Ch. 546..550: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 546-550
Chapter 546
'Then, will you do something to her later? I won't be happy if you'll still allow this bitch to keep her job as a psychologist and ruin the lives of so many people,' Diamond protested.
'Oh, of course not,' Vernon said. 'I don't want to let her free too. She is very toxic, and she will hurt others with her words. So I'm planning to take her down too, at least to expose her secret so she wouldn't be able to influence others with her job as a psychologist anymore.'
'And when will that be?'
'After I defeat Vincent,' Vernon said decisively. 'Once he is defeated, and I can go public about my relationship with Chloe, then I have nothing to worry about.'
Diamond finally calmed down after her boss reassured her he would take her down later. Diamond was already thinking that she'd take this matter into her own hand because she wouldn't let another Carter Fallingham run around in this world, ruining people's lives.
"I will hold onto that promise, Sir,' Diamond said.
"I promise I will take her down. So don't you dare to do something reckless that will get you jailed, Diamond,' Vernon warned. 'Chloe told me you want to be the bridesmaid for our wedding. Can you be a bridesmaid when you're in jail?'
-
"Ah, he's right," Diamond murmured as she entered her car and rested. "I don't want to miss the wedding of my best friend. My homegirl."
Diamond doubted that Chloe realized how important she was in her life. Chloe might see their relationship as regular friends.
But for Diamond, Chloe was so much more than that.
She was like a sister to Diamond. That Big gentle sister Diamond always wanted in her life. The sister could hug her and say everything was alright, and Diamond was naturally attracted to her home girl.
Maybe it was just her gentle aura, but Chloe's smile was enough to attract her brothers-- Damien and Desmond- to get attracted to her as well.
"Well, I don't mind if Chloe doesn't see me as a sister, as long as we can still hang out and chat, then I'm good."
Diamond took a while to let everything sink in before she grabbed her phone and called her boss. It didn't take long for Vernon to pick up the call;
-
"Did you do it?" Vernon asked. After all, they already knew what they'd talk about anyway.
"Yes, Sir."
...
"And you didn't kill her, right?"
"I wish," Diamond sighed. "But I let her live. She will be leaving New York in two days, and I will make sure that she actually left. I think I have broken her mind enough that she will never dare to return here."
"That's good," Vernon nodded. "I will give you a bonus as a reward. I know you've been doing a lot of work to take her down."
"I don't need any reward for this," Diamond refused. "Honestly, I did it for Chloe. I don't want her beautiful life to get ruined because of someone like Shailene, and I also... have a personal grudge against someone like her."
"I understand," Vernon obviously investigated Diamond before hiring her. He knew about that terrible incident befalling her family when she was young and believed that Diamond would never get manipulated.
Because Diamond herself hated to get manipulated and instantly recognized any manipulation when facing the one doing it, like Shailene.
So Vernon wasn't surprised when he knew that Diamond had befriended Chloe. In fact, Diamond was so eager to be close to Chloe because Chloe was the rarest type of person who had no evil intention toward people around her.
"Thank you for your help, Diamond. I will make sure to give her a happy life," Vernon said, putting Diamond's heart at ease.
"As you should, Sir," Diamond chuckled. "Well, I'm going home now. I want to take a bath as soon as possible. That bitch puked all over the floor and now my blazer smells rancid, ugh!"
Vernon laughed before hanging up.
Beep.
--
Vernon pocketed his phone and returned to the living room.
"Who did you call just now?" Chloe asked as she put a glass of hot ginger tea on the table for Vernon.
"Diamond," Vernon replied lightly. He sat on the sofa and picked the ginger tea.
"Diamond?" Chloe frowned. She sat next to Vernon and nestled closer until there was no gap between them. "Did something happen? Did she need help?"
Chloe started to worry. She checked the window and saw that it was quite windy outside. So she was worried that Diamond might be in trouble at midnight and needed urgent help.
"No, she's fine," Vernon smiled. "She just reported that she finished her work and returned home."
"Don't give her too much work," Chloe reprimanded. "She is a young woman. She needs rest, and maybe needs a date too. You might ruin her plan to go on a date because you keep pestering her to do so much work."
"It's fine, Diamond is the one who willingly takes the job," Vernon said. "Don't you see how much of a workaholic she is? That's why she is my most trusted and best employee, and also the one I paid the most."
Chloe sighed. That was true. She told Diamond several times that she needed to rest and have time. Chloe even offered to help with some of her jobs.
But Diamond refused and said she liked doing this job and preferred this rather than being a model. Because she could work normally and didn't have to worry if she got older and abandoned by the industry.
-
'Besides, gurl, do you know how much he paid me? He raised my salary a month ago, and now, my base salary is around 1.2 million dollars yearly! I might be the highest-paid secretary in New York!
-
'Well, as long as she's happy doing it,' Chloe sighed. She glanced at Vernon, who was eyeing her the whole time, and muttered, "Maybe you should give me another job after I can use my right hand."
Chapter 547
"A job?" Vernon frowned. "Do you want to work after you're healed? In my office?"
"Well, not really in your office since you have Diamond, who is already good at handling everything," Chloe replied. "But I'd really appreciate it if you could put me somewhere to work…."
"With another man around you? Fuck no," Vernon refused immediately. "You either have to work with me, or you can be a housewife," Vernon said. "Besides, you are going to be busy with our new home. I've prepared it for us and we will move out a month from now on, remember?"
"W—well, yeah," Chloe sighed. "I don't know, I just feel like I want to do something to pass my free time after I drive Mackie to school and cook for you."
"Then, you can just come to the office and accompany me there. I'd love to have you around," Vernon insisted. He just didn't want Chloe to go too far from him. He didn't want to be filled with anxiety when he was working.
Chloe sighed, "You should trust me, Vernon. I won't be cheating on you just because I work somewhere else."
"I trust you," Vernon replied quickly. "But I don't trust myself and other men."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"It means that I don't trust they will not try to hit on you when I'm not around," Vernon slid his hand behind Chloe's back and wrapped her waist to pull her closer. "You should know that you're a beauty, and you got even more beautiful now since you've gained some weight."
"I know that there will be so many men trying to impress you, trying to steal you away from me," Vernon said. "And I also don't trust myself. I almost went crazy when I thought you cheated as I caught you sneaking to another apartment room under the name Jonathan."
"Ah, Dorothea's incident…." Chloe was reminded of Dorothea once more. Three weeks had passed since the last time that incident and Dorothea left the apartment. Chloe had no idea where Dorothea was, and she also couldn't contact that sad old lady since Vernon was still confiscating her phone.
"When will you check about Dorothea's matter?" she asked.
"You're still thinking about that old bitch?" Vernon's mood turned sour when Chloe mentioned Dorothea again. He thought Chloe would eventually forget or simply ignore that old woman after three weeks.
But it seemed that Chloe was still trying to get in contact with Dorothea and still sympathized with her.
'Her kindness is seriously a double-edged sword,' Vernon complained in his heart.
"Don't say that. She is your mother," Chloe reprimanded. "I know that you hate her, but we still have that deal before. You've confiscated my phone for three weeks, I think it's time for you to check whether she had actually helped us by stopping Vincent's charity fund for at least a month."
Vernon scoffed, "And you think she will actually do that? You're still naive, Chloe."
"Vernon…"
"Fine, fine," Vernon clicked his tongue annoyedly. "I will give it a check. Besides, I will be meeting with my Big brother tomorrow, I can just ask if everything has been going well these days. But you shouldn't hope too much, you know what Dorothea promised is simply not possible knowing the danger."
"I still want to believe her," Chloe insisted. "Just check it first, okay? I don't want her effort to go on waste because you don't take the chance."
Vernon rolled his eyes but agreed to check just to appease Chloe.
Despite her gentle nature, Chloe was very stubborn when she believed in something. She would not back down when she wanted something, and Vernon couldn't help but give in.
After all, Chloe would give him a deep kiss full of passion after he did what she wanted him to do, and it was worth it. He would flip a mountain if that meant Chloe would kiss him or something even better.
Vernon rejoiced whenever Chloe was the one who took the initiative during their intimate times.
'Ugh, let's just get this over with, so we can move on and forget about that dying bitch. Where is she anyway? I haven't heard from her since three weeks ago,' Vernon thought. 'Did she already overdose herself? Well, good grief.'
Vernon couldn't dispel the hatred in his heart.
All the horrible things Dorothea did to him when he was a kid had been engraved in Vernon's mind, and now he felt nothing but contempt for that old woman.
**
Vernon drank his banana-apple smoothie after he finished his breakfast. He checked on Chloe and Mackie, ensuring they had eaten breakfast. It had become a habit for him to check on them because he didn't want Chloe to return to her old habit of starving herself to death.
After ensuring that Chloe had finished her breakfast, he grabbed his briefcase on the kitchen counter, "I'm going now. I have a meeting," Vernon said. He didn't specify whom he would meet because there was Mackie here.
"Un! See you later Uncle!" Mackie chirped.
Vernon smiled and patted her head before leaving, "Everything's well in your new school, right?"
"Un! Everyone is so kind to me!" Mackie reported. "Miss Moralez is very kind. I make many new friends, and nobody tries to bully me!"
"Glad you're happy with your new school," Vernon smiled. "Don't forget to report to me if there is a kid who's making trouble with you, okay?"
"Un! Don't worry, Uncle! I will fight if there is anyone who wants to bully me!" Mackie puffed her chest proudly. She was trying to show that she was a strong girl who wouldn't get bullied by the boys.
But her statement didn't make Vernon happy, "You can fight the bullies if there is any. But if they dare to hurt you, then you MUST tell me, got it?"
Mackie stared at her Uncle, who looked so serious, which confused her.
"Um, why should I tell Uncle if I got bullied? Will Uncle do something about it?"
Chapter 548"Um, why should I tell Uncle if I got bullied? Will Uncle do something about it?"
"Obviously," Vernon replied. He also got a little confused with her question just now. "What's with your question? Of course it's natural that I will do something if someone dares to bully you. I will… punish them."
There was a slight pause because Vernon was about to say that he would make sure those bullies would drop out of the school. But that might be too scary for Mackie.
He just wanted Mackie to know that she was well protected.
"Uwaaah!" Mackie's eyes were sparkling with awe. She grabbed her Uncle's other hand and wrapped it with her two small hands. "Uncle, will you defend Mackie too? Will you stop those mean boys and girls who are going to bully me?"
"Of course!" Vernon got even more confused, but he gave a default answer.
Of course, he would protect her. He already took her as his daughter! Of course, all fathers would protect their children, right?
Mackie got even more excited. She darted at her Mommy and chirped excitedly, "Mommy, did you hear that? Uncle said he will protect me! Does that mean I don't need to hide it when I get hurt?"
"Y—Yes, dear, you don't need to hide it anymore…." Chloe said weakly. She glanced at Vernon, who was eyeing her with a pair of terrifying dark eyes. Chloe hunched her shoulder instantly. She was scared that Vernon might get mad once he knew the truth.
"Chloe, we need to talk, let's go to my room first," Vernon said.
"But I have go to school now, Uncle!" Mackie pouted. I don't want to be late!"
"Y—Yeah, we can talk about this later, Vernon," Chloe wasn't prepared to get confronted over this problem. So she tried to go along with her daughter.
Vernon's gaze deepened once he realized Chloe was trying to hide something from him. He wasn't angry— at least not yet. But he got annoyed because he had never heard of this bullying problem and how Mackie had to hide it.
"We will talk at night, prepare yourself," he warned Chloe, and the latter nodded weakly.
Vernon finally left after giving Chloe a warning gaze.
Chloe could finally let out a relieved breath once Vernon left. She didn't know how to tell Vernon about her lies and how she tried to stop Mackie from telling Vernon about the bullies in her old school.
Because Vincent set up those bullies to make his daughter's school life a living hell, Chloe had to return to him as a requirement for Mackie's safety.
Chloe couldn't do anything then, and she was scared that Mackie might tell Vernon about this, and Vernon would do something rash that would endanger his life and career.
"Mommy, Uncle looks mad just now. Did I do something wrong?" Mackie asked.
"No, dear. It's not you who did something wrong," Chloe sighed. "He's mad at me."
"At Mommy?!" Mackie's doe eyes widened. "But Mommy did nothing wrong! Don't worry, Mommy! If Uncle wants to hurt you, I will protect you!"
Chloe stared at her daughter, who bravely wanted to protect her even if she had to face a terrifying man like Vernon.
Mackie had shown her bravery many times and had grown a lot since the last time they left Vincent's mansion together.
Of course, Chloe was very proud of her daughter. But she also felt very guilty.
She wondered if she should've returned to Vincent at that time, so Mackie wouldn't have to fight those bullies.
'Things have changed now. Mackie won't get bullied anymore, and she grows to be a brave and strong little girl, but at what cost?' Chloe lamented. 'She lost her innocence. She had to get beaten, and the stupid me can't do anything but to wipe her wounds and told her that everything will be okay someday.'
'I feel so useless….'
"Mommy? Mommy!" Mackie shook her Mommy's body because she didn't get any answer from her.
"Ah— d—don't worry, dear. Uncle won't hurt me. He is just angry because I did something wrong. He'll probably just scold me," Chloe tried to pacify her daughter.
"Humph! I will scold Uncle back if he makes Mommy cry!"
"Hahah, he won't," Chloe said before she shifted the topic. "Well, finish your smoothie now, we will have to go or you might be late. I think the driver is already down there."
"Un, okay Mommy!"
Since Chloe couldn't drive for the time being, Vernon hired a private chauffeur— who was actually one of his military-trained bodyguards— to drive Mackie to the school and drive Chloe around if she wanted to buy something.
Chloe and Mackie tried to talk to the chauffeur a few times, but he was silent. He only replied with a hum or yes whenever Chloe asked him to go somewhere to buy something she wanted before returning to the apartment.
'I bet, Vernon told him not to speak with me no matter what. He is almost like a robot,' Chloe thought.
Chloe tried to offer the driver some of the food she bought, but the driver always rejected anything by shaking his head or saying no.
One time, Chloe tried to grab his wrist. She wanted to hand him a bag of donuts without saying a word, so the chauffeur had no time to reject her offer. But the man jolted out of reflex and tried to distance himself as far as possible from Chloe.
His face paled as if he had seen a ghost, and he was terrified to the bone just because their hands almost touched.
Chloe couldn't help but pity this guy, 'I wonder what kind of intimidation Vernon did until a big man like him was terrified of me. Well, as long as he did his job, I guess. But I can't help feeling pity for him because he has to act like a robot.'
Chloe sat in the backseat with Mackie, then told the chauffeur, "Drive to Mackenzie's school."
Chapter 549
Vernon tapped his finger while staring at the rows of buildings from the car window. He was still on his way to his Big brother's office. He wasn't all that worried about Vincent being an ass, as always.
After all, Vincent had grown to be increasingly erratic each day, and Vernon had gotten a lot of complaints from many businessmen from Vincent's circle that the Big Boss acted very strangely these days.
—
'Could it be because of his wife?'
'Oh, it could be! Don't you remember how he tried to pit us against each other because he wanted to know which one of us dared to hide his wife?'
'As if I'd hide his wife. I still have a brain! I still want to live!'
'At this rate, we will all lose our business because Big Boss keeps making reckless decisions and mistakes.'
Vernon listened to the chatters of those businessmen while he sipped his wine calmly. It was all according to his plan. Soon, those businessmen would come to him to save their businesses because Vincent would destroy everything, including his business partners, with a series of bad decisions.
'It's good if things continue to go this way,' Vernon thought. 'As expected, no matter how many times Vincent wants to say that Chloe's disappearance has no impact on him or whatsoever, it's obvious that his mental stability relies on Chloe's presence.'
'Maybe we're not so different as a pair of brothers. We both need Chloe to survive in this world, or else we will go crazy.'
—
The car took a sharp turn and entered the driveway until it reached the front of the lobby.
The driver exited the car and opened the door for his boss, "We've arrived, Sir."
"Hm," Vernon grabbed his briefcase and left the car. "Don't forget to stay in the car," he instructed before entering the lobby.
"Understood, Sir."
It had been a week since Vernon hired two military-trained drivers for his small family. It was obvious that Chloe needed a personal driver to get her around, but for him, he hired one because he wanted someone to always be on the watch for his car. After all, Vincent or Maria might grow too suspicious of him as his businesses continued growing and plant a tracking device or recording device inside his car.
So he needed someone trusty and strong to protect his small family's privacy.
Vernon entered Vincent's office and walked through the lobby with confidence wafting from him. Everyone in the lobby had their eyes on him, both with admiration and fear.
Of course, everyone knew his identity. He was Vernon Phoenix Gray, the CEO of Golden Star Inc. He was young, handsome, and a well-known playboy. He was also the younger brother of Vincent Gray, the billionaire and Master of the Gray family businesses.
Together, they were like a pair of ultra-powerful brothers with nothing to stop them, especially since the brothers' relationship looked very harmonious.
Vernon ignored all of those admiring gazes. He was someone with tunnel vision. He didn't care what the others said about him, especially when he had someone precious to protect from his big bro.
Vernon went up with the VIP elevator and was greeted with the sight of Maria who looked as cold as always. Sometimes Vernon wondered if Maria actually had a heart or not because most often Maria did something illegal or dangerous just for the sake of Gray company stability, even though it didn't really benefit her of some sort.
'I feel like there's something that meets my eyes. Nobody will dedicate her entire life to do so many crooked things for no reason,' Vernon suspected. 'Maria doesn't even gain as much monetary gain as I expected, especially after all the things she did.'
Naturally, Vernon had already investigated Maria and her current matters. But she seemed to be just a regular old woman outside of work. She was divorced and lived alone in a fairly luxurious apartment as her sons were already adults and had their own lives.
She earned a lot of money from being the Senior Secretary for the Gray company for the past few decades, but it wasn't enough to justify all of the crooked shit she did just to defend Vincent and save the company because of Vincent's reckless decision.
Vernon walked out of the elevator and approached Maria, who stood still in front of the door to Vincent's office.
He briefly stared at the old secretary and decided, 'I will have to investigate further. This old woman is much more dangerous than Vincent simply because she is more aware of her surroundings than Vincent does. Maybe I can find her weakness and take her down later.'
"Good morning, Mr. Vernon Phoenix Gray, I know that you have a scheduled meeting with Mr. Vincent Gray, but he is currently busy dealing with someone else in the office," Maria said politely as always, but her tone was cold, so it didn't sound friendly at all. "Please wait patiently, I will tell someone to make you tea."
Vernon's eyes peered at the old woman, then asked unscrupulously, "Who is it?"
"Pardon me?"
"Who is the person meeting my big bro right now? I believe that person must be someone more than just a businessman. Vincent will never delay our meeting unless it's an extremely important matter— which is never."
"It is not my responsibility to tell you about my Boss' matter, Sir. Please back off and sit, I will call you once Mr. Vincent Gray is done dealing with her," Maria replied.
"Her? Hehe…" Vernon more or less already guessed who was the oh-so-important woman inside that room with Vincent. It must be his mother, that crooked old bitch who should've been dead by alcohol and drugs at this point!
Vernon couldn't wait to catch that bitch red-handed and then told Chloe that Dorothea betrayed them, so Chloe would never think about befriending that crooked old bitch anymore!
Thus, Vernon stepped forward, and Maria quickly blocked his entry, "Where are you going, Sir?"
Chapter 550
"Inside, isn't it obvious?"
"You're not allowed to enter, Sir. Mr. Vincent Gray is still in a meeting with an important guest," Maria insisted. She didn't budge even under Vernon's intimidation. "Be civil and step back."
Vernon wanted to laugh because this bitch dared to prevent his entry.
How could she dare to block her entry when it was obvious that Vincent favored him so much?
Thus, he did the oldest trick in his book, "BIG BRO! MAY I COME IN?!" Vernon yelled, calling Vincent with the endearing 'Big bro' that would surely entice Vincent's brotherly feelings.
And it worked.
Ten seconds later, there was an answer from the inside, "Just come in!"
"Heh, see? I don't understand why you need to keep me away from my Big bro. We're obviously so close, and there is nothing to hide between us!" Vernon said proudly.
Maria could only bite her lower lip and turned her back. She opened the CEO's office door and muttered, "Come in, Sir."
Vernon passed Secretary Maria arrogantly and entered the CEO's office. He was eager to see the sight of Dorothea-- that dying bitch who put a gap for the past three weeks between him and Chloe.
He didn't even care if Dorothea started accusing him of being the one who was keeping Chloe by his side. It would be funnier because Vincent would never believe her.
Dorothea was just a crazy old lady nobody wanted. Not even the servants liked her.
But what he saw wasn't Dorothea.
It was also another old lady, but she was a lot fatter and looked less crazy and more nervous. Vernon already knew the identity of this woman, but he acted like he had no clue, so Vincent wouldn't suspect a thing from him.
Vincent smiled at his little bro and called him, "Come here, Vernon. Join me to investigate this useless old woman."
Vernon acted innocent and sat right beside Vernon on the sofa, facing the old woman whose face was so pale, it looked like she was about to faint anytime soon.
"So, what's the problem with her?" Vernon asked while checking on his Big brother's face.
Vernon noticed a repressed rage. Vincent was all smiling right now, but his lips twitched a few times, and his neck was so tense, it looked like he was about to explode in front of this poor old woman.
"The problem? Oh, it's nothing much," Vernon sneered. "Why don't you tell my little brother about the problem that you brought here, Mrs. Andrew."
Mrs. Andrew-- The Principal of Mackie's old school, swallowed her saliva. Her body shook, but she still tried to act calm and explained, "I--It's about Mackenzie...."
"Uh-huh, what about my niece?" Vernon asked as he continued his play as an innocent bystander here.
"She... she hasn't come to school since three weeks ago," Mrs. Andrew reported. "Since that last incident of Mr. Gray abusing Chloe--"
"--Giving her a lesson," Vincent interrupted. "I didn't abuse my wife. I just give her a lesson, so she knows that I'm still the one in control, and she is nothing but a weak bitch who will eventually crawl back to me."
Mrs. Andrew swallowed her saliva again, and Vernon sensed that Vincent got even angrier.
Which was funny. Vernon should be the one who was mad because his bastard brother still believed that Chloe needed him.
'Obviously, it's YOU who needs her the most,' Vernon ridiculed in his heart. 'But it's fine. Keep being in denial with your own heart, it's better because that means Chloe will never return to you.'
After a brief silence, Mrs. Andrew revised her words, "Since that last incident of Mr. Gray giving Mrs. Gray a lesson, Mackie was nowhere to be seen. We tried to contact Mrs. Gray's number, but we have been blocked, and even if we try to call her with other numbers, she just rejects the call. Mrs. Gray's number has been uncontactable since last week."
"So it took you three weeks of my daughter missing until you decided to tell me about it, right?"
"M--My apologies, Mr. Gray."
"Apology won't change the fact that you failed to protect my daughter," Vincent said. "Tsk, what if she got kidnapped? So annoying."
Vernon was surprised by Vincent's comment just now. He didn't expect Vincent to be so attentive to his daughter. He thought that Vincent only saw Mackie as a pet, just like how Vincent treated him when he was young.
'I guess I was wrong,' Vernon thought.
"Relax, big bro, don't panic. I'm sure Mackie is fine," Vernon tried to put him at ease.
"And why do you think so?" Vincent asked.
"Because if Mackie got kidnapped or disappeared, sister-in-law would be the first one to search for you and beg for your help," Vernon explained. He didn't want Vincent to start a nationwide hunt to find his daughter. While in actuality, his daughter went to another school for her own safety.
Vincent pondered briefly and nodded, "You're right, Vernon. If she got kidnapped, Chloe would be the first one to crawl back to me," Vincent chuckled as if he had just remembered a funny moment. "It'd be funny if I kidnapped Mackie myself and hid her somewhere. I bet Chloe will go insane and kiss my feet, so I will return Mackie to her."
Vernon's lips twitched. He was trying not to punch Vincent for having that crazy idea. But Vincent was crazy, to begin with, and Vernon should've been used to it by now.
"I think that's a little extreme, Big bro. What if Mackie got traumatized because she got kidnapped by you?" Vernon advised. "She is still your daughter, don't you want to keep her safe?"
Vincent finally turned his head towards his Little brother. He gave Vernon that puzzled look, "What do you mean, Vernon? Why should I care about Mackie? She is just a kid coming out of Chloe's womb. We can just make another baby if that little girl dies. It'd be better if it's a boy."