Ch. 361..365: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 361-365
Chapter 361
"What are you trying to do, Little bro?" Vincent continued reading the document about the project between Gregory Maxwell and his little brother.
It was supposed to be a company secret, but Gregory Maxwell's shareholders were basically under Vincent's thumb as well, so it wasn't really difficult to extort some information from them.
"So basically, my cute little brother wants to release a beverage product for some part of Europe, huh?" Vincent murmured. He had a thin smile and was undoubtedly proud of his little brother, who was actively trying to find a business that would work for him.
"Hmm… he's working with Gregory Maxwell to supply the metal can material. Not bad. That old man might've been crooked, but I think I've straightened him a bit after I cut half of the supply coming from him," Vincent murmured.
"Vernon made the right decision to take that old man's service. Usually I'd be very happy for my little bro, but this is different…."
Vincent had yet told Vernon about his method of dealing with Gregory Maxwell and the reason behind it.
He also hadn't told that little boy about his plan to intentionally create chaos within the business circle until they all became desperate to save themselves.
"So what's the reason you're working with Gregory Maxwell right now? Surely you have a lot of options, right, little bro?" Vincent talked as if he was interrogating his little brother in front of him. "Do you want to cross your path against me, your own Big brother?"
Vincent wasn't an idiot not to know that sibling rivalry was bound to happen in any kind of household, so Vernon and him would eventually cross paths and fight for a big slice of cake called money.
"I don't really mind if he takes a part of my wealth. After all, we are brothers, we're supposed to share things we have," Vincent murmured, his gaze cooled as he had malicious intent in his heart. "But I will never forgive those who betray me, even my own little brother."
"I will punish him. I'll desecrate all of the companies that he built from the bottom until he begged to be forgiven," Vincent said coldly.
Vincent tapped the desk with his finger, trying to decide whether he needed to take action against Vernon. He wanted to extort some information about what he was doing, "Vernon is the one who put Gregory Maxwell's data in his report to me. Obviously, he wants me to weed that old man out first."
"I thought he just wanted to help me find Chloe, but now… I'm not sure."
As Vincent's suspicion grew bigger, his phone suddenly rang. He frowned, thinking it might be another call from that useless condom bitch, Priscilla.
He kicked her out of his mansion and company, but she kept trying to call him through different numbers, talk about obsession.
But it wasn't Priscilla. Much to his surprise, it was his Little brother, Vernon.
Thus, Vincent quickly picked up the phone and waited until Vernon spoke;
—
"Uh, good evening, Big bro!" Vernon greeted him with his usual happy tone as if talking to Vincent was such a joyful occasion.
That positive energy from his little brother quickly washed Vincent's suspicion away. He might be cold and cruel, but he saw Vernon as the only family he had raised since he was a kid.
So he had a soft spot for Vernon.
"Good evening, do you have something you want to talk about, Vernon?" Vincent asked directly, hinting to Vernon that he needed to clarify this, or this would lead to a sibling war.
"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you about Gregory Maxwell," Vernon replied lightly. As if he wasn't trying to hide anything. "I signed a contract with him."
"What kind of contract?"
"Hmm, you see, Big bro, I was trying to make a refreshing drink product, and it will be released around Europe later. The project is already ongoing, and I need a metal can material supplier for it."
"Mr. Maxwell came to my office and offered to be the supplier. He even claimed that he will handle the supply transport to Europe," Vernon said. "Big bro, it's an amazing offer that I cannot pass, especially since he also offered me a low price for it."
"I see…" Vincent's lips perked up as he was listening to his Little bro. "And what's the point of you reporting this to me?"
"Uhh, obviously, because I was the one who put Gregory Maxwell inside the report I gave you before. I know I sound hypocritical, but I want to make sure that you don't think I'm trying to betray you or something…."
"HAHAHAH!" Vincent laughed rambunctiously. "It's okay, I know that old man's capability as well. He has been working with the Gray family for years."
"But you have to be careful. I cut the half of the supply from him because he tried to cut corners by giving me slightly worse material," Vincent informed. "Make sure to inspect the material he sent. If it's a bad one, just tell me, I will deal with him."
"Damn, I didn't know that…." Vernon said cluelessly. "Should I stop the supply? But that'd be a breach of contract, and I'll have to pay a lot of money for compensation…."
"No need," Vincent replied. "He's good enough. I just want to make sure you have a good supplier, so your product will be a big success. If you need my help with anything, just call me, okay?"
"Okay! Thank you Big bro!" Vernon replied with joy. "Phew, I thought I messed up. Big bro, you're not mad about it, right?"
"About what?"
"About this Gregory Maxwell thing—"
"No, it's fine," Vincent replied lightly. His heart was at ease after knowing his Little bro didn't intend to betray him. "Just make sure to inform me if you're working with people within my business circle. So there won't be any misunderstanding."
"Sure, thank you so much, Big bro! Oh, I still have work to do, talk to ya' later!"
"Mhm, bye."
Beep.
Chapter 362
Beep.
The call ended, and Vincent was in a good mood.
Vernon took the initiative to call him to clear up the suspicion that might lead to a misunderstanding between them.
"Well, it's a good thing that I have a good and obedient Little bro, he really knows how to make me happy," Vincent thought. "Heheh, maybe I should give him a little help later. It's always nice to help him. It's nice to have a family that won't betray you."
…
Vincent got up from the chair and left his office. Since he was in a good mood, he didn't intend to yell at any maids he passed on his way to the master bedroom.
He entered the master bedroom, where he and his wife— Chloe Gray- were supposed to sleep together.
He lay on the bed, watching the TV idly until he got an email on his phone.
He checked it, and his lips perked up again.
However, it wasn't the same happy smile when he was talking with his Little bro.
It was, in fact, a malicious smile filled with evil thoughts that stemmed from his superiority complex over his wife.
Vincent clicked on the video and then resumed watching the recording of Chloe arguing and raising her voice in front of that old hag.
She looked fierce and tough. Though with her doe eyes, it didn't seem too believable.
But, of course, it was a nice change from the usual weak Chloe that he grew tired of.
"It'd be nice if she started struggling and fighting back again. At least I got something to torment when I'm stressed. Who knows if she struggled hard enough, she might have the chance to get fucked by me again? Isn't that what she want?"
Vincent continued watching the video, and when the video stopped, he looked at the big framed wedding picture hanging above the TV.
"Hmm… I think if I let her for at least a year, she will return to her original glamorous beauty. It'll be fun to tear her apart and ruin her life once more. It's like a second chance for me."
Vincent felt that his pajama pants were getting uncomfortable as he had gotten an erection down there.
He wouldn't lie that he got aroused thinking he would turn his wife from a glamorous beauty into a worthless woman who could only cower and beg for his generosity to continue living.
He was also pleasantly surprised by the erection since his sex drive basically plummeted after a few months of Chloe's departure.
He hadn't had sex with any woman for at least three months, and no woman was appealing enough to give him an erection.
Vernon licked his lower lip while staring at Chloe in the wedding dress, "I will enjoy breaking you, Chloe Gray."
**
Beep.
Vernon hung up the call between him and his Big brother—Vincent Gray. He leaned on the wall and inhaled deeply before exhaling his worry away with the cold wind.
He gazed at New York city from the balcony of his penthouse, pondering on what he should do next to protect everything he had right now and the woman he loved.
'Good thing I call him as soon as possible,' Vernon thought. 'Vincent might investigate all by himself about it if I forgot to report to him.'
Vernon knew that he couldn't hide anything against his Big brother, 'Especially with that old hag around. She is capable enough to trap Chloe, so she must've sniffed something suspicious about me.'
Vernon realized that the stage had been set. He couldn't play around right now.
He needed to be serious to secretly chip away Vincent's influence over his business circle and then let the company that had been established decades ago crumble.
But to do that, he needed to look as harmless as possible in front of his Big brother while still playing the mind game so Chloe wouldn't get caught and forcefully taken back to Vincent's mansion.
'I won't let him hurt her again. I will protect her, even if it costs my entire fortune— even my life,' Vernon swore in his heart.
He didn't know much about the abuse she experienced— though he wished that Chloe would open up to him more about it.
But he knew that it was a series of traumatizing events piled over the years. Of course, it would be hard for her to talk about.
'But for now…' Vernon knew that he could fool his Big bro, but for how long until he noticed that his company was crumbling down?
'Honestly, I'm more worried about that old hag, Secretary Maria. She's well versed in trickery, she's far more dangerous than Vincent right now. I'm afraid she will take measures by her own hand and kidnap Chloe when she's vulnerable.'
…
'Should I just… send Chloe somewhere else?' Vernon wondered. He could always send Chloe and Mackie to other states, maybe to somewhere less stressful for her, like Rhode Island.
"… I can't…" Vernon sighed. "I don't know if I can keep my sanity in check when she's not around."
"All of these business wars, and also family drama stress me out so much, the only way I can feel at ease is when I look at her…."
Vernon snorted as he found himself ridiculous. He remembered how he wanted to ruin her life because of what she said about him.
He still wanted to confront Chloe about it, but maybe later when things weren't so complicated.
Vernon sighed for the second time. He fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and bit one in his mouth.
He lit the end with a match. He smoked the cigarette and puffed the smoke into the cold wind.
He didn't like to smoke, but it was a way of de-stressing that he used if a problem was too heavy for him.
He was smoking in silence, staring at New York City at night.
Until he heard someone call his name, "Vernon?"
Chapter 363
"Vernon?"
Vernon turned around when he heard that familiar voice.
There, he saw Chloe opening the balcony glass door. Tucked in a loose sweater, she joined Vernon, who was smoking on the balcony.
Vernon was a little dumbfounded because he thought Chloe went to bed right after dinner or had a mother-daughter talk with Mackie downstairs.
But what made him even more dumbfounded was how she looked at him.
Vernon saw no fear in her eyes. She looked at him as if he was a part of the family, something that he never expected to come from her.
After all, he always expected Chloe to see him as an outsider, especially since she said he was just an inferior version of Vincent.
Chloe's eyes quickly darted at the cigarette in his mouth, "I didn't know that you're a smoker…."
"Oh—Ah!" Vernon quickly pulled out the cigarette and put it off before throwing it off the balcony. He looked like a kid who felt guilty after getting caught red-handed for smoking.
"I—I didn't do it often, I swear!" Vernon said. "Just when I was feeling too stressed with work…."
Chloe sighed. She tucked her sweater because the cold wind wasn't good for her frail body and drew near Vernon.
Vernon instinctively took a step back until his hip hit the railing, and Chloe chuckled when she saw his nervousness, "Why are you so nervous? Is it because I caught you smoking?"
"Ah—w—well, yeah…." Vernon admitted that it was embarrassing for him. "You told me not to smoke when I was young…."
"I will still tell you not to smoke right now, you know? It's never good for your health."
"I know…" Vernon lowered his head, ready to get scolded by Chloe. "Sorry…"
Chloe sighed and lifted her hand. She gently ruffled Vernon's hair and said, "Though I'm not happy that you smoke, it's your right to do so. You're an adult now."
Vernon lifted his head slightly, staring at Chloe, who didn't seem to be mad.
Now he was the one who got a little annoyed instead. He'd be happy to get scolded for being bad.
Or maybe he was just fucked up because getting scolded by Chloe was somewhat of an old feeling he wished to relive.
"Y—You can scold me a little, you know…." Vernon murmured almost inaudibly, afraid that Chloe would find him weird.
But Chloe heard it, and she frowned, "Well, rather than scolding you like a kid, I'd rather ask you not to smoke too much, okay? You might get addicted."
"Un, okay…"
Chloe smiled at Vernon and then turned around. She walked towards the railing and rested her arms on it.
She gazed upon the view of New York City at night, just like what Vernon did, and said, "I've never felt this free in my life for the past ten years. I should've done this sooner."
Vernon didn't know what Chloe meant by that. But she seemed to be enjoying herself while gazing at the view.
Thus, he was also gazing at his view— Chloe's side profile.
Chloe was beautiful. Since Vernon was a kid, he had never seen someone as beautiful as her, and that opinion stood strong for him.
Even now, he still saw Chloe as the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
'I don't understand…' Vernon kept thinking about how his Big bro hurt Chloe so much, to the point that she was nothing like her previous self.
Vincent changed her so much, desecrating such a beautiful flower by stomping on her.
'What's wrong with him? I'd forever be grateful if Chloe were my wife—'
Vernon shook his head as quickly as possible. He didn't want to have that idea because he was also unsure of his own feelings.
'And it's not the time to think about that….'
"Vernon…"
"Y—Yes!" Vernon stood straight as he got nervous.
Chloe smiled as she gave Vernon a side glance, "Thank you," She said.
"Huh? For what?" Vernon frowned, unable to comprehend what was in Chloe's mind.
"For everything," Chloe added. "You don't know how much help you gave to me. When I was the most desperate, you took me and my daughter so we can have a place to stay, and continue with our life, especially with Mackie's study. I was so afraid that she couldn't continue going to school because of Vincent's craziness."
…
Vernon didn't want to admit that he had malicious intent when he took her in.
He returned to New York for payback for the humiliation he experienced when Chloe basically called him an inferior version of Vincent.
It might be a small thing for her. Still, for Vernon, it became such a thorn in his heart, making him unable to see himself as enough. He would constantly beat himself up for being too weak or stupid.
'You should've seen through me already, Chloe…' Vernon said in his heart. 'I helped you because I want to hurt you. I want you to suffer humiliation, just like what you did to me. Because you're basically selling your body for me.'
Vernon thought that he could get satisfaction by ruining her life. But it seemed that Chloe never saw it that way.
Because she had suffered a great deal with Vincent, 'She must have suffered abuse and humiliation so awful, that my kind of humiliation doesn't even seem to affect her much.'
But Vernon still thought himself guilty. He was, after all, a man with malicious intentions.
'So, why are you thanking me right now? Why can't you see that I'm also a bad guy?'
Vernon continued staring at Chloe's side profile, and the more he stared at her, the faster his heartbeat got.
'Maybe you saw me through your rose-colored glasses. That's why you don't see all of my mistakes for making things worse for your mental health…' Vernon continued blaming himself.
'So I promise to make up for it. I will be the man you can rely on, Chloe. Even if it will cost me everything.'
Chapter 364
So I promise to make up for it. I will be the man you can rely on, Chloe. Even if it will cost me everything,' Vernon swore in his heart. 'As long as it doesn't cost you, then I can do anything for you.'
Meanwhile, Chloe had something else in mind. She knew Vernon was smoking because he was stressed about the whole ordeal with Vincent and the company's affair.
Chloe also saw the amount of stress that Vincent had to handle, but he didn't smoke.
Instead, Vincent would beat and torment her until she cried, and then he would be satisfied. It was his way of de-stressing, and Chloe stupidly thought she could be the martyr. Her daughter would be safe and happy if she endured all the abuse.
'But I'm still a human in the end. I can't endure too much pain. So I filed for divorce and ran away….'
Honestly, Chloe was still doubtful in her heart.
The fear of Vincent's wrath was deeply ingrained in her, making her subconsciously want to return to him, not because he loved that bastard.
That love was gone because Vincent crushed her heart over the years until it couldn't be pieced together anymore.
But she wanted to return so Vincent could unleash his rage on her. Maybe that would also be the end of her.
But at least Vincent wouldn't unleash his rage on other innocent lives. Chloe certainly didn't want her daughter or Vernon to get hurt because of her.
'But he made me want to be a little more reckless than usual. Instead of sacrificing myself, I want to… struggle a little….'
"Vernon… Do you still remember everything you said to me today?" Chloe suddenly asked, and Vernon nodded in response.
He had a good memory, especially when it was about Chloe. He remembered vividly almost everything she told him when he was still young.
"Well, you might not remember this, but you said something that makes me want to… fight a little…." Chloe said. She had never felt this open to someone in her life because she liked to keep all her ideas and opinions inside her mind.
But that was mostly because she was afraid of getting berated by Vincent.
Now with Vernon, she was assured that he wouldn't berate her, would he?
"Did I?" Vernon was genuinely caught off guard by that. All he said to her today was something that he said to protect her from any harm.
But he didn't remember ever giving any kind of encouragement to her, 'Which I should. Why am I so slow? Ugh!'
Chloe nodded lightly and parroted what Vernon said to her, word by word;
"Discard any stupid idea of yours, and trust me."
Vernon was stunned as Chloe parroted his words. Of course, he remembered when he said that.
He said it when Chloe was at home, alone.
He was afraid that Chloe would do something unthinkable. After all, she looked like someone who had just lost her soul and will to live.
But he didn't understand why that sentence became her source to retaliate.
"Vernon, I— I do have a stupid idea when I was alone in the house today," Chloe confessed. But she didn't mention specifically what kind of stupid idea she had, as she was also ashamed of it.
"But you called me at the right moment, I was ready to leave everything— to leave you. I was still thinking about it until you said that sentence to me."
"Vernon Phoenix Gray, you told me to discard my stupid idea and trust you, and so I did…." Chloe said. She turned and faced Vernon.
Then she slowly drew near until there was only a small gap between their bodies. Chloe looked up as her height was only at his shoulder level.
She gave Vernon a gentle smile, "So I will trust you— a little. I don't know what I can do, but I will support you in any way. This is not because of my job, but because I… I want to have someone to lean on…."
Chloe was a little embarrassed, but she gathered enough courage to request something, "C—Can I… um… hug you? I don't want to get weird, but— WHA!"
Chloe's eyes widened, and her body stiffened instantly when Vernon suddenly embraced her and wrapped his arms tightly around her small body.
"V—Vernon—?"
"Don't ever dare to give in to your stupid idea. I will not let you," Vernon said. His voice was hoarse, as he was holding such heavy emotion in him right now.
Vernon was triggered when Chloe said that she said that she was ready to leave everything, including him.
In his mind, she must've been thinking about…
Suicide.
Vernon wrapped his arms around her tighter than before until Chloe felt a little stuffy.
"Let me go, Vernon…." Chloe asked weakly.
"I refuse," Vernon replied calmly, yet with so much burden in his voice. "You're not allowed to leave me."
'You already left me once when I saw your wedding picture. I was devastated. I realized that I have lost you to my Big brother….'
'I can't imagine losing you again, especially not when you're thinking about killing yourself.'
'If you did that, I will—' Vernon stopped himself before it was too late. He might be saying all of this in his mind right now. But he knew he would follow Chloe to the afterlife if she dared to do such a thing.
Living without Chloe for the past ten years had been nothing but a nightmare to him. He couldn't imagine living forever without her by his side.
Chloe knew that she couldn't break free from Vernon's bear hug. She realized he seemed to be holding on to a heavy emotion in his heart.
So, she reciprocated by hugging him.
Since she wasn't as big as him, her hands could only be wrapped halfway around his broad back.
"I will not leave, Vernon," Chloe said. "Not when I promise myself to struggle a little against him."
Chapter 365
"I will not leave, Vernon," Chloe said. "Not when I promise myself to struggle a little against him."
They hugged for a while, and none of them had any intention of letting go.
For Vernon, he simply loved this feeling of burying Chloe in his chest. Maybe his intention was also tainted with a little obsession.
An obsession that demanded him to keep Chloe by his side or even bury her body into him if that meant he wouldn't lose her again.
Meanwhile, Chloe had another idea in mind. She simply loved the hug because Vernon's body temperature was naturally hot, so he was like a human heating pillow, very comfortable during this cold autumn.
It took her at least twenty minutes until she felt too stuffy, "Umm... Vernon. It's been a while, shouldn't you... stop hugging me?"
...
Vernon reluctantly released his bear hug as he had no other reason to hug her for too long.
But they didn't separate even after Vernon stopped hugging her. They stared into each other's eyes. Chloe was a little nervous when those hawk-like eyes gazed at her deeply.
While Vernon was already charmed when those cute doe eyes stared at him with such dependency.
His eyes trailed down and stopped right on her lips. Chloe had thin lips that were a little dry because of the cold wind, which tempted him to make it wet, sharing a warm, passionate kiss.
Vernon gulped as his intrusive thought told him to kiss her right now.
'I--I should be able to kiss her, right?' Vernon asked himself. 'But why am I getting nervous? We kissed a few times, and I don't see any problem with it.'
Vernon kept telling himself there was nothing wrong with kissing her here.
But he acted like a teenage kid who had just experienced his first love. He got so nervous even his palms started to get sweaty.
Chloe didn't realize that Vernon wanted to kiss her, so she patted his shoulder twice and said, "You shouldn't stay here for too long, okay? It's almost the end of autumn, you're going to catch a cold."
She turned around and returned inside the penthouse, leaving Vernon standing like an idiot on the balcony.
He was dumbfounded as he realized he had lost his chance for a kiss.
"Ah, you're so fucking stupid, Vernon!" Vernon blamed himself for his loss. How could he-- a young, ruthless businessman who could always find an opportunity-- suddenly lose his cool and act like a nervous teenage boy?
"Why are you nervous? Don't you see that she is wide open? You can wrap your arm around her waist and kiss her! Argh, idiot!"
Though Vernon continued beating himself, he actually knew the reason for his nervousness.
Because when he kissed Chloe before, there was no love in it.
It was nothing but a lust-ridden, domineering kiss. Even if there was a trace of love in him, it was mostly buried with an even stronger feeling of wanting to ruin her.
But this time, it was different.
"I... I can't help to think whether she will like it or not. Whether she will reciprocate my kiss...." Vernon murmured. His face got redder as he got ashamed of his own actions. He acted like a boy who had just hit puberty yesterday.
"Ugh, stop thinking about this cringy shit, Vernon. You'll look uncool in front of her," Vernon scolded himself. "You should focus on protecting her first and finding a dietician to help her. There are lots to do, so you should put your feelings aside for now...."
**
Chloe woke up early in the morning.
As usual, she prepared breakfast for Mackie and Vernon before waking them up and pulling them to sit at the dining table where she had prepared everything.
Vernon and Mackie were still sleepy, but their eyes didn't leave Chloe's figure, who went back and forth preparing breakfast and juice for them.
She was like warm sunshine on this cold morning, and Mackie was the first to comment on it, "Mommy, you're glowing today!"
"Hm? Glowing?" Chloe was confused by her daughter. "What do you mean? Mommy hasn't taken a bath, you know."
"But you're glowing like the sun!" Mackie realized that her Mommy wouldn't believe her. Thus she was searching for support.
She glanced at the Big bad Uncle staring at her nonstop and commented, "Look at Uncle, Mommy! He keeps staring at you! He's even drooling! Ew, Uncle is gross! You drool like a baby!"
Vernon snapped out of his daze and quickly wiped the drool from the edge of his lips. He glared at Mackie, but Mackie had no fear of him because the image of Uncle Vernon drooling was far more entertaining and funny, so it overrode any intimidation he made.
Vernon could feel his face getting hotter, especially around his ears.
"Uncle is so red! He is like a tomato head now!" Mackie commented. She was giggling mischievously, and that pissed Vernon so much.
'Damn this little devil! She seriously has no tact!'
Chloe also smiled at how her daughter teased Vernon, but she knew that Vernon was as embarrassed as he could be, so it was better not to call him out for it, or else he might start yelling for no reason just to hide his shame.
"Well, Mommy is glowing because of Uncle too, you know," Chloe commented while giving Vernon a side glance. "You should thank him for it."
"Wha, really?" Mackie never expected her Uncle to be helpful. In her mind, Uncle was always there to bully Mommy with a big police stick!
"Thank you for helping my Mommy, Uncle!" Mackie said loud and clear. "Mommy has never looked this happy before. Please help her more so she will shine everyday!"
"And don't bully her again! I don't want you to bully her with a police stick!" Mackie yelled.
"Mine's even bigger than a police stick-- ugh!" Vernon retorted instinctively. As a man, he got offended if his real size got shrunken down. But he suddenly got a silent warning glare at Chloe, and he had to zip his mouth, much to his grievance.