His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 665 Jealous?

Vanessa’s smile was sharp. "Oh, I’ve heard so much about you." Her gaze swept over Hazel, lingering on her scar. "You’re even more... interesting in person."

Hazel’s jaw tightened. "Thanks."

Vanessa laughed, a high, fake sound. "I’m just kidding. I mean, you must be so brave, going out in public like that. Without a mask or anything." She tilted her head. "I could never. I’d be so embarrassed."

Dom set down his fork. His expression stayed calm, but his eyes turned sharp.

Vanessa didn’t notice. She was too busy playing to the room, her voice carrying. "But I guess you get used to it, right? People staring? Whispering?" She patted Nicolas’s chest. "He’s so sweet, you know. He never told me how bad it was. He always said you were beautiful."

Nicolas’s smile was tight. "I meant it."

"Of course you did, baby." Vanessa patted his cheek. "You’re so kind. Too kind, really." She looked back at Hazel. "Leaving him at the altar, though. That was cold. Even for someone like you."

Dom spoke. His voice was quiet, almost lazy. "Someone like her?"

Vanessa turned to him, her smile widening. "You know what I mean."

"I don’t," Dom said. "Why don’t you explain?"

Vanessa’s smile faltered. "I’m just saying, she’s lucky anyone wanted to marry her at all. With her... situation."

Hazel’s voice was steady, but cold. "My situation is that I have a scar. That’s it."

Vanessa laughed again. "If you say so."

Dom leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Vanessa. "You know, I’ve been trying to place you. Have we met before?"

Vanessa tossed her hair. "I don’t think so. I’d remember someone like you."

"Really?" Dom tilted his head. "Because you look familiar. Very familiar." He snapped his fingers. "Wait. Weren’t you on that reality show? The one where they follow people around right after surgery?"

Vanessa’s face went white. "What? No."

"No?" Dom frowned. "Hmm. Maybe it was a different blonde with the same cheekbones." He tapped his chin. "Or maybe it was that documentary about people who’ve had too much filler. I get them confused."

Nicolas’s smile had frozen. "Dominique."

Dom held up his hands innocently. "I’m just trying to place her. She seems so familiar." He looked at Vanessa. "Are you sure we haven’t met? At a clinic, maybe? A consultation?"

Vanessa’s lips pressed together so hard they nearly disappeared. "I’ve never had surgery."

"Never?" Dom’s eyebrows rose. "Not even a little? Because your face is saying something different."

Nicolas grabbed Vanessa’s arm. "Let’s go."

But Vanessa wasn’t ready to retreat. She pulled free, stepping closer to the table. "You think you’re so funny? You’re just a model. A walking clothes hanger. You have no idea who you’re dealing with."

Dom smiled calmly. "I’m dealing with a man who got left at the altar and his girlfriend who’s jealous of a woman with a scar." He shrugged. "Seems pretty clear to me."

Vanessa’s face turned red, the fillers in her cheeks looking lumpy and wrong in the harsh light. "Jealous? Of her?" She laughed, but it was hollow. "Please."

Dom leaned forward, his voice dropping. "You know what I think? I think you’re jealous of something Hazel has naturally. And no matter how many surgeries you get, no matter how much money you spend, you’ll never have it." He tilted his head. "That must keep you up at night."

Dom noticed the way she kept looking at Hazel’s face. Her eyes weren’t just angry. They were jealous. Deeply, bitterly jealous.

Vanessa’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

Dom sat back, picking up his fork. "Anyway. Enjoy your dinner."

Nicolas stood there for a moment, breathing hard, his face burning. Then he turned and walked away, pulling Vanessa with him.

Hazel watched them go, then let out a long breath. "You didn’t have to do that."

"Yes, I did." Dom took a bite of his food. "She was being cruel. And you didn’t deserve that."

Hazel was quiet for a moment. Then, softly, "How did you know? About her being..." She hesitated. "Jealous?"

Dom shrugged. "I didn’t. But she was trying way too hard. The insults, the hair flipping, the way she kept looking at your face instead of your eyes." He set down his fork. "People who are secure don’t act like that."

Hazel looked at him. "You’re very observant."

"I’m a model," Dom said, grinning. "I spend all day being judged by people who think they’re better than me. You learn to read people fast."

Hazel shook her head, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

They finished their dinner in comfortable silence, the tension from earlier fading into the background.

***

Across the restaurant, Nicolas sat in his car, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Vanessa sat beside him, staring out the window. Her reflection showed a woman who had just been reminded that no amount of surgery could buy what Hazel had been given for free.

"He’s insufferable," she said.

Nicolas didn’t answer. He was already planning his next move.

Dom had humiliated him. Dom had made him look small.

He would make him pay. One way or another.

***

Meanwhile, Dominique looked at Hazel across the table. The restaurant had grown quieter now, the lunch crowd thinning out. The plates had been cleared away, and only their half-empty water glasses remained, condensation dripping slowly onto the white tablecloth.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just watched her. The way her fingers were wrapped around her glass, tight enough that her knuckles had gone pale. The way her jaw was set, her lips pressed together, her eyes fixed somewhere on the tablecloth like she was trying to burn a hole through it with her stare.

She was disturbed. He could see it. The encounter with Nicolas and Vanessa had shaken her, even though she was pretending it hadn’t. The way she held herself, the way she hadn’t touched her water in the last ten minutes, the way her breathing was just slightly too controlled. It all told him what her words wouldn’t.

"Why did you call me here?" Hazel’s voice was cold. Flat. The kind of cold that came from someone who had learned to freeze their feelings before they could hurt.

Dom didn’t answer right away. He picked up his water glass, took a slow sip, and set it back down. Then he asked, "Have you ever tried surgery? For your scar?"