<h4>Chapter 770: For being a disappointment</h4>
Dominick felt a cold, sharp edge of anger settle in his chest as he listened to Evan’s report.
"I have found such people. There weren’t one or two, but more than twenty people involved. The number keeps rising as I continue the investigation, Nick," Evan said, his voice dropping to a low tone. "It’s quite disturbing. June truly suffered a lot because of the divorce."
"Do what I told you," Dominick ordered. He had no intention of letting those who had targeted Juniper off lightly.
"Yes, I’m on it," Evan replied. "I’ll report back to you once I’ve finished everything."
"Sure." Dominick lowered the phone as the line went dead.
Almost immediately, his device buzzed with a fresh notification. He saw a string of messages from Jeniva.
{My pictures from the award ceremony. I thought to share them with you.}
Dominick clicked on the files, and the tension in his shoulders finally began to slip away. He scrolled through the photos, a genuine smile tugging at his lips.
There was Jeniva, standing tall as she was honored by his father, the Alpha King, and the Chief of the Sentinel Department. The radiance in her expression was beyond what simple words could exin. It was of hard-won pride and pure joy.
Dominick dialed her number, and to his surprise, she answered almost instantly, as if she had been waiting with the phone in her hand.
"How do I look?" Jeniva asked immediately. Her voice was bright, buzzing with an energy he could feel even through the line. "I know you took plenty of photos yourself, but I couldn’t wait to share the official ones with you. I still can’t believe I actually met the Alpha King."
Dominick leaned back, the image of her on his screen, standing poised and proud, still fresh in his mind.
"You look incredible in that outfit," he replied, his voice grounding and sincere. "But it’s more than the clothes. I can see a specific kind of joy in your eyes in these shots. It looks like you’re finally standing exactly where you’ve always dreamed of being."
"It does feel like that," she admitted, her tone softening. "Like everything I’ve worked for actually counts for something now."
"It does," Dominick asserted. "And the department knows it. My father doesn’t hand out thosemendations lightly. You earned that spot on that stage."
"Hmm. You must be busy, so I’ll not disturb you more," Jeniva stated, her voice trailing off as if she were ready to hang up and let him get back to work.
"I’m not busy," Dominick asserted, his tone firm enough to stop her. "Actually, I want you toe to the pce. I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce you to anyone here yet."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, the kind that suggested she was processing the weight of such an invitation.
"Can I reallye there?" Jeniva asked, her voice dropping an octave. "I mean... Princess Katelyn just got married. Everyone must be emotional, and the house probably feels different. I don’t want to intrude on a private family time.
"It’s true that the atmosphere is a bit quiet, and my father is feeling her absence," Dominick admitted. "But you aren’t an intrusion. You’re someone I want them to know."
"Maybe some other day, Your Highness," Jeniva said.
"By the way, I have something to tell you," Dominick said, his tone shifting into something heavier and more personal.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"My ex-wife is undergoing a few problems in her life," Dominick exined, pacing the length of his study. "And apparently, I am the reason for it. Juniper has been suffering because I didn’t handle the divorce well, or at least, not as well as I thought I did. She’s being targeted because of me. I’m looking into the matter now, and I thought you should know."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Is she okay?" Jeniva asked, her voice filled with genuine concern rather than jealousy. "It must have been incredibly hard for her if people are using the divorce as an excuse to target her."
"Yeah. I didn’t handle my marriage well at all," Dominick admitted. "I took everything for granted. Especially her."
"I don’t know the specifics of what happened between the two of you, so I can’tment on the past," Jeniva said firmly. "But if you truly believe you’re responsible for hurting her, then you must take full responsibility for making her current life better. You need to ensure people stop directing their hate toward her."
He respected theck of sugar-coating in her response. She wasn’t coddling his ego; she was holding him to the standard he imed to value.
"I have to go, I’ll talk to youter," Jeniva said, the distant chime of her doorbell filtering through the line.
"Take care," Dominick asserted before hanging up. He slid the phone into his pocket and stepped out onto the wide terrace.
The afternoon sun hit the stone balustrade where his father, the Alpha King, stood. Raidan was holding Noah securely in his arms, pointing out the various birds darting through the grand garden below. Dominick approached them with a respectful bow.
"Dad," he greeted.
At the sound of his voice, Noah tilted his head back, his wide eyes fixing on Dominick. A small, gummy smile broke across the toddler’s face as he immediately strained forward, reaching his tiny hands toward his uncle.
Raidan chuckled, the sound deep and weary but full of affection. "It seems he’s tired of my stories already and wants his uncle instead."
Dominick reached out and expertly took the boy from his father’s arms. Noah settled against his chest, his small fingers immediately finding the buttons on Dominick’s vest to inspect.
"Where are Gabriel and Amelie? Gabriel hardly leaves his son like this," Dominick said.
"They both have gone out for a date," Raidan said with a smile.
"Pa," Noah chirped, grabbing the brooch on Dominick’s coat, then turning his head to his grandfather.
"Dad, I’m sorry for being a disappointment to you," Dominick suddenly said.