Ch. 441..445: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 441-445

Chapter 441

Dorothea was shocked when she heard Judith plead like her life depended on it. She disliked this woman for leeching off her son, but she never hate Judith. She simply ignored her existence.

"I… I will not punish you or whatever," Dorothea said. "But you got to give me Chloe's phone number, I need to talk to her. You have her number, right?"

"W—Well, I do. Though, I don't know if she still uses this number though, since she's uncontactable," Judith said carefully. She rarely had any conversation with Madam Gray. Dorothea usually ignored her because she wasn't part of her elite socialite group, and Judith knew her place naturally.

"It's fine, just give it to me," Dorothea insisted. "I have an important thing to ask of her."

Judith went silent for a moment and muttered, "Madam, may I know if I will get any reward for giving you her number?"

Dorothea frowned, "A reward? What do you mean?"

"I mean, since I will give you my daughter's number, I'm actually giving you a private information. Shouldn't I get a reward for taking the risk?" Judith muttered, and her voice got even lower as she specified what she truly wanted, "Such as… money."

Dorothea rolled her eyes almost instantly. Of course, this woman wanted money from her. Vincent told her that Chloe's family was a leech who kept begging for money, so he had to give them because Chloe also begged.

'I guess this part is true…' Dorothea thought. "Fine, just send me the number first, and I'll send you some money."

"I'd prefer if you gave me the money first, Madam Gray…." Judith insisted, then texted Dorothea, "I've sent my bank account number. I have Paypal and Venmo, too, if you want other methods."

Dorothea was speechless by this woman's shamelessness. They were about the same age, and Dorothea didn't even have Venmo.

"Wow, makes me surprised on how much you value money, do you put the same value to your daughter as well?" Dorothea asked sarcastically.

But Judith didn't care.

She was in a pinch right now.

Chelsea resigned from her teaching job because she was convinced that Vincent would wed her. Thus, Chelsea didn't give Judith enough money. She said she'd use this money to get work done on her face.

Judith asked for more for herself and her grandsons, but Chelsea refused unless Vincent sent her money, and she was convinced he would send more money since she claimed that Vincent was in love with her.

Judith might have some fantasy, but she wasn't as deluded as that.

She needed money to survive… and buy a few fancy things she liked.

"Did you send the money yet, Madam Gray?"

"You're unbelievable," Dorothea mocked while she sent five grand into Judith's bank account. "There, I sent it. Give me her number now."

"Alright, I got the money. Thank you so much, Madame Gray," Judith said politely. "Let me send you her contact information."

"Oh no need to be polite, not after you extort my money," Dorothea scoffed. She hung up and waited for Judith to send Chloe's number.

—

Judith texted Chloe's number after a moment. Dorothea was about to call Chloe immediately.

But her thumb stopped when she was about to press call.

"Wait—" Dorothea paused. She wondered if calling her out of the blue was the correct thing to do.

After all, Chloe always showed that bashful nature whenever confronted by someone, which Dorothea thought was just an act because she wanted to please Vincent with her timidity.

'Maybe she's truly timid…' Dorothea pondered. She considered this for a while and tossed her phone into her bag. 'I'll just call her tonight. Hopefully, she'll be well rested and ready for a small talk with me.'

**

Vernon was enduring the rage building inside his heart. His expression was so sour, yet Vincent didn't seem to notice it because he was busy watching the video of his fight with Chloe while rubbing his bulge like a depraved asshole.

"Big bro, if you have nothing to talk about, then please excuse me," Vernon said. "I see that you want to beat your meat while watching that video."

"Hahahah! Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Vincent tossed his phone to the sofa and got up. "I just found it really fun to see her struggling and trying to fight back despite knowing the result, it's a big turn on. You can call this a fetish— but this is the fetish that our late Dad had," Vincent smiled at Vernon and added, "Who would've expected that I would also inherit his fetish? You might find it weird for now, but you'll understand me later, Vernon. You'll also develop the same fetish that I have."

"Never," Vernon denied without thinking twice. He already felt so sick thinking about it. "I don't have that kind of fetish, Big bro."

Vincent smiled and shrugged, "Really? I heard from one of your exes that you like playing some BDSM before sex. You like to see them in pain, don't you?"

Vernon's body stiffened. He felt like choking on air because Vincent outed him like this.

Vincent's smile grew wider as he found the rumor true, "Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe you just like it when they beg, or when they're in pain, but wanting more. Or maybe you just like the feeling of power over your woman. You're just like me, Vernon Phoenix Gray, no need to be ashamed of it."

Vincent finally noticed Vernon's sour face, but he didn't mind it. He just assumed that maybe his fetish disturbed Vernon a little. It wasn't surprising if someone was surprised— or even disliked Vincent's preference, but this was Vernon— his own Little bro who disapproved of his preference, so he had to set something straight first, "You're too obvious with your dislike, Vernon, I know you don't like my preference. You shouldn't be a hypocrite, because we both know you also have the same taste as I do."

Chapter 442 "I'm not—"

"It's fine if you want to deny, Little bro," Vincent refused to listen to Vernon's useless denial. Vernon would eventually embrace it just like him anyway. "Maybe you feel embarrassed by it, but it's fine. You'll get used to it and embrace it in the end."

…

Knowing there was no use in them going in a circle about this, Vernon decided to just shut his mouth and ignored his Big bro's insistence.

Vincent was satisfied with Vernon, who knew when to shut up. He walked around his desk and returned to his executive chair. He looked at Vernon, who was still sitting on the sofa. Vincent pointed at the chair across his desk, "Sit there, Vernon. We're going to have a business talk."

Vernon got up and walked towards the chair that his Big bro pointed to. They were sitting facing each other now.

"Well, despite Secretary Maria and our useless mother who keeps telling me that you're bad news, I see that you're developing your businesses really well in many sectors," Vincent said. "I see that you want to branch out from showbiz, even though I know that you could be super rich by focusing on that, and I won't even bother you since I have no interest in that industry."

"However, now that you're starting to branch out and cross my territory, that means we have to do something about this."

"Are you going to repress me?" Vernon asked, as he had no intention of kissing up this time. He was too pissed at his Big bro, who went too far with his fetish to hurt Chloe.

"Repress you? Why?" Vincent chuckled as he found that accusation funny. "Vernon, in this world, I only see you as my family. Our late father never took care of us, and our mother was too drunk and depressed. Naturally, I want to share the world with my only family."

Vincent took a document from the drawer and put it on the desk. He slid it towards Vernon for him to read, "I know that you're expanding rapidly in many sectors. I'm not blind, Vernon, and I know you're using my people to work with. It makes me wonder if you have any ulterior motive for doing that."

"They're just easier to work with," Vernon replied nonchalantly. "They have utmost respect for the Gray family, and for you. Thus, when they know that I am your Little brother, they also have the same respect and willingness to work with me. I find it easier to just use the existing connection that we have in the family."

While studying Vincent's expression, Vernon kept talking, "I thought you wanted me to be close to the family, Big bro."

"That is true, I want you to be closer to the family— to be more precise, to work closer with me as your Big brother," Vincent admitted. "Read that document, and you will know what I'm talking about."

Vernon had suspicions, a lot of them, actually.

After all, Vincent never shied away from playing dirty if he needed to. It ran within the family.

So he still had to be very careful with his approach to overthrowing Vincent.

Vernon opened the file and read the document.

His expression changed from suspicion to shock and then to confusion.

He put the paper down and looked at Vincent, "Big bro, this is—"

"Yeah, I have invested a lot in this new make-up company, and we're going to launch the newest set. Since you're well-versed in the entertainment industry and advertisement, I want you to make an ad for this, make sure it is distributed to every beauty guru out there, and I also want the brand ambassador to be an upcoming young actress, I think this task will be easy for you."

That was true.

This task was a piece of cake for Vernon. It wasn't hard for him to contact one of his rising actresses to do this ad.

Besides, he also got the connection if Vincent wanted to expand this to Europe.

It was all easy, and that made him even more suspicious.

"This is not hard for me, Big bro, but…." Vernon leaned forward, staring deep at his Big brother, wanting to find his intention. "What will I get from this? You know I don't need to do this for money. I have my ongoing projects already."

Vincent smiled. "I have guessed that you're not the one who will settle for less, so…."

Vincent took out another document from the drawer and handed it to Vernon.

Vernon opened the file again; this time, he couldn't hide his shock.

"Big bro, you…. You're going to share the cosmetic company with me?" Vernon asked. "You know this will cut your profit by half, right?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Vincent shrugged. "It's a new company that I developed, and I have roughly 70% of the share. So I'm basically the owner, you will get 35%, so you will share the company with me."

"But…"

Vincent was quite happy with Vernon's dumbfounded expression. "What's wrong with you? Don't you remember how many things I bought for you when you were a child?"

"I know that. I just—" Vernon shook his head in disbelief. "Big bro, you're giving me your new company for free."

"Well, this is my answer to our friction," Vincent replied. "Rather than trying to compete, why don't we just share the new company? And I'm not giving this for free, I want you to make the new product explode in the beauty market so we will get profit from it."

There were a lot of scenarios going on inside Vernon's head. He wanted to take the offer because it could be a catalyst for him to hasten the process of toppling Vincent.

But he felt that Vincent was hiding something.

"So, how about it? Do you agree to work with me?"

"… Alright then, I will make this new product a thing," Vernon stood up from the chair, "Don't forget to send that document to my email so I can process it, and you can trust me to make this viral."

"Sure, I always have trust in you, Vernon. You won't disappoint," Vincent said. "You may leave now if you wish."

Chapter 443

Vernon turned around and walked away.

Vincent's eyes kept staring at his Little brother's broad back until Vernon opened the door and left his office.

A smirk grew on Vincent's face, realizing that it wasn't difficult for him to control Vernon.

With his hand on the armrest, Vincent leaned on his chair, tapping one finger as he thought about what to do next.

"Well, of course I did this not to hurt him," Vincent muttered. "I just don't like how he keeps growing like he's going to overtake me sooner or later.m I need a way to continuously put him under my pressure, so he will know who's the boss, and won't get any funny ideas."

Vincent truly loved his Little brother. In his eyes, Vernon was the only sibling and family member he had, so he treasured him a lot.

But he never liked when Vernon tried to one-up him in anything.

"I want him to keep looking up to me, I am his dependable Big brother after all, but my cute Little brother has changed now," Vincent sighed as he couldn't hide his dislike towards Vernon's new devil-may-care attitude. "It'd be better if he just begged me to share the wealth of the Gray family. I can give him 50% of everything the Gray family has— everything that I currently have."

"But he refused to beg for my help. Instead, he went as far as developing a new product," Vincent recalled how Secretary Maria reported all of her findings about Vernon's company activity. He thought it was great that his Little brother was now a grown-up who could do his own stuff.

But at the same time, there was a growing insecurity in his heart.

He was used to being the one worshiped by Vernon, and he refused to be beaten by his Little brother in any way possible, "Even with women," Vincent added. "I will not let him marry whoever his current girlfriend is, not until Chloe returns to me willingly. It'd be embarrassing to attend Vernon's wedding without my wife by my side."

"Now, speaking of my wife…." Vincent got up and returned to the sofa. He grabbed his phone and opened the gallery again. He wanted to watch Chloe getting cornered with fright from another angle. It was so entertaining.

**

Vernon left Vincent's office feeling conflicted. He had accepted the offer simply because it was an opportunity presented in front of him.

But he felt there was something off.

It was all good, all perfect on the outside.

But there was nothing free in this world, and he was convinced that his Big bro must've planned something.

'Did he already sniffed about Chloe and I?' Vernon wondered as he drove to his office.

Honestly, he wasn't scared if his Big bro found out about his relationship with Chloe. He could just return to Europe. His businesses were already very solid in London and Madrid.

But Chloe was still in the process of divorce, and he wanted to suppress Vincent first, forcing him to go through the divorce process according to the law.

So he could bring Chloe and Mackie to other countries, and they could actually start a family there.

So he had to play the long game…

Vernon went to his office and met with Diamond, who was sipping coffee while playing on her phone.

Diamond gave her boss a quick look before returning to her phone.

Vernon's lips twitched. Ever since Chloe became the third party in this office, Diamond has been so casual these days. She often ignored him when Vernon didn't call and told her to do something. In the past, she would be busy trying to meet all of his demands. It was a stressful professional relationship between them.

Now they were more like friends because of Chloe's presence.

'Well, as long as she's still doing her job perfectly and efficiently as always,' Vernon thought. 'She's basically Chloe's only friend for now, and I can ask her opinion about many things.'

"Diamond, make me a coffee and come to my office, I have something important to talk about with you."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Diamond put a cup of coffee on the table. She took a few steps back, waiting for her boss, who sat on the sofa, to speak.

"Here, let me show you something," Vernon grabbed his laptop from the table and opened his email. He put the laptop beside the coffee and turned it so Diamond could see the screen.

Diamond leaned in and started reading the document. She frowned for a moment, "I see nothing wrong with it. It's a cosmetic company wanting to make an ad to go viral. It's hard to break into the cosmetic market without going viral first, Sir."

"I know that, and once we can complete this project, I will get 35% of the company share as well," Vernon added.

"What?! 35%?! Sir— that's some kind of crazy offer! It's too good to be true!"

"Yeah, this is my Big brother's new company. He wants me to make an effective ad for the product," Vernon said. "He's willing to give me 35% of the share in that new company as long as I do good."

"Did you take it then?"

"I did, simply because I don't want him to think that I have suspicions," Vernon said. "Besides, Vincent seems serious about giving me that 35%."

"So, what do you think, Diamond? Should I take this?" Vernon asked. "If I took this and the product went viral, I'd get a lot of footing and connection within his circle. It would hasten the process for me to snatch all of his people. But at the same time, this is also a risky move I'd have to take."

Diamond hummed for a while. She wanted to say no. He shouldn't take it because it sounded too shady, especially coming from Vincent Gray.

But her boss was right, if he got a 35% share of Vincent's new company, his credibility would skyrocket, and it'd be easy to shake things up within Vincent's business circle if needed.

Chapter 444

"Sir, I'm not sure if I'm the right person to answer this kind of question," Diamond admitted.

"Why not? You're my secretary, and you've always been doing perfectly with all the tasks I gave you. You also gave many good opinions."

"I know, but this is the matter of knowing one person. We don't know Vincent's true intention because we don't exactly know what kind of person he is," Diamond was thinking of a name while she talked about this. "Why don't you ask someone who knows him really well, such as Chloe, of course."

…

Vernon paused for a long time before asking, "You want me to ask Chloe's opinion about this? Are you serious?"

"More than serious, Sir. Chloe knows about Vincent way more than we do. Even if she's not a career woman, I believe she can give you a much better opinion than I will ever do."

"But that means I have to be honest with her," Vernon said. He started fiddling with his fingers, indicating he got a little nervous. "I told her I was in the process of overthrowing my Big brother, and it'd take a while. But I never told her the method nor told her the difficulties."

"And why won't you? I thought you wanted her to trust you," Diamond asked.

"I just don't want her to be anxious. She's always anxious whenever we talk about Vincent. She developed a trauma after ten years of abuse, so I always assure her that everything is according to my plan."

"I see…" Diamond sat casually on the sofa in front of Vernon as if they were good friends who'd talk about many things during lunch break. "Well, I certainly don't want my homegirl to get scared. But I still think that you need to tell Chloe about this."

"You see, Chloe feels safe with you and she must've been so appreciative about it," Diamond said. She leaned on the sofa and crossed her legs, "So I think she'll be even happier— and willing to help you if you can open up to her."

"It's easier said than done, Diamond," Vernon sighed. "I don't want her to be eaten by fear, and decided to do something stupid like returning to that bastard."

"She won't. I know she won't, " Diamond confidently claimed. "I asked her many times whether she still has feelings for Vincent, and she said no. She's done with him."

"Well, that's what she said to me too."

"Then what are you waiting for? She will be pleased if you open up to her!"

…

Vernon wasn't expecting Diamond to lead him back to Chloe. He had been thinking about asking Chloe's opinion the moment he left Vincent's office.

But he kept pushing that idea back in his head as he tried not to show weakness in front of the woman he loved.

He wanted to be the dependable man for Chloe to lean on, a tough fortress that would make Chloe feel safe forever.

'Will she change her opinion about me if I open up about my worries?' Vernon wondered.

He kept wondering about the same thing as he drove back to his apartment in the evening.

It might be easy for a woman like Diamond to say he should open up. But for most men, being vulnerable was something they hated, especially in front of the woman they loved. It didn't help that Vernon barely had any emotional maturity after ten years of being a mess.

Vernon unlocked the door with his fingerprint and was greeted by Mackie, who rushed towards him.

"Welcome home, Uncle!"

Vernon smiled and patted Mackie's head, "Thank you, Mackie. Have you eaten anything for dinner? Did your Mommy order something for dinner?"

"Um! Mommy ordered something from the restaurant!" Mackie reported.

"I see. Well, guess I don't need to cook then," Vernon said. He tossed his briefcase to the sofa while he loosened his tie.

He went to the kitchen to check and saw Chloe trying hard to grab a plate and put it on the table despite her injury.

"Mommy!" Mackie rushed to snatch the plate from Chloe's hand. "Don't do anything, you need to rest! Let me do it!"

"Thank you, dear, but Mommy is alright."

"No, you're not!" Mackie looked at Vernon, ready to report Mommy's naughtiness today. "Uncle, Mommy is still trying to clean your room, do the dishes, and even cook! But worry not, I have stopped her every time!"

"Chloe," Vernon frowned as he stared at Chloe displeasingly. "Why do you keep doing that? Didn't I tell you that you cannot do anything other than resting?"

Chloe gave Vernon a helpless look, "I just can't sit there and watch while Mackie tried to do everything on her own. She even tried to bathe me like I'm a baby."

"But I'm doing this for Mommy!" Mackie insisted.

"We want you to heal as soon as possible. So just stop this and rest, okay?" Vernon was careful at talking with Chloe about this. Despite his annoyance, Chloe's insistence to do something must've stemmed from the trauma, so he had to be gentle.

Under the watchful eyes of her family, Chloe couldn't say a thing and nodded reluctantly, "I will try not to do anything…."

"Good," Vernon patted Chloe's head gently and then darted his eyes at the dining table. There were a few foods that she had ordered, and it was appetizing… kinda.

"D—Don't worry, Vernon. I made sure that it was good. Mackie and I often ate in this restaurant before," Chloe said. She felt guilty that she couldn't cook and guiltier when she was forced to see Vernon cooking.

He must've been busy with his job, so the least she could do was prepare dinner... Even though it was only a takeout.

Vernon was already doubtful. The food looked appetizing, and Chloe picked the stuff he liked.

But he was a picky eater. He'd usually throw it all up unless it was cooked by Chloe or based on Vernon's preference.

But he had to appreciate Chloe's effort to prepare food despite being injured.

He sat at the dining chair and took a bite of the braised lamb shanks.

He expected the food to be at least edible, but the taste of the lamb was so weird that he almost puked.

"How is it? Good?" Chloe asked anxiously.

Vernon swallowed the lamb hard and forced a smile, "It's good."

Chapter 445

"Oh, thank god," Chloe let out a relieved sigh. "I was so worried that you won't like it. Since Diamond said that you're a picky eater."

'Diamond's right. This is fucking disgusting,' Vernon wanted to curse at whoever cooked the lamb shanks because it felt like he was chewing a rubber dipped in soy sauce.

'How could an amazing cook like Chloe have a terrible taste at picking restaurants?!' Vernon wondered. 'Surely, she knows what tastes good and what not, right?'

"This is the restaurant Mackie and I often visited because it's directly beside the usual grocery store I go to," Chloe said. "I thought if I should order it somewhere else, but you know—" Chloe lowered her head and whispered in Vernon's ear so Mackie wouldn't hear what she was about to say next, 'Vincent had always tracked my spending. It took me a while until he allowed me to eat in a restaurant with my daughter. So I can't find you another restaurant because I've never ventured somewhere else. I know that you don't like it, don't force yourself, Vernon. I'll try to cook something.'

Vernon listened to Chloe's story, and his hand that clenched the fork trembled out of anger until he accidentally bent the fork in half.

He took a deep breath and then picked another fork, and nodded. He ate the lamb shanks despite the food being so gross in Vernon's mouth.

"V—Vernon?"

"This is tasty," Vernon insisted as he kept chewing. "Anything that comes from you is tasty. So you don't need to beat yourself over this."

Chloe was speechless by Vernon's dedication. She was just telling the truth. She could read Vernon's expression easily and knew that Vernon must've disliked this food a lot, so she tried to make it less awkward by whispering instead.

Who would've expected that Vernon would eat the lamb shanks even faster?

Vernon had to admit that the taste didn't get any better, but he didn't want to make Chloe feel bad, so he finished and burped a little after dinner.

"It's good," Vernon smiled. "But I'd prefer to be the one who cooks dinner while you're still recovering, got it?"

"G—Got it…." Chloe nodded. Her cheeks reddened, feeling ashamed to see Vernon had to eat something he disliked.

Vernon got up and whispered in Chloe's ear, 'I have something important to talk about with you. Meet me after nine, alright? Make sure that Mackie is already asleep before you meet me.'

Chloe's reddish cheek turned even redder after listening to Vernon's invitation. She didn't know what kind of 'conversation' they would be having. Nevertheless, she wouldn't lie that she felt excitement in her heart.

"O—Okay…" Chloe mumbled and nodded bashfully.

Mackie watched her Mommy and Uncle whispering at each other, and Mommy's face getting redder each time.

Thus she pointed, "Uncle, you make my Mommy's face so red! You're bad!"

Vernon laughed as he swaggered out of the kitchen and went inside his bedroom.

Mackie continued pestering as she got worried, "Mommy, are you alright? Are you going to explode? Your face is soooo red now, like a tomato!"

"N—No, Mommy won't explode," Chloe cleared. 'I'd probably explode tonight though, depending on what he'd do next….'

**

Chloe continued staying by her daughter's side to make her sleep faster. And after she made sure that Mackie was asleep, she tiptoed and walked out of the bedroom.

Chloe let out a relieved breath. She didn't know why she acted like a teenage girl about to sneak out of the house to find her boyfriend. But she felt extra sneaky today.

She often beat herself, saying that it was inappropriate for an old lady like her to think of something sexual to a much younger man.

But she couldn't help it.

Ever since Vernon touched her body a few times, she realized that she shouldn't be feeling gross when being touched.

That sex should be a feeling of being wanted, not an obligation she had to do, or else she'd get beaten or insulted for being a useless wife.

So she had been secretly wishing for Vernon to do more… though she didn't dare to say it out loud, it was too embarrassing.

Chloe passed the mirror as she walked through the corridor. She halted and took a step back to check on herself in the mirror.

Like a girl about to meet her handsome boyfriend, she combed her long-wavy chestnut hair with her fingers and tried to make a few expressions to loosen herself.

Her heart was beating so fast right now. She was afraid she'd look too awkward in front of Vernon.

"Cute."

Chloe turned her head right when she heard a man's voice near the staircases. She saw Vernon standing in his night robe, watching her amusedly. He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms, "Go on, I'd love to see you making another cute face. It's entertaining."

Chloe gasped and quickly lowered her head, "W—Why are you here?!"

"Uh, because this is my apartment?" Vernon shrugged. He swaggered towards Chloe and stood beside her. He wrapped his hand around her waist. "I got a little tired waiting, so I came to pick you up instead. Is that wrong?"

"N—Not wrong at all, but… it's embarrassing…."

"Why? Because I saw you making funny faces?" Vernon chuckled and lowered his head to kiss Chloe's cheek. "You're cute, and I like that you are starting to loosen up around me."

"Now let's go up, I have something important to talk about with you."

Chloe nodded shyly. She had a lot of expectations tonight, but truthfully, spending time with Vernon was something she had come to like. It was honestly pleasing when they were just sitting in the living room, staring at each other or watching random TV shows.

'Strange. I've never experienced this kind of craving in my life,' Chloe pondered. 'His absence makes me anxious, and each time we meet and spend time, I only crave for more, even though we live together.'