Three years of loving him, three days to erase myself from his world novel Chapter 298

Dominic hung up the phone.

Slipping it back into his pocket, he walked over, calling out gently, "Clara."

Clara had been waiting for him. She looked up at the sound of his voice, a bright smile blossoming on her face as she walked toward him.

"Mr. Jarrett."

Dominic stared at the brilliant smile on her face, losing himself for a few seconds. He had to curl his fingers tightly into his palms to suppress the overwhelming urge to reach out and pull her close.

"You seem happy." He smiled, knowingly asking, "You're in a great mood."

Clara laughed, making no attempt to hide it. The truth spilled out naturally.

"I am! I've wanted to join The Alabaster Atelier for so long! When I didn't place first, I thought my chances were completely gone, but then..."

Dominic's dark eyes deepened.

He thought to himself: *Even if you hadn't entered the competition at all, I still would have made sure you got into that studio.*

His intense gaze made Clara blush. Her heart gave a sudden, nervous flutter. She averted her eyes and asked softly.

"Mr. Jarrett, didn't you have something you wanted to talk to me about? What was it?"

She quickly did the math in her head. If this took too long and she couldn't make her flight, she'd have to reschedule her ticket.

Dominic lowered his eyes, pulling his phone from his suit pocket. His voice was slightly hoarse.

"Nothing major, just... I wanted you to watch a video."

He handed the phone to her. The screen was already playing a scene—

A boy and girl in school uniforms were feeding a cat in an alleyway, looking warm and perfectly happy.

It was him and her.

In the past, she had adored cats and fed a whole colony of strays in an alley near their school. Later, when the alley was slated for demolition, she had been heartbroken for weeks.

However, the video wasn't real footage, but an animated version restored by The Memory Specialists.

The entire clip acted as a memory reel, carefully designed to gently coax her past to the surface.

Clara looked confused, assuming it was going to be a work-related video. She reached out to take it, but her heart inexplicably started racing, beating faster and faster...

Especially when her fingertips brushed against his as she took the phone. The sudden jolt of electricity was overwhelming.

*What is wrong with me?*

...

Meanwhile.

After rushing off the stage, Seraphina asked a staff member where Julian was. Learning he had gone to the VIP lounge, she was briefly surprised.

*Did he go to demand justice for me?*

Hot tears pricked her eyes. The sheer humiliation she had endured on stage finally broke her down.

She wiped her tears and sprinted toward the lounge.

As she hurried down the corridor, her heart raced out of control.

"But the competition is over. We can't re-judge it now..."

"..."

Watching this unfold from the doorway, the color completely drained from Seraphina's face.

She didn't know how she managed to stay standing. It felt as though someone had ripped her heart out, thrown it on the floor, and stomped on it. A dull, agonizing ache consumed her.

So, in his eyes, she was no longer anyone of importance.

He was only helping her to repay a debt from years ago!

She had a gut feeling that now that the competition was over, Julian would only grow colder toward her!

She couldn't make a sound, and she couldn't even cry. She felt completely hollowed out. Only in this moment did she realize that true, utter devastation wasn't screaming and crying hysterically—it was a numb, suffocating blankness.

After a long eternity, she finally managed to choke out, "Julian..."

Inside the room, Julian had just lit a cigarette, racking his brain for a way to fix this and give Clara the outcome she deserved without disappointing her. Hearing his name, he frowned in annoyance.

He pulled the cigarette from his lips and glanced at the door. Seeing Seraphina standing there, he paused, but quickly masked his expression.

"What is it?" he asked, his tone flat.

Seraphina was highly observant, and she could hear the sheer apathy in his voice.

She forced a weak smile. "I needed to talk to you. Is now a good time?"

Julian stayed silent for a moment. He issued a final command to the organizers, demanding they draft a public apology, and then walked out.