Ch. 646..650: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 646-650

Chapter 646

"Private space? Uh…" Officer Derek was uncomfortable talking to someone in private, especially because this old lady did not sound kind. There was an insidious aura around her which made him on guard instantly.

But he was afraid this old lady might make a scene in the police department building, and that would put him on inspection. So he had to be careful.

"Officer Derek?" Maria called his name.

"Oh, uhh… sure," Officer Derek agreed reluctantly. "Please come with me, Ma'am."

Officer Derek led the old woman to his office, the same office where he had kept those four boys before they were taken by their aunt.

The Officer allowed Maria to sit on the sofa while he prepared a coffee for her.

Maria's eyes peered around the office, trying to find anything to help her find Chloe. She was 100% convinced this Officer must've invited Chloe in here before.

'Did the Officer have sex with Chloe in here? Chloe has regained her beauty again after a year, it's not surprising that she'll be using her body to get everything she wants. She's a low born woman after all,' Maria guessed. 'If only I can find something that I can use to force him to speak up.'

But she couldn't continue searching because the Officer returned with a cup of coffee for her, "Thank you, Officer," Maria said.

Officer Derek sat on the opposite side of the table and stared at the old woman in front of her, "So, may I know who you are and why are you searching for me?"

Maria sipped the coffee and stared back at the Officer, "Sir, I got the information from someone that my boss' mother-in-law has been murdered. So I came here to find the boys because my boss wants to take care of them."

Officer Derek connected the dots instantly. If he was right, this old woman in front of him must be someone from Vincent Gray's side, maybe his secretary, since she referred to Vincent as 'boss.'

It seemed that Vincent had already discovered the murder, which was very strange because the police were still investigating this case and hadn't made it public yet, since this case involved a highly reputable man.

'Does that mean Vincent has been keeping an eye on the case? Maybe what his wife said last night was right, Vincent Gray was truly the mastermind behind the murder.'

Maria could sense the suspicion from the Officer in front of her, so she acted pitifully, "Oh, don't look at me with those scary eyes, Officer. I'm a fragile old woman, please be kind to me."

Officer Derek took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was a serious man that took no bullshit, but he also wasn't the one who liked to intimidate.

"Pardon me, Ma'am. Now to answer your question, may I know first about how you and your boss know about the murder of Judith Carlson? The case hadn't been released yet, and we are still under investigation," Officer Derek said. "Does that mean you have an informant within the police department?"

Rather than acting scared and denying the accusation, Maria only smiled thin and said, "Vincent Gray is not a regular person, Sir. He has power over so many things, and of course he has an influence in the police department too. It is not something surprising, no?"

Officer Derek became tense instantly. Of course, it wasn't that surprising, but he became wary of this informant's real identity.

Could it be that he was Officer Derek's higher-up?

Or maybe someone from the same rank as him?

'But I think the informant shouldn't be someone with a high position, because this old lady wouldn't need to find me just to find Mrs. Gray and those children's whereabouts,' Officer Derek thought. 'Does that mean she is actually on the run from her own husband? Things are actually piling up against Vincent Gray right now.'

"You're right, and I will chase you about that informant," Officer Derek said as he tried to control the situation, "About the boys, they are safe in foster care, Ma'am. You don't need to worry about them."

"Really? That's fortunate," Maria said calmly. "But Mr. Gray is a very kindhearted person. He has been trying to stay away from Chelsea Davis' family because Chelsea keeps on trying to chase after him. She's like a madwoman in love."

"Mr. Gray always refused her advances, but that only made her worse. So he was very devastated after knowing that Chelsea had gone completely deranged and murdered her own mother," Maria said as she tried to picture her boss as a kind man. "So he told me to find the boys, he will take care of them."

The more this old woman tried to paint Vincent Gray as a good man, the more he realized that Mrs. Gray was right.

Everyone around Vincent would always try to paint a good picture of him because the public image was very important to him.

'Now which one should I believe? Vincent Gray's image portrayed by the media for years, or his image portrayed by his own wife?' Officer Derek pondered.

"So, Officer Derek, can you tell me where I can find those boys? Which foster care are they in right now, or are they still in the government's foster care?"

"My apology, Ma'am. But I am not allowed to disclose the whereabouts of the boys. But I can assure you that they're safe under the right hand," Officer Derek replied.

"Really? But Mr. Gray is their only family. I think a family has more rights to those boys compared to the foster home, right?" Maria added as she acted pitifully. "Do you know that Mrs. Gray has been crying since last night? She's in so much pain and had to be hospitalized after knowing that her mother was murdered. But she told her husband that she wants to take care of those boys because her nephews are their sons too."

Officer Derek's heartbeat skipped for a second the moment this old woman mentioned Mrs. Chloe Gray.

Obviously, Chloe Gray was shaken up last night, but she could still stand her ground. Officer Derek's eyes peered even more suspiciously at the woman sitting peacefully before him. He thought, "This old woman is lying.'

Chapter 647

"Really? Mrs. Gray is in too much shock because of the murder?" Officer Derek asked.

"Obviously!" Maria huffed as she got a little offended because the Officer didn't believe her. "She almost fainted after getting the news. She cried all night in Mr. Vincent Gray's embrace, and begged him to adopt the boys because they are Madam Gray's surviving family members."

She was so saddened that she refused to drink, let alone eat anything, until she was too weak and fainted, so we had to hospitalize her," Maria said. The old woman was so convincing that Officer Derek almost believed her. After all, it was difficult for anyone not to believe an old woman's words.

But he knew well this old woman was lying because Madam Gray came to the police department last night. He was 100% sure the beautiful woman from last night was the real Mrs. Chloe Gray because the boy recognized her instantly. He was able to contact her because of a phone number given by the oldest boy.

But of course, he couldn't just tell all of this to this lying old woman in front of him. Because he knew she was doing all this by order of her boss, Mr. Vincent Gray, and based on Mrs. Chloe Gray's testimony regarding her husband, she portrayed him as an abusive megalomaniac that would do anything to make sure the public opinion was always in his favor.

So it wasn't surprising if Mr. Vincent Gray asked his subordinate to retrieve the kids because they might be the evidence needed to uncover the connection between Vincent Gray and Chelsea Davis, so he had to shut them up.

He'd also regain his popularity and good public image back once the press published an article about his good deeds of accepting the boys into his family, so he'd still be seen as a good family man.

The man stared at the old woman in front of him and thought, 'Surely, looks can be deceiving. Vincent Gray deceived everyone with his good public persona, and this old woman almost deceived me with her crocodile tears.'

"Officer? So, can I meet with the boys now?" Maria asked with a pitiful look. "I'm an old woman, so I can't really stay here for too long. I want to take the boys to my boss and his wife as soon as possible."

Officer Derek cleared his throat and replied, "Those boys are in foster care right now. We cannot specify which one, and we would not let you meet with them."

Maria was surprised by the answer. She thought this middle-aged cop would agree with her instantly. So she protested, "Why not? Please, Officer, those boys are suffering right now. They must be crying day and night because they're put in an unknown environment. Besides, this is my boss' order to retrieve those boys, because Madam Gray wants to take care of them."

"Then let Madam Gray come here and meet me," Officer Derek said.

Maria was stunned. She thought she misheard it just now, "Pardon me, Officer, you're telling me to bring Madam Gray here? To your office?"

"Yes," Officer Derek nodded firmly. "If she really wants to see those boys, then she should come all by herself."

"But there is no difference between her or me who came here to retrieve the boys, right? After all, I'm the one who got the order to bring them back," Maria insisted.

"Madam Gray is the only family member of those boys, so if she wants them back, then she should be the one who comes here and retrieves them, I'd be more than happy to hand those boys from the foster care to Madam Gray," Officer Derek said.

Maria clenched her fist beneath the table. She was in a difficult situation right now. This Officer wasn't as stupid as she expected, and now she had no way to bring Chloe here because she had run away months ago.

'How am I supposed to deceit this Officer. Damn, why do they get a smart one for this case?' Maria complained. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "But, Madam Gray is currently hospitalized, Officer. Are you cruel enough to force a weak lady to come here? And frankly, Mr. Vincent Gray will definitely get angry if you make it hard for his wife to retrieve her surviving family members."

Officer Derek's lips thinned. This old woman had a lot of weapons in her arsenal. She might look frail and pitiful, but her mind was deceitful.

But he wasn't the one who'd get fooled easily. Thus he said, "You're right, Ma'am. I forgot that Madam Gray must be lying on the hospital bed right now. It is very inconsiderate of me."

"You're right, Officer. You should be ashamed of yourself," Maria said. "Now, why don't we just end this whole useless debate and let me meet with those boys? It will save us time."

"I still cannot do that, Ma'am. It is only Madam Gray's right to meet them," Officer Derek said.

"But she is still bedridden in the hospital!"

"You're right. That's why I'm asking you to call her right now," Officer Derek dared. "Call her now, make it a video call, and let me see her face. I will show her face to the boys to see if they recognize her, and if they do, then Madam Gray is free to bring them home."

Maria's eyes widened. She got tense instantly because she had no way to call Chloe right now. Heck, even Vincent had no idea about Chloe's number because she had already changed it.

Hell, even Chelsea and Judith were not informed about the new phone number. So nobody could get in contact with Chloe right now. They also had no way to catch her easily because Mackenzie suddenly transferred school without any notice from her previous school. Chloe's new man must've done something to forge a new document for Mackenzie to enroll in a new school smoothly.

Chapter 648

"So, Ma'am, can you call Madam Gray right now? It's the simplest method of verification," Officer Derek asked confidently, knowing the old woman before him could not do that. "It shouldn't be a difficult thing to do if you're really the subordinate sent by Mr. Vincent Gray and his wife."

"Madam Gray is very shy, she always refuses to let anyone see her face, and my boss is also a very possessive man who won't allow anyone to see his wife's face," Maria said. "It is impossible for me to do so, Officer."

"Then unfortunately, I cannot bring the boys here, Ma'am," Officer Derek replied firmly.

Maria began to lose her patience with this Officer. He was so persistent, and he was actually able to push her to the edge. Thus, unable to continue with this meaningless debate resulting in her loss, she grabbed her bag and stood up, "I think we're done with the conversation, Officer."

"I think so too, Ma'am," Officer Derek said, but he didn't get up to escort her out. He pointed at the door and said," The exit is over there."

Maria gritted her teeth but tried to be as calm as possible, "You will regret this, Officer Derek. Wait until I tell my boss about this, Mr. Vincent Gray is not something you can mess with."

"Then please send my apology to him because I'm just doing my job being a cop here, Ma'am," Officer Derek said calmly. "I'm sure the benevolent Mr. Vincent Gray won't do anything to me."

Maria was finally pushed to the edge. He stomped her heels as she left his office and slammed the door behind her.

Officer Derek stared at the door for a while, and he let out a relieved sigh, "Mrs. Chloe Gray is right, Vincent Gray's true face must be very ugly."

**

Maria stomped her way to her car. This was the first time someone other than Vaughn and Vincent dared to beat her in an argument.

Truthfully, she already got the news from her Informant that a woman with Chloe Gray's-like appearance was the one who took the children. But Maria wasn't 100% sure it was the real Chloe or someone from foster care which happened to look like her. She couldn't believe that because Chloe was still in hiding. Chloe was a very timid lady who didn't even dare to raise her head in front of Vincent, let alone come out to the public, especially the NYPD.

So Maria came to meet the Officer who handled the case to ask about the boys. She thought that he'd simply say Chloe was the one who took the boys to confirm the information from one of Vincent's spies.

But no, he said the boys were the foster care, which was a lot more logical in Maria's head, because how could the Officer get Chloe's contact when she had been in hiding for a while? It was simply unthinkable.

So she went along with the conversation, thinking she could somehow retrieve the boys from foster care and destroy the evidence by sending them somewhere far away. After all, she wasn't fond of killing children.

But that Officer turned out to be very difficult to reason with, and now she was facing a dead end.

"Damn it, I don't know why, but I feel like I am the one who gets played in here," Maria cursed. She was infuriated because she got beaten by a mere police officer.

"What should I do now to find Chloe or those boys? That man refused to give me the identity, and nobody except him knows the boys' whereabouts," Maria wondered. "Should I just use Vincent's men to force that Officer to bring the boys to me? Hm… no, I shouldn't. He's not a man I could mess up with, the police department is too dangerous and it might damage Vincent's reputation."

"So my only choice right now is to find Chloe somehow. I can force her to bring the boys from the foster care, so those boys won't be able to say anything during Chelsea's trial."

Maria was trying to find another way to catch Chloe. So she called her Informant from the police department and asked,

—

"How about Judith Carlson's corpse? Where did you guys put her corpse? Or did you guys already bury her?"

"No, Ma'am. Her corpse is put in the morgue not far from the police department building after an autopsy. The hospital is waiting for Judith's family member to retrieve her," the Informant said. "Ma'am, why are you asking for this? I thought I already told you that Chloe was the one who retrieved the boys."

"You're mistaken," Maria denied. "There is no way for Officer Derek to get Chloe's contact. She's been hiding for so long and nobody could contact her."

The Informant was confused by that statement. He was 100% sure it was Chloe who retrieved the boys, but at the same time, he also couldn't find a good explanation for how Officer Derek got Chloe's contact.

"Then what are you going to do next, Ma'am?" The Informant asked on the phone.

"I will ambush Chloe in the hospital. She might not be able to go to the police station to meet those boys because she's too scared, and it's too risky to bring the boys with her. She's a stupid, timid woman, not a risk-taker," Maria said. "But I'm pretty sure she still has some good in her. After hearing about the murder soon, she'd probably ask her powerful man to let her visit the morgue to see her mother's corpse."

"Then how about the Child Protection Service, Ma'am. Sooner or later, the CPS will be searching for those boys too. Why don't you just wait and see, Officer Derek will not be able to lie in front of the CPS," the Informant said, still thinking that Chloe was the one who took the boys even though it was hard to believe.

"We don't have that much time, you idiot," Maria scolded. "By next week, those boys might be interviewed by some reporters, and they might say something that will ruin Mr. Gray's image!"

Chapter 649

Vernon could finally take a relieved breath after he left Vincent's mansion. He really thought that his Big Brother would call all the security guards to surround him and trap him inside the mansion so his Big bro could get instant revenge on him.

He was confident with his fighting skill. After all, he practiced kickboxing for years as self-defense. But he didn't know how many men would surround him. Logically speaking, it would be difficult for him to fight ten men at once.

Fortunately, it seemed that his Big bro didn't want that instant revenge.

Vernon entered his car and drove out of the mansion. His mind floated as he wondered what his Big bro would do next.

"He is definitely planning something nefarious on me," Vernon murmured while his eyes were on the road. "I mean, it's obvious after what I did to him. But I just can't control myself to fight back once I realize that he is going to treat me like his dog, just like what he did to me when I was young."

Vernon still remembered his younger days, when his Big bro truly treated him like a pet that would be given treats as long as Vernon did a trick. He even told Vernon to bark like a real dog in exchange for some of Vincent's time to play, just because Vernon was so starved of attention back then.

Vernon gripped the steering wheel tighter, his eyes peering at the road in front of him, "I am done playing dog with him. I don't care what he will do next. I am ready to take anything from him," Vernon claimed boldly. "After all, we're on equal terms now, he just hasn't realized it yet."

"I can even go public with Chloe right now. But I know that wouldn't give Chloe the true security she deserves," Vernon murmured. He was thinking about Chloe again. His heart was aching whenever he remembered all the abuses Chloe had endured under Vincent's hand. It made him want to return to the mansion and finish his Big Bro for real. "I swear he will suffer for all the things he did to my woman."

**

Diamond was done with the work today. She had already met with the landlord and already told some of Vernon's men to start filling the room with furniture to make it more believable that Chloe was living there.

She planned to return home after she was done with work, but she missed her homegirl so much. It had been a while since the last time they met. Her boss didn't allow Chloe to come to the office anymore because she might get recognized, so he always bought his lunch, or Chloe would ask the bodyguard to send the food to the office.

"I'll visit her now, maybe I can help her with something," Diamond said. Instead of turning to the left, she went straight because she intended to visit Chloe. "Hmm, do I need to call her, or should I just make it a surprise visit?"

Diamond was thinking for a moment before shrugging, "Oh well, I'll just give her a surprise visit. I bet she'll be happy with me around."

Diamond parked her car in the basement of the Phoenix Tower. She headed straight to the penthouse and knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock!

"Homegirl, it's me!" Diamond yelled to make sure that Chloe heard her.

The door was opened not long after, and Chloe was greeted by the sight of Chloe wearing a pink apron. She smiled cheerfully as she hugged Diamond, but Diamond could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

"It's been a while, Diamond!" Chloe said.

"Yup, I've been missing you a lot! What are you doing anyway? Baking something?" Diamond guessed as she sniffed a sweet scent coming from the kitchen.

"Mhm, I'm baking a cake for the kids," Chloe said. She looked tired as she mentioned to the kids, "Actually, can you help me with something, Diamond?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you accompany my daughter in her room? She's been sulking all day because I don't have time for her," Chloe said. "As you see, I'm still baking cakes for her and the other boys to improve their moods, but Mackie kept on sulking, demanding me to accompany her play."

"Why don't you just bring her to those boys? I thought you said that Mackie is very close to her cousins," Diamond suggested.

"Yes, but I can't do that right now. The boys are still in shock after what happened last night, and I don't want Mackie to find out about the evil thing that Chelsea did," Chloe explained. She remembered Aaron again and all the things he had to go through. "One child already suffered from PTSD, and I'm sure he needs to be professionally treated by a child psychologist. I don't want Mackie to be in too much shock in case one of the boys told her about the truth."

Diamond sighed. Her homegirl hadn't changed at all.

She was still the same woman who'd hide things from her daughter. Though it was done with good intentions, it would create a misunderstanding that might damage Mackie in the long run.

But Diamond fully understood that Chloe was right.

Mackie should not know about the news yet, especially not from the boys. Because the boys might say something that was absolutely horrifying because they recalled past trauma, and it could damage Mackie too.

"How about I bake and you talk to her instead?" Diamond offered.

Chloe shook her head, "Mackie is still upset with me, you should go and talk to her, really."

"Mhm, alright then, but don't expect much from me. I'm not a mother yet," Diamond said. Chloe smiled and nodded. She gave way for Diamond to go downstairs to meet Chloe.

Diamond stood in front of Mackie's room, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door a few times.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"I'm not opening it unless you're playing with me, Mommy," Mackie sulked inside.

"It's Diamond. I'm here to accompany you instead."

Chapter 650

Ah, Diamond!" Mackie hurriedly opened the door and smiled at Diamond, "Welcome to my room! Are you here to play with me?"

"Sure!" Diamond said.

Mackie excitedly held her hand and guided Diamond into her room. The latter looked around the little girl's room and realized that Mackie actually loved sweet-themed characters since her room was filled with Barbies, Hello Kitty, and Disney Princess merchandise.

Contrary to Mackie's bold, active, and even feisty attitude, her room was girly and cute.

Though, it wasn't all that surprising for Diamond because she grew up having the same hobby, just like Mackie. Diamond also loved all kinds of girly stuff, and she also had the same feisty attitude as Mackie.

"You can sit here, Diamond!" Mackie allowed Diamond to sit on a stool while she was preparing a doll house shaped like Cinderella's castle for both of them to play. "You're the first one that will play this dollhouse with me! Uncle bought this for me last week!"

"Really? Then it is my honor, Princess Mackenzie."

Mackie's eyes brightened when Diamond called her Princess. She bowed her heart politely towards Diamond and replied, "My pleasure, Princess Diamond."

Diamond chuckled. She helped Mackie to prepare the dollhouse and then started playing with her. Diamond kept on observing Mackie while they were playing and realized that Mackie acted so much like her when she was young.

Obviously, her family didn't have money to buy this kind of expensive dollhouse when she was young, but Diamond remembered having a few Barbie dolls that she liked to dress up and play house with. She was the typical girly girl, and sometimes the boys made fun of her.

Diamond glanced at Mackie's school bag at the corner of the room and noticed it was glittery pink and filled with Disney princesses. Mackie also had plenty of pink, white, and purple shoes.

Diamond got slightly worried and asked, "Does anyone ever make fun of your pink bag and shoes?"

Mackie tilted, "Why would anyone make fun of my pink bag?"

"Well, back when I was your age, I also loved anything pink. Some of the boys in my school didn't like it and mocked me for being too girly," Diamond said.

"And what did you do to them, Diamond?" Mackie asked again.

"I yelled at them and told them to stop," Diamond chuckled. "Well, that doesn't stop me from wearing anything pink, even now."

"That's good! You shouldn't stop just because the boys bully you!" Mackie snorted.

"Does that mean you get bullied because you're wearing pink too?" Diamond asked. She knew little about Mackie's school because it was under Vernon and Chloe's control.

But she still wanted to ensure that Mackie was not bullied for something she liked.

"Nobody bullies me in my new school, because we're all friends!" Mackie claimed. "And I fight back against those in my previous school because they bullied me."

"Oh-ho, you're surely a pretty little warrior," Diamond teased.

Mackie had a proud grin on her face, "Of course! I promised myself to protect Mommy, I have to be strong!"

"But…" Mackie's smile faltered. She suddenly lost interest in playing with her doll. "My Daddy…"

"What's wrong with your Daddy?" Diamond asked worriedly.

"Um, he told me once that he will throw all of my dolls and pinkies once I get older, because it's too girly. I'm not supposed to play with it because I'm his daughter, and his daughter doesn't play with pinks…." Mackie said. She looked at Diamond with pitiful doe eyes inherited from Chloe. "Diamond, is it true that I'm not allowed to play with dolls and wear pinks after I'm older? Why did my Daddy say that?"

'Well, because your dad is a misogynistic asshole who thinks that femininity is not good,' Diamond replied in her heart. She was trying hard not to say it out loud.

Honestly, she didn't want to conceal that because it was pretty obvious that Mackie had already developed some understanding of what was happening around her. She would eventually realize that her Daddy was an absolute jerk.

But it wasn't her place to tell her the truth. Chloe was the only one who had the right to do that.

"Don't worry about your Dad. He just doesn't like pink," Diamond answered but still tried to be as vague as possible. "Did your Mom and Uncle ever try to stop you from wearing pinks?"

Mackie shook her head, "Uncle said I look like a Princess each time Mommy dresses me up, and he said pink suits me so much. Mommy loves me and is always happy to buy me anything pink if I want."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Diamond smiled. "Just focus on your Uncle and Mom, and forget about what your Daddy said, okay?"

"Un…" Mackie nodded. She finally regained the mood to play with her doll again.

Diamond was relieved and played some more before she brushed up on the topic of Chloe.

"So, your Mom told me that you're sulking the whole day because she doesn't want to play with you, is that right?"

Mackie said nothing, but she nodded.

"Mackie… your Mom wants to play with you as well, but she is just too busy right now. You can just play by yourself, right?" Diamond suggested.

"… it's not about that," Mackie replied. "I'm fine playing alone. But I want Mommy to play with me so she can rest."

"Mommy looks very tired and sad today. I heard her crying in her room at noon while calling Gran Judith's name," Mackie said. "I don't know what's wrong with Mommy, and I want to help. But each time I ask if she is alright, Mommy would always say she is okay, and try to hide things from me. Is it because I'm just a child? Is that why I shouldn't know about Mommy's trouble?"

Mackie raised her head and stared at Diamond, "Diamond, am I too young to help my Mommy