Ch. 526..530: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 526-530

Chapter 526

Diamond drove Mackie and Chloe to each school Vernon had confirmed was safe for them. Vernon made sure that the Principal of these schools had no history of connection with Vincent or any of the Gray family. The students' family backgrounds were more diverse to minimize the probability of the parents having close contact with Vincent.

​ Vincent made a great deal of effort just to ensure Mackie and Chloe's safety, so Diamond thought she should at least help him by assisting her boss' favorites.

They arrived at the first school located around the corner of Manhattan. It was a private school inside a tall building with no front or backyard. It might not be as exclusive as Mackie's old school because Mackie's old school was inside a gated community with a big indoor gym, huge outdoor track, garden, et cetera.

But it was still a good school that can guarantee Mackie's safety.

Mackie stood in front of the main door of the first school they were about to enter. She stared at the American flag waving right above the door.

"Let's go, Mackie," Chloe grabbed Mackie's hand and followed Diamond, who led them into the school.

Mackie walked through the corridor. She looked around and noticed that everything wasn't as spacious as the one in her old school.

The hallway wasn't huge, and the ceiling wasn't as tall.

She quickly glanced at one of the classes with the door opened and realized that even the class wasn't as spacious and colorful as her old school.

This place was a little strange for her since she was used to the luxury she got from her Daddy.

She looked up to check on her Mommy and realized that Mommy was also looking around.

But she didn't seem to be bothered with the size of the new school. She looked very excited instead.

"Dear, do you know that Mommy used to go to a school like this when I was your age?" Chloe said. "Well, not as good as this, but it has a similar feeling!"

"Really?" Mackie tilted her head. "But it's not as big as my old school, Mommy."

"That's true. But it's filled with warm people. I still remember my best friend when I was in elementary. Most of them were also my neighbors, so we were used to play together during recess, weekend, or after school."

"Maybe you will be able to find lots of new friends here," Chloe said.

Mackie stared at her Mommy without blinking. She always wondered why her Mommy was so different from Daddy.

Daddy told her that she shouldn't befriend kids with no good background, and she should always report every kid she made friends with, and Daddy would make sure that they were friend-able.

Thus, Mackie reported about her new friends-- Jaden and Mia, to her Daddy before.

But Mommy never had that kind of restriction on her. Mommy told her to befriend everyone but never say yes to everything. If her friends wanted to do bad things, Mackie should never follow them because good friends would not ask you to do bad things together.

So far, Mommy's advice was far better than Daddy's.

Because Jaden and Mia suddenly bullied her after they left the mansion. But she stayed friends with other kids whom she didn't report to Daddy.

'Un… maybe Mommy is right. I can befriend everyone, but if they're bad guys that want me to do bad, I have to refuse!'

Thus, with that new mindset in mind, Mackie realized that the new school didn't seem to be all that bad.

Everything might be smaller than in her previous school, but if everyone was nice to her, and nobody would bully her again, then it was much better than her old school.

Diamond knocked on the Principal's office, and the Principal opened it from the inside. She told them to sit on the seat facing the Principal's desk.

The Principal was a young woman in her early thirties, so she was around Chloe's age, which put Chloe at ease since it was less likely for this woman to have a deep connection with Vincent or the Gray family.

"Good morning, Miss Johnson, Mr. Phoenix Gray already told me about your arrival today," the Principal greeted. "My name is Miranda Moralez, you can call me Miss Moralez, especially you, Mackenzie," Mrs. Morazle winked at Mackie.

Mackie was surprised that the Principal already knew her name. She looked at her Mommy and saw that Mommy was also as shocked as she was.

"Do you know about us already?" Chloe asked.

"Naturally," Mrs. Moralez nodded. "Mr. Phoenix Gray told me he is already married but told me to keep it a secret. Your name is Mrs. Chloe Phoenix Gray, and the little girl is…." Mrs. Moralez shifted her eyes towards Mackie and smiled. "Miss Mackenzie Rose Phoenix Gray, correct?'

Chloe's jaw dropped instantly. Now she knew why the Principal didn't seem bothered by the lack of documents for Mackie.

Turned out Vernon claimed them as his. Chloe was his wife, and Mackie was his daughter.

Chloe wondered if Vernon claimed Mackie as his biological or adopted daughter since he'd been around 17 years old when Chloe was pregnant.

"He told me to keep his daughter's identity a secret until he is ready to go public with the marriage," Mrs. Morales said. "I will give Mackenzie a new surname, if you don't mind, and I will make sure that she is well protected as she's integrating herself inside this school."

Mackie shifted her gaze between her Mommy and then at the Principal a few times. The more Mrs. Moralez spoke, the more confused the little girl got.

'Why do I have Uncle's surname now?'

'When did Mommy marry Uncle? Did they get married without telling Daddy or me?'

'If Mommy is married to Uncle, then what happens to Daddy?'

'Uuu… this is confusing, my head is hurting…' Mackie complained in silence.

Despite her curiosity, she didn't dare to ask Mommy right now because Mommy looked so serious while talking to Mrs. Moralez.

Chapter 527 Meanwhile, Chloe had a train of thoughts running in her head. She had a lot of questions for Vernon, mostly about one thing;

'How the hell could he think about something like this? Does he not realize that you can't just ask random people to keep a big secret like that?' Chloe wanted to scold Vernon for being so reckless. She thought he was very smart, but how did he not realize that his decision to claim Chloe and Mackie as his wife and daughter would only harm him.

What if this woman— Miranda Moralez, decided to sell this to the gossip reporters, and the news reached Vincent. Wouldn't that put a big red flag on Vernon's head?

'Crap, Vincent will definitely hunt him down once this gossip reaches his ears!' Chloe had an internal panic, but she kept her composure in front of the School Principal.

"Should I give you a tour around the school then?" Mrs. Moralez offered.

Chloe looked at Diamond, and the latter shrugged, "I see nothing wrong with it. Just make it quick, we still have nine more schools to visit."

Chloe took a heavy breath when Diamond mentioned nine more schools.

'Damn it, so there are nine more people that know me and Mackie as Vernon's wife and daughter. Vernon, what were you thinking?!'

**

Chloe was spacing out as she followed the Principal around the school. It was a nice school, but Chloe couldn't help to think about the shit that was about to go down soon.

Meanwhile, Mackie was enjoying the tour. She found this new school to be just as fun as her old one. It might not be as big, but every staff member who passed them had a big smile.

Mackie also loved the cafeteria because it had yellow tables and chairs, like a banana forest!

"And now we're done with the tour," the Principal spun and faced them. "Mr. Phoenix Gray also told me that you are going to survey other schools first. If you're interested to register your daughter into this school, please contact me. Miss Diamond Johnson has my contact."

Chloe nodded, "Thank you so much, please excuse us."

Mackie kept looking at her Mommy, whose face was stern, with her lips zipped tightly until they left the school.

"Dear, can you go with Diamond to the car, Mommy needs to call your Uncle first," Chloe asked.

"Okay, Mommy…"

Mackie entered the car with Diamond while Chloe tried to distance herself from the car before making a call.

She hid behind a tree to make sure that Mackie would not see her face turn sour as she was about to scold Vernon.

After making sure she was out of Mackie's sight, she called Vernon.

Vernon seemed to have expected her call because he picked it up in less than five seconds;

—

"Morning, love," Vernon greeted in a happy mood. "How's your survey? It's still too early for you to finish surveying all the schools, right?"

"Vernon, what the hell were you thinking?" Chloe said without thinking twice. She was so pissed at Vernon for endangering his own life like this. "Do you not realize that you're putting yourself in danger?!"

"Huh? What do you mean? Putting myself in danger?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "The Principal thinks we're married, and Mackie is your daughter!"

"Uh-huh…" Vernon leaned on his chair as he continued with the call. He was so relaxed, unlike Chloe, who got worked up by this. "I see no problem in it unless you…." Vernon had a pause before he continued. His voice was ten times colder as he continued, "Unless you don't want me to claim you and Mackie as my wife and daughter."

Before Chloe could say a word, Vernon interrupted her with his bold statement, "Just so you know, to have you and Mackie is my end game, and I will not stop unless I get what I want."

"You—" Chloe took a deep breath. She was absolutely speechless right now.

She didn't know whether she should be happy that Vernon was so bold with his statement or be sad for the same reason.

'This guy is so damn reckless!' she complained. "I would be happy if you want to wed me, but you should mind your own damn self first! Why are you telling them that I'm your wife and Mackie is your daughter? Do you think those ten Principals will be able to keep their mouths shut? Oh god, I thought you're so smart, but why are you doing something so dumb!"

"What would happen if the news reached Vincent? He will hunt you down! He will kill you!"

Chloe's chest rose up and down as she got agitated by Vernon's ignorance. She was truly worried about him, fearing for his safety.

"You keep telling Mackie and I that our safety is your priority, but do you think I don't feel the same for you as well?" Chloe continued chiding while Vernon went silent, listening to Chloe's nonstop chide. "What will happen if you get discovered by Vincent? Do you think I'll be happy seeing your life crumble because you're trying to protect me? What's the use of you wanting to marry me or becoming Mackie's father if you can't even protect yourself!"

…

…

Chloe was done with her child after realizing that Vernon had been silent the whole time. She thought Vernon was reflecting on his decision right now. Maybe he just realized he was being a total dumbass for claiming that Chloe and Mackie were his wife and daughter. Now he was thinking of a way to backtrack and save his ass.

Well, that was what Chloe wanted…

But what he said next made her speechless instead;

"Can you say that again?"

"… What?"

"Can you repeat what you say just now?" Vernon asked. "The first thing you said to me just now."

"That you're putting yourself in danger?"

"Not that one."

"You're so damn reckless?"

"No, more."

…

"I would be happy if you want to wed me?"

"YES, THAT!"

Chapter 528

"I would be happy if you wanted to wed me?"

"YES, THAT!" Vernon exclaimed excitedly. "You should've said that sooner! Damn, you made my day just now!"

...

Chloe got even more speechless to the point that she couldn't even utter one word from her mouth.

"That's a promise, okay? I won't allow you to retrieve that sentence!" Vernon said. "Just so you wait, I will make everything official between us in the end!"

...

"Vernon..."

"Yes?"

"FOCUS!" Chloe yelled. She didn't know what was in Vernon's mind and why he kept thinking about romance. "This is a serious matter! You're in danger!"

"About Vincent stuff?" Vernon sneered. "Heh, nothing will happen, don't worry."

"How can you be so sure!?"

"Because I paid all of those schools with a huge sum of donations as an initial offering to keep their mouths shut. I also told them that I will donate even more if my daughter decides to study in one of their schools. Most of them are just regular people with no real connection to the old rich like the Gray family, and I have intimidated most of them, so they will not dare to speak ill of us."

"And don't worry about Vincent, he is dangerous, but he has no time to check on random gossip like that," Vernon assured. "And don't worry about Maria as well, she got busy these days trying to match Vincent's erratic behavior at work. He made many erratic choices in business and Maria is trying so hard to keep everything afloat."

Vernon was confident that Chloe couldn't find any flaw in his plan.

"You don't need to worry about trivial stuff like this. Just focus on finding a good school for Mackie, so she can continue her study, alright?" Vernon said, then he chuckled excitedly, "I'm also going to focus on working here, so I can marry you and give you two a good life. So, put all of your trust in me, and I will never disappoint."

His confidence and assurance somehow gave peace to Chloe's heart. She was still scared of what would come next, but whenever she wanted to voice her concern, Vernon's words would linger in her mind, telling her not to worry.

'So, put all of your trust in me, and I will never disappoint...' Chloe repeated Vernon's words just now. 'Then I will trust you, Vernon....'

"Oh, I'll have a meeting in thirty minutes, I'll call you later, love," Vernon kept calling her with 'love' so naturally as if he had been in love with her for a long time.

Beep.

--

Vernon ended the call after giving assurance in Chloe's heart.

Chloe clenched her phone for a moment before tossing it back into her tote bag.

"I guess I can do nothing except trusting him and his judgment."

**

Mackie sat in the backseat of the car. She kept on staring at the tree that Mommy used to hide behind. She wondered what her Mommy said to her Uncle on the phone just now, but judging from how stern and angry she got, there must be an argument between them.

And Mackie didn't like an argument. She never wanted to see Mommy arguing with Daddy or Uncle.

Mackie asked Diamond, who was sitting in the driver's seat, "Diamond, why did Uncle say that Mommy is his wife, and I'm his daughter?"

​ "It's to protect you and your Mommy, of course," Diamond replied. "Your Daddy is not really healthy right now, so there needs to be a better Daddy to replace him."

"Un... Mommy said that Daddy has a problem and we can't return until Daddy solves his problem first...." Mackie said. "So Uncle is Daddy's replacement?"

...

"Mm," Diamond replied with a short hum. She wasn't sure if what she said was correct, but her boss must've prepared himself with a solid plan. Since he had boldly claimed that Chloe and Mackie were his wife and daughter, V

"Umm... I don't mind having Uncle as Daddy's replacement," Mackie commented. "Uncle never hit Mommy. He loves Mommy so much, and he is very kind to her. Uncle is also very kind to me...."

Diamond smiled, "I'm sure your Uncle will be happy with what you said just now."

"Un..." Mackie played with the hem of her skirt as she kept staring at the tree. "I want Mommy to be happy. If she is happy, then I'm happy too! If she is not happy with Daddy, she should go with Uncle."

...

Diamond had a lot of questions in her mind, but the only one that came out of her mouth was;

"Do you miss your Daddy?"

"Of course," Mackie replied. "I miss him so much. Sometimes I dreamed of him. He promised me many things, but all I want is to spend my time with Daddy."

Mackie sighed. She stopped looking at her Mommy. Her eyes cast down as she had a growing sadness in her heart, "But Daddy is not good for Mommy. I thought Mommy fainting, being very thin, and crying often are normal, because Mommy said it's normal."

"But when I see her living with Uncle, I realize that Mommy is not supposed to faint everyday, to be very thin, or to cry often," Mackie fiddled with her fingers as she was telling her point of view. "So I know that Uncle makes Mommy happy, while Daddy makes her sad."

Diamond was astonished by Mackie's astute observation. She was smart for her age and very understanding despite all the coddling and white lies that Chloe gave her.

That being said, Diamond sympathized with this little girl. At such a young age, she had learned that her father was not good, witnessed him choking her mother, and also experienced bullying from her ex-friends in school just because her father was a sick freak.

'Chloe told me that Mackie is not like her, and she is happy with it because that means Mackie is not weak,' Diamond tried to remember her conversation with Chloe. 'But I think Mackie has her mother's quality as well. They have a strong perseverance, and still maintain good morale despite all the bad things happening in their lives.'

Chapter 529

'There is no use in hiding things from her anymore. Mackie already accepts Vernon as her father's replacement and wants her mother to be happy…' Diamond remembered one sentence that Chloe often repeated to justify everything she did.

—

'I want my daughter to be happy. I want her to have a normal life, and grow up to be a good woman. I don't care if I have to suffer for it.'

—

'Well, you don't need to look too far to make your daughter happy, Chloe,' Diamond thought. 'She is happy when you're happy. You two complete each other. So please find your own happiness as well, because your daughter naturally wants to support you.'

Chloe returned to the car with a seemingly okay-ish mood, which was weird since she looked angry when she went to call Vernon just now.

"Is everything alright?" Diamond asked.

"Mm… I guess," Chloe replied. She twisted to look at the back seat, so she could check on her daughter.

She saw that her daughter was sitting calmly. Mackie looked down and fiddled with her fingers. Chloe knew that her daughter must've been questioning the whole thing, including Vernon claiming them as his wife and daughter.

That must've been confusing for the little girl.

"Dear, you can ask anything if you want," Chloe opened the conversation.

Mackie lifted her head and stared at her Mommy, who smiled at her.

Chloe thought her daughter would ask about what happened in the Principal's office.

But she caught Chloe off guard with a statement instead;

"Mommy, do you like Uncle too?"

"Eh?! W—What's with that question?" Chloe was genuinely startled and unable to find a good answer to it. Should she answer that she was indeed in love with Uncle Vernon? But how about Chloe's relationship with Vincent?

Mackie always believed that her parents were in love with each other. How could she accept the third party into their new life?

There was a long silence between Chloe and Mackie.

Chloe was trying hard to find a good answer but couldn't come up with any.

While Mackie kept her silence, staring at her Mommy, waiting for her to answer the million-dollar question.

Diamond felt this topic was too early to bring up, or maybe they needed a better time and space to discuss it.

So she tried to shift the topic, "How about we go to the nearest gelato before we visit the next school?" She offered it to Mackie. The little girl's attention was diverted instantly.

"Yayy! I want triple scoop gelato!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Diamond started the car engine and drove to the nearest gelato. Chloe was relieved that Diamond could break the silence and divert Mackie's attention, "Thank you," she said in a low voice at Diamond, who was still driving.

Diamond nodded, but gave Chloe a side eye signaling her that Diamond also had things to talk about with her, so Chloe wasn't safe yet.

**

After they had their gelato, Chloe, Diamond, and Mackie visited each of the new schools that were recommended by Vernon. In the late afternoon, they were finally done visiting each of them and went to the nearby restaurant to eat.

Mackie was enjoying her dessert after lunch. Chloe checked on her daughter and brought up the conversation, "So, we have visited all the schools, which one you like the most, dear?"

"Ummm…" Mackie was pondering for a moment. Her eyes looked up, trying to remember all the schools they had visited today.

None of them were similar to her old school.

They were small and a bit cramped, but everyone seemed to be warmer, and the Principals were all nice to her, unlike Mrs. Andrew.

But there was one thing that stuck in her mind. It was the yellow cafeteria from the first school. It was like a banana jungle!

"First one!" Mackie replied excitedly.

"Why so?"

"Because the cafeteria is yellow! It's like a bunch of bananas. I like it!" Mackie replied again. "And Mrs. Moralez is very nice!"

Chloe chuckled while Diamond raised her brow in confusion. She said, "Can you believe this?' look on to Chloe, but Chloe laughed even more because of that.

"It's fine, Diamond. Mackie loves yellow and banana, she's just like Vernon," Chloe replied. "Well, I see nothing wrong with it. Each of those schools are nice and they're safe, just like what Vernon said. So if Mackie wants to choose the first school because it has a banana forest, I see why not? Her enjoyment during the study session is the most important after all."

"Un! I can't wait to make new friends!" Mackie said.

Diamond sighed, "Well, if that's what you want, I guess why not. Let me call him to inform about the school's choice."

"Thanks, Diamond," Chloe smiled.

Diamond got up from her seat and grabbed her phone. She went out with her phone near her ear, ready to report to her boss about Mackie's school choice.

Now, Chloe and Mackie were all alone once more. With no Diamond around them, Chloe was worried that Mackie would ask that nerve-wracking question again.

But Mackie didn't seem to be bothered with it. She ate her dessert and squealed a few times because it was so delicious. She finally stopped eating when she noticed her Mommy was staring at her.

"Mommy, do you want my dessert?" Mackie asked. She pushed her half-eaten cake toward her Mommy. "Here, Mommy, you can eat the rest!"

"Ahaha, no dear, that's yours," Chloe smiled. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Un? Happy!" Mackie cheered. "I ate gelato and cake! Oh, and also, I will be going to a new school soon. I will make new friends!"

Chloe was relieved that Mackie wasn't bothered by any of the things happening in the Principal's office, or maybe she did, but Mackie had a short attention span, so it was easy to make her mind busy.

'But she will remember about this later, and ask the question again. What should I do? What's the best answer if she asked about my relationship with Vernon?'

Chapter 530

To be honest, Chloe feared any question regarding Vincent or Vernon that came from her daughter.

She didn't know how to explain the complicated situation they were in. She was also scared that Mackie might react strongly once she finally knew the full truth.

'Oh god, please don't let her hate me. I don't know what I should do if Mackie hates me because I can't keep the perfect image of a family with Vincent,' Chloe secretly prayed in her heart.

Diamond returned to her seat after ten minutes. She looked at Chloe and Mackie and nodded, "Alright, I told him about Mackie's transfer and her school choice, all is well."

"Thank you, Diamond."

"Thank you, Diamond!"

Chloe and Mackie said simultaneously, and their response made her smile.

"It's fine, it's my job to help you two, and I'm glad to help because you two are my family as well," Diamond said.

**

Diamond drove Chloe and Mackie back to the Phoenix Tower. She followed them to the penthouse, and once they entered it, Diamond signaled Chloe with her eyes to let Mackie go somewhere so they could talk.

Chloe naturally understood her signal and told her daughter, "Dear, you should go to your room and take a warm bath before dinner."

"Un! Okay, Mommy!"

Chloe watched her daughter until Mackie went downstairs, then she turned around to face Diamond, "Before we start, you should know that the fight between Vernon and I about Dorothea has been dissolved— well, not really. We're on truce until next month. So, what are we going to talk about?"

Diamond crossed her arms and leaned on the wall. She eyed her best friend for a while before starting, "You know well that you won't be able to return to Vincent, right?"

"Naturally," Chloe nodded. "And I have no plan to return to him as well."

"Then why are you still trying to portray Vincent as a good father for Mackenzie? It will only damage her in the long run!" Diamond stated firmly. She thought she had to knock some sense in Chloe's head, so she wouldn't do stupid shit like trying to convince her daughter that her father was fine while her father was the biggest turd on earth.

Chloe already expected this question, so she just gave her the same answer as what she gave Vernon before;

"I don't want her to see any kind of strangeness in our family. I grew up with a single mother, so I grow to resent, yet miss my father as I get older."

"So I want to give Mackie a perfect family, with a father and a mother. I've been doing this for years, and I… I don't know how long I will be able to maintain this lie before she finds out about everything," Chloe sighed. "I'm in a dilemma…."

"Chloe— Homegirl— do you know that your endless coddling over your daughter will only damage her?" Diamond warned. "No matter how hard you try to keep things hidden, she will eventually find out about everything!"

"Do you know what Mackie told me when you were busy arguing with Vernon behind that tree? She told me that she will be happy as long as you're happy!"

"That… that is natural…" Chloe replied weakly. She started to get nervous when Diamond brought up the topic of what had happened today. "S—She is a good kid…."

"Yeah, she is," Diamond agreed. Her eyes squinted at her best friend, who started to look nervous. "Do you know why I said so? Mackie is not only a good kid. But she is very mature for her age. She knows how different your life is now compared to when you lived with Vincent."

"She knows you're not happy with Vincent, and lastly…." Diamond took a deep breath. "She told me that she'd be okay if Uncle replaced her Daddy. Because her Daddy cannot make her Mommy happy. She already knows that Vincent is a horrible man, there is no use to hide it from Mackie."

Chloe's eyes widened once she heard the last sentence. It was like thunder in a clear sky that made her too shocked to react.

"N—No way…." Chloe muttered in a low voice. Her body trembled from head to toe, and her legs wobbled.

She almost fell, but Diamond quickly helped her best friend to sit on the sofa. She saw that Chloe was getting a panic attack and started hyperventilating.

"C—Chloe?" Diamond tried calling her name amidst her panic attack. "Chloe, breathe. Take a deep breath and let it out."

Chloe followed Diamond's instructions. She tried to breathe in and out, but she was still in a mental shock.

Diamond rushed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and returned to Chloe, "Here, drink first, Chloe, then take a breath in and out."

Chloe followed all the instructions until she calmed down a bit.

But she felt so weak from head to toe that she had to lean on the sofa.

Chloe's mind was in chaos. She stared straight, but her eyes were empty.

Diamond didn't expect her statement to put this kind of shock on Chloe. She knew it'd shock her best friend, but not to the point that Chloe started having a panic attack!

"Chloe? Chloe, talk to me!" Diamond shook Chloe's body a few times to snap her out of her panic, but Chloe did not react.

Her face got paler and paler as if blood had been drained out of her body. It seemed that the shock was too much for her to handle.

"Damn it, I should call an ambulance!" Diamond panicked. She grabbed her phone and was about to call 911 when Chloe suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Don't call 911, Diamond," Chloe said. Her voice was still shaky, but at least Chloe's eyes had been refocused.

Diamond let out a relieved sigh. She put her phone down and sat right beside Chloe, "Are you alright? I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't expect you to have that kind of reaction."

"N—No, it's alright," Chloe replied. She took a few more deep breaths to calm down. "It's just shocking to me, because I thought… I thought I had perfectly sheltered her this whole time."