Ch. 386..390: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 386-390
Chapter 386
"Wait, hold the door!" Vernon yelled as he rushed to catch up with Chloe and Mackie, who were already standing in the elevator.
Chloe held the door for Vernon, and Vernon dashed in to join them.
The elevator door closed, and they went down together.
Vernon looked at Mackie, who was holding Mommy's hand. She smiled at him and asked, "Uncle, why are you in a hurry? Are you going to be late too?"
....
Again, Vernon swallowed his pride. For the first time in his life, he wanted to give a little girl something that would make her happy.
He clenched his fist and said, "I'm sorry I can't come to your play."
Vernon glanced at Chloe, who looked back at him helplessly.
He knew that Chloe was reasonable this time. He couldn't come even if he wanted to because the risk of encountering Vincent was too big, and it would harm everyone since Vincent was very unpredictable.
But he still wanted to compensate.
"It's okay, Uncle. I'm used to it!" Mackie said happily, though Vernon knew the little girl was sad deep inside her heart.
She kept her smile because she got used to being disappointed by her absent father, but Vernon refused to be absent in Chloe and Mackie's life.
"I may not be able to come and watch you. But I will ask your Mommy to stream it for me, so I can watch it while I'm at work," Vernon said.
Mackie wasn't allowed to fully browse the internet yet, so she didn't know what her Uncle meant. She looked at her Mommy, asking for an explanation, and Chloe replied, "That means he can watch you, but through the phone."
"Whoa! That's cool!" Mackie cheered instantly. "Then, I will do my best, Uncle! You must cheer for me when I'm playing, okay?"
"Yes, I will," Vernon nodded firmly. "Also, we will celebrate your successful play later. A good performance deserves a good reward."
"Whoa! Celebration! Will there be cakes? Lots of cakes?!"
Just like Vernon, Mackie also had a sweet tooth. Her Mommy limited her sugar intake, but she would always crave it and would eat everything sweet that was given to her.
"Oh, yes, we will eat lots of cakes!"
"Wow! Uncle is the best!" Mackie opened her arm and hugged Uncle's thighs. "I've never celebrated anything before! Uncle, please make it fun for Mackie, okay?"
"S--Sure! Don't worry. I will make sure everything is perfect for our small ferocious wolf!"
"Yayyy!"
Mackie's infectious happy energy slowly seeped into Vernon's skin, getting him excited as he saw how happy Mackie was.
His heart was filled with warmth. He never realized that taking care of an annoying little kid could give him so much joy like this.
Meanwhile, Chloe was watching in silence the whole time. She didn't know what to say because she was also stunned by Vernon's initiative.
She didn't know if it was a good idea. Because Mackie was used to having no celebration whatsoever in her life.
Even on her birthday, all she did was blow out the candle and eat the birthday cake that Chloe had made from scratch.
Mackie usually got three gifts, one from Granny, one from Mommy, and one from Daddy.
Though usually, Chloe was the one who bought Vincent's gift since he was always busy fucking with whatever new woman he found.
Other than that... Mackie never got any celebration in her life, not even when she aced in all classes or participated in an event held by the school.
They didn't even have a proper Christmas because she couldn't buy a big Christmas tree for them, so she bought a small one and decorated it with a few lamps.
She would celebrate it alone with Mackie because Vincent always went on a ski trip with his new bitches, having sex high up in the mountain.
Chloe wanted to celebrate those, but Vincent strictly watched her spending. She couldn't even go with Mackie to the nearest diner without being questioned or humiliated later.
Vincent's reason would always be.
-
"She's a girl, she doesn't need all those celebrations, or else she would grow up spoiled," Vincent said. "Don't you see my mother? That's what happened when you spoiled a woman too much. But I guess you won't understand, since you're also a spoiled woman."
-
Chloe started panicking, afraid that Vernon's celebration might go overboard and set up a new standard for Mackie.
A standard that she would never be able to fulfill once she left with Mackie to another state and lived frugally there.
'I have to talk with him. I have to make sure that he will only do small celebrations, something that I can follow later when we leave,' Chloe thought.
Chloe took a deep breath as she was about to ruin the joyous mood between Vernon and Mackie.
"Vernon, we--"
Ding!
Chloe was interrupted when the elevator stopped in the parking lot. The door was opened, and Vernon gently separated himself from Mackie, "Go do your best, Mackie. I'll go to work now, don't worry about the celebration. I will make it great!"
"Go do your best too, Uncle!" Mackie waved her small hands at Vernon, who rushed to his car.
Chloe stared at Vernon and then at her daughter.
She observed her expression and realized that Mackie was thrilled this time.
Chloe had no idea when her daughter learned how to fake her expression, but she realized that Mackie would always keep up with her smile despite being disappointed with her Daddy numerous times.
It pained Chloe to see that sadness in her daughter's eyes, but she was just as hopeless when they lived with Vincent.
But now...
'Should I stop Vernon from preparing a celebration for Mackie?' Chloe fretted. 'I... I don't want Mackie to have such high expectations for her future celebrations, especially since we will live frugally sooner or later. I would rather put that money towards her education.'
'But I am a mother. What mother doesn't want her daughter to be happy?'
Chapter 387
'But I'm still a mother. What Mother doesn't want her daughter to be happy?' Chloe continued watching her daughter, who stopped waving at Vernon when the big guy entered his car and drove off.
Mackie kept staring at Vernon's car with glimmering eyes, the same eyes she showed when she saw her Daddy driving a car, either leaving or coming home.
'Oh my dear daughter…' Chloe's heart was pinched as she realized that Mackie might've started to bond with Vernon.
She knew that it was inevitable. Vernon and Mackie had similar personalities. Mackie could even pass as Vernon's daughter, and no one would question it.
But that was a red flag for Chloe, a sign that she shouldn't let this happen for too long, or Mackie would be too attached to Vernon.
'What should I do? We're not going to stay together with your Uncle forever….'
'Should I tell Vernon not to celebrate at all? Or maybe not to be too familiar with Mackie?' Chloe started to get overwhelmed with fear.
She was always afraid of her daughter's connection with new people.
"Mommy…"
Amidst her panic, Mackie suddenly called her Mother and snapped Chloe out of her daze, "Yes, dear?"
Mackie continued staring straight at the parking lot. With a big smile, she said, "Don't be scared, Mommy."
"H—Huh?"
Mackie slowly looked up at her Mother. She might be very young, but she knew one thing or two about her Mommy.
"Mommy, I know you're scared," Mackie said.
Chloe's heartbeat skipped for a second. She almost jolted out of shock after hearing her daughter's statement, "W—What do you mean, Mommy is not scared, Dear."
Mackie shook her head, "Mommy would usually bite your lower lip, and then stare emptily when you're scared or worried."
"Mommy would also sweat and look paler than usual!"
…
Chloe quickly fixed her habit in front of Mackie so her fear wouldn't get noticed, "W—Well, Mommy is not scared anymore now. Let's go to school. We're going to be late."
Chloe grabbed her daughter's hand, wanting to pull her toward their car. But Mackie stayed still as if she still had plenty of things to be said.
"Mommy, I've always wanted to have a big celebration. Where I can eat a big cake, and a lot of gifts. I also want someone to accompany us when celebrating. Daddy's never home, can Uncle replace him for a while?"
…
"Uncle is not so bad, right?" Mackie asked. "Did he scare Mommy?"
…
Chloe shook her head slowly. She was never scared of Vernon, even when they had plenty of fights at the start of their reunion.
Vernon had a temper that he needed to fix. He was prone to anger and would explode from time to time.
But everyone had their own issues, and Chloe knew that she was also at fault for not being able to communicate properly.
And she most of the time, she felt at ease with Vernon, unlike when she lived with Vincent. She felt like walking on a cracked eggshell. She would make a mistake that she didn't even know, and Vincent would abuse or at least mock her.
"Then, if Mommy is not scared of Uncle, can we stay with him for a while? I can wait until Daddy is feeling better, then we can return to him— with Uncle too!"
…
"Let's talk about this later, okay, dear? You need to go to school first."
"Mm, okay Mommy…."
Mackie knew that her Mother was not open to another conversation after this. It happened a lot when they were living with Daddy.
Mackie often asked many things out of curiosity, especially how Mommy always fainted or puked out of nowhere, especially when Daddy was around.
But whenever she asked, her Mommy would say nothing was wrong and then continue to distract her by doing something else.
Just like this.
But Mackie didn't want to ignore this forever.
'If Uncle is not bad, shouldn't we stay with him until Daddy is feeling better?'
Mackie wanted to continue asking that question to Mommy. But she knew Mommy wouldn't give her a clear answer.
'Ummnn… I will ask her again later!'
*
Chloe drove Mackie to her school and pinched her cheek gently, "Good luck for your rehearsal, dear. Remember what I told you before?"
"Un! To be confident and brave! Don't worry, Mommy, nothing will scare me!"
Mackie jumped out of the open car and hopped around as she entered the school gate. She joined her new friends since she wasn't a friend anymore with Jaden and Mia.
She looked excited today because she would be rehearsing for her play. Vernon's also contributed to her happiness.
Chloe's heart melted as she saw her daughter looking so joyful. She was like a little chick chirping around with her friends.
'If only Mackie can be this happy every day….'
It had been a while since she saw her daughter's burden less smile. The true smile came from a pure little girl who was too happy to care about this world's problems.
But Mackie's happiness brought both joy and sorrow to Chloe's heart.
She wanted to always make her daughter happy. But even that small thing was risky for her, because Mackie's true happiness was to have a father figure in her life, and she couldn't get that from her real father.
Instead, she might get it from her Uncle, and that was also a bad idea, as Vincent would definitely kill Vernon if his position in Mackie's heart was being replaced.
'Vernon, how can it be so easy for you to make her happy? What if she sees you as a father figure, replacing Vincent? What should I do if I have to leave you?'
'When the time comes for you to truly replace Vincent in my daughter's heart, should I stay with you for the sake of my daughter?'
Chloe was unsure of everything. She was afraid that she would be trapped against her will again. She might also leave a scar in Mackie's heart if she had to separate her from her new father figure.
Chapter 388
Chloe rested her forehead on the steering wheel, trying to find a good solution to this complicated feeling.
"Vernon, if I dare myself to forget all my fears and let you become Mackie's father figure, would you be able to take all the risks?"
"You know that Mackie and I have been doomed since the very beginning. We're directly connected with Vincent, and everyone who goes against Vincent will have their life ruined."
"Do you truly understand the danger you're putting yourself into? Vincent has tortured me for ten years straight, he shed off all his mature and gentle persona right after we exchanged our vows, and by that time, it was too late for me to escape."
Chloe wanted to say all that in front of Vernon. She did say that she wanted to struggle a little against Vincent, but it was still so scary for her.
Just imagining Vincent looking at her like looking at a corpse already sent shivers down her spine.
Since Chloe couldn't find a way out, she decided to find someone she could talk to about this problem, a woman to whom she was comfortable enough to speak.
'And that would be my best friend, Diamond.'
**
Vernon entered his office after he finished a meeting with Gregory Maxwell again.
All went according to his expectation, and the can material sent by Mr. Maxwell to his Europe branch was proven to be of the highest quality.
'It's obvious that he will send the highest quality. He must be scared of my Big brother's name behind me, or maybe Big bro already threatened that old man?'
'Either way, it works in my favor, so I have nothing to worry about.'
Vernon sat on his executive chair, intertwining his fingers and resting them on the desk before he asked his secretary, who stood right in front of him.
"So, your report."
"Sir, this is the report about material supplied by Mr. Maxwell's company—"
"Skip that, I already know everything," Vernon interrupted. What he wanted was to hear the report about all the things regarding his beloved woman's enemies.
Chloe had so many enemies that were naturally hostile without reason, so he had to make sure everything was under control to take them down one by one.
Diamond was also relieved that she didn't need to report mundane stuff.
What excited her was the report about Chelsea and the rest.
"Starting from Thomas Davis, we have given him a 'proper job' according to your plan, Sir," Diamond said. "He is hired in one of the small companies that you've invested a lot in. He's working as a security guard, though he's doing nothing most of the time, and is very sloppy."
"Doesn't matter, as long as you give him a huge salary to keep him around," Vernon said.
"Yes, Sir. We gave him 40 dollars per hour, so he earned a lot to basically do nothing."
"Good, make him feel like he doesn't need to contact Chelsea's family ever again. If my prediction is correct, he will start moving in with his girlfriend in a new apartment by next month."
Based on the data he collected, Vernon knew that Thomas Davis had no emotional connection with his family anymore. He was just sticking around because he couldn't find a proper job, and he was just simply lazy.
So once he got a stable job that would give him a lot, he would leave Chelsea as soon as possible since he already had a girlfriend.
"Next, about Chelsea…" Diamond paused for a moment before she continued. "The bandage covering her face will be taken off today, she is allowed to leave, but she decided to stay until she's fully healed."
"There is nobody who accompanies her, her husband is not even contactable, and her mother is busy in the home taking care of Chelsea's four children."
"Decided to stay?" Vernon's brows frowned. "Does she have the money to pay for all of those medical bills?"
"She doesn't, Sir. But there is a generous man who paid for everything upfront."
"And who would that be?"
"…. Vincent Gray."
"WHAT?!" Vernon was truly shocked by that information. He knew that Vincent was still in contact with Chloe's family, even after she left. But to pay for expensive medical bills, there must be a reason for that.
"Yes, Sir. Vincent Gray also visited her the day after the attack," Diamond continued her report. "He is the only one who visited her, and the nurses said that they seem to be in a good relationship. Some even suspected that Chelsea is Vincent's wife that he always tries to hide from the public's eyes."
"What is this…." Vernon was astonished by his Big brother's move. He thought he had everything in his grasp, but Vincent always did something unpredictable that would usually force him to adjust his plan or change it completely.
He knew how cunning his Big bro could be, so he had to be careful. He glanced at Diamond, "Do you have any opinion about this? What's the reason for him helping out Chelsea so much?"
"I… I'm not sure, Sir…." Diamond hesitated. She also had no clear idea because it was out of their prediction. With Vincent Gray joining the fray, they had to be extra careful.
"But I believe that Vincent Gray is trying to get something from Chelsea, and I know it's definitely something related to Chloe."
"But what could Chelsea offer? You told me before that Chloe hasn't been in contact with her family for a while."
"Indeed, Sir. Chloe said that she got hated so much by her family for leaving Vincent. She tried so many times to reconnect but her family simply didn't want to hear any reasoning from her. So she cut the contact as she knew that she couldn't do anything."
"That's good. She doesn't need a toxic family," Vernon said. "But that only makes me even more confused. I can't find any logical explanation to why my Big brother wants to help Chelsea."
Chapter 389
"What's my Big brother's true motive for helping Chelsea?"
…
Neither Diamond nor Vernon couldn't find any answer to that question, but Diamond had one thing she wanted to say;
"Sir, whatever the reason is, you should be careful. We don't know what Vincent Gray will do next."
"You're right, Diamond," Vernon hummed for a few seconds and said, "Continue observing Chelsea and see if my Big brother does something. Don't get discovered by him. The price of getting discovered might be our lives," Vernon warned her, knowing the full extent of Vincent's cruelty.
"Understood, Sir."
"That's all for the report? How about the dietician I asked you about before?"
"The dietician you want will be available next week, Sir," Diamond replied. She put everything in her busy schedule to ensure they had everything sorted out.
"Good," Vernon was satisfied with Diamond's work as always. He knew he wouldn't be able to manage without Diamond's help, and he had increased her salary by roughly 50%.
Though, he had guessed that wasn't enough for Diamond anymore.
Diamond had the money, but she didn't look too happy.
"Do you have any problems you want to talk about?" Vernon asked.
"Pardon, Sir?"
"You don't seem to be happy when I tell you that I'll increase your salary. Do you want a better reward for your hard work?"
…
"I do, Sir," Diamond had been holding this topic for too long. "I've been thinking about this, and I'm unsure if you have the answer already. But… Do you ever plan to marry Chloe once everything has been sorted out?"
Vernon was stunned by the question, his heartbeat started accelerating, and he looked genuinely flustered, "W—What is that question for?"
"Sir…" Diamond sighed. Her old self wouldn't dare to talk about this with her boss. But they had been getting closer in a more friendly manner after they had the same interest, which was to protect Chloe.
"My brothers are very interested in Chloe, Sir," Diamond replied. "I have two brothers, a cop and a lawyer. Both are around our age, and both have been asking me about Chloe."
"DID YOU SHOW HER PICTURE TO THEM?!" Vernon's thundering roar echoed inside his office. Vernon stood up from his chair and glared at Diamond with his hawk-like gaze.
He gritted his teeth as he didn't know that his loyal secretary could backstab him like this.
"I SWEAR, DIAMOND JOHNSON. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU IF YOU DARE TO DO SOMETHING TO MY WOMAN!"
Diamond wasn't budging even after her boss roared at her. She stood firm and replied sternly, "They saw my selfie with Chloe, Sir."
Diamond fished her phone out of her pocket and showed the selfie she had taken with her best friend.
Vernon saw the selfie and was also enamored by it.
It was just a simple selfie with Diamond making pouty lips at Chloe as if she wanted to kiss her, and Chloe smiled meekly beside her. It was like a pair of girl best friends hanging out together.
But what made the photo special was the reddish hue on Chloe's cheeks. She looked so beautiful, yet so cute and shy. It evoked a man's sense of protection, wanting to protect this woman from harm.
And Vernon got the same feeling.
"Sir, Chloe is a gorgeous woman. She might not wear anything expensive or glamorous right now, but even her face is beautiful enough to make her a top-class model," Diamond claimed. "And this comes from an ex-model who worked with many fashion editorial magazines before I decided to quit and work as a secretary."
"My brothers saw this selfie and they're both interested in her, so…" Diamond pocketed her phone and said firmly in front of her boss. "Sir, if you don't have any intention of being serious with Chloe, then I will introduce her to my brothers."
"She deserves happiness, and I guarantee that she will be happy with one of my brothers."
"Don't," Vernon replied curtly. "There is no way I'm going to let someone else touch my woman. She is mine, and I…."
Vernon gulped as he got nervous. Truthfully, he still had no idea whether he would take his relationship with Chloe to the wedding altar.
But not because he didn't want to marry her. He was unsure if Chloe would accept another man as her husband, knowing how traumatized she was by her first marriage.
'But I have to claim her first before someone else claims her,' Vernon thought. Thus, he declared, "I will… m—mar—ry—"
Knock. Knock.
Vernon and Diamond darted their eyes at the door instantly.
Knock. Knock.
"Um… Vernon? Diamond? Are you there?" Chloe asked from outside. She had just arrived and remembered Vernon said he had a morning meeting.
So she thought the office was empty.
Diamond and Vernon gave each other a side glance, and Diamond stated in a low voice, "Sir, I am not going to introduce her to my brothers. But please be serious with her, okay? She deserves to be happy."
Vernon thought that his loyalty was being questioned, which actually infuriated him.
He clicked his tongue and retorted, "Mind your own business. This is about Chloe and I, so it's up to us in the end."
"It's also up to me to introduce her to my brothers. Pretty sure she'd love to have a man without anger issues."
"YOU DARE—"
"Yes, girl! We're inside! You can come in!" Diamond quickly called her homegirl to shield herself from her boss' rage. Chloe opened the door and was surprised by the stacks of documents on Vernon's desk.
"S—Sorry, did I come at the wrong time?"
"No, gurl, we've just finished the work report," Diamond smiled and glanced at her boss, "Right, Boss?"
"Uh… huh, yeah," Vernon confirmed. He tried to smile and make it natural but couldn't because he was still angry at Diamond, who dared to threaten him.
"Okay, um…" Chloe glanced at Vernon for a second before focusing all her attention on Diamond. "If you're not busy, can I talk to you for a moment, Diamond?"
Chapter 390
"Oh, sure, gurl!" Diamond grabbed all the reports on Vernon's desk and walked towards Chloe. "Let's have a chat in the Starbucks downstairs."
"W--Wait, why am I not included? What do you guys want to talk about?" Vernon didn't want to get left out by Chloe.
"It's a woman's business, Sir. Please excuse us," Diamond strutted towards Chloe, who stood at the door. She grabbed her best friend's hand and dragged her out of Vernon's office.
Chloe quickly looked at Vernon before she closed the door behind her and left with Diamond.
"Wait-- Ugh, damn it!" Vernon cursed in a low voice. "I want to spend some time with her too!"
**
"Diamond, are you sure you don't have work to do? You should focus on completing your work first...."
"Oh, gurl, even a secretary like me needs a break sometimes," Diamond pulled Chloe to the elevator. They went in, and the elevator went down as they continued chatting.
"But, what if Vernon gets mad at you for skipping work?"
"Because I'm helping you? Oh, he will never dare to scold me when it's all about you," Diamond giggled.
Honestly, Diamond was happy that Vernon got mad at her for wanting to introduce Chloe to her brothers because it showed that he was taking her homegurl seriously.
She knew that marriage was a huge step, but at least it was in his mind already.
Besides, all she said about Chloe was true. Chloe truly made Diamond's brothers go head over heels for her beauty. They didn't even care if she was a divorced woman.
Well, soon-to-be-divorced woman.
Chloe and Diamond entered the Starbucks right outside of the office. They ordered something and sat before Diamond asked, "So, what do you want to talk about, Gurl? I know it must be urgent since you look so troubled."
"Um..." Chloe wondered if it was okay to ask for Diamond's opinion because she was afraid of oversharing.
But Diamond was her only friend after ten years and Vernon's reliable secretary.
"So, it's about Vernon...."
"Oh? My boss?" Diamond raised her brows. "What's wrong? Did he yell at you again?"
"N--No, not at all," Chloe quickly denied to avoid unnecessary problems. "Um, do you know about my daughter's play at the autumn festival?"
"Oh yeah, Mr. Phoenix Gray already set up two bodyguards that will guard outside of the school. Don't worry, they can blend well, and they are close confidants, everything should be safe."
"Umm, thank you for helping too," Chloe smiled thinly. It took her a long argument with Vernon until he finally yielded so he didn't just storm in and crash the autumn festival with his appearance.
The argument of who would protect Chloe and Mackie deescalated from Vernon himself that would come, to hiring at least twenty bodyguards that would surround them during the whole performance, to five bodyguards, until the last agreement.
There would be two bodyguards with less-built bodies. They would blend well with the crowd, acting like janitors or security guards.
Chloe wanted to maintain this false illusion of normal childhood for Mackie, so she didn't need to feel like she was treated differently from her friends.
"So, my daughter asked Vernon to come and watch her play, replacing her Dad who will be absent, like always," Chloe explained. "But you know... he can't do that. He will be too flashy there, and Vincent might notice him through reports and stuff."
"But Vernon wants to make up for his absence. He said that he will celebrate Mackie's successful play. He said there will be cakes, and a lot more surprises."
"Diamond, I'm afraid Vernon might go overboard with the celebration...." Chloe finally let out her worry. "What if he set up a grand event for it? I don't know if I can do the same for my daughter in the future."
Diamond didn't understand Chloe's worry, "Why are you worried about that? Of course, my boss will celebrate all the events with Mackie and you. I don't see anything wrong with it, gurl."
"Besides, you don't need to worry about grand celebrations. I think he is rich enough to keep throwing expensive parties for your daughter every month for the rest of your life."
"Diamond, I--" Chloe paused for a moment. She realized that she had never told Diamond about her plan to leave after saving enough money, probably during the spring of next year.
'But I have to tell her. She won't know the real problem if I keep hiding it....'
Thus, Chloe mustered her courage and asked, "Diamond, if I tell you about something, can you keep it only for us? Please never inform Vernon about this."
"I promise, Chloe," Diamond sensed the seriousness of the topic, and her gaze deepened in an instant.
"So, I--" Chloe gulped. "--I don't plan to stay with Vernon for long. I will leave next year, after I get my salary."
...
...
Chloe closed her eyes, waiting for Diamond's uproar. Diamond might feel betrayed because of her choice, but this was a choice she made after a long consideration.
"Why?"
Diamond's reaction was out of Chloe's expectations.
She was calm and asked with a mesmerizing voice, "I don't see any reason for you to leave, Chloe."
...
"A few days ago, Vernon told me that he was very happy when you said you could stand up against Vincent and you would stick by him. Do you know what an encouragement that was for him?"
"So, Chloe Carlson..." Diamond called her homegirl's maiden name as she kept mentioning that she didn't like the Gray surname anymore.
Diamond looked pissed for some reason. She crossed her arms and gazed deeper at Chloe. She looked at Chloe as if she was lower than her.
"Why did you change your mind?" Diamond asked. "Why did you give Vernon so much hope that it made him work ten times harder for you, only for you to ditch him so cruelly."
"Is your heart made out of ice, Chloe?"