Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

After the rather embarrassing breakfast, Dominic left the Sterling Estate with Mark and headed for the company.

The moment the front door closed behind them, the mansion fell into an unusual silence.

Clara calmly continued eating her breakfast as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Across from her, however, Hannah placed her utensils down with a soft clink.

She had been watching Clara ever since Dominic left.

Finally, she spoke.

"What exactly are you planning to do, Clara?"

Clara looked up.

Hannah folded her arms across her chest, her expression full of suspicion.

"This act of pretending to be a loving wife to my brother..." she said coldly. "It’s getting old."

The servants standing nearby immediately lowered their heads, pretending not to hear the conversation.

Clara gently set her teacup down before looking at Hannah with a small smile.

"It isn’t an act."

Hannah scoffed.

"As I told you last night," Clara continued calmly, "I’m serious about making this marriage work."

She paused before adding sincerely,

"And taking care of my husband is my responsibility."

Those words came straight from her heart.

She wasn’t pretending.

Not anymore.

She had already lost Dominic once.

She had watched him die protecting her.

She had spent her final moments drowning in regret over everything she had done to him.

Now that fate had given her another chance...

She refused to waste even a single day.

She wanted Dominic to know that he no longer had to face everything alone.

Unfortunately...

None of that could be explained.

Not without sounding completely insane.

Hannah suddenly laughed.

It wasn’t a happy laugh.

It was one filled with disbelief.

"So now you’re a devoted wife?"

She looked at Clara mockingly.

"Tell me, Clara."

"Wasn’t it you who tried to run away before the wedding?"

"Wasn’t it you who kept telling everyone you’d rather die than marry my brother?"

"And now that your precious lover failed to show up, you’ve suddenly decided to become the perfect wife?"

She shook her head.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Clara quietly lowered her eyes.

She couldn’t blame Hannah.

If their positions were reversed...

She wouldn’t believe herself either.

Her past actions had destroyed every ounce of trust she had built with the Sterling family.

Words alone could never fix that.

Seeing Clara remain silent, Hannah mistook it for guilt.

"I’ll make one thing clear."

Her voice turned icy.

"If you’re plotting something against my brother..."

"...give up now."

"I won’t let anyone hurt him again."

She took a step closer.

"Whatever game you’re playing, I’ll expose it before my brother gets caught in it."

Clara slowly lifted her gaze.

Instead of arguing, she simply smiled.

"I understand." The calm response caught Hannah off guard.

"I know why you don’t trust me. And honestly...I don’t blame you."

One day, Hannah would understand. But today wasn’t that day.

Hannah studied her for several long seconds before turning away.

"Just remember what I said."

Without another word, she walked out of the dining room.

Only after she disappeared did the servants begin exchanging quiet whispers among themselves.

"Do you think Madam has really changed?"

"I don’t know..."

"But she certainly seems different."

"Master even let her sleep in his room."

"Did you see Young Master’s face this morning?"

The butler cleared his throat loudly.

"Back to work." The servants instantly scattered.

Clara simply smiled to herself before finishing the rest of her breakfast.

There was no point trying to convince anyone. Her actions would speak far louder than her words.

***

Meanwhile, inside the black Rolls-Royce heading toward Sterling Group, silence filled the cabin.

Dominic sat in the back seat, dressed impeccably in his tailored black suit.

His expression remained as indifferent as ever.

Only the faint redness lingering at the tips of his ears betrayed that his mind was still replaying breakfast.

"...Boss?"

Mark glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

No response.

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat.

"Boss, did you hear what I just said?"

Dominic finally returned to reality.

"...Repeat it."

Mark resisted the urge to smile.

Clearly, his usually composed boss was distracted.

After last night’s unexpected visit from Clara...

And this morning’s public declaration that she wanted him to hug her...

It would’ve been stranger if he weren’t.

Mark handed him a folder.

"Our men continued following Alex after he was thrown out of the estate."

Dominic accepted it. The moment he opened the file, several photographs slid into view.

One showed Alex entering a luxury hotel. Another captured Julian arriving shortly afterward.

The remaining photographs documented the two leaving the hotel together the following morning, looking far more intimate than ordinary acquaintances.

Dominic’s eyes darkened.

"They spent the night together?" he asked quietly.

Mark nodded.

"Our informant confirmed they’ve been maintaining a physical relationship behind Madam’s back for quite some time."

Silence filled the car.

Dominic’s grip on the photographs tightened ever so slightly. He had always known Alex wasn’t worthy of Clara.

But he never imagined the man had been betraying her with her own stepsister.

The level of deception disgusted him.

Mark continued, "Our investigators also believe this isn’t something recent. Their relationship appears to have started long before your marriage."

Dominic lowered the photographs, and his gaze turned cold.

"No wonder."

Mark looked at him. "The birthday banquet..."

Dominic said quietly. "Julian drugged Clara. If I hadn’t arrived in time..."

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

Both men knew exactly what could have happened that night.

After a brief silence, Dominic spoke again.

"Dig deeper. I want everything. When did Alex and Julian first meet? How long have they been involved? And most importantly..." His voice became even colder. "I want to know exactly how much Alex knows about Julian drugging Clara on her birthday."

"If he was involved..." Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "...I won’t let either of them walk away."

"Understood, Boss."

Mark immediately made a note. Once the conversation ended, silence returned.

Dominic leaned back against the leather seat, resting one hand beneath his chin as he gazed out the window.

The city rushed past outside. Yet his thoughts remained fixed on one person.

Clara.

She had been deceived by the people she trusted most. By the family that should have protected her. By the man she believed she loved. And now... she claimed she wanted to make their marriage work.

She had hugged him. Called him "darling." Looked genuinely worried when she saw the dark circles under his eyes.

Everything about her felt different. Too different.

He wanted to believe her more than anyone else. But years of disappointment had taught him not to expect too much.

Slowly, he closed his eyes.

(Wifey... Were you telling me the truth last night? Or am I simply hoping for something that doesn’t exist?)

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips before disappearing just as quickly.

Whether Clara loved him or not... Whether she changed her mind or not... It no longer mattered.

He had already made his decision years ago.

As long as he was alive... He would protect her. Even if she never returned his feelings.