From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 242: Chapter 242

At a private club, upon learning that Dominick was there, the general manager rushed over, only to find all the staff standing outside the private room.
The general manager's face darkened instantly. "What's going on? Why aren't you attending to Mr. Vanderbilt?"
The club's service manager quickly explained, "Mr. Vanderbilt came alone and said he didn't need any service."
The general manager nodded but still found it strange. He thought, 'Mr. Vanderbilt only ever comes here for social engagements or banquets—it is rare for him to come alone.'
"Besides, he ordered a lot of alcohol. He's probably drinking alone in there," the service manager added, his eyes filled with curiosity. "Do you think something happened to him?"
The general manager shot him a cold glare. "Stop being nosy. You've worked in this industry long enough to know better."
The service manager immediately shut his mouth and stood properly against the wall.
The general manager glanced at the tightly closed private room door and sighed, thinking, 'Clearly, something has happened. He is in a bad mood but doesn't want anyone to know, so he came here to drink alone. Even someone as powerful as Mr. Vanderbilt has moments of pain.'
"Alright. You all stay here and wait for Mr. Vanderbilt's orders." After giving his instructions, the middle-aged general manager left with a sigh.
Inside the private room, Dominick slumped on the couch, roughly yanking off his tie and undoing two buttons on his collar.
He was a little drunk, his head spinning. His cheeks and the corners of his eyes had turned slightly red from the alcohol.
On the coffee table in front of him sat an empty liquor bottle.
Paisley had found her real family—he should have been happy for her. But no matter what, he just couldn't feel happy. He felt like Paisley was drifting further and further away from him, as if no matter how hard he tried, he could never close the distance between them.
And yet, Paisley was so perfect—perfect enough to make any man in the world fall for her.
Such an amazing Paisley had once been his. But because of his own stupidity, he had lost her.
When Dominick stepped out of the private room, it was already past midnight.
The attendants who had been waiting outside for a long time tried to support him, but he refused.
"I can walk by myself. You can rest now." Dominick's voice was calm. He was indeed drunk, but not to the point of losing consciousness.
His slightly open collar, the faint redness in his hazy eyes, and his slightly disheveled hair decreased his usual stern and reserved demeanor, adding an air of laid-back, almost dangerous sensuality.
The female attendant at the door was momentarily stunned. She grabbed her coworker's arm and whispered excitedly, "Is that Mr. Vanderbilt? He looks so different from usual. He's so sexy and handsome tonight."
Her colleague stared at Dominick's retreating figure, a wistful look on her face. "Yeah... even his drunken silhouette is stunning. I just want to hold him and sleep next to him for one night."
"What are you thinking?" The service manager, who had been waiting at the door all night, smacked both of them on the back. "Wake up! He's not someone you can fantasize about. Stop standing around and go clean up the private room."
The two female attendants reluctantly tore their eyes away and turned back to the private room. They thought, 'The manager is right. A man of Dominick's status is completely out of our reach.'
After working here for so long, they had seen plenty of stories where an ordinary girl turned into a rich man's lover. But in the end, none of those stories ever had a good ending.
Dominick walked alone toward the elevator. Even before he arrived, a staff member was already waiting there, holding the elevator door open for him. With a soft ding, the elevator doors slid open.
Just as Dominick was about to step in, the sound of a struggle from down the hall caught his attention. He glanced over casually, but then his footsteps stopped.
"Paisley?" The dizziness from the alcohol made his vision blurry and unsteady. He couldn't see the woman's face clearly, but her silhouette looked exactly like Paisley's.
Dominick's gaze sharpened. Without a second thought, he strode toward her.
At the end of the hallway, a woman in a revealing dress was being harassed by a drunk man. The man blocked her way, seemingly mistaking her for one of the club's escorts, insisting on dragging her into his private room.
The woman struggled to break free, growing increasingly anxious.
Suddenly, a fist cut through the air beside her ear and landed squarely on the drunk man's face with precise and ruthless force.
The next second, she felt someone grab her elbow, and before she could react, she was pulled into a firm chest.
Looking up, she saw the sharp, tense lines of Dominick's jaw.
"Who? Who hit me?" The drunk man staggered back several steps, blood gushing from his nose. He barely managed to stay upright after crashing into the wall.
Anyone who could afford to drink here in Harrowfell was someone with status, and the man who had just been hit was no exception. But just as he was about to see who had dared to interfere and punch him, his eyes landed on Dominick's furious face.
"M-Mr. Vanderbilt," The man sobered up instantly, stammering in terror as he repeatedly apologized. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vanderbilt! I didn't know she was your woman, I—"
"Get lost." Dominick's cold voice cut him off. He no longer spared the man a glance and instead turned to the woman beside him. "Why are you here alone? You—"
Dominick wanted to ask Max why he had allowed Paisley to be here alone. But as he got a closer look at the woman's face, he realized she wasn't Paisley at all—just a complete stranger.
Almost instinctively, Dominick let go of her wrist and immediately took two steps back, putting some distance between them.
Hearing his questioning tone, the unfamiliar woman quickly responded, "I'm not here alone. My friend is waiting for me in a private room."
Realizing that he had mistaken her for someone else, Dominick first felt disappointment, then relief. He was disappointed that he hadn't seen Paisley, but relieved that the woman being harassed wasn't her.
Since she wasn't Paisley, Dominick had no reason to stay. With a slight nod, he turned and left.
"Wait—" The woman called out, but by the time she tried to catch up, Dominick had already entered the elevator and disappeared.
"Who was that?" She turned to ask the staff member standing by the elevator.
"That was Mr. Vanderbilt, the president of Vanderbilt Group," the staff member replied truthfully. Almost everyone in Harrowfell knew Dominick.
Besides, the man who had just been beaten by Dominick had already exposed his name. As long as this woman wanted to know, she could ask anyone in the club and find out who Dominick was.
The woman nodded and generously handed a few red bills to the staff member as a tip.
The man who had stopped her earlier had already disappeared without a trace.
"Keeley, what are you doing here? Everyone's waiting for you." At that moment, her companion finally found her.
Keeley Pelosi smiled and took a step forward. "Let's go." After walking a couple of steps, she suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know the president of Vanderbilt Group?"
"Dominick?" Her companion was briefly stunned.
Keeley thought, 'So his name is Dominick. Got it.'
"Of course I know him," her companion said with a smile. "But he doesn't know me."
"You—" Keeley went speechless.
"Who in Harrowfell doesn't know Mr. Vanderbilt? It's just that families like ours, who have a little money, are on a completely different level from him. Why would someone like him even know who I am?"
Keeley's companion chuckled self-deprecatingly, then suddenly realized something. "Wait... do you want to get to know Mr. Vanderbilt? Forget it, that's impossible."
Keeley didn't respond, but her expression darkened slightly.
Her companion quickly noticed and awkwardly added, "Of course, you're different from us. You're Keeley, the little princess. You've got the Godard family backing you."
Keeley's brother was Josie's husband from the Godard family.
"If you want to meet Mr. Vanderbilt, you could ask your sister-in-law to help. She spoils you so much," her companion continued.
Keeley scoffed, "Her? That's about the only thing she's good for. She's been married to my brother for so many years and still hasn't had a child.
"It's only because my brother doesn't mind that he hasn't divorced her yet. If she ever treats me badly, my brother would definitely kick her out."
Her companion chuckled awkwardly, staying silent. But deep inside, she couldn't help but think, 'If I remember correctly, isn't Keeley's brother just a live-in son-in-law of the Godard family?'