Chapter 773: Chapter 773 I almost feel bad for him
Dominique laughed. It was a lazy, easy laugh, but his eyes were calculating. "Small brain of his. What can he even plan? A picnic? A bake sale? A lecture on how to be annoying? The man couldn’t scheme his way out of a paper bag. I’ve seen toddlers with better strategies. And they eat their own crayons."
Hazel snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. "You’re terrible."
"I’m honest. There’s a difference. Terrible people lie. I just state facts." He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Nicolas probably thinks he’s some kind of mastermind. Like he’s in a movie, wearing a black turtleneck, staring at a chess board. But in reality, he’s the guy who loses in the first ten minutes and blames the lighting."
Hazel giggled. "The lighting?"
"The lighting, the chairs, the air. Everything except himself." Dominique shook his head dramatically. "I’ve seen his type before. All talk. No walk. Just... waddle."
Hazel laughed harder. "Waddle?"
"Like a penguin. A very annoyed, very unsuccessful penguin."
Dominique sat up a little straighter, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "He invited me too. Can you believe it? Me. The same guy who exists. Breathes the same air as him. Has the audacity to be more handsome. More charming. More everything, really."
Hazel said dryly, "You’re very humble."
Dominique grinned widely, his teeth white, his eyes bright. "I’m just very honest, hehehe. Humility is overrated. Confidence is where it’s at, and I have enough confidence for three people. Maybe four."
Hazel’s voice grew serious, though her lips were still curved. "He’s trying to show off something. I guess it’s related to his company achievement this time. Impress everyone. Make you and Leo look small. Make himself look like the big winner." She remembered how Nicolas looked down on Dominique and Jason, how he always tried to compete with Leo’s company, how his eyes would narrow whenever someone mentioned the Moretti name.
Dominique stretched his arms above his head, cracking his neck. His shoulders relaxed. "He can try. But I’ve been practicing my ’I’m not impressed’ face. Want to see? It took me weeks to perfect. Hours in front of the mirror. I almost gave up twice."
He demonstrated. His expression went completely flat. His eyes became dull and bored, like he was staring at a wall. His mouth turned into a straight, uninterested line. He looked like he was watching paint dry or watching grass grow or watching Nicolas talk.
Hazel stared at him. "That’s just your normal face when you’re listening to Jason talk about cars."
Dominique’s jaw dropped. "It is not!"
"It is."
"It’s my ’I’m tolerating you’ face. There’s a difference. This is my ’I’m not impressed’ face." He tried again, this time adding a slight raise of his eyebrow. "See? Different. The eyebrow changes everything. It’s all in the eyebrow. The eyebrow says, I see you. I acknowledge you. I am not moved."
Hazel looked at him. "You look like you have gas."
Dominique gasped, clutching his chest like he had been stabbed. His mouth fell open. His eyes went wide. "You wound me. Right here. In the heart. This is betrayal of the highest order. I am sharing my art with you, and you mock me."
Hazel shook her head, but she was smiling. Her eyes were soft and warm.
She laughed again.
Dominique’s voice dropped, losing some of its playfulness. The laughter faded from his eyes. "Seriously, though. Something is going on. Nicolas doesn’t throw parties out of the kindness of his heart. He doesn’t do anything without wanting something in return." He had investigated that rat face’s entire history. He knew about the deals, the betrayals, the people he had stepped on to get where he was. He knew about the secrets, the lies, the hidden accounts. He knew more about Nicolas than Nicolas knew about himself.
Hazel nodded. "Leo thinks so too."
"Leo’s always right about these things. Annoyingly right. It’s his worst quality. Well, one of them. He has many. But being right all the time is definitely top three."
Hazel pulled her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them, making herself small on the couch. Her chin rested on her knees. Her hair fell across her face.
Dominique leaned back again, staring at the ceiling.
"I *almost* feel bad for him," he said quietly.
"Feel bad?"
"Almost." He turned his head to look at her. "He’s going to throw this big party, invite all the right people, say all the right things, wear his best suit, flash his biggest smug smile. And then—" He snapped his fingers. The sound was sharp in the quiet room. "Nothing. It’s not going to work. Leo’s not going to be intimidated. And I’m going to be there, eating his food, drinking his champagne, and looking fabulous."
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "You’re going to eat his food?"
"Of course. Free food is free food. The man has good taste, I’ll give him that. The last bachelor party he threw had these little cheese things—" He kissed his fingers. "Heavenly. Little puff pastries with cheese inside. I ate seventeen of them. Seventeen, Hazel. I would have eaten more, but someone—" he glanced at her, "—kept giving me looks."
Hazel laughed. "What if he tries something? What if he has a plan? Something dangerous?"
Dominique’s smile faded slightly. His eyes grew distant, thoughtful. "Well, what plan could he have? The man couldn’t organize a two-car parade. He probably thinks he’s being clever, but clever people don’t throw parties to show off. They throw parties to hide something."
"What could he be hiding?"
Dominique shrugged. "Don’t know yet. But I’ll find out. I always do." He tapped his temple. "Big brain. Lots of storage. Very fast processing."
Hazel laughed again. "You’re ridiculous."
"I’m effective. There’s a difference."
She shook her head, but she was still smiling.
Dominique looked at her. The way the light fell across her face. The way her eyes crinkled when she laughed. The way her hair curled around her ears.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the pizza."
Hazel rolled her eyes. "You’re welcome."
Dominique smiled charmingly.
Hazel looked away, her cheeks flushing.
Dominique picked up his phone and checked the time. "Anyway. We should probably get ready for Nicolas’s thing. I need to pick out a suit. Something that says ’I’m better than you’ without actually saying it."
"Does such a suit exist?"
"Of course. It’s navy blue. Very dark. Almost black. With a pocket square. The pocket square is key."
Hazel laughed and threw a pillow at him. He caught it and hugged it to his chest.
"This is mine now," he said. "You threw it. You forfeited it. It belongs to me."
"That’s my favorite pillow."
"Not anymore."
