From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 126: Chapter 126

Dominick sat calmly on the sofa, his long legs crossed, a trace of fatigue visible on his face. Behind him stood a group of high-ranking business executives, while Emery's staff huddled nervously near the cashier, looking like frightened chicks.
"What's wrong with all of you? Why are you letting this scumbag act high and mighty in my shop?" Emery fumed. Starting her day early was already bad enough, but finding this detestable man in her shop made her blood boil.
Since her employees weren't stepping up, she decided to confront him herself. "You piece of shit, don't you have someone else to bother? Why are you in my shop? Are you a masochist, showing up first thing in the morning just to get scolded?"
Dominick's brow furrowed slightly. He had already formed a poor impression of Emery during their previous encounter at the club. Her unruly demeanor baffled him—why would Paisley associate with someone like her?
No wonder Paisley had picked up the habit of resorting to physical violence whenever upset. She had surely been a bad influence.
Seeing that Dominick remained silent despite her outburst, Emery grew even angrier, feeling ignored. "Shameless! My shop doesn't welcome you! Can't you see that? Do I need to kick you out myself?"
Dominick's lips curled into a faint, icy smile. Lifting his hand slightly, he gestured for Emery to do as she pleased.
Dominick's nonchalant attitude made it even harder to swallow. Emery felt her chest tightening, almost as if she'd developed two new lumps in frustration. "Dominick, you son of a bitch!"
"Hey, hey!" Behind the sofa, the mall's general manager finally couldn't stay quiet.
In just the short time he'd been standing there, Emery had already insulted Dominick several times, which was far beyond what a mall manager like him could tolerate hearing.
"Ms. Collins, that's enough. You're speaking to Mr. Vanderbilt. Watch your words," he advised kindly.
But Emery wasn't having it. She turned her frustration on him. "I wasn't talking to you, was I? I pay so much rent to this mall every year. As a manager, shouldn't you be defending me? Instead, you're defending him?"
The manager wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Ms. Collins, I'm looking out for you here. Mr. Vanderbilt isn't just anyone—he's the owner of this mall. Are you sure you want to keep talking like this?"
One word from Dominick and her lease could be terminated instantly. And don't even think about the contract—it would just mean paying some penalty fees, a trivial amount to Dominick but enough to cause significant trouble for Emery.
The manager thought his warning would make Emery back down. But he underestimated her. Instead of calming down, her anger flared up even more.
"What the hell! The rent I've been paying ends up in this jerk's pocket? No wonder business has been so bad lately—annoying clients all the time. Must be the bad luck around here. Fine, take the store back! Pay me the penalty, and I'll leave right now!"
The manager finally realized what it meant to shoot himself in the foot. What was meant as a scare tactic had only made things worse.
As the manager stood there, at a loss, the man sitting on the sofa finally spoke, "Everyone, leave. I want to speak to Ms. Collins alone."
The mall executives, grateful for the excuse, quickly left, taking the store staff with them.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Emery was about to chase after them, but the manager had already closed the store door. Taking a deep breath, she turned back, suppressing her temper. "What do you want to talk about?"
Of course, she already knew. If Dominick had gone out of his way to find her, it had to be about Paisley. "Let me tell you this—I'm not betraying Paisley. Forget it. I won't tell you where she is. If I have to, I'll quit this place entirely!"
After all, she worked in custom gowns, and with her reputation and connections, she could survive anywhere. Having steeled herself, Emery boldly strode across the room, her high heels clicking, her gown swishing as she rolled her eyes and sat down opposite Dominick.
At this moment, as Dominick looked at Emery, he seemed to understand why Paisley got along so well with her. "Relax. I won't put you in a difficult position or ask about her whereabouts," Dominick said calmly, his voice quiet.
Emery blinked, surprised. If he wasn't here to ask about Paisley's whereabouts, then why did he come?
Then, Dominick added, "I can find out where she is myself." As long as she was still in Harrowfell, he would track her down sooner or later.
Rolling her eyes dramatically, Emery retorted, "Then what are you here for? I've got a client scheduled for a fitting at 10:30!"
Dominick glanced at his watch. There was still time. He adjusted his posture, trying to appear less intimidating. "I want to know why Paisley had a falling-out with the Sullivan family."
Emery frowned. "You were her husband for four years, and you don't know?"
Dominick shook his head, smiling bitterly. "She never told me."
"Did you ever ask her?" Emery pressed.
Dominick paused. He realized he had only asked once, back when they had just started dating. At the time, Paisley had been reluctant to talk about her family.
She had simply said she had run away and severed ties with them. After that, he never asked again, and Paisley never brought it up.
"I thought she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask," he admitted honestly.
Emery nodded, her tone sharp. "Good, very good. So why are you asking me now? Are you that bored? It's been four years since your divorce, and now you're suddenly interested in your ex-wife's family?"
"Because I did something stupid, and I might have hurt Paisley again," Dominick confessed. He briefly explained how he had helped the Sullivan family and Brittany, unaware of the pain it might have caused Paisley.
After hearing this, Emery felt a lump in her throat. A wave of curses bubbled up, but she swallowed them, nearly exploding with anger.
"You shameless jerk! Why do you keep doing things that stab Paisley right in the heart? Do you even know what she went through with the Sullivan family? Do you know how biased her so-called parents were?
"Paisley went missing when she was three. Such a small child, wandering alone in the mountains—she was nearly eaten by wild animals. It was her grandfather who found her and took her in, but she endured ten years of a life most people can't even imagine.
"At seventeen, she finally found her biological parents, only to discover they didn't love her. They only cared about their adopted daughter, Brittany.
"Every good thing, every opportunity, went to Brittany. Anytime Paisley and Brittany clashed, Paisley was the one who got scolded and punished. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Paisley's mom intentionally lost her in the first place!