His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 609 Worth

Ring.

Ring.

Jason’s phone buzzed loudly on the table, breaking the comfortable rhythm of their conversation. He glanced at the screen, made a face, and stood up.

"Sorry, gotta take this. Family stuff." He was already moving toward the balcony, phone pressed to his ear. "Be right back. Don’t eat the last slice without me."

The glass door slid shut behind him, leaving the room suddenly, startlingly quiet.

Hazel stared at the door for a moment, then looked back at the table.

Dom was still eating his pizza slice, eyes focused on the box like it held the secrets of the universe. He didn’t speak. Didn’t look up.

The silence stretched.

Hazel picked up her own slice, took a small bite, chewed slowly. Her eyes, though, her eyes kept drifting.

To him.

The way the soft light from the pendant lamp fell across his face. The sharp line of his jaw. The way his dark hair fell slightly across his forehead. And his eyelashes, God, his eyelashes. They were long. Ridiculously long. The kind that made women jealous and men confused.

He was beautiful.

The thought came unbidden, and Hazel didn’t push it away.

She watched him take another bite, watched the way his lips curved around the food, watched the way his throat moved when he swallowed. Everything about him was perfect. Unfairly, impossibly perfect.

How could anyone be this beautiful? 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Her gaze traced his profile, the straight nose, the strong brow, the slight stubble along his jaw that caught the light. She’d seen handsome men before. Nicolas had been handsome. Her brothers were devastating. But this was different. This was something that made her chest feel tight and her skin feel warm.

Then she noticed it.

A small smudge of pizza sauce at the corner of his mouth. Red against his skin. Somehow endearing rather than messy.

Without thinking, she spoke.

"Dom..."

He looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers. The sudden intensity of his gaze made her breath catch.

"Yeah?"

She pointed at her own mouth, the corner. "You have... there’s something."

He blinked, then reached up, wiping vaguely at the wrong side of his mouth.

Hazel felt her lips twitch. "Other side."

He wiped again, missing it completely.

A soft laugh escaped her, genuine, warm, the kind of laugh she didn’t give often. "No, you’re still... here."

She leaned forward without thinking, her hand lifting, her thumb reaching out to wipe the small smudge from the corner of his mouth.

The moment her skin touched his, everything shifted.

Her thumb was warm against his lips. His skin was soft, slightly rough with stubble. She felt the tiny exhale of his breath against her finger.

And he was looking at her.

Those dark eyes, so close now, holding hers with an intensity that made her stomach flip.

She didn’t pull back.

He didn’t move.

The room had gone completely still. Even the city outside seemed to hold its breath.

Hazel became acutely aware of everything, the warmth radiating from him, the faint scent of his cologne mixed with pizza, the way his lips had parted slightly against her thumb.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

"Dom..." His name came out softer this time.

His hand lifted slowly, his fingers closing gently around her wrist. Not pulling away. Just holding. Feeling her pulse beneath his thumb.

"Hazel." His voice was low. Rough. Like he’d just run a marathon and was barely catching his breath.

She felt it everywhere.

Her thumb was still against his lips. His fingers still wrapped around her wrist. The world had narrowed to this moment, this space, this impossible tension between them.

"...done," she whispered, pulling her hand away.

The word felt inadequate. Wrong. She wasn’t done, not even close. But she didn’t know what else to say, what else to do, how to exist in this moment without losing herself completely.

Her wrist burned where he’d held her. Like his touch had left a mark. She could still feel the ghost of his fingers, the warmth of his skin.

Dom nodded slowly. Once.

But he didn’t look away.

His dark eyes stayed on her, tracing her face like he was memorizing every detail. The scar. The curve of her cheek. The way her lips had parted slightly.

And Hazel couldn’t breathe.

She looked at him and felt her heart start to pound in a way it never had before.

The way he was looking at her. Without blinking. Without flinching. Without once glancing away from her scar like it was something to be hidden.

He just looked. Like she was beautiful. Like she was worth looking at.

She’d never felt this breathless with Nicolas.

Never.

With Nicolas, she’d always felt suffocated. Like she was performing, pretending, holding herself together so he wouldn’t see the cracks. Every glance from him felt like an assessment, a measurement of whether she was still good enough despite the damage.

But Dom looked at her like she was already enough. Like the scar didn’t matter. Like she was the only person in the room.

Her chest felt tight. Not with anxiety, with something else. Something she hadn’t felt in years.

Her eyes dropped to his lips for just a moment. Then back up.

He was still watching her.

Her breath shook.

On the balcony, Jason’s voice drifted faintly through the glass, still on his call.

After that, the moment shattered, not with a crash, but with the soft slide of the balcony door.

"Hey, sorry about that," Jason said, stepping back inside, phone still in hand. He looked between them, clearly sensing something had shifted, but wisely chose not to comment. "Family emergency. Well, not emergency, but they need some documents and photos sent tonight. Like, tonight tonight."

Dom blinked, seeming to shake himself back to reality. "Now?"

"Yeah. I gotta go through my files, find what they need. It’s going to take a while." Jason grabbed his jacket. "You coming?"

Dom looked at Hazel. Just for a moment.

Then he stood. "Yeah. Coming."

Hazel rose too, walking them to the door. "Thanks again. For the help. And the company."

"Anytime," Jason said, already halfway out.

Dom paused at the threshold. Turned back. Those dark eyes found hers one more time.

"Goodnight, Hazel."

"Goodnight, Dom."

The door closed.

Hazel stood there for a long moment, pressing her fingers to her wrist where he’d held her. Still warm. Still tingling.

Then she walked to her bedroom.

The penthouse felt different now. Quieter, but not empty. It felt like he’d left something behind.

She changed slowly, her mind still replaying that moment. The touch. The look. The way her heart had hammered against her ribs.

She pulled on her nightdress, dark blue silk that slipped over her skin like water, thin straps, a neckline that dipped just enough to be dangerous. It was beautiful. Elegant. The kind of thing she’d bought years ago but never had the confidence to wear.

Tonight, she put it on without thinking.

She laid back against her pillows, the silk cool against her heated skin, and picked up her phone.

Her fingers moved before she consciously decided.

Dominique King. Social media.