The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 27: Dominic’s past

Later that night...

Mila slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt heavy, and her body ached all over. When she turned slightly, she saw Dominic sitting beside the bed.

His posture was stiff, his back straight, and his expression cold. He was not smiling. He didn’t ask if she was okay.

Mila felt a little awkward. She sat up slowly and mustered a smile. But he didn’t return it. His gaze became colder.

It made her uneasy. After a moment of hesitation, she started explaining. "My father forced me to go meet Ethan. He wanted me to talk to Ethan and sort out the problems. Or the company will go bankrupt."

Her fingers twisted nervously. "Vega Biocorp is my mother’s hard work, her legacy. I wanted to save it. But Ethan demanded that I marry him."

Dominic was still silent.

"I refused," she added quickly. "I offered him shares instead. But he only wanted the marriage."

Dominic’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

His silence only added to her nervousness.

She almost stuttered when she continued, "And then...he tricked me. He served me a spiked coffee."

The moment those words left her mouth, Dominic spoke. "You shouldn’t have gone there in the first place. That man was trying to force you into his demands from the beginning. Why can’t you see it?"

Mila blinked, startled by his sudden anger.

"To save the company, you don’t need his investments," he added sharply. There are other options. Why cling to the Shaw Group?"

His words made Mila pause. She had never thought about that. The truth was – she didn’t understand much about business. Her father had always handled everything.

"Then – who should I approach?" she asked with uncertainty.

"I already have a plan."

"A plan?" Mila stared at him with surprise. "How could you have a plan?"

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You don’t even remember your own name."

Then something clicked in her mind suddenly. "Wait." She moved in closer to him, her gaze searching his face. "Did you remember something? Did you regain your memory?"

Dominic hesitated. For a moment, he simply looked at her wordlessly. He knew he couldn’t keep lying forever.

Sooner or later, she would have to face the truth. But he wasn’t ready to reveal everything.

Not yet.

He exhaled quietly before explaining in a controlled tone.

"Yes, I regained my memory."

"Really?" Mila’s eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, her lips curled into a joyous grin. "You actually remember everything!"

Dominic nodded. "After I left the clinic earlier today," he started, choosing his words carefully, "I met someone outside who claimed to be my friend. He took him to his house, showed me some old photographs."

He paused for some time. "Talking to him helped me remember many things. I went to my place. When I was in the familiar surroundings, memories started coming back."

Mila’s face brightened further with delight. "That’s amazing!" Her earlier uneasiness disappeared completely. "I’m so happy for you. Congratulations."

She leaned forward eagerly. "So what’s your name? What did you do before?"

Dominic turned his head sideways, meeting her gaze. "Dominic."

"Dominic," she repeated, the name rolling smoothly on her tongue. "Wow! It’s good. Suits your persona."

He didn’t look away from her as he continued, "I own the Nexon Group."

Mila’s smile froze. She blinked, stunned. For a good minute, nothing came out of her mouth. All she did was stare at him.

Though she knew little about the corporate world, she was still familiar with some major names. And Nexon Group was definitely one of them.

Her surprise soon transformed into disbelief.

"You are serious?"

Dominic nodded slowly.

Mila laughed suddenly. "The stranger I saved and took in turned out to be a billionaire," she teased.

Dominic didn’t smile at all. His expression turned serious.

"It’s not easy for me to take over the Nexon Group." His voice became heavier.

The sudden change in his tone made Mila quiet.

Dominic looked away. "I’m an illegitimate son of Louise Noir." His gaze turned sharp. "My father never acknowledged me, never allowed me into the Noir family. That man already had a family – a wife and two sons."

Bitterness seeped into his voice. "He used my mother only to satisfy his sexual desire and then discarded her when she needed him the most."

Mila’s face dimmed slowly.

"My mother was diagnosed with cancer," he continued. His fingers curled slightly on his knees. "She died not long after. I was only nine."

A heavy silence filled the room until he spoke again. "I lived on the streets."

Mila’s heart tightened painfully.

"I had to fight every day to survive." His gaze grew distant. "I probably would have died long ago if a kindhearted man hadn’t taken me in."

Hearing all this, Mila felt a deep ache in her chest. She gently clasped his hand as if telling him he wasn’t alone.

The warmth of her touch startled Dominic. He instinctively wanted to pull his hand away, but something stopped him. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he came back from those painful memories.

Dominic glanced at her for a moment before continuing, "I eventually built my own power. I took away everything from the Noirs."

Coldness clouded his features. "My half-brothers tried to fight me for it. They conspired against me and tried to kill me."

He felt silent. What he didn’t tell her was that he had killed them and disposed of their bodies without a trace.

Mila, on the other end, realized why he had the blade wound and the bullet mark on his body. It turned out that he had barely survived the deadly attacks launched by his own family.

"Where are they now?" she asked. "Are they still trying to kill you? Was that accident a planned one?"

Dominic thought for a while. "I sent them far away a few years ago. They are working in mines now."

It was not entirely a lie.

Louise Noir and his wife had indeed been sent to Africa. Now Dominic was the sole ruler of the Noir empire.

"For the current accident – I have yet to find out who is behind it."

Mila nodded.

Dominic placed his hand on hers. "For me, dealing with Ethan isn’t difficult. No need to worry about Vega Biocorp. Ethan can’t do anything."

Mila’s eyes lit up with hope.

"The problems will be resolved soon," he assured her.

Relief flooded her face. "That’s great. I’m tension-free now." She threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

But he was still unhappy with her. He didn’t smile. "Why did you go there alone?"

His tone turned colder again.