, "What's a grown man doing grabbing me like this? You want to assault me or something?"
