The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 53: The sting of jealousy

Lucas froze mid-step. Then sighed.

"You are finally awake," he said, rolling his eyes. "It’s almost noon."

Recognizing who it was, Dominic lowered the weapon.

He realized how heavy his head was. And this pounding inside his skull made him wince, pressing his fingers to his temple.

"Damn..." He recalled going to the bar and getting drunk.

Lucas smirked. "Hangover? I made something for that." He placed a bowl on the table. "Drink it. Then come out."

He walked out.

Dominic drank the soup reluctantly, then stepped out a few minutes later.

Lucas was lounging in the hall, scrolling through his phone. He nodded toward the table. "Eat."

A simple breakfast—toast and scrambled eggs.

"No maids here like your mansion," Lucas added casually. "I could only make this."

Dominic sat down but didn’t touch the food. "Why didn’t you take me back?" he asked.

Lucas glanced at him. "You were drunk."

"So?"

"I wasn’t leaving you with Valentina," Lucas said bluntly. "And I wasn’t handing you over to Mila either."

Dominic’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Lucas shrugged. "This was the safest option."

Dominic said nothing. A while later, he stood up.

"You are not eating?" Lucas frowned.

"I’ll eat with Mila."

He left.

As soon as he returned, Dominic called for a maid. "Where is Mila?"

"She went to the clinic, sir," the maid replied. "She skipped breakfast."

His brows furrowed. Skipped breakfast?

"I called her, but she didn’t stop," the maid added. "She seemed upset."

Dominic thought she was angry with him. "Pack lunch," he ordered. "I’ll take it."

The maid packed the food quickly and handed him the lunchbox.

Dominic headed straight to the clinic. His steps slowed as he noticed Mila eating with Remy in the small garden outside the clinic.

They were talking and smiling.

Something inside him snapped tight. His fingers curled around the lunchbox.

’They’ve gotten close this quickly?’ A sharp, unfamiliar heat spread through his chest.

He wanted to walk toward them and pull Mila away. But he didn’t. Instead, he turned and walked away quietly. A dark expression settled on his face.

On the way, he met Valentina.

"Dominic." She approached him with a bright smile on her face. "Thank you for last night. The whole team is happy, still talking about it. Everyone is so grateful to you for spending time with them. You made them feel special."

Her smile faltered for a moment, and she pouted slightly. "They got a little too excited last night and ended up making you drink so much. I’m sorry about that. I hope you don’t mind."

Dominic forced a faint smile. "Of course not. I enjoyed it too."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yes." Then his eyes moved down to the lunchbox in his hand. "Here, take this." He extended it toward her.

Valentina’s mouth fell open as she took it. "For me?" She gaped at him in surprise and disbelief.

"Hmm." He gave a small nod. "You should eat well. You need to recover fast."

For a moment, she simply stared at the lunchbox. Then she looked up at him and grinned widely, her heart racing.

This was the first time he had brought lunch for her.

’Did he really see me after all these years?’ Her mind raced, anticipation rising. She could barely hide her excitement.

"Thank you," she said, giddy.

Dominic gave another nod before walking past her. The moment he turned away, his smile disappeared completely.

Valentina stood there for a moment, still smiling. She couldn’t wait to tell this to Mila, to let her know Dominic was getting close to her. She went to the clinic.

Her steps slowed when she saw Mila in the garden, seated alone on the bench, staring into the distance. Valentina’s lips curled into a twisted grin as she approached her.

"Sitting alone here? What happened? No one to keep you company?"

Mila shot up her gaze and saw her towering over her. She looked away. "Why are you here?" she asked, her tone flat and indifferent.

"Oh..." Valentina looked at the bandage around her arm. "I’m here for a check-up. Need to get the dressing changed."

Mila didn’t move to check her wound. She remained seated there with the same cold look on her face.

"And I thought I would eat with you." Valentina held up the lunchbox. "See – I brought lunch."

That caught Mila’s attention. She looked back at her, eyebrows creasing. A hint of doubt crept into her mind.

"You didn’t eat in the morning," Valentina added. "I thought you might be hungry."

Mila wanted to roll her eyes.

Concern for her?

She couldn’t believe Valentina would care about whether she had eaten or not. Certainly, it was some kind of trick.

"Thanks, but I’ve finished eating already," Mila replied.

"I see." Valentina’s lips dipped briefly in a mock disappointment. Her smile returned the next second. "Then I’ll eat alone."

She sat down beside her and opened the lunchbox. "You know – Dominic has personally delivered the food to me," she added, her tone purposeful. "He told me to eat properly and get well soon. Isn’t it sweet?"

Mila turned her head to her. There was no smile on her face, not even a trace of emotion. Her expression was blank.

Valentina smiled at herself and took a bite. "Mm," she hummed softly, closing her eyes and savoring the taste. "This is really good."

She took another bite. "The chicken is amazing. You should have tried it. But you are already full. You can’t eat."

Mila stood up. "Come inside once you are done eating."

She walked in.

Valentina’s mood changed. The softness vanished completely. Then she snorted sarcastically.

"Pretending to be indifferent?" she muttered under her breath. "But you can’t fool me. I can see through you, Mila. You are upset – angry that Dominic brought food from me. It’s good."

She lifted her chin slightly, confidence brimming in her eyes. "Soon, he’ll get tired of you. In the end, he will come back to me. There will be only me in his life."

Inside the study...

Dominic stood by the window, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other holding a cigarette that had long burned to ash.

His mind wasn’t on work. It hadn’t been since he left the clinic.

Remy.

That name alone irritated him now.

’He is just a doctor,’ he told himself.

But the image of Mila sitting beside him, smiling and talking freely, refused to fade.

"She is mine," he muttered, crushing the cigarette between his thumb and index.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

A man stepped inside and bowed his head. "Boss."

Dominic didn’t turn. He knew who it was. It was the informant he had kept after Mila. "Speak."

"Nothing suspicious," the man replied. "She worked in the clinic the entire time. Reviewed files, arranged medicines..."

A pause. "But...She and Dr. Remy seemed to have grown close." His tone turned carefully. "They looked comfortable with each other."

The air in the room shifted. Something dark flickered in Dominic’s eyes. A sharp, invisible pressure built in his chest.

He could see it again—her smile, the one she never gave him so easily.

’She can smile like that only with the others,’ he muttered to himself.

After a tense silence, he said coldly, "Keep watching her. Watch Remy too."

The man looked up slightly, surprised.

"I want to know if he is trying to get close to her," Dominic grunted out, his teeth clenching.

"Understood." The man left quickly.

Silence returned. Dominic took his seat in his chair, his thoughts spiraling.

"Remy..." he mumbled the name darkly. "Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to lose a good doctor like you."