Chapter 5 - The Rumor Wakes UpBy midnight, the video had gone everywhere.
The first headline was simple.
Billionaire’s Girlfriend Tears Woman’s Dress at Chicago Gala — Then Learns Victim Is Dominic Raines’s Wife.
By 12:17 a.m., another appeared.
Who Is Clara Bennett Raines?
By 12:31 a.m., the rumors began.
Dominic and Clara sat in the back of a black car while Chicago lights streaked across the windows.
Clara held his jacket closed with both hands.
Dominic watched her reflection.
“You should have let me take you home sooner,” he said.
She gave a tired laugh. “That is your apology?”
“It is my regret.”
She turned toward him. “I chose to stay.”
“I know.”
“And I chose to speak.”
“I know.”
“Then stop acting like I broke because someone saw me.”
Dominic was silent.
Clara softened. “I’m not angry at you.”
“You should be.”
“Why?”
“Because Sloane knew where to strike.”
Clara’s hand went still.
The driver kept his eyes forward.
Dominic looked out the window. “People will start digging.”
“They already were.”
“Not like this.”
Clara leaned back.
The city looked cold and beautiful outside the glass.
Seven years earlier, before she became Clara Raines, before Dominic tried to become legitimate, before his name was spoken in boardrooms instead of back rooms, a man named Adrian Vale had cornered her outside a charity auction.
He had been drunk, powerful, and untouchable.
He put his hands on her.
Dominic found out.
Adrian disappeared from Chicago within forty-eight hours.
The official story was that he relocated to Europe after a business scandal.
The unofficial story was darker.
Clara had never asked Dominic what happened.
Dominic had never volunteered the answer.
That silence had become a locked room inside their marriage.
Now Sloane had kicked the door open in front of the entire city.
Clara whispered, “Did you hurt him?”
Dominic closed his eyes.
The question sat between them like a loaded gun.
Finally, he said, “Not the way they said I did.”
Clara looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His attorney.
Dominic answered.
After ten seconds, his expression changed.
Clara sat up. “What?”
Dominic ended the call slowly.
“Nolan Whitmore just called an emergency press conference for eight tomorrow morning.”
Clara’s stomach tightened.
May you like
Dominic looked at her.
“He’s going to use the Adrian Vale rumor to save his project.”
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