His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 579 Mood swings

The waterfall roared between them.

Dominique stood there for a long moment, just watching her profile. The scar. The way her dress pooled around her. The stiffness in her shoulders.

"Can I sit?" he asked quietly.

She didn’t answer.

He took that as a yes and lowered himself onto the rock beside her. Not too close. Enough space that she could pretend he wasn’t there if she wanted.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then, softly: "I’m sorry."

Hazel’s jaw tightened. "For what?"

"For being the one to show you." His voice was quiet. Honest. "I know it hurts. I know you probably hate me right now."

She didn’t answer.

He didn’t push.

They sat together, watching the water fall.

"Why are you here?" Hazel’s voice cut through the sound of the waterfall, sharp and direct. She took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with the effort of keeping her composure. Then she turned to look at him, those electric blue eyes boring into his. "What’s your motive?"

Dominique blinked.

Then he laughed.

Not a mean laugh. Not a mocking one. Just... surprised. Genuinely amused. He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"I’m Leo’s assistant," he said casually, leaning back on his hands. "I’m making sure you don’t get lost anywhere. You know, standard duties. Bride wrangling. Emotional damage control."

Hazel stared at him for a beat.

Then she rolled her eyes so hard it probably hurt.

She turned back to the waterfall, her arms wrapping around her knees. The water tumbled down, white and endless, the sound filling the space between them so she didn’t have to.

Dominique watched her for a moment. The set of her jaw. The way her fingers gripped her own arms. The scar, fully visible, no mask to hide behind.

"That’s not why I came," he said quietly.

She didn’t look at him. "No?"

"No."

Hazel’s throat moved as she swallowed. "Then why?"

Dominique was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it.

"Because I couldn’t stand the thought of you being alone right now."

Her hands tightened on her arms.

"I don’t need company," she said flatly.

"I know."

"I don’t want pity."

"I know that too."

"I’m not going to cry on your shoulder or tell you my life story or—"

"I didn’t ask you to."

She finally looked at him carefully, searching his face for the lie, the angle, the thing he wanted from her.

She found nothing but openness. Quiet patience.

"Why?" she whispered. "You don’t even know me."

Dominique shrugged one shoulder. "I know you’re strong. I know you just walked away from a man who didn’t deserve you. I know you came to a waterfall instead of breaking." He paused. "That’s enough for now."

Hazel stared at him. The waterfall roared. Her heart started beating faster at that point.

"You’re strange," she said finally.

"I’ve been told."

She almost smiled.

"You’re a model?" Hazel asked, her voice softer now. The tension in her shoulders had eased slightly, the waterfall working its magic on her frayed nerves. He made her feel... safe. Like he would never judge her for the scar, never look at her with pity or disgust.

Dominique straightened up, a slow, smug grin spreading across his perfect face. "Of course. Have you seen my face and body?"

Hazel glanced at him sideways. "Face, yes." She paused. "I haven’t seen your body."

His eyebrows shot up. "Do you want to?"

"No, thanks." She turned back to the water, glaring at it like it had personally offended her. "I’m not in the mood."

He chuckled, completely unbothered. "Okay, fair. Maybe you can give me your number instead, and whenever you are in the mood, you can call me. For research purposes."

"I don’t want to."

She was glaring at a plant now. An innocent fern, minding its own business, receiving the full force of Hazel’s mood.

Dominique watched her with open amusement. "What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so angry?"

She shrugged, still glaring at the fern. "Mood swings, I guess."

He burst out laughing.

Hazel finally looked at him, startled by the sound. It was genuine. Warm. Not mocking at all.

"What?" she demanded.

"You," he said, still grinning. "You’re sitting in a wedding dress by a waterfall, glaring at plants, claiming mood swings, and you just rejected my very generous offer to see my model body."

"It wasn’t generous. It was weird."

"Weird? I’ll have you know my body has been in magazines. Multiple magazines. International ones."

"Good for you."

"And you don’t want to see?"

"I just watched my wedding explode. I think I’m allowed to pass on ogling my almost-husband’s enemy’s assistant."

Dominique pretended to consider this. "Fair point. But for the record, the offer stands. Indefinitely. No expiration date."

Hazel stared at him.

He stared back, utterly unrepentant.

"You’re insane," she said.

"Probably." He smiled. "But you’re not glaring at me anymore."

She looked away quickly.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the waterfall filling the space between them. Hazel’s shoulders had dropped from their defensive hunch. Her hands weren’t gripping her arms anymore.

She glanced at him sideways.

"So," she said slowly, "modeling. What’s that like?"

Dominique perked up, clearly delighted she’d asked. "You want to know about my glamorous life of standing pretty while people shout at me?"

"I guess."

He leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky like he was considering the question seriously. "It’s weird, honestly. People treat you differently when you look a certain way. Like you’re not a real person. Just a thing to look at."

Hazel nodded slowly. She understood that.

"Sometimes it’s fun," he continued. "Traveling, nice clothes, getting paid to stand in beautiful places. But other times..." He shrugged. "You’re just a face. No one cares what you think."

"That sounds lonely."

He glanced at her, surprised by the softness in her voice. "Yeah. Sometimes."

Hazel looked down at her hands. "I know what that feels like."