Ch. 486..490: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 486-490
Chapter 486
Dorothea's plan was ingenious. It might not create a big controversy in public. But it was enough to make at least a few days trending, or maybe a whole week, and that would be hell for Vincent's PR team to handle because people must've thought the ever-so-charitable Mr. Vincent Gray had become stingy.
Or maybe there was a problem within his company, so he couldn't pay those scholarships on time. All those rumors were beneficial for Vernon!
Vincent would definitely get busied by this problem. He would become sloppy handling other businesses, making it easy for Vernon to infiltrate Vincent's company and start doing his stuff.
Though, there was one more concern lingering in Chloe's mind;
"What is it now, Chloe?" Dorothea asked. "Your face said that you're still worried about something. You shouldn't worry, I control most of Vincent's charitable works."
"Well, I'm worried about you," Chloe sighed. "You proposed this kind of amazing idea. But it will harm you. With your current position, wouldn't Vincent find out about your doing very quickly? I don't think we can do this if it'll harm you, Dorothea."
Dorothea had a mysterious smile as she listened to Chloe's worry. It was adorable. Chloe could've just said yes and never mentioned Dorothea's well-being.
After all, this plan was proposed by Dorothea herself, so she would take the full risk and responsibility had she got discovered by Vincent, and she would never tell him about Chloe.
But her concern only showed that Chloe was selfless, a trait that was not present in any of the Gray family and everyone around Dorothea.
"Don't worry about that," Dorothea said lightly. "I already have a plan to 'mess' with the bureau. It will disrupt the money flow, and I can use my depression and old age as an act so I cannot act swiftly. It is a low risk job for me."
Chloe was stunned by Dorothea's shrewd plan. Despite her old age, she retained her cunning nature and sharp wits.
'I wonder if Vernon inherited most of his nature from Dorothea,' Chloe wondered.
Honestly, she was still unsure if this plan wouldn't backfire. She was always worried that everything around her would go wrong, and she was scared that something bad might happen to Dorothea.
But at the same time, she believed that she needed to push herself out of that box of fear and worry, or else she would never be able to help Vernon with his dangerous mission.
Thus, Chloe wrapped Dorothea's hand with her left hand and squeezed it tightly, "Dorothea, thank you for helping me and Vernon. I can't tell him about this yet, but I will try my best to make him understand. That's the best I can do."
"Haha, you don't really need to do anything for me," Dorothea said. "I'm doing this to help myself. I want to make things right."
"I know, but... I feel so guilty if I don't do anything to repay you...."
"Well..." Dorothea paused for a moment. She took a few quick glances around the room and nodded, "You can always visit me here, I'd love to have company."
"W--Well, I can start doing that once Mackie returns to school after her full week break...." Chloe said. "But I usually have nothing to do since my right hand is basically useless for at least two months to come...."
"Great, I'll stay here for about two months before I have to return to the Gray mansion for a week. Then I can stay for another month or two here."
"Won't it be suspicious for those in the Gray mansion?" Chloe asked out of concern.
"Oh, worry not, I can always say that I'm going on a long trip around the world to heal. Knowing my mental health, they'll probably think that I'm going to kill myself in one of those countries I visited," Dorothea replied.
"I won't let you do that!" Chloe said seriously. She squeezed Dorothea's hand tighter. "I know you can go through this. I will keep asking you everyday, making sure that you won't have too many bad thoughts!"
Dorothea smiled. She also reciprocated Chloe's gesture by squeezing Chloe's hand as well.
They were like two withering trees, with their twigs chopped, their trunks scarred, and slowly getting uprooted.
But they found the strength to stand together by entangling themselves, as they were experiencing the same thing.
"I suppose I can find my peace from now on," Dorothea said. "Now, I have one thing to ask, Chloe."
"Yes?"
"Mackie," Dorothea mentioned her beloved granddaughter's name. "How's she doing? Is she doing well?"
"Ah, she's doing great," Chloe had a proud grin as she talked about Mackie. "She's doing well in her study, and she's happier now since she has a father figure she can talk to every morning and evening."
A smile full of relief bloomed on Dorothea's face. She was so relieved that her beloved granddaughter was alright.
"I really want to meet her," Dorothea sighed. "But I can't, and probably for a long time. Mackie is a chatterbox. She's loud and proud. If you bring her here, she will spill it to Vernon, right?"
"Right..." Chloe thought the situation was unfortunate. Though her relationship with Dorothea was terrible back then, she still wouldn't deny that Dorothea loved Mackie so much. She was always sober and well-dressed whenever Mackie was around, giving the impression of a fancy grandma.
She also taught Mackie many table manners since she was so young and also a few proper etiquette that only the old money knew how to do, something that Chloe couldn't teach Mackie.
She was a good grandma to Mackie, which was quite ironic since she was such a terrible mother to her sons.
"It's fine," Dorothea smiled. "I miss Mackie, but I don't want to ruin a good situation between you and Vernon."
"Sorry..." Chloe apologized for being unhelpful. She was about to shift the topic so the mood wouldn't be so somber.
That was until she remembered one thing.
Her eyes widened, and she quickly took her phone out of her pocket and opened the phone gallery, finding one particular video, "Dorothea, I want to show you something."
Chapter 487
"Dorothea, I want to show you something," Chloe said.
"Hm?"
Chloe put her phone on Dorothea's lap and played the video.
Dorothea raised one brow, thinking that Chloe wanted to show evidence that might help take down Vincent.
But the moment the video played, Dorothea got the surprise she never knew she wanted.
She saw her sweet granddaughter, Mackie, wearing a wolf costume. She howled and ran with four legs around the stage before howling again in front of the audience.
She was very confident, which made her performance amazing for a child stage play. Dorothea's lips perked up as she kept watching without blinking. She didn't want to miss even one second of the performance of her beloved granddaughter.
Then, a tear suddenly dropped on the screen.
"Huh?" Dorothea frowned. She put her finger under her eyes to check and realized she was actually crying. "Why am I crying?" she asked as she tried to wipe the tears with her sleeve.
"It's okay, Dorothea," Chloe assured and rubbed the old woman's hand. "You can cry if you want to."
"I'm not sad, Chloe."
"And you don't need to be sad to cry. Sometimes, even a sweet feeling can make you cry," Chloe said.
...
Honestly, watching Mackie through the screen was a bittersweet sensation for Dorothea. She was happy that she could finally see her granddaughter and was relieved that Mackie was doing great despite all the tension in her family.
But it was also sad because Dorothea wished she could attend the stage play to watch Mackie. It was also unfortunate that she wouldn't be able to see Mackie for a while, probably forever, if Vernon decided to never forgive her.
Once the video ended, Dorothea quickly handed the phone back to Chloe, "I'm done with the video, thank you for showing me," Dorothea smiled. "She seems to be doing even better after leaving Vincent. She doesn't look shy anymore."
"Yes, she has become very confident and outspoken these days. Thanks to Vernon's influence. Are you sure you don't want to see more? I have a few more videos of Mackie for you,"
"No need. The more I see Mackie in a video or photo, the more I crave to meet her," Dorothea sighed. "Well, at least I know that she's doing well, that's the most important thing. Did she ever ask about me? Did she miss me?"
Chloe nodded, not planning to cover up anything.
"She has been asking about you a lot. She misses coming to the Gray mansion, eating cookies that you made, and spending time with PuffPuff," Chloe also mentioned Dorothea's pet, a strong male Doberman that actually showed more affection to Mackie rather than Dorothea.
Dorothea chuckled, "I'll try to send PuffPuff to her later. That doberman doesn't seem to like me. He's obviously only loyal to Mackie. He acts like a guard dog to her."
Dorothea and Chloe laughed together as they talked about Mackie. The atmosphere between them was really good until Dorothea brushed over the topic of Mackie's school.
"Be honest to me, Chloe. Did Vincent beat you when you tried to attend Mackie's stage play?"
"Ah—" Chloe gulped. She already guessed where this conversation would lead. "Y—Yeah, it was the autumn festival in Mackie's school. I attended because Mackie needed moral support. She has been through a lot."
"I thought it'd be safe because Vincent never showed up in any kind of teacher-parents meeting, let alone any event. I also feel assured because Vernon said he had dispatched two bodyguards in disguise to protect me."
Dorothea snorted, "Two? That's bullshit. Vincent has a lot of bodyguards, his connection runs deep. What was he thinking?"
"D—Don't blame Vernon. It's me who asked him not to send too many bodyguards because it'll attract attention, and I want Mackie to live like a normal girl," Chloe said. "Well, I should've followed his advice to bring at least ten bodyguards, because Vincent's bodyguards subdued them."
"That old Principal and Maria worked together to drag me into the Principal's office, and you know the rest—" Chloe lifted her right hand a little, showing the result of Vincent's abuse.
Dorothea felt her chest tightening whenever she saw the cast wrapped around Chloe's right hand. The video of abuse that Vincent showed her played again in her head, and it was like a nightmare she didn't want to remember.
Because Vaughn did the same to her.
"T—Then, you should start planning for Mackie's transfer," Dorothea suggested. "She needs to be transferred to another school or else Vincent will always have an upper hand against you. If it's possible, you should transfer her tomorrow."
"I—I don't know, Dorothea. I've been thinking about that too, but I'm afraid that transferring Mackie to another school will ignite Vincent's anger, and he will try to find me," Chloe said. "After all, it won't be hard for him to search my whereabouts if he actually tries, I'm still in New York after all. But he likes playing cat and mouse game, waiting for me to be desperate enough to return to him."
Chloe expected Dorothea to understand her situation and agreed with her decision to let Mackie stay in that school.
But Dorothea gripped her arms and squeezed them tight until Chloe winced, "D—Dorothea?"
"Are you insane?!" Dorothea yelled. Her eyes were wide open. She looked like she was about to slap Chloe in the face.
The change shocked Chloe so much, "W—What's wrong? D—Did I say something wrong?"
"Of—fucking—course!" Dorothea yelled. "Why are you worried about that when your daughter is in big danger?! Vincent can always kidnap her from her school. The Principal colludes with him too, who knows what will happen to Mackie in the near future? Mackie is completely at his mercy!"
"B—But Vincent hasn't done anything to Mackie yet…." Chloe said. Though she lied a little because she knew from Mackie herself that some kids had been bullying her because Vincent slept with their mothers. Though, it had been solved because Mackie could fight against her bullies until none of them dared to taunt her anymore.
Chapter 488
"YET— that's your answer," Dorothea rolled her eyes. She found Chloe's timidness to be adorable, but it could also be unbearable sometimes. "Just because Vincent hasn't done anything to her daughter, doesn't mean he won't. He is like Vaughn and they are both unpredictable."
"Who knows there will be a time when Vincent realizes that he cannot force you to return to him, so he starts doing the unimaginable. Maybe kidnapping Mackie and using her as a hostage and forcing you to return home? You two haven't been divorced yet, so Vincent has the right to keep his daughter as well!"
"Chloe, I know you feared Vincent so much. But please, don't do stupid shit like what I did!" Dorothea's voice started rising as she got angrier. "I prioritized my hatred against Vaughn, so I treated Vernon horribly to vent. You're doing the same, you allowed Mackie to be in a position of danger just because you prioritize your fear of Vincent!"
"God, I really want to slap you right now," Dorothea said. "You told me that Mackie's safety and happiness are your priority, yet you do stupid stuff like this, don't be a hypocrite!"
Dorothea's scolding felt like a real slap for Chloe.
She was right.
She could've transferred Mackie to another school after Vernon took her in.
But she was living under fear, and she feared that Vincent would 'punish' her for transferring Mackie to another school because Vincent would definitely lose control over Mackie. He was a megalomaniac who thrived when he was in control of everything.
"B—But, what should I do if Vincent gets angry? I don't want to— to see his rage…." Chloe's body was shaking out of subconscious fear of Vincent's rage.
Dorothea's grip on Chloe's arms loosened when she saw the fear on Chloe's face. She couldn't help but sympathize with this poor woman while also getting angry at her son for being a total piece of shit.
"I'm sorry for lashing out at you," Dorothea finally softened. "I just don't want you to make the same mistake as I did, Chloe. But I won't change my mind. I want you to transfer Mackie to another school before things get really bad."
"I know, and I understand your fear to Vincent. But you have to fight it, Chloe. This is not only about you. This problem involves your daughter, and just like what you told me before, you will do anything for Mackie's safety and happiness."
…
Chloe's eyes glazed with tears as she stared at Dorothea, who stared back at her. She had tried her best not to show vulnerability to anyone except Vernon, especially when her fear was about Vincent.
"I—I'm not that weak," Chloe said in her shaky voice, trying not to sob. "I fought back when he beat me up a week ago…."
Dorothea knew that Chloe was just trying to act tough to hide her fear. Though, it wasn't convincing enough to fool Dorothea.
But Dorothea decided to play along with Chloe's tough act to appreciate her effort, "Then you need to show me that you're not scared of him. I don't know what Vincent will do once he finds out about this. But you need to take decisive action for your daughter's safety, understand?"
Chloe nodded.
Dorothea was right.
She had to take decisive action, or it might be too late to save her daughter.
"I will talk to Vernon to help me find a new school that will benefit Mackie. If it's impossible to transfer her, she will have to be homeschooled until my divorce is finalized," Chloe said.
She still had a worry about Mackie's reaction to getting transferred. But Chloe had to put that aside because Mackie's safety was of the utmost importance.
Chloe checked the clock on the wall and gasped, "We have been talking for the past four hours?!"
Dorothea looked up to check the time and had the same gasp, "I think you need to return. Mackie is still in the apartment, right? Alone?"
"Yeah, she's alone. She's used to it when I have to grocery shop without her. But I can't use that alibi since I can't drive right now," Chloe stood up. "I'll have to return now, but I'll visit again tomorrow morning after Vernon leaves for work. Thank you for… for being a better person, Dorothea."
Dorothea smiled, "I should be the one who thank you. Thank you for being the bigger person. I don't think I've ever met someone with a bigger heart than yours."
Chloe gave her last goodbye before she ran to the elevator and went up. She was worried about Mackie.
She wasn't worried about Mackie crying because she couldn't find her Mommy. Mackie was old enough to be alone in the house and wouldn't do stupid stuff.
But Chloe was worried that Mackie would start questioning her absence and then report it to Vernon. She didn't want Vernon to have any kind of suspicion. At least not now, when she was still trying to find a way to fix the estranged mother-son bond between Dorothea and Vernon. To do that, she had to keep Vernon in a good mood and did a lot of smooth talks to appease him until he was open for that talk.
Chloe unlocked the penthouse door with a password and opened it.
Click.
"MOMMY!"
Mackie's loud yell echoed around the foyer as the little girl rushed to the main door. She grabbed her Mommy's left wrist and pulled her inside the penthouse.
"Where have you been, Mommy?" Mackie asked. She sat her Mommy on the sofa and stood in front of her with her small hands crossed in front of her chest, waiting for an answer.
"Ah— I uhm… I got bored, so I went out to look around the apartment building. It's nothing much, dear…."
Mackie squinted, "Mommy, Uncle told me not to let you out! Mommy is still hurting, what if you fall and rolled to the street and then get run over by a truck!"
Chapter 489
"Hahaha! That won't happen, dear," Chloe smiled and patted Mackie's head. Her worry was quite endearing, though very illogical. Vernon said a similar thing when he was young.
-
'Big sis cannot go anywhere! What if you run outside and a car suddenly hits you, and you fly and die! Big sis absolutely cannot go anywhere!'
-
'I don't think Vernon ever tells Mackie about his story growing up, but how does Mackie imitate many of Vernon's behavior when he was young? Is it simply because they're very similar in nature?' Chloe pondered. 'They're a better father-daughter pair than Vincent could ever be.'
"I was just looking around. No need to worry," Chloe replied.
Mackie continued squinting, full of suspicion, but she huffed in the end and jumped on the sofa. She checked her Mommy's right hand to see if the cast was still wrapped neatly. After confirming that Chloe was alright, Mackie finally let go of her worries.
Chloe raised her brow. She was quite surprised by the attentiveness of her seven-year-old daughter, "Why are you checking me like that? I'm alright, you know."
Mackie shook her head, "Uncle said that Mommy needs to be protected. He said that Mommy is his treasure, and Mackie's treasure too! So we're guarding our treasure together!"
Chloe chuckled. Vernon might have started pushing his idea into Mackie's mind. She had never had this kind of idea before.
Nevertheless, Chloe found it very interesting and endearing, so she didn't mind Vernon's influence on her daughter.
"It gets boring when you can't do anything at the house," Chloe reasoned, and Mackie accepted the alibi easily. "Um, Mommy must be bored. I also get bored because I'll have to wait two more days before going to school."
Chloe's smile faltered as she was reminded that she had to start mentioning the topic of transferring to Mackie.
Of course, she didn't want to upset her daughter, but it was now or never. If she kept being too wishy-washy, Mackie might be in danger sooner or later.
"Dear, how's school?" Chloe asked.
"Mm? Um… it's okay," Mackie replied without much care. "Jaden and Mia still hate me so much, but I don't care! I have other friends too!"
"I see…" Chloe took a deep breath and patted Mackie's head, "Do you like your current school?"
"Mm… not really," Mackie replied. "I don't like Mrs. Andrew. Don't like the math teacher, and also the new homeroom teacher who replaced Mrs. Allison!"
"Mrs. Allison got replaced?" Chloe asked. She hadn't received the news yet. Usually, when there was a homeroom teacher replacement, the school would notify all the parents.
The homeroom teacher was an integral part of the class. So a sudden change might upset the kids, and it was also the parents' job to calm them down.
Mackie's school was the most elite private elementary school, they're all professionals, so it was quite baffling for Chloe that they forgot to inform her.
'Did they forget to inform me, or did they simply singled me out because of Vincent?' Chloe wondered. 'I feel like this thing must've been Vincent's doing. I'm sure of it. Mrs Allison isn't under his control, so he replaced her.'
Mrs. Allison was a good homeroom teacher who protected Mackie by giving extra homework for those who bullied or fought in her class, deterring all the kids from doing 'bad things' or else they had to finish a lot of homework.
Now that Mrs. Allison was gone, Chloe doubted the new homeroom teacher would be as kind.
"Did your new homeroom teacher give extra homework to Jaden and Mia?"
"Nope!" Mackie pouted to vent her frustration. "He doesn't do anything! Even when Jaden and Mia yell at me, he will not listen! Mommy, I don't want that homeroom teacher. Can you ask Mrs. Andrew to change my class?" she asked.
…
"How about changing your school instead?" Chloe said lightly. She thought it was the best way to make it sound so normal, not something that would change Mackie's childhood.
"Changing school?" Mackie tilted her head. She was still trying to register what her Mommy was saying. "Mommy, I just want to change class," she said, thinking that her Mommy simply didn't understand her request.
"But if you just move to another class, Jaden and Mia can still find and make trouble for you during recess, right?" Chloe tried to persuade her with a logical explanation. "And you might find someone else like Jaden or Mia in your new class, right?"
"Um… that's right…" Mackie nodded. "If I move to another school, will the bullying stop? I can fight, Mommy. But I don't like to fight," Mackie looked down and cupped her hands together. "I just want to play with my friends, eat snacks, and study in school, Mommy. I don't want to fight."
"Oh dear…" Chloe hugged her daughter and gently caressed her hair, "Nobody will bully you if you transfer to another school. I promise."
"Un…"
"Then, are you willing to be transferred?" Chloe asked again, just to make sure. Mackie often said many ridiculous things simply because she was too young to understand her own words.
So Mackie had to make up her mind that she would leave everything in her old school and start anew.
"Um, I don't mind, Mommy. I don't have many friends in school, and the teachers don't like me, especially the Principal, Mrs. Andrew. She doesn't like me at all," Mackie said. "But I have one question, Mommy…."
"And what is it, dear?" Chloe guessed that Mackie wanted to buy a new bag, toy, or anything. It was her habit whenever she started a new semester. So she expected the same since Mackie would move to another school soon.
"Mommy, if I move to a new school. Will Daddy finally stop beating you?" Mackie looked up and stared at Chloe with her sweet doe eyes. There was a hint of concern in the little girl's eyes. "I will change school as long as Daddy stops hurting you, Mommy…."
Chapter 490
"I will change school as long as Daddy stops hurting you, Mommy…." Mackie said. "Daddy is a bad man."
"Your Daddy has problems of his own, he's not a bad man," Chloe corrected. It was another lie, and she knew that Vernon wouldn't like hearing this.
But Chloe wanted Mackie to slowly learn about her father's craziness, so she could gradually accept that her father wasn't perfect, and their lives weren't perfect either. She still had to prepare Mackie's mental fortitude before she realized the full truth of Vincent's cruelty.
"Really?" Mackie lowered her head again. "But Uncle also has problems, and he never hurt Mommy. If Daddy is not a bad man, why can't he be like Uncle?"
Chloe's body stiffened, and she stopped caressing Mackie's hair as she felt guilty for lying to her daughter too many times. Mackie seemed to have grown resistant to her lies, and now Chloe was unsure what to say next to fool her daughter.
"W—Well, people are different, dear. Your Uncle and Daddy are different," Chloe said.
"Mm, I hope that Daddy can be like Uncle. So we can return to him…." Mackie sighed.
…
"I promise that Daddy will not beat me as long as you want to change school," Chloe said, shifting back to the main topic. "Daddy will not be able to find us for a while, so you and I will be safe from bullying."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Okay then!" Mackie nodded joyfully. "I want to change school, Mommy! I don't want to hit or get hit. I want to have many friends! I want to eat snacks, and study too!" Mackie then hugged her Mommy tightly. "And I want Mommy to be happy and healthy!"
Chloe gasped when she got hugged by Mackie. But in the end, she smiled and hugged her back in a warm embrace, "I promise none of us will ever get hurt, dear."
'You're my daughter, the most important person to me,' Chloe said in her heart. 'I filed for divorce because I want to protect you from your father. I see that Vincent doesn't even see you as his daughter anymore. Who knows what'll he do next if I you stay by his side?'
'I know it's an arduous road we will go through, but I will continue to fight as long as it's about you and your happiness.'
**
Vernon was busy dealing with so many things at work. He had to deal with the launching of his beverage product soon, managing a food brand he had just acquired, and also finding potential celebrities he could use to advertise Vincent's new cosmetic product.
He was always busy, and to be frank, had it not been because he wanted to give Chloe and Mackie a good life, he'd rather manage a small business and live with small earnings of about two to five million dollars a year.
Well, it was a small earning for the Gray family.
But it didn't matter that much to him. All he wanted was to build a happy family with the love of his life anyway.
Unfortunately, to build that small, happy family, he had to do so many things to ensure that Vincent couldn't snatch Chloe back.
Vernon signed the last document of the day and stretched his limbs. He felt like his body was sore from head to toe, and he'd really appreciate having Chloe by his side, worrying about his health, asking if he needed something.
'Ah, I already miss her.'
Vernon grabbed his briefcase and texted Diamond that he had finished all the needed documents, so Diamond could process them tomorrow morning.
Vernon was too exhausted to cook today, so he bought food from his favorite restaurant before going home. He also bought a pizza because Mackie wanted one.
Chloe had been cautious not to let Mackie indulge in too much fatty or fast food, but Vernon thought it was alright for her to indulge a bit.
'This is her gift for guarding her mother really well,' Vernon thought as he ordered a pizza from one of the authentic Italian restaurants he liked.
Vernon used the elevator to his penthouse, holding a briefcase in his right hand alongside a paper bag full of food and a pizza box in his other hand.
Vernon unlocked the door with his fingerprint and kicked the door open.
"Welcome back, Uncle!" Mackie rushed to greet her Uncle as always. She got excited when she saw the pizza box in his right hand, "Whoa! Pizza!"
"Heheh, grab it and put it on the dinner table," Vernon instructed as he handed her the pizza. "Where's your Mommy?"
"She's taking a bath!" Mackie said. She ran to the dinner table and put the pizza before opening the box. Mackie grabbed one slice of pizza and devoured it despite the size.
Vernon put the food he bought on the table and ate a slice of pizza to accompany Mackie.
"Have you been a good cop today?" Vernon asked. Mackie refused to be called a good girl these days and demanded her Uncle call her a good cop since she was guarding her Mommy.
Mackie shook her head, "I'm sorry, Uncle. I'm not a good cop today."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because Mommy leaves when I was reading a story," Mackie reported. "Um… she left for like— four hours!"
"Four hours?" Vernon frowned out of suspicion. "She went out for four hours? With her right hand wrapped like that?"
"Un!"
…
Vernon paused for a while, staring at Mackie, who was busy eating another slice of pizza while he stopped eating his.
He lost his appetite instantly as suspicion roused in his mind.
"Did your Mommy tell you what she was doing?"
"Un, Mommy told me that she's just looking around!"
"Looking around? In this apartment?" Vernon twisted his hip as he turned to look around the foyer of his penthouse, and his eyes darted to the balcony. "This is literally the penthouse. The best view is here. Why'd she need to look around?"
Mackie's innocent mind didn't catch her Uncle's suspicion, so she replied casually, "I don't know, but Mommy said she's bored."