Called Off the Wedding, Left Him Bankrupt novel Chapter 223

A nameless, aching emotion crept into Dominic’s chest, a sweetness tangled with sorrow for reasons he couldn’t explain.

He looked away, pushing down the jumble of feelings.

As he moved, the mouth of the trash bag tightened in his hand, and leftover oil from a dinner plate dripped onto the floor.

“Oh, come on...”

Cynthia’s voice was sharp with annoyance.

He snapped back to the present, noticing the oily stain on the tile—and the disappointment in Cynthia’s eyes, so recently gentle.

“Oil stains are a pain to clean off the floor, you know.”

“Sorry,” Dominic said at once. “I’ll take care of it.”

He pulled some napkins from the counter and dropped to his knees, dabbing at the mess.

Cynthia hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.

“I’ll wipe it again with some cleaner after I finish the dishes. You should go—otherwise your slippers will just track oil all over the place.”

Dominic stood, quirking an eyebrow.

Was she annoyed with him?

Still clutching the trash bag of leftovers, he headed out of the kitchen, murmuring, “I’ll take this down to the bins, then.”

Cynthia nodded. “Alright.”

Her response made the corners of his mouth lift. Maybe, he thought, this kind of quiet, ordinary life wasn’t so bad after all.

Cynthia went back to washing dishes, oblivious to the tension that had just flickered between them. After scrubbing the plates, she wiped down the table and returned to the kitchen to tackle the oil stain on the floor.

That’s when Juliet’s call came through.

Balancing her phone on her shoulder, Cynthia chatted about work as she cleaned. Although Juliet had been the one to call, she mostly stayed silent, leaving Cynthia to fill the conversation with small talk.

“Jules, did the Raynes send an invitation to the Tremaines?”

But Cynthia knew her sister’s heart was never truly at peace.

“If you’re going, then I’ll go too.”

Juliet’s reply was gentle but firm. “You can’t. The invitation from the Raynes only had my name on it. The Tremaines have no sway in Capital City anymore—they only invited me. If I brought you along, it would just look like we’re desperate for a free meal.”

Hearing Juliet say it so casually made Cynthia’s eyes burn with tears.

Juliet caught the sound of her sniffling and offered comfort. “Cyndi, I’ve let it go. Don’t worry about me. Just focus on learning from Dominic—he’s an old friend, and he’s trustworthy.”

If it weren’t for Dominic quietly supporting them all these years, the Tremaines would have collapsed long ago.

Cynthia finally broke down, sobbing, “I’ll work hard with Mr. Holloway and come back to help Tremaine Holdings rise again.”

Juliet chuckled softly, said a few reassuring words, and hung up.

Still anxious, Cynthia messaged nanny Camilla and Assistant Channing, asking them to keep an extra eye on Juliet for her.