Ch. 311..315: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 311-315
Chapter 311
He drove past the exclusive bar he usually visited before he reunited with Chloe. He knew that he shouldn't use alcohol as an escape, but...
"Ah, fuck it!"
Vernon made a U-turn with his car and went to that bar.
He parked the car and entered the bar.
The sight of the handsome-but-intimidating Vernon Phoenix Gray caught the attention of everyone in the exclusive bar.
A few of the waitresses and bartenders gasped because it had been a while since the last time Mr. Phoenix Gray visited the bar a few months ago.
They knew from the owner that Mr. Phoenix Gray rejected the advance of a young waitress, even proclaiming that he already had a woman at home.
So most of them assumed that Mr. Phoenix Gray simply had a serious relationship with his new girlfriend, maybe even going as far as settling down soon.
But it didn't seem to be the case since he came to the bar tonight.
Vernon's eyes observed around the bar until he saw the owner eagerly walking towards him.
"Welcome, Mr. Phoenix Gray, may I escort you to the VIP room before taking your order?"
"Hm," Vernon nodded. But he quickly added, "With a woman. Bring a waitress with long, chestnut hair, doe eyes, and with a sweet look. I want that type or I will not take anyone tonight."
The owner was surprised by Vernon's request. He thought Mr. Phoenix Gray wouldn't take any woman since the last time he made a scene, refusing the advance of one desperate waitress.
But he would never say no to the request of a VIP customer, "Certainly, Sir. I do have one similar to your type. But she's in her late 20s, not young, if you don't mind."
"Perfect, I want her tonight."
"Yes, Sir, this way please."
The owner led Vernon to the same VIP room where Vernon was out drinking with that waitress. He barely remembered a thing, but he clearly remembered how that young woman was clinging desperately to him.
"Please sit down and relax, Sir. The waitress will come soon," the bar owner said. He excused himself and closed the door.
Vernon was left alone in the VIP room. He was gazing emptily at a random corner of the room as his mind was still lagging, thanks to Shailene and her theory that confused Vernon's mind and heart.
Ding!
Vernon frowned when he felt a vibration in his chest. He fished out his phone and checked the text he had just received.
His breath stiffened when he saw the text sender.
--
From: My Chloe.
Vernon, it's already nine.
Where are you? Will you come home tonight?
Please tell me when you're coming home, so I can reheat the dinner.
--
Vernon stared at the text for a while until he scoffed, "What do you care about me? You said that you're disgusted with me. You can't even eat when I'm around. I shouldn't be around you."
Vernon typed a reply for Chloe, but his thumb hovered when he was about to press the send button.
He wondered if he should send it or not.
After all, Chloe did not want his presence, "And she must've been asking my whereabouts because of her responsibility working as a maid in my penthouse. Not because she cares..."
Vernon considered it for a while until he heard a knock on the door, "Excuse me, Sir. I'm the waitress you ordered tonight."
"Ah, yeah, come in," Vernon replied. He threw his phone on the table as the door opened.
The waitress came in with the complimentary drink. She stood before Vernon and introduced herself, "My name is Cynthia, Sir. I am the waitress that has been ordered to serve you tonight."
Vernon observed the woman's appearance for a while. She had features similar to Chloe, especially her long, wavy chestnut hair and doe eyes.
Though this waitress, Cynthia, wasn't as sweet-looking and gentle as Chloe, she would do it for the night.
"Bring me the Seven Star Fantasy set, I want to get wasted tonight," Vernon ordered.
Cynthia was surprised that Mr. Phoenix Gray knew about the Seven Star Fantasy. It was a set of seven drinks ranging that would make you completely wasted by the sixth or seventh shot, depending on the person's alcohol tolerance.
It wasn't something that was ordered often because being completely wasted wasn't fun at all.
But it wasn't her place to say no, so she bowed respectfully, "Certainly, Sir. Please wait for a moment."
The waitress turned around and walked out of the room. Vernon watched her back, and his heart ached when he realized this waitress had a similar figure to Chloe from behind.
"I can't believe I have to find a replacement when I have you at home, Chloe...." Vernon murmured. He wanted to laugh at himself, as he found it ridiculous that he would drink his night away to release his stress while embracing a woman that looked similar to Chloe.
When he could just come home and embrace the real one.
"Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. She doesn't want me around after all," Vernon reasoned.
Cynthia entered the VIP room while pushing a fancy gold food trolley. The seven drinks had been neatly arranged on the three trays, giving a luxurious feel that didn't awe Vernon.
Because this wasn't the first time, he had this set of drinks.
"This is the Seven-star fantasy that you've ordered, Sir," Cynthia, the waitress, said. "Shall we start with the first shot?"
"Hm," Vernon nodded and watched the waitress pour the drink from the bottle into a shot glass.
She carefully served it on the table in front of Vernon and took a step back, waiting for Vernon to drink the first one.
Vernon quickly glanced at the glass and then at the waitress, "Is this how you will serve me today?"
Cynthia's heart jumped for a second, "E--Excuse me, Sir. I don't quite understand--"
Vernon patted the spot beside him on the sofa, "Sit here and accompany me for the night."
Chapter 312
Vernon patted the spot beside him on the sofa, "Sit here and accompany me for the night."
Cynthia gasped upon hearing the invitation from Mr. Phoenix Gray. She knew that it was very normal— even encouraged in this bar for the waitresses to serve the VIPs.
But she never expected the young and handsome Vernon Phoenix Gray to ask for her company.
Because she was old, at least for the standard of the waitresses here, she was one of the oldest. It was rare for her to be invited by the VIP members of the bar because most of them wanted the young women.
"S—Sir, do you want me to invite a younger waitress?"
"No," Vernon replied curtly. "Just sit here and accompany me, don't worry, I will pay you for your service."
Cynthia gulped nervously, and the hawk-like gaze thrown by Mr. Phoenix Gray at her didn't help at all.
In fact, it only made her feel even more nervous, to the point that she wanted to leave the room immediately.
She knew that she should be happy to be able to accompany the up-and-coming celebrity CEO who dated a lot of actresses.
But there was this sense of danger from him, 'I feel like he's eyeing me because he wants to hurt me, not to have fun with me.'
"Come on, don't make me wait," Vernon urged, and Cynthia reluctantly approached Vernon and sat at the edge of the sofa.
"I—I'm here, Sir."
"Tsk, not close enough," Vernon clicked his tongue and wrapped his hand around her waist. He pulled the waitress closer to his side until their thighs rubbed on each other. "See? This is more intimate."
"Y—Yes, Sir."
Cynthia lowered her head ashamedly. She felt nothing but fear as Vernon's fingers combed her hair to the back of her ear, "You look beautiful tonight."
"T—Thank you, Sir…."
Vernon smiled, satisfied with her obedience, 'Ah, why is Chloe not as obedient as her? Why can't she let it slide and forgive me if I ever said something wrong? I've been nothing but good to her….'
"Well, what are we waiting for? Grab another glass and drink with me, we will have a beautiful night together."
**
"It's an hour before midnight, where is he?" Chloe murmured after checking the clock.
She walked back and forth in the penthouse's living room, waiting for Vernon to open the front door so she would feel at ease.
"Usually he'd reply to my text quickly. But it's been two hours since the last text I sent."
"Did he get mad because of what I said during lunch?"
Chloe was worried that Vernon might refuse to come home because he was mad, and Chloe knew it was partly her fault.
'I know it's my fault too. I should've told him what he said wrong. He looked so lost when I scolded him….' Chloe thought. She glanced at the dining table, where she cooked a lot of food, complete with a banana pudding in the fridge, Vernon's favorite type of dessert.
She cooked a lot today because she wanted Vernon to be in a good mood, so he wouldn't be easily triggered.
'I want to apologize for being too emotional. I shouldn't have blamed him for being clueless. I don't know if it's okay for me to say it, but at least I would tell him what he said wrong in my eyes. And maybe, through a miracle, he would change his view,' Chloe thought. Though she also doubted that.
As far as she knew, all of the Gray family men she met had been misogynistic and racist, and it wasn't surprising if Vernon was one of them. After all, he was Vincent's blood brother, and that guy was a narcissistic monster.
Chloe knew it wasn't her place to 'fix' Vernon's view. Because that guy was a fully-grown adult. So, he should've been able to see right and wrong.
"But I can still see my cute little Vernon when I see him looking so lost when I scolded him, and I… I can't be mad at him for too long…."
"So maybe, I can teach him how to be a good man once more, just like how I taught him when he was a kid."
Chloe waited for another thirty minutes without any news from Vernon.
So she started ringing his phone.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Vernon didn't pick up the call until the fourth call when the call was suddenly connected.
-
"Uh… huh… hello?"
Chloe's heart sank when she heard Vernon's voice.
'He's drunk,' she realized.
"Hello? Who's this? Why are you calling me? Don't you see I'm uh… I'm busy!" Vernon yelled on the phone.
'He is definitely drunk as a skunk right now.'
"Hey, speak something… or I'm hanging up!"
Chloe mustered her courage and asked, "Vernon, where are you?"
Vernon regained some of his consciousness when he heard the soft voice. But it wasn't enough for him to speak like a sober person because he was already down to his fifth glass of that seven-star fantasy.
But he knew that his woman was on the phone right now.
"I… I… uh… I'm in a bar…." Vernon replied.
"A bar?!"
"Y—Yeah…"
"Sir, who is on the phone?" Chloe heard a woman's voice on the phone, and Vernon tried to silence her by shushing. Though it was too late because Chloe had heard her voice already.
Chloe knew that Vernon was free to sleep with any woman since he wasn't married to anyone. But she had always worried about him accidentally knocking a woman with a baby or catching random STDs.
So she quickly asked, "Did you bring your condom?"
"Condom?! Why would I need one?!" Vernon was angry when Chloe asked such an unnecessary question, and the alcohol only blurred his mind, even more, making him unable to think with a clear mind.
"I won't use a condom! I'm not doing anything! I swear!" Vernon yelled like a kid that had been caught red-handed.
Chloe massaged her forehead as she suddenly got a headache thinking about this unbridled young man.
"Obviously, you're with a woman right now! I know you will sleep with her tonight! Go use a condom!"
Chapter 313
"Obviously, you're with a woman right now! I know you will sleep with her tonight! Go use a condom!" Chloe yelled on the phone.
Vernon was stunned for a second. Whenever Chloe raised her voice, Vernon felt something in his heart breaking.
As if he just couldn't bear seeing her sad or angry.
Vernon's hand trembled out of shock, but he quickly clenched the phone in his hand so he wouldn't sound or look vulnerable while calling Chloe;
"Do you really think that I'm going to fuck random woman outside? DO YOU THINK I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL!?"
Chloe was also stunned by Vernon's voice. She got scared, and her legs trembled a little.
But she couldn't stop here, she had to tell Vernon not to be too wild, or he might get into deep trouble.
He might be a big man, but he was still Chloe's cute little Vernon that she had to guard from time to time.
Imagining Vernon, who might get hurt in many ways for having little to no self-control, gave Chloe newfound courage.
'Even if he doesn't see me as his family, I still see him as one, and I...' Chloe clenched her fist, trying to dispel all the fear, at least for now, because she had an obligation to do so.
'I will always protect my family, no matter what!'
"Tell me your location, Vernon," Chloe asked.
"What do you want to do when you're here?" Vernon asked back. Despite being drunk now, he knew this place wasn't good for Chloe.
He didn't want Chloe to see that he was actually spending time in a place where depravity most likely happened.
Vernon knew he didn't have a good image in front of Chloe, but he didn't want to make it worse!
"Isn't that obvious?" Chloe said. "I will pick you up. You're so drunk right now, Vernon. Someone might take advantage of you when you're drunk, and I won't let that happen!"
"Tch, stop treating me like a kid! I'm an adult! I can do whatever I want! You're so fucking weird!"
"No, Vernon, you're going to get in trouble--"
"Urgh!" Vernon hung up the call and threw his phone to the floor until the phone screen shattered.
His breath was heavy, and he watched the phone with distress.
He regretted his action immediately, calling her weird and uncalled for, and he said it out of reflex because she kept treating him like a kid!
'She should've known that I am an adult! Why does she keep treating me like a teenager?!'
Cynthia, the waitress, saw the distressed young CEO.
She assumed that the woman on the phone was Mr. Phoenix Gray's girlfriend, so she asked, "Sir, are you sure it's wise for you to come here?"
Vernon gave Cynthia a side-eye for a second and sighed, "I don't care. I came here to release my pent-up frustration. I don't need to be wise when I'm fucking drunk."
Cynthia nodded reluctantly. She felt she might've accidentally made things complicated by asking Vernon when he was on the phone.
But she was here to work, so she offered, "Well, you've down to your fifth glass, Sir. Do you want to go for the sixth? It might make you dead drunk though...."
"Pour it for me," Vernon said.
Cynthia did as ordered. She poured the sixth bottle into the shot glass and put it in front of Vernon. This one contained very strong alcohol that could make someone pass out.
If Vernon remembered, he was down to his sixth drink when he came here before. It made him so drunk he couldn't remember anything other than refusing that desperate young waitress' advance and calling Diamond to pick him up.
'I think I will be piss drunk again with this sixth shot,' Vernon thought. He picked up the shot glass and swirled the dark liquid inside.
He kept staring at the swirling water until he took a deep breath and drank it in one go.
**
"No, Vernon, you're going to get in trouble--"
Beep!
Chloe's jaw dropped when she realized that Vernon had suddenly hung up the call.
She panicked. She didn't mind if Vernon got drunk or had sex with any woman he wanted.
But she wouldn't allow him to throw away his bright future just for a moment of happiness!
Thinking that Vernon would just go with his usual devil-may-care attitude and fucked someone without protection or get extremely drunk, someone would use the situation.
"Come on, pick up the call, Vernon!" Chloe urged. She kept calling Vernon's phone over and over. It was ringing, but Vernon must've intentionally ignored her.
Chloe became desperate. She didn't know what to do, and she couldn't pick him up because she didn't know where he was right now.
The only clue she got was a bar. Vernon was apparently in a bar, accompanied by a woman right now.
"Think, Chloe! How could I get the information about his whereabouts right now?" Chloe murmured. She walked back and forth, trying to find a solution, until she noticed piles of documents on the coffee table in the living room of the penthouse.
Diamond brought it in the late noon, saying the documents were meant to be signed by Vernon.
"Diamond... OH!" Chloe got her answer and quickly scrolled through her phone contacts until she found Diamond's number. She didn't hesitate to press the call.
The phone rang for a few seconds until Diamond picked it up.
-
"Homegurlll, what's up? Why are you calling me so late?" Diamond asked. "I'm snacking while watching a Netflix documentary about a serial killer. Gurl, they're so scary, but... so fascinating!"
"Yeah, Diamond, we can talk about that later, I really need your help right now!" Chloe said.
Diamond sensed the urgency, and she became serious instantly, "What is it? Do you want me to do something?"
"I need you to tell me about a bar that Vernon often visited, especially if he is a VIP member there!"
Chapter 314
Diamond sensed the urgency, and she became serious instantly, "What is it? Do you want me to do something?"
"I need you to tell me about a bar that Vernon often visited, especially if he is a VIP member there!" Chloe urged.
Diamond was surprised by how panicked Chloe sounded. As if she was about to lose Vernon forever because of this.
"Gurl, relax—"
"No, Diamond, I can't relax now. I need to pick him up, he is drunk and he's with a woman! I don't want him to make a mistake that will cost him his future!" Chloe insisted.
Diamond was silenced for a moment, and she realized something.
'Are you afraid that Vernon might accidentally get a woman pregnant, or you're just jealous?' Diamond suspected in her heart. 'Because he's an adult, and he's not that dumb.'
Diamond remembered the last time her boss got really drunk and was calling her so Diamond could pick him up.
No matter how drunk he was, Vernon still remembered that he had a woman at home, and that was enough proof that Vernon would not accidentally sleep with another woman while he was drunk.
'I feel like… Homegurl just wants to gatekeep Vernon, so he wouldn't cheat on her,' Diamond concluded. 'Even though she might not even realize it yet.'
"DIAMOND!"
"WAH! Gurl, you scared me!" Diamond snapped back at Chloe, who was suddenly screaming at her on the phone.
"S—Sorry, Diamond, I— I just need to pick him up…."
"It's okay, gurl. Yes, Mr. Phoenix Gray is a VIP member in one exclusive bar not far from the office, let me send you the full address."
Diamond texted the name and address of the exclusive bar to Chloe and said, "Okay, that should be the bar he's in right now. I picked him up from the same bar before. Remember that time when I had to prop a Gorilla to the penthouse?"
"T—Thank you, Diamond."
"Gurl, you sure you don't want my help? I can slap some bitches if one of them dares to mount on him."
"No need, Diamond. It's past midnight, you also deserve some rest," Chloe said. "Thank you, I'll repay you with something later, okay?"
"Aww, it's okay, Gurl. Go get your man!"
"Wait, he's not my man—"
Beep!
Diamond hung up the call before Chloe could finish her sentence. She felt a little embarrassed because she could not refute Diamond's words who said that Vernon was her man, because that was simply not true.
But there was something more urgent than that.
Chloe went downstairs and grabbed her sweater. She locked the door because her daughter was still sleeping inside the apartment and then went down to the parking lot with the elevator.
Chloe checked the address given by Diamond and used Google Maps to navigate so she could reach that bar as soon as possible with her car.
**
Vernon was floating right now. He felt weak and would rather sit in silence, doing nothing other than staring at the ceiling emptily.
His mind started getting cloudy after he gulped the sixth shot. However, unlike the previous time with that crazy waitress, this time, he could still see and hear everything around him.
He understood what Cynthia, the waitress, was saying. He could still see the view around him, even though it was a bit blurry. And the most important one, he still retained some of his consciousness.
Though he got a bit of a headache, his body felt heavy. So he wanted to do nothing but sleep right now.
'I guess I've gained resistance from that drink…' Vernon thought. He wasn't a heavy drinker, but it wasn't easy for him to get drunk, either.
"Sir, the seventh drink?" Cynthia asked.
"Uh…" Vernon hummed for a while and replied weakly, "Pour… uh… pour it for me…."
"Certainly, Sir."
Cynthia poured the seventh bottle into the shot glass. It was the strongest alcohol, and one shot was enough to send people into dreamland for a long time.
Cynthia was shocked when Mr. Phoenix Gray could drink the sixth shot and still maintained his consciousness as if he was simply drunk.
He was still responsive and replied to some of Cynthia's questions. He could even hold the shot glass carefully.
Though, appearance-wise, he looked like someone who would pass out anytime soon because his face was tomato-red, and his eyes were droopy.
Vernon was holding the seventh glass. Once he drank this one, he knew he would definitely pass out and sleep for a while.
Truthfully, he didn't want to pass out in a random place, especially when someone was around him. That was the reason why he often drank alone in his penthouse.
Too bad he couldn't do that tonight.
"Sir?" Cynthia snapped him out of his daze. "It's okay if you don't want to drink it."
"… I don't feel like it," Vernon put the glass on the table and slowly leaned back on the sofa. "I'm just going to rest… for a while."
Vernon gradually became sleepier as time went on. He turned his head toward Cynthia and noticed the waitress' resemblance to Chloe.
The same long chestnut hair, doe eyes, and sweet expression despite being a mature woman.
But this woman lacked the warmth he could only get from Chloe, and it was too jarring because his heart was still cold even though he was drunk right now.
He thought he could get so drunk to the point that he wouldn't be able to differentiate the real and fake Chloe.
Sadly, his heart couldn't lie. He felt nothing when he tried to nestle closer and rested his head on her shoulder.
'Ah, what do I expect? Of course I feel nothing. This is not Chloe, no matter how much I tried to fool myself,' Vernon thought. 'But just for a night, I need someone to replace her.'
"D—Do you want me to leave, Sir?" Cynthia asked as she felt uncomfortable.
"No, stay," Vernon replied. "Stay and pat my head, Chloe. I need you by my side."
Chapter 315
"D—Do you want me to leave, Sir?" Cynthia asked as she felt uncomfortable.
"No, stay," Vernon replied. "Stay and pat my head, Chloe. I need you by my side."
**
Chloe arrived at the bar about thirty minutes later. She saw Vernon's car parked alone, and she parked her car right beside his.
Her mind was in chaos now; she was scared that she might be too late, and Vernon might've done something to that woman already.
She stormed inside the empty bar, which shocked all the waitresses there.
They were even more shocked when they saw a woman wearing pajamas and a loose sweater walking in, which had never happened before.
Chloe looked around the bar, trying to find Vernon to no avail.
The bar owner walked towards Chloe and greeted her respectfully, "Good evening, Miss. May I help you with something?"
Chloe turned her head towards the bar owner and asked without hesitation, "Where is Vernon? And don't tell me that he is not here. I saw his car parked outside."
The bar owner was taken aback. He knew this woman must've been related to Mr. Phoenix Gray.
First, she knew about his car and could carelessly call that intimidating CEO by his first name.
Second, this woman… looked very similar to the waitress Mr. Phoenix Gray ordered to accompany him.
They had the same long-wavy chestnut hair, doe eyes, and sweet smile.
Even the bar manager had to admit this woman was a lot more soft-looking and beautiful, albeit very thin.
He knew something bad would happen soon. But he still maintained his proper posture, "May I know if you have any relation with Mr. Phoenix Gray, Miss?"
"I—" Chloe paused for a moment. She wanted to say she was his maid, sister-in-law, and Big sister.
But she doubted the bar owner would let her find Vernon if she claimed to be one of those above.
Because that kind of status wasn't important enough for the bar owner to disclose Vernon's location in this bar.
'I have to be believable. I must say that I'm his girlfriend or… wife…' Chloe was shocked by her idea.
Because she would never wish for too much, knowing that Vernon deserved a better woman, a more beautiful and younger one than a woman like her.
Chloe started hesitating but realized she shouldn't because it wasn't the time to pause.
'No, don't back down, Chloe!' Chloe encouraged herself. 'You need to drag Vernon out of this place now!
Chloe considered whether she should claim to be Vernon's girlfriend or wife, but the wife was too big of a claim. It might lead to a scandal that would ruin Vernon's image.
So she only had one choice…
'I don't know if the bar owner will believe me. But I have to try….'
Chloe took a deep breath and claimed loudly, "I am his girlfriend!"
The waitresses who heard Chloe's claim gasped in unison, but the bar owner wasn't surprised.
"Understood, Miss. I will escort you to Mr. Phoenix Gray's VIP room."
Chloe's eyes widened, "Y—You will?"
"Yes, you're his girlfriend, right?"
"Y—Yes, yes I am!" Chloe claimed. She was still confused because the bar owner accepted her claim so easily.
She thought the bar owner would question her further or at least suspect her a bit.
"Please follow me, Miss," the bar owner said.
Chloe followed the bar owner through a long corridor leading to one door at the end of the corridor.
The bar owner stood in front of the door and turned around, "Miss, this is where Mr. Phoenix Gray is enjoying his time right now. Before I open it, promise me that you won't make a big scene."
Chloe's breath stiffened, and it became gradually heavy for her to breathe.
Because of this moment…
'This moment… I feel like I've been back in time. When I was still pregnant, Vincent told me to come in a bar like this, and when I opened a door at the end of the dark corridor, I saw him having a group sex with five women at once….'
—
'Come and join them, you ugly whale. You're a woman, you're a whore just like the rest of them, including that daughter of yours,' Vincent said when he got caught red-handed.
—
That scene forever haunted Chloe in her dream. She was hysterical at that time. She cried so loud, begging Vincent to stop, but Vincent only laughed at her.
As if her cries were music in his ears.
As if her suffering was a joyful thing for Vincent.
Chloe's mind started getting hazy. She started sweating out of nervousness, to the point that her legs were about to give up on her.
"Miss? Miss, are you there?" the bar owner gently tapped Chloe's shoulder until she snapped out of her daze.
"Ah— S—sorry," Chloe replied. She snapped out of her daze.
She tried to regain her composure, but she couldn't lie that the fear was still creeping into her heart.
Would she witness the same event?
'I'm scared that Vernon will be just like his big brother. He might be having sex with so many women inside this room…' Chloe thought. 'I know it's his right to do it. But I… I don't know if I can watch it….'
"So, Miss, do you promise that you will not make a scene?"
"I—" Chloe gulped. No matter what, she still had to save Vernon.
Vincent was rotten to the core. Chloe had to endure ten years of abuse, waiting for him to get better and become a responsible man and father, but he never changed.
But Vernon…
'I raised him. I—I hope I can make him better. I hope he will be different from his Big brother!'
Chloe clenched her fist. She had to stay strong. If she kept being the doormat she was, she would never be able to save Vernon.
So she nodded and replied;
"I promise I will not make a scene. Please open the door, Sir."