His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 594 - 593 Captivated

Rika had been thoroughly enjoying herself.

For the past fifteen minutes she had watched Dom suffer in silence while Jason chatted happily with Hazel. The jealous glances, the tight jaw, the way his hands kept curling into fists before forcing themselves to relax again, it had been better entertainment than any movie.

She had been perfectly prepared to watch the whole drama unfold for hours.

Then Dom moved.

And Rika’s smirk froze on her face.

She watched him walk toward the stream, the deliberate grace of every step, the effortless posture, the way he angled his body just enough to catch the sunlight. She watched him crouch near the water, saw the subtle movement of muscles beneath his shirt, saw the careful tilt of his head like he knew exactly how the light would fall across his profile.

Her eyebrows climbed toward her hairline.

Slowly, she turned to look at Hazel.

Hazel’s face said everything.

Her eyes were locked on him, wide and unblinking, slightly glazed like she had forgotten how to look away. Her lips had parted just a little, and her breathing had changed without her noticing. Shallow. Quick.

She looked dazed.

She looked captivated.

She looked like a woman who had completely forgotten Jason was even standing there.

Rika stared.

Then she looked back at Dom, who was now smiling softly at the water like he had not just performed a masterclass in seduction.

This guy.

This absolute menace of a man.

Rika watched Hazel’s expression shift again, confusion mixing with attraction and something softer, something she clearly did not understand yet.

Rika understood perfectly.

Dom was seducing her.

Openly. Elegantly. With the kind of effortless charm that made it look accidental when it was anything but.

And the worst part?

It was working.

Rika slowly shook her head, a new smile spreading across her face.

"Wow," she murmured to herself. "Just... wow."

Across the meadow, Dom glanced up from the water, and for just a moment his eyes met Hazel’s.

Neither of them looked away.

Jason rolled his eyes so hard it probably hurt, watching his best friend with the kind of exasperated affection that came from years of friendship.

God had truly gifted Dom with every charm imaginable. Perfect bone structure. Effortless elegance. That ridiculous posture that made him look like he had been born in a palace instead of a regular suburban house. Every time Dom switched into full model mode, Jason was reminded why he was one of the most sought-after faces in the industry.

It was honestly annoying how beautiful one person could be.

But Jason loved him anyway. Mostly.

"The water is so cold and fresh," Dom announced, scooping a handful from the stream. "I could drink this every day."

He brought his cupped hands to his lips and drank deeply, making a satisfied sound.

Hazel had wandered closer without realizing it, drawn by some invisible pull. She stopped a few feet away, watching him.

A droplet escaped the corner of his mouth.

It slid slowly down his chin, catching the sunlight before slipping to his jaw. It lingered there for a second before continuing its lazy path down the elegant column of his throat, gliding over his Adam’s apple and disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt.

Hazel swallowed.

Hard.

"You... shouldn’t have done that," she said, her voice coming out slightly rougher than she intended.

Dom looked up, genuinely confused. His dark eyes were wide and innocent, water still glistening on his lips.

"Why? It tastes amazing. Really fresh. You should try it."

"No, I mean—" She stopped, unsure how to explain.

Behind them, Jason had seen everything. The trail of water. Hazel’s throat movement. The faint color creeping into her cheeks despite her efforts to hide it.

A wicked idea sparked in his mind.

"Bro!" Jason called casually as he walked toward them. "She’s saying that because there’s a dead deer upstream. Like, right where you drank from."

Dom’s face went through several stages in rapid succession.

Confusion.

Processing.

Horror.

Absolute, unfiltered terror.

His eyes bulged.

"Oh my GOD!" he choked, immediately doubling over. "I drank DEER WATER?! DECOMPOSING DEER WATER?!"

He began coughing violently, dramatic full-body convulsions that bent him nearly in half. Birds burst from nearby branches as his hacking echoed through the meadow.

Tears streamed from his eyes.

Hazel stared for half a second, stunned by the sheer intensity of his reaction.

Then she moved.

She crossed the distance in two quick strides and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. One hand slid to his back, patting hard as she tried to steady his breathing.

"Dom. Dom, stop—"

"I’M GOING TO DIE!" he wheezed between coughs. "THIS IS HOW I DIE. DEER WATER. JASON, I WILL HAUNT YOU."

"There’s no dead deer!"

He kept coughing.

"DOMINIQUE." Hazel grabbed his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her. "There is no dead animal upstream. It was just wood. Old wood. Nothing dead."

His coughing slowed.

His tear-streaked face blinked at her.

"What?"

"Jason lied. There’s no dead deer."

Dom slowly turned his head toward Jason.

Jason was leaning against a tree, completely losing it. Silent laughter shook his whole body, tears streaming down his own face now.

"You," Dom said hoarsely, "are a dead man."

Jason waved weakly, still unable to breathe through his laughter.

Hazel was still holding Dom’s face. Still patting his back. Still standing very close to him, their bodies nearly touching from when she had rushed forward.

They both realized it at the same moment.

Their eyes met.

Dom’s lashes were clumped from tears, his cheeks flushed red, his expression somewhere between embarrassed and relieved. He looked ridiculous and vulnerable and somehow still devastatingly handsome.

Hazel’s hands were still on his face.

Neither of them moved.

"You’re okay," she said quietly. "It was just a joke."

"I hate him," Dom whispered.

"I know."

"I’m going to put fish in his bed."

"That seems fair."

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Dom’s mouth.

Hazel’s lips curved in response.

Jason, finally recovering, pulled out his phone and snapped a photo.

"Blackmail," he wheezed. "Beautiful, beautiful blackmail."

Dom did not even look away from Hazel. "I will end you."

"Worth it."

Hazel dropped her hands and stepped back, but she was smiling now. A real smile. The scar pulled slightly at her lip, and she did not try to hide it.

Dom watched her walk back toward the stream, something complicated tightening quietly in his chest.

Then he turned slowly toward Jason.

"You’re dead."

"You love me."

"Debatable."