Ch. 366..370: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 366-370

Chapter 366

"Well, don't listen to your Uncle, okay? Eat your breakfast now, Mackie," Chloe suggested, and her daughter nodded happily as she ate her breakfast.

Chloe continued glaring at Vernon. She said nothing but anyone could understand that Chloe was warning Vernon not to say something vulgar in front of her daughter.

"Tch, fine," Vernon murmured in response. He dug his breakfast at first and stopped halfway when he realized that Chloe was still busy cleaning the kitchen while they were eating.

"Why don't you eat anything for breakfast?"

"Ah? I did..." Chloe replied. "I ate bread and fruits before cooking breakfast. I got a bit too hungry so I ate first."

"Really?" Vernon asked again. His eyes squinted, wanting to squeeze the truth from Chloe's mouth, and she nodded weakly.

"S--Sorry, I should've waited to eat with you two...." Chloe replied weakly. She was ashamed to eat before her family. But she was so hungry in the morning, so she had to eat something while the others were sleeping.

Vernon and Mackie were dumbfounded by Chloe's confession. They were looking at each other, seemingly having the same idea.

"No need to say sorry, Mommy!" Mackie chirped happily. "Mommy should eat more and more!"

"Yes, you shouldn't wait until we have our scheduled time if you want to snack too," Vernon added. "If you want to eat something, just eat it. Both Mackie and I are happy to see you eating healthy snacks like fruits-- or you can always eat something like chips if you want. Nothing wrong with it."

"T--Thank you... I sure don't want to eat chips, though...." Chloe murmured. She was happy that Mackie and Vernon were very supportive of her eating outside the schedule.

She couldn't do that with Vincent.

Instead, she went into hiding when she wanted to eat. She feared that Vincent would catch her red-handed for eating something and then ridicule her until she lost her appetite.

Chloe put two glasses of juice in front of Mackie and Vernon. Then she sat on the opposite side, watching them eating their breakfast with relish as if it was the most delicious food ever.

After they were done, Chloe told Mackie to get ready for school. She said, "Don't forget to give the parent's attendance paper to Mr. Peterson later, Mackie."

"Sure, Mommy!"

Mackie hopped around as she went downstairs to prepare herself, leaving Vernon and Chloe alone.

Vernon was still sitting at the dining table, resting his full stomach as he ate a lot for breakfast today. His gaze peered at Chloe before he asked, "What's the parent's attendance all about?"

"Oh, it's for Mackie's school autumn festival. The event will be held in about two weeks, and the parents are invited. Mackie will be playing in a small drama, the three pigs. She will be the big bad wolf," Chloe explained. She giggled while staring at Vernon, "You should teach her how to act like one."

"Huh? Act? I'm not an actor. I'm just working as CEO in the entertainment industry," Vernon responded seriously. "Do you need me to bring an acting teacher for her? I have plenty of acting teachers, or even big stars that could spare their time to teach Mackie."

"Hihi, no need to do that. She'll be the wolf, so you should be the perfect teacher for her," Chloe said. "After all, you're her Big bad wolf Uncle, right?"

Chloe winked at Vernon, and that caused the big guy's brain to short-circuit for a moment before he snorted, "I don't have time to teach a little kid!"

Chloe found Vernon to be very endearing when he was ashamed like this. And she realized that she still had that habit of teasing Little Vernon when he was about eight to ten years old.

"Don't worry, Mackie is a natural," Chloe smiled. "She has joined many of these activities since she was a kid, so there was no stage fright in her."

"Besides, as long as I'm there to watch her performance, she will be in full spirit and do her best."

Vernon went silent instantly. He wondered how Chloe didn't seem to be on guard, even though this was a potentially dangerous situation.

"So, you're going to attend that autumn festival?"

"Of course!" Chloe nodded. "I have to. Mackie will be performing."

...

"What about Vincent?" Vernon shot the question without a doubt. "Will he come as well?"

"Oh, nope," Chloe replied lightly. "Vincent has never attended any kind of parents meeting."

"But there is a chance that he will come," Vernon fretted. "It's not safe for you to come, Chloe."

Chloe-- who was in a happy mood before, suddenly lost all of her shine instantly.

She smiled bitterly, trying to mask her worry. Of course, she knew she was vulnerable, especially after she triggered a chain of events with her conversation with Maria.

"You don't need to worry, Vernon. I will be careful," Chloe said, trying to patch the big hole with a bandage.

But it wasn't enough for Vernon.

Of course, he was worried. He didn't know what Vincent would do if they met!

"You shouldn't come. Mackie too, she shouldn't come to that festival," Vernon strongly suggested. "We don't know what Vincent will do."

Chloe knew Vernon was just looking out for her, and she appreciated that.

But...

"I can't do that, Vernon...." Chloe shook her head. "Mackie is very excited about this drama. I can't be selfish and crush her happiness."

...

"Then at least let me accompany you," Vernon offered, discarding all his fear against his Big brother. He knew the chance of encountering his Big bro was very high, which would probably ruin everything he had planned for years.

But if that meant he could protect Chloe...

"You shouldn't," Chloe refused again. "I know how dangerous Vincent can be. Don't expose yourself because of this. You still have a long career to go."

"But I can't let him hurt you!" Vernon raised his voice as he started to get desperate. "Don't you understand that you're in danger?!"

Chapter 367

"Don't you understand that you're in danger?!" Vernon yelled. "What would you do if you met Vincent there?"

"W—Well, I believe he will never come. Ever since Mackie started going to school, he never showed himself to any of the parents' meetings…." Chloe tried to reason with Vernon.

She felt no fear even though Vernon raised his voice because she knew he was just looking out for her.

Both of them knew the risk of meeting Vincent. Vernon could still survive because he played a mind game with his Big bro while slowly chipping Vincent's company.

But Chloe didn't have the same privilege. She would definitely get tortured and killed if she met Vincent.

"Vincent has no reason to come…." Chloe continued reasoning. "Don't worry, Vernon. Everything will be alright…."

Chloe drew near Vernon and gently patted his head, trying to calm him down.

But Vernon looked up at Chloe, still with unwilling eyes. He caught her wrist and pulled her until she lost her balance.

"Ah!" Chloe slipped and landed her butt right on Vernon's lap.

Vernon wrapped his arm around her waist, trapping Chloe to stay by his side, and said, "How could you say everything will be alright after what happened yesterday? You got tricked by that old hag, don't you remember?"

Honestly, Vernon hated to mention this mistake. Because he knew that Chloe must've regretted it a lot.

But she didn't seem to learn from that event and would repeat the same mistake again.

So, even if it would hurt her pride, he still had to mention it.

"I just… don't want you to get hurt, Chloe…." Vernon said truthfully. He lowered his head and buried his face in Chloe's neck. He breathed heavily, gently tickling Chloe's neck with his warm breath.

"Ah— Uhm… about Maria, I know that I made a stupid mistake. So I will make sure to stay on guard," Chloe tried to compensate. "I will text you if I meet anyone suspicious, would that make you feel more assured?"

"No, that doesn't make me feel assured at all," Vernon resisted. "How about sending Diamond to go with you to that autumn festival?"

"Oh, that's a bad idea though…." Chloe said. "Vincent knows about Diamond, right? He will question how Mr. Phoenix Gray's secretary knows me…."

"Then, at least let me send a bodyguard or some sort. He will protect you from harm during the autumn festival in Mackie's school. Is that enough?"

Chloe wondered why Vernon was so worried about her.

She knew that she was in danger.

There might be a day when Vincent had a bad day and wanted to torment and abuse Chloe to have fun. So he would deploy his people to start a manhunt on her.

'But by that time, there was nothing we could do. Vernon will never be able to protect me, and I would prefer him not to protect me…' Chloe thought.

She told Vernon that she wanted to struggle a bit against Vincent because she wanted to selfishly preserve this moment with her daughter and Vernon. Because she had never felt this peaceful in her life for the past ten years.

But she knew that she would never harm Vernon in any way. So if the time came when Vincent would give her the ultimatum to give herself or let Vernon suffer, she wouldn't hesitate to throw herself into Vincent's malicious embrace once more.

'At least I've experienced a beautiful life with you, Vernon…' Chloe smiled while gently patting the back of Vernon's head. 'But I found it very endearing how much you tried to protect me. I know that you seem to be so dedicated to do that.'

'So I prefer to be a little selfish and indulge in this happiness for a moment….'

"I will accept a body guard from you, Vernon. But with one requisite," Chloe said. "That body guard shouldn't enter the school. He can stay at the gate and inform me if there's something wrong, especially if he sees Vincent. But I will never allow him to get close to Mackie."

"Let my daughter experience a normal childhood, Vernon. She deserves to be free, just like a regular kid," Chloe said.

…

'Regular kid…' Vernon felt that Chloe was a hypocrite.

Chloe was tricking her daughter into believing that every abuse her mother experienced was normal in Mackie's eyes.

It was harmful because it reminded Vernon of himself.

His Big brother often forced him to watch their late father having sex with so many women. It was engraved deep in Vernon's mind, making him very promiscuous growing up. He had a very low opinion of women.

Because in his head, he saw many women willing to climb his late father's bed like cheap whores, and certainly his Big brother and father's words didn't help either.

-

'You see that, Vernon? Those are cheap women. All women are cheap, give them money and they will kiss your feet. So you better not let yourself to be influenced by a woman in your life,' Vincent said to him while they were watching their late father copulating with three different women.

-

'If it wasn't for you— Chloe, I would think that no woman is worth fighting for…' Vernon said in his heart.

He wanted to argue with Chloe about this. Because he didn't want Mackie to grow up thinking abuse was right.

It was completely wrong, and she might end up tolerating abuse, just like what her mother experienced right now.

But this wasn't the right time, especially knowing this problem was directly tied to Chloe's traumatic experience.

There were also too many things jumbled in Vernon's head. He had to sort them one by one.

Such as this problem with the autumn festival.

No matter how many times Chloe claimed that Vincent would never come, Vernon knew that his Big brother WOULD come.

Chloe might not realize it, but Vernon knew how obsessed Vincent was with Chloe, even if it was in a cruel way.

He had an informant who worked inside Vincent's mansion, and she told Vernon how much of a terror Vincent had become after Chloe left.

Chapter 368

He became so erratic, physically and verbally abusing all the people who worked in the mansion. He seemed to be uncontrollable when Chloe wasn't around.

At first, Vernon thought his Big bro saw Chloe as someone lower than him, and that opinion hadn't changed. Vincent looked at Chloe as if she was some kind of subhuman species.

'Although, I think he saw women as subhuman in general....' Vernon thought.

But when he got the information that his Big bro demanded the cooks to prepare food that tasted exactly the same as what Chloe usually made, Vernon knew that his Big bro held Chloe in a special place in his heart.

Whether it was love or malicious obsession, Chloe was still someone he held close in his heart.

And that was rare-- no, that was the first time Vincent did that.

'So there's a high possibility of my Big bro coming to the school. Not to see his daughter's drama in the autumn festival. I doubt he even cares for her daughter, honestly...' Vernon pondered. Based on the information he got, never once did Vincent mention Mackie, in the mansion after their departure.

He subconsciously mentioned Chloe a lot, but Mackie didn't even seem to be in his head at all.

'And here Chloe is willing to put herself in danger if that means Mackie could have a normal childhood-- based on her definition of normal....'

...

"Vernon? You hear me, right? You can deploy a bodyguard, but that bodyguard cannot enter the school. Because that bodyguard will be too eye-catching, and I don't want Mackie to feel like she's being singled out."

...

Vernon was put in a difficult situation right now. He wanted to send at least ten bodyguards to circle around Chloe and Mackie if he could.

In fact, if he could, he wanted to send himself to protect his treasure.

But Chloe was just too stubborn when it came to Mackie. She refused to listen or to comply with anything.

'After all, Mackie is Chloe's reason to come to me when she was the most desperate,' Vernon reminisced about how Chloe said that she would do anything as long as she could give Mackie a place to stay.

And she did... for her daughter.

"Vernon?" Chloe called his name again, ensuring Vernon listened to her requisite.

"Just promise me that you will be careful, and if you see Vincent somewhere, you need to hide, or at least call me," Vernon warned, ensuring to minimize any danger from her.

"Okay, I know," Chloe smiled.

Though she knew that she was lying right now.

If she accidentally bumped into Vincent, she'd never call Vernon.

Because she knew that Vernon would ditch all his logic and come to find her, 'You're way too precious to be ruined by such a messy life I have, Vernon.'

**

Chloe, Mackie, and Vernon went down to the parking lot together. Their cars were parked side by side, but Chloe was shocked when she saw the Silver Bentley given to her... Suddenly disappear!

Instead, it was replaced by a brand new car, a matte black Bentley, complete with the car seat still wrapped in plastic.

"What happened to my old car?" Chloe asked.

Vernon clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Damn, I told those guys to strip the plastic wrapping. What is this bullshit?" he murmured almost inaudibly since Chloe would scold him if he dared to curse in front of Mackie.

Vernon opened the car door and grabbed the car key. He returned to Chloe and handed the car key to her, "This is your new car. It's from the same brand, and should be similar to handle, just slightly different model and new color."

"But... why?" Chloe asked as she was still unsure how to take this sudden change.

"I just want to keep you safe," Vernon said.

"But it's too wasteful...."

Vernon snorted as he got annoyed by that comment, "Do you think I care about money when your life's on the line?"

...

Chloe was still unsure. But she picked the car key from Vernon's palm and spoke her gratitude in a gentle tone, "Thank you, Vernon...."

Vernon had a little grin and leaned to whisper softly, "You're welcome. By the way, I also accept a quick BJ as a sign of thank you."

Chloe's cheeks reddened, and she lowered her head as if embarrassed. Vernon's grin grew wider. He had no intention of forcing her, but it was fun to tease Chloe, especially when she acted like a shy rabbit.

Meanwhile, Mackie was busy getting awed upon seeing her new car. She circled around the car and kept mumbling 'Woah!' and 'Woooh!' repeatedly.

Then, she returned to her Mommy and reported, "Mommy, this new car is cooler! Let's ride this now!"

"Dear, that's--"

"See? Even Mackie loves the new car," Vernon chortled. "Just go and use it. I'll ask the security guards to take off the plastic wrapping for the seat later."

"... Okay, um... once again, thank you, Vernon...." Chloe said. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Both Chloe and Vernon seemed to have the same thing in mind.

They wanted to go for a kiss, like a pair of husband and wife who had been married for a while, giving kisses before they were busy with their work/activity.

But they couldn't do it because they were not husband and wife, and Chloe certainly didn't want to cross that territory.

'My intimate relationship with Vernon... is simply for work. I have sex with him because I'm working for him, it is within my contract... right?' Chloe tried to convince herself, but she questioned herself in the end.

No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she knew that her heart had been tainted by a thing called lo--

"MOMMY, LET'S GO! I DON'T WANNA BE LATE!" Mackie started pulling her Mommy's hand as she realized that Mommy and Uncle Vernon stared at each other for too long!

"Oh-- Okay, let's go dear," Chloe gave Vernon the last meaningful look before she went to the car and started the engine.

Vernon stared at Chloe and Mackie, who sat inside the new car. He sighed, full of woe.

'Why can't I be the one for you, Chloe Gray?'

Chapter 369

Chloe drove to Mackie's school. She parked her new car in front of the school gate and said, "Dear, don't forget to give the submission paper to Mr. Peterson, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Mackie nodded happily. She seemed to have something in mind, but it took her a while to ask, "Mommy, will Daddy come to watch my drama? Daddy has never watched any of my drama, and he also never attended any parent meetings with you. My friends asked if I have no Daddy…."

Chloe went silent for a while. She knew that Mackie would ask about this sooner or later.

Mackie sometimes went on a tantrum whenever Vincent was missing during the parents' meeting, and it'd take Chloe a long time to coax her until she felt at ease.

Sometimes she had to call Vincent and beg him to coax Mackie because their daughter wouldn't stop throwing tantrums until Vincent said something to calm her down.

In exchange for that favor, Chloe had to undergo another verbal abuse since Vincent would often call her a useless mother because she couldn't pacify their daughter.

Chloe took a deep breath and explained slowly, "Dear, I don't think your Daddy can come to the autumn festival."

"Why not?" Mackie asked innocently. "Is he busy? Can you at least call him for me, Mommy? I want to talk to Daddy. I want to tell him that I will be playing as the Big Bad wolf."

…

Chloe wanted to lie again.

She wanted to keep lying to her daughter, telling Mackie that Daddy was busy or he had a problem he needed to take care of. So she would live in a clean world where nothing would harm her.

A world where her Daddy was the best father, and there was nothing ever happening between her parents.

But the more she lied, the more she felt heavy in her heart.

Because no amount of white lies would be enough to hide the fact that Mackie's father was a horrible man who had no ounce of love for his own daughter.

"Mackie, I don't think we can call Daddy…." Chloe said slowly, just to ensure she wouldn't hurt Mackie.

"Why not?" Mackie asked again. She didn't have any suspicion about it because, in her mind, Daddy was simply busy.

"Remember when I say that Daddy has a problem of his own?"

"Um… yes…" Mackie nodded weakly. "Is it a big problem? But Daddy is smart. What took him so long to be done with his problem?"

'Because it's not about being smart, dear. It's about having a heart. Your Daddy doesn't have that….' Chloe said in her heart, unable to utter more words to her daughter.

"I don't know dear. I also don't know why he can't finish his problem soon," Chloe replied.

"Mommy, if Daddy can't come, can you at least call Daddy again? Or maybe we can go to his office after school!"

"W—We can't, dear. Your Daddy won't accept any guests…."

"Because Daddy is busy?"

"Yes..."

"Oh…" Mackie was dispirited. Her usual cheerfulness disappeared instantly, and she lowered her head. "Okay then, please try calling him again, Mommy. I really want to talk to him…."

"Dear—" Chloe was tongue-tied after she realized that she had nothing to say to her daughter. The more she said something, the more she would hurt her daughter.

So she simply went silent as her daughter opened the car door and entered the school gate. Chloe watched her daughter's lonely back, and her heart was crushed every second she realized how much damage she had indirectly caused by keeping Mackie unaware of the real situation.

"I just want you to have a normal childhood, dear…." Chloe murmured while watching Mackie. "I don't have a father growing up. So I thought, you should have one, even if that man turns out to be a horrible person…."

"I'm sorry…." Chloe lowered her head and leaned into the steering wheel.

She knocked her forehead on the steering wheel several times to punish herself for this mistake.

"I don't know what to do. I can't imagine the heartbreak that Mackie would feel if she knew the truth about her father…." Chloe murmured. "What should I do next? Should I just… tell her?"

Chloe's heart was filled with dread as she imagined her daughter crying out of heartbreak when she realized that the image of a heroic father in her head was all false memory implanted by Chloe.

She was the one who made fairy notes for Mackie. She also often bought toys based on what Mackie wanted and claimed that her Daddy was the one who bought them for her.

She was the only parental figure that filled Mackie's life growing up.

"I… I can't. I'm too weak," Chloe blamed herself. She knew she should've told Mackie about everything, maybe slowly, but she deserved to know about her father's abuse.

But Chloe was way too weak. She couldn't endure the pain of watching her daughter cry.

"Please wait for a while, Mackie. I… I will tell you," Chloe said, her voice shaky as she knew this was bound to happen. "I will tell you once you're old enough. You can blame me after that. But I just can't let your childhood get ruined because of him…."

Chloe ended up staying in the parking lot for a while. She was still trying to recover from the guilt she was currently experiencing.

She checked her phone again. She scrolled through contact and stopped at Vincent's number.

She wanted to call him right now. Not to return but to tell him how much Mackie missed him.

She wanted Vincent to talk to his daughter at least. A simple hello would make Mackie's day— even her entire week.

But…

"I can't…." Chloe decided to throw her phone back into her bag. "I don't believe that Vincent will cooperate with me. I don't know what he will say if he's talking with Mackie."

…

"So the only way is to keep lying, huh?"

Chapter 370

"So the only way is to keep lying, huh?" Chloe asked herself. She scoffed, full of self-ridicule. "Ah, what have you done, Chloe? Now I don't know what to do in this situation...."

**

Ding!

Vernon stepped out of the elevator once it reached the top floor. She was greeted by Diamond, standing near his office door with a set of documents in her hand.

If the schedule was correct, the document in her hand should be about the development of his beverage product that would be launched in spring around Eastern Europe.

Also, another document about one specific man...

"Good morning, Sir," Diamond greeted as always, but her expression was solemn. She seemed to have something heavy in mind.

"Let's go in and discuss the report you have, Diamond," Vernon said. He opened the door and went in, followed by Diamond behind.

He sat on his executive chair, leaned forwards, and rested his arm on the desk. He stared at Diamond, who stood across the desk with a solemn gaze;

"Let's start with the beverage product first," Vernon said. "What's the update with Gregory Maxwell?"

"Yes, Sir," Diamond put one document on the desk for her boss to read. "Mr. Gregory Maxwell sent us a report regarding the process of material shipping from the US to your factory in Europe. He said that he will be the one who handles the security and quality of the supply material. I've called the head of the Europe branch to make sure that the quality is on par with what you expected, Sir."

​ "Good, I will be the one contacting the manager of the Europe branch later. I want to make sure that the old man sends a high quality material or I will make him regret it," Vernon said coldly. He checked the document about the shipping process for a moment before putting it down.

Everything was according to his plan, but he shouldn't lower his guard. He didn't know what kind of crap his unpredictable Big brother and that old secretary would do in the future.

But now, he was more interested in another document in Diamond's hand.

"That report is about Thomas Davis, right?" Vernon guessed.

"Yes, Sir. This is about Thomas Davis. I've made a thorough investigation about him and his affair," Diamond put the document on the desk for her boss to read. While Vernon was checking the report, Diamond started explaining;

"Thomas 'Tommy' Davis worked in various unstable jobs for a while until he married Chelsea Carlson-- Chloe's Big sister," Diamond took a deep breath as she found the next information to be upsetting;

"Then, he simply stopped working after knowing that Chelsea and her mother, Judith, got monthly allowance from Vincent Gray. They got roughly four to five thousand dollars a month. Sometimes even more depends on how much they guilt-tripped Chloe into it."

"After that, Thomas Davis simply refused to work. He would go out and spend his time with his new girlfriend. Sometimes if he puts in a bit of effort, he'd work odd jobs that's not too tiring for him, and then hand half of the money he earned that day to his wife. It's proof that he's still a working man."

"But really, the one who's working the whole time is Chelsea Davis. She is working as a teacher in an elementary school. She's the main breadwinner. Though with her small salary as a teacher, the only way for her to provide for four kids, a deadbeat husband, and an old mother with a comfortable life was to guilt trip Chloe into giving more."

"But once Chloe left with her daughter, Vincent sort of punished Chloe's family by halving the usual allowance to two thousands dollars a month. This strained their relationship with Chloe. Based on my latest information, even her mother-- Judith Carlson, slandered her daughter in front of her peers, calling her ungrateful for leaving such a rich man because she cheated. While she praised Vincent instead, calling him the most loyal and loving man she ever found in her life."

Vernon clenched his fist silently. The more he listened, the more pissed off he got.

Chloe never told him about her life with her family. She was also always bubbly and optimistic about life. Thus, Vernon always believed that Chloe had a good family growing up.

But now, even her family turned against her because she couldn't give them money.

'She has no one in this life except her daughter....'

It was difficult for Vernon to comprehend how Chloe could love her daughter so much, to the point of wanting to sacrifice dignity for Mackenzie.

But that was because his mother never showed him any kind of motherly love, so Vernon just found Chloe's sacrifice to be... appalling, especially when that daughter of hers was also the daughter of her abuser.

'Chloe... my Chloe...' Vernon kept repeating Chloe's name in his heart. He had to remind himself to stay calm, or else he would go to Chloe's family's house and slap everyone-- even Chloe's old mother, for failing her daughter.

Diamond noticed the heavy air around her boss. She knew her boss was pissed off, and she hesitated to continue, "Sir, do you want to hear the rest of the report? We can always stop here if you don't feel like it."

"Continue, Diamond," Vernon ordered coldly. "I want to hear the rest."

"Certainly, Sir."

Diamond took another deep breath, about to drop the worst information he could get, the climax she had saved for a while.

"Sir, about Thomas Davis. We found out that he has been grooming his current girlfriend."

Vernon frowned. He hated that word 'grooming.' Shailene used that word to twist his feelings, calling Chloe a groomer because Vernon fell in love with the woman who cared for him since he was a kid.

"Do we have any valid proof about his grooming?"

"We do, Sir. We actually interviewed the girlfriend. She's surprisingly naive and easy to persuade," Diamond replied. "Thomas Davis groomed her since she was twelve years old."