Ch. 656..660: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 656-660

Chapter 656

Thus, Mackie jumped from her chair and approached her mother. She put her hand on Mommy's lap and looked up at her with determined eyes, "Mommy, you can tell me everything. I will understand."

"…" Chloe sighed and patted Mackie's head. "Alright then, I will let you see Gran as soon as possible."

"Yay! Thank you so much, Mommy!" Mackie hugged her Mommy before she returned to her table and resumed eating her breakfast again.

Chloe had relief in her heart because it seemed her daughter had begun to mature slowly. Though it still wasn't the same kind of slow growth from childhood innocence to teenager that Chloe wanted, at least Mackie had the chance to understand things around her slowly.

'Unlike Aaron who has to endure terrible reality and has to mature extremely early…' Chloe thought. Aaron was way too mature for his age. Sometimes, Chloe wanted to tell him it was okay to ask for toys or tell his Aunt if he wanted something.

But so far, Aaron always told her that he was happy and content with everything because he could eat good food, hot water, and a comfortable place to sleep.

On top of that, he didn't get beaten, which was the most important thing for him.

It was tragic for Chloe to keep listening to him because he must've been severely abused and starved by Chelsea to the point that none of the boys even asked for toys or anything else.

'At least, Mackie doesn't have to suffer like the boys. I promise I will give her a good life, and I'll let her know the truth about her father soon, because she went through a lot of pain caused by Vincent,' Chloe promised herself.

Mackie finished her breakfast and went downstairs to read some storybooks she got from her Uncle.

Chloe ate slowly, thinking about what to say to Mackie about her Gran.

Of course, she couldn't say that Aunt Chelsea murdered her Gran in cold blood by backstabbing her three times. Though Mackie had developed some understanding of the world around her, something like that was just too tragic and grotesque.

"Maybe I should tell her that her Gran died because of old age, that's the most logical and humane alibi I could give," Chloe murmured. "But that means I have to tell the boys about it. Maybe I just need to tell Aaron not to tell the truth to Mackie."

"Ugh, this is such a difficult problem, how should I handle this?" she complained.

Vernon left his room about thirty minutes later. He was only wearing his boxer that could barely cover his bulge. He yawned a few times as he joined Chloe at the dining table and ate breakfast.

Chloe stared at Vernon for a while and then asked, "Vernon, can I visit the hospital not far from the police station before? I want to check on my mother's body."

Vernon stopped munching the toast. He turned his head towards Chloe and replied curtly, "No."

"B—But, I need to check on the corpse! What if it rots before I can give her a proper funeral? Or at least let me cremate her body and keep the ashes!" Chloe protested.

"Because it's too fast, Chloe," Vernon said. "It's only been a few days since the murder. Vincent must've been searching for you and those boys frantically right now. The best we can do to stay safe is at least two weeks."

"No, that's too long. Her body might rot at that point!" Chloe insisted. "Come on, Vernon. Let me see her for the last time. We can hold the funeral later, but Mackie wants to see her Gran…."

Clank!

Vernon dropped his utensils the moment Chloe mentioned Mackie. He glared at Chloe, holding his anger, "Why are you bringing Mackie into this? Do you not know how dangerous it will be?!"

"Ssh!" Chloe tried to cover Vernon's mouth so he wouldn't be too loud. "Mackie might hear you!"

Vernon zipped his mouth instantly, but he still glared at Chloe, demanding an answer.

"Mackie is asking about her Gran, and the reason why her cousins are staying with us for an indefinite amount of time. I was thinking about making up a lie to cover it again. But then I saw the seriousness in Mackie's eyes, then I realized that Mackie doesn't need to be coddled all the time," Chloe said. "She already has an understanding of what is happening around her, and I… I can't keep lying at her, Vernon…."

"And you will tell her that her Grandmother was murdered by her Aunt?"

"Of course not!" Chloe rejected. "I will tell her that her Gran died of old age. I just don't want to keep Mackie in the dark for too long. I'm afraid she'll start searching for the truth from someone else, and I don't want her to get a harsh truth, or even a twisted lie from Vincent."

Vernon's expression eased up after getting an answer from Chloe.

Truthfully, he also understood that Mackie had to know about the situation with her family sooner or later. No amount of coddling from Chloe would be enough to stop Mackie from discovering the truth about her family.

Though Chloe still had to lie about the cause of Judith's death, this was a step in the right direction of what they should do for the little girl.

Thus, after a moment of consideration, Vernon finally nodded reluctantly, "Fine, I will let you check on Judith in the hospital. But under one requirement."

"What is it?"

"I will let you come with Mackie inside the hospital protected by at least four bodyguards surrounding you, and I will be waiting outside. In case those bodyguards haven't given me any report of what you two are doing, then I will come in. I don't fucking care if I found Vincent inside," Vernon said determinedly. He held Chloe's hand and squeezed it tight. "I will never let you get hurt, not after what happened before in Mackie's school."

Chapter 657

pαndα---noνɐ1,сoМ

"Four bodyguards, that's a bit…." Chloe paused for a moment. She saw that Vernon already expected her refusal and thus showed a disapproving stern expression. He definitely didn't want to listen to Chloe's argument right now.

But Chloe thought that four bodyguards were just too much. She knew she was in danger and had to stay hidden, but wouldn't it be even more obvious with that many bodyguards around?

"Vernon, if you send that many bodyguards around Mackie and I, then people around will notice. Who knows that might attract Vincent and Maria?" Chloe argued. "Wouldn't it be better to just send one bodyguard by my side. After all, it's just Mackie and I, and it's in the hospital, where Vincent has no control over the people inside, unlike that school where the Principal was completely under Vincent's order."

"And let you and Mackie get beaten to death by my bastard brother? Fuck no!" Vernon clenched his fist. "Just imagining Mackie and you suffering because of that bastard is enough to make me furious, Chloe. There is no fucking way I'd let that happen again!"

Chloe flinched when Vernon suddenly yelled in front of her face. But she understood that Vernon must be really upset because of that incident in the Principal's office.

Honestly, Chloe was also upset back then. She wished to at least bring a knife with her. Then she would kill that fucker all by herself and end the torment.

She didn't care if she had to be the one that went to prison for it. After all, she believed that Vernon could be a good father to Mackie.

'My suffering will end if I kill that guy with my own hand…' Chloe thought. 'Why didn't I do that back then anyway? I have all the time in life to kill Vincent.'

Chloe recalled all the time she wasted trying to appease Vincent while he kept beating her to a pulp. She feared for her life so much that the only thing on her mind was to survive with Mackie.

'Maybe because of Mackie…' Chloe thought. 'I don't want my daughter to suffer because I know Vincent will definitely hurt Mackie if I tried to fight back.'

Chloe gently held Vernon's hands to calm him down, "Vernon, calm down. Mackie might hear us downstairs."

"Calm down? You asked me to calm down when my family's life is in danger?!" The more Chloe tried to pacify Vernon, the angrier he got. He grabbed Chloe's wrist instead and then pointed at her right hand, "Do you not remember how you can't use your right hand for almost a month?! Do you think I like seeing you trying to endure the pain when you try to stop me from finding Vincent after he beat you?!"

"I—I just think that you're overreacting a bit…" Chloe said. She lowered her head, afraid to see his face because she felt guilty for upsetting him.

Vernon suddenly put her hands on his chest, and she could feel his accelerating heartbeat, which made her raise her head spontaneously. She was scared because Vernon's heartbeat was irregular, but she was even more terrified when she saw him shedding tears.

Vernon was a very tough man. He rarely whined, let alone cried in front of Chloe. He usually put up that strong man persona and was always logical despite all the things happening to them.

He was always the voice of reason and would try to find a way to help Chloe and all of her problems.

So when Chloe saw him in this pitiful state, she panicked instantly.

"No, no, don't cry, Vernon, please…" Chloe begged as she pulled her hand away from Vernon's chest and tried to wipe his tears.

"Do you not realize how important you are to my life?" Vernon asked with a hoarse voice. "I don't want to cry in front of you. But imagining you being hurt again makes me too upset. Why don't you understand that you and Mackie are my heartbeat. You two are the reason I keep pushing through!"

"Vernon…"

"So please, Chloe," Vernon begged. "Please let me protect you. I can only be assured when you're under the right amount of protection. I'm already doing my best to hold myself not to guard you and Mackie with my own body wherever you go outside."

Chloe finally zipped her lips once she realized Vernon was upset because of her stubbornness.

Sometimes she asked herself, to what extent would Vernon tolerate her and all her problems? Would he stop helping and protecting them once he got tired of her?

'I don't know. I still don't have the answer myself…' Chloe knew she had burdened Vernon so much. Too much, in fact, that she felt she had become nothing but a deadweight for him.

So Chloe always instinctively tried to lessen Vernon's burden, even with the cost of her own safety.

In the end, Chloe had to give up and wipe Vernon's tears that kept falling with her pajama sleeve, "Okay, I understand, Vernon. You can bring four bodyguards to surround Mackie and I."

"Really?" Vernon asked while wiping his snot. "You'll let me do that?"

"Mhm," Chloe nodded. "I'm sorry that I make you upset. I just don't want to burden you further with my problems."

"Your problem is my problem as well, Chloe. I'm not burdened when it's about your safety," Vernon said. He grabbed Chloe's hands that had been wiping his tears for a while and then kissed her fingers one by one. "You should know that nothing burdens me about you. You are my end goal, Chloe."

Chloe's cheeks reddened. Though she had been with Vernon for a while, she still wasn't used to his pampering and gentle touch. It made her feel wanted, something that she never felt with Vincent for a long time.

Thus, after it was settled down, Chloe said, "Um… y—you can release my hand now, Vernon. I have to go down to check on Mackie."

Vernon finally stopped kissing Chloe's fingers after a while. He glanced at Chloe, whose face was as red as a lobster, and then reluctantly released her hand, "Okay then, I'll freshen up before work. Remember, Chloe, I will bring four bodyguards for you and Mackie, and you can't refuse me after this.

Chapter 658

"O—Okay, I will listen to you…" Chloe nodded obediently. "Just please, don't cry anymore, okay? I can't see you cry, Vernon. It hurts me as well…."

Vernon nodded and gave Chloe a kiss on the lips before letting her go, much to Chloe's embarrassment.

"W—Well, I'll go to Mackie now," Chloe said. She hurriedly got up and went downstairs, feeling weird that she had to agree to Vernon's request without much fight.

Honestly, she was ready to argue with Vernon for the whole day because she didn't want Vernon to be too obvious with his protection. What if the supposedly secret visit to see Judith's body turned into a chaotic mess because Vernon's bodyguards attracted too much attention?

'I just think that sometimes Vernon can be too paranoid…' Chloe thought.

She sighed as she walked to Mackie's bedroom door, "Well, now that I've said yes, I guess it can't be helped. I just hope nothing bad will happen."

**

Vernon took a deep breath as he stared at the bathroom mirror after washing his face. His eyes were red and puffy because he cried nonstop in front of Chloe.

Honestly, he disliked showing weakness, especially in front of the woman he was supposed to protect.

He wanted to be the fortress that would never crumble forever, so Chloe would always lean on him no matter what.

But when he realized how awfully stubborn Chloe could be, he knew he had to take extreme measures to coax her to give up her stubbornness.

'Well, I know that Chloe is weak to tears. If Dorothea can soften Chloe's heart with her tears, I can do that as well,' Vernon thought as he shaved his stubble. 'Though, it's really unpleasant to do. It makes me feel unworthy to call myself a fortress that will protect her.'

'But in the end, I get what I want. Chloe's agreement to send four bodyguards to surround her all the time during that hospital visit, and I get to watch from outside. It's still far from my ideal protection because I want the hospital to be cleared out with at least twenty bodyguards around her, but I guess it can't be helped,' Vernon had a proud grin as he finished his shaving. "This is about Chloe and Mackie's safety, I don't care if I have to act pitiful as long as they are safe."

**

Vernon entered his office around ten in the morning. He was greeted by Diamond, whose face was stern and serious, indicating that something bad had just happened.

"What's wrong?" Vernon asked as he sat in his chair.

Diamond stood across the desk and replied, "Sir, what did you do to Vincent Gray yesterday?"

"… I pushed him to the glass table until it broke and the glass shard scattered around him. Then I stomped him with my shoes, making sure those glass shards dig inside his body," Vernon replied coldly. He had no intention of hiding it because it seemed that Diamond was already dealing with the consequence. "Did that bastard do something to you?"

Diamond sighed. She knew there'd be a day when her boss finally showed his true self in front of Vincent.

But she didn't expect it to be so early, "Sir, based on my calculation. You are equal to him in terms of business partners, influence, and net worth, with only a slight advantage for reputation because Gray company has been suffering a lot from bad press these days," Diamond said. "Isn't it a bit too early for you to reveal your true face, Sir?"

Diamond didn't exactly know all of her boss' plans because he kept them hidden most of the time unless the plan included Diamond as well.

So she had to make sure that nothing was out of her calculation.

ραпdα---nᴏνa| сom "It is indeed too early," Vernon said. "But that doesn't mean we're completely screwed, Diamond. That just means we will have to be extra careful because we'll have to cut contact with Vincent's company completely."

"What makes you act so rashly, Sir?"

"… he wanted to slap me for being a disobedient dog. He just wants to vent his frustration on me since the advertisement guarantees total failure for his new makeup brand," Vernon said. "I won't take a beating from a weak man who can only beat women like him. Besides, I know that his position is already shaky, it's a good reality slap for him so he knows he's not God."

"I see…" Diamond understood that her boss' reaction was humane. Nobody wanted to be beaten, let alone by a coward who hid behind his status like Vincent. "Then, what will you do next, Sir? I assume that you have some sort of plan, right?"

"I do," Vernon smirked. "Chloe told me last night that two days from now, the police would announce the case to the public. They have been delaying the announcement for a while because it is a gruesome murder case that indirectly involves Vincent Gray, a powerful businessman with a lot of connections."

"Chloe suggests that I send as many paparazzi and news reporters to the police department right on that day. She told me that the police might not be able to put Vincent to trial because they lacked evidence, especially with Chelsea's sanity, it's hard to take the word of a madwoman seriously. But Chelsea's reputation as the female Joker alongside her claim about Vincent being her future husband would bring bad press to Vincent and the Gray family."

"With this, Vincent's position in his own company would be unstable, and the board directors and investors probably would demand him to step down from the position as CEO because of his smeared reputation," Vernon said.

Diamond's jaw dropped as Vernon retold the idea that Chloe had.

"Wow, did Chloe plan this by herself?" She asked.

"Yes, she said that she already planted the seed of suspicion in the Officer's mind, so he will always be on watch against Vincent and his lackeys, making it hard for Vincent to manipulate the outcome of the investigation."

 

Chapter 659

"Wow," Diamond was speechless when she heard all this from her boss. "She has grown a lot since the first time I met her."

"She used to be very timid. She didn't even dare to raise her head, let alone speak her mind out and planned something like this," Diamond recalled those times when Chloe was very quiet and always apologized for the most menial thing happening around her. It was tragic and probably one of the reasons why Diamond befriended her early on rather than treating her coldly and formally like her boss told her to do.

She just knew that a woman like Chloe needed support until she could get back on her feet, and she knew that Chloe wasn't a malicious person.

"That's the long term effect of abuse and humiliation," Vernon said. His heart was aching when he said that because he was also guilty of yelling at Chloe many times back then.

He was full of anger and resentment towards Chloe, and he thought she hated him, so he had to return the same energy to her.

He was miserable, they were miserable…

'I will devote my lifetime to make up for it,' Vernon promised himself before he returned to the topic. "Anyway, don't forget to contact all the Paparazzi you can get, and also official news reporters, get them to gather for that case, so it will make headlines everywhere, both in and out of social media. We need to make sure that Vincent will be forced to step down from his position as CEO because there is way too much bad press around him."

"Got it, Sir," Diamond nodded. "I will make sure we will attack Vincent and his company with endless bad rep to force him to step down. The Gray company's stock has been going down for at least 30%, right?"

"It will keep dropping, I want it to at least drop until it plummets to 80%," Vernon said. "You can go now, Diamond."

"Sir, before I go, I want to tell you that I've used the HR department to fire a new staff that we recruited about three months ago," Diamond reported.

Vernon frowned, "Why?"

"That new staff member turned out to be Maria's henchwoman. She's the one who has been inquiring about our projects and reporting it to Maria, that's why she keeps being suspicious with the amount of business partners that come to our door," Diamond said. "We got her fired already, but I'm not sure how many things she already knows because I spotted her when she's trying to search for information on my desk early this morning."

"Damn, that old bitch needs to die of heart attack, seriously," Vernon cursed. "She's been more of a problem than Vincent."

"Do you want me to do something, Sir?" Diamond offered.

"No, you can't do anything against her. Maria is a senior staff that has been working with my family for decades. She's much more experienced than you," Vernon said. "I don't want you to fall into their trap."

"Then what can we do about this, Sir?" Diamond asked. She got worried whenever she remembered about Secretary Maria. Just with one look, Diamond already knew that woman was very dangerous. "I bet that old woman is trying to salvage things right now."

"Definitely, but I will try to keep her in check," Vernon said. "Just do what I told you to do, Diamond. Oh and… I want you to keep track of the CPS visit. I want you to be there since I have a bad feeling about it, and I can't just surround the house with bodyguards because it might make the CPS staff suspicious."

"Got it, Sir. I will be there to protect Chloe and those boys," Diamond said. "Please excuse me then, I will contact those reporters and independent Paparazzi."

Diamond turned around and left the office, leaving Vernon alone.

Vernon took his phone out and started dialing his henchmen about guarding Chloe in the hospital. He had to prepare everything before Chloe's hospital visit tomorrow morning.

**

Meanwhile, Maria was in a terrible mood right now. She failed to retrieve those boys, so it was impossible for her to manipulate them so they wouldn't say anything.

"What should I do now?" Maria asked herself. "What if the CPS interviewed those boys and those little shits said something about Vincent? I can't let the Gray company fall, and Vincent is the life of that company. No matter how shitty he is, he has the blood of Mr. Vaughn Gray."

ραпdα---nᴏνa| сom It was rare for Maria to be put in such a difficult position like this. Had she known that Vincent wanted to manipulate Chelsea to kill her family, she'd have prepared a better way or at least made sure those boys would be killed as well.

"This is a mess because Vincent acted without asking me first, now it's hard to do damage control," Maria complained. "Do I have to use my instinct to find those boys instead?"

Honestly, Maria didn't believe that the boys were in foster care after her Informant told her that CPS would be searching for those boys in a week.

If they were in foster care, it wouldn't take CPS one week to check on them, so those boys must stay with someone close to them, presumably a family member.

And the only family member they had right now was Chloe, so her instinct told her that Chloe was the one who had been hiding the boys as well.

"Well, this is just a wild guess based on my instinct. It cannot be relied on," Maria said. "But this is the only thing I could do. So I need to find a way to track Chloe down."

Thus, Maria took out her phone and called another Informant she had.

—

"Keep an eye on Judith Carlson's corpse stored in the hospital near that police department. I have a feeling that Chloe will visit her dead mother sooner or later., Inform me if you see any sighting of her, or any report of her trying to hold a funeral or cremation for the corpse."

"…"

"Don't worry about money, bribe all hospital staff as long as they're on our side."

Chapter 660

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Maria finished the call after getting those informants to do their job correctly. Now, she had one more thing to do: spy on Vernon Phoenix Gray and all the business partners he had snatched from the Gray company.

She already knew that boy was up to no good. Initially, he might appear childish and obedient toward Vincent, but he wouldn't fool her.

"Well, now Vincent already knows that Vernon is not as obedient as he thought. There is no need to hold back anymore," Maria said. "I'll get all the information needed to ruin his company, and get all of those business partners and resources back to the rightful owner, Vincent and the Gray company. That second son needs to learn that he will never be as good as the true heir."

Thus, Maria went to a coffee shop to meet with her mole, who worked as a new staff member in Vernon's office. She was the one who had been supplying Maria with all the information about the growth of the company for the past three months.

Maria entered the coffee shop where they always met and saw her mole sitting at the furthest corner of the coffee shop.

She looked sad, which was already a bad sign for Maria.

'Don't tell me there's another problem,' Maria guessed. 'I can't handle another problem. I'm so over this bullshit with Vernon Phoenix Gray.'

Maria sat on the seat facing the mole and crossed her arms over her chest, "You have ten seconds to explain your failure."

The mole gulped nervously.

She tried to dodge the old woman's condescending eyes as she explained, "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I tried to check the secretary desk to see if there is any document regarding Gray company. I had come as early as I could to avoid detection, but that secretary, Diamond. She actually came to the office very early in the morning, and I got caught red-handed."

"She immediately interrogated me with threats until I'm forced to admit that you're the one who sent me," the mole admitted.

Maria's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she heard that. She slammed the table, which shocked the mole and everyone inside the coffee shop, "YOU TOLD HER MY IDENTITY?!"

The mole paled instantly, and she nodded, "I—I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I really don't know what to do. That woman is terrifying…."

Maria gritted her teeth. She raised her hand and—

PA!

Everyone gasped when the old woman suddenly slapped the young woman so hard that she slumped to the floor while holding her cheek.

Maria wanted to do more to this stupid mole she hired to appease her anger, but she knew she was in public.

So she took a deep breath and grabbed her bag, "You are fired. You should know the risk if you dare to report our connection to someone else."

With that, Maria walked away from the coffee shop, ignoring the curious onlookers inside the coffee shop. She wasn't worried that stupid mole would report anything.

If she was scared by that stupid bimbo called Diamond, she didn't know how scary Maria could be when she was truly mad.

Maria entered her car and quickly called some of her other informants. At this point, she had been exhausting 50% of her connection to find a straw to help Vincent and his massive fuck-up.

—

"Find me Diamond Johnson's address, send two men to go with me. I want to have a little chat with her."

—

Her informant didn't take long to get Diamond Johnson's address. Maria smirked as she read the address on her phone. She had long known that bimbo was unpleasant and was just as dangerous as Vernon Phoenix Gray, so Maria wanted to weed her out first.

"Let's take out the trash one by one, I'm pretty sure that bimbo won't expect my arrival," Maria said. "I'll make sure she suffers enough to never show up in front of her boss anymore."

**

Diamond had just finished her work in the office today. She had already called many independent Paparazzi and news reporters to gather in front of the police department two days from now, preparing themselves for the headline of the week.

"Ugh, I'm beat. Can't wait to go home and continue watching Wednesday on Netflix," Diamond complained when she entered the elevator. She pressed the elevator button leading to her apartment floor and leaned on the side while scrolling through TikTok.

A malicious grin perked up when she watched one video of a woman laughing while recording the lipstick ad in New York Times Square. She laughed and said that Vincent Gray didn't need to hire a beauty guru to cast a female Joker.

It already went viral and had two million likes, "Seems like Vincent's PR team can't do damage control at this point," she murmured.

Ding!

The elevator stopped on one floor. Diamond looked up to check the floor and returned her gaze to the phone because it wasn't on her floor.

She noticed three people entering the elevator with her, but she didn't pay too much attention and continued scrolling until the coarse voice of an old woman called her name, "Ms. Diamond Johnson, we need to talk."

Diamond lifted her gaze a little and saw the old hand that she despised so much, Maria. She stood in the middle of the elevator with two burly men behind her. It was obvious that she had been stalked and cornered by Maria and her henchmen.

Naturally, Diamond knew she was about to be tortured and taken away. With one look, Diamond already knew what kind of person Maria was.

She was a cold and ruthless woman who would stop at nothing until she got what she wanted, and that must've involved Vincent and Vernon.

'She must've realized that I caught her mole red-handed, threatened her, and then fired her when I got all the information about Maria's mission to infiltrate the company,' Diamond thought.

Thus, she stood upright fearlessly in front of Maria and her henchmen and then glanced at the CCTV at the corner of the elevator before returning her gaze towards Maria again.

"You should know there is CCTV in here," Diamond said. "If you want to have a little chat, you should come to my room, I am more than ready to face you, Maria."