The substitute bride is a mute

Chapter 14

Judy was shocked.

Who was helping her?

She frantically scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Could you tell me who paid the money, sir? I'd like to thank them personally." She wrote.

The man thought of Dominic's repeated request to keep his identity a secret and turned her down with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blake. The donor doesn't want to be named, I hope you understand."

Disappointed, she nodded. The incident lingered on her mind her entire way back.

Out of all the people she knew, none of them would've helped her with this bill. She racked her brains and still couldn't come up with a possible name.

She might not have known why they wanted to help her, but the favor was too big for her to not repay!

There was no rush—she’d definitely find a way to find this benefactor of hers.

Soon, the car reached the manor.

The sky gradually darkened. Judy had just stepped into the manor when Dominic coincidentally returned as well. The pair ran into each other again in the main hall.

"Ms. Blake. I was planning to give you a ride home, but I couldn't find you anywhere in the hospital. I only knew that you left after asking the nurses."

Dominic greeted her with a smile. His mood brightened at the sight of her bright and beautiful face. It was like his exhaustion from a full day of operations had vanished.

She shot him an apologetic smile. "Thank you, Dr. Phelps. I took my leave as I still had prior engagements." She jotted down on her notepad.

The man dismissed her with a wave. He then said with a bright smile, "No need to thank me, it's no big deal. If you're heading to the hospital next time, feel free to hitch a ride in my car."

She genuinely felt like he was an extremely good-natured man. He was also the only person who was kind to her in the entire manor.

Despite being Sally's son, he was nothing like his mother. Compared to Sally's harsh demeanor, Dominic was extremely easy to approach. He had the ability to make people feel at ease.

She wrote again. "The director said my grandmother's operation is next Monday. Will you be the operating surgeon?"

He smiled and shook his head at the sight of her dainty handwriting. "Mhm. Don't worry, after the surgery, she'll make a full recovery."

Judy shot him a slight but relaxed smile.

The pair chatted for a while before she headed upstairs.

Upon entering the room, she was met with Clark, who sat on the sofa with a box of cigarettes and a lighter in hand. He lit a cigarette with practiced movements.

Shrouded in white smoke, his expression was hard to see.

The atmosphere in the entire room felt extremely eerie.

She was slightly surprised. It was a coincidence when they ran into each other outside the kitchen, was this a coincidence as well?

If it was, why would he show up in her room?

The man stood up and approached her. He lowered his head and said, "You went out with Dominic the entire day. Then, you proceeded to flirt with him downstairs for an extended period of time after you got back.

"You're quite ambitious for someone who looks weak and helpless, Judy Blake. Are you going after Dominic now?"

Her expression changed and she scrambled for her pen and paper to explain.

"Dominic is my grandmother's operating surgeon," she wrote. "We were talking about her. It's not what you think." Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He took the paper from her and skimmed through the written words. Then, he ripped it in half and threw it on the ground.

He furrowed his brows and his expression darkened. "Do you think I'm blind?"

Ever since this woman came to the Reid Manor, she'd never laughed or smiled once. However, she flashed the brightest smile he'd ever seen at Dominic earlier downstairs. And Dominic looked at her with a loving gaze in return.

Only a fool would think that nothing is going on!

"You're going after him because you can't get anything out of me. Do you honestly think he'd actually like you?" He demanded. "You think he'd like a mute who's a faded beauty like you?"

Judy's face suddenly paled.

There was nothing going on between her and Dominic, why would he misunderstand?

Did he enjoy humiliating her like this?

She couldn't be bothered to make sense of the situation. He could do whatever he pleased.

Her expression turned cold and she walked around him to get away. She didn't feel like arguing with him. But Clark suddenly reached for her wrist!