Ch. 721..725: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 721-725

Chapter 721

"At first, I prefer to ignore the rumors and slander about me, because I have a lot of projects to do. But once I realize that the rumors have gotten out of control, I realize that I have to do something or else my reputation will be ruined," Vincent said.

He clenched his fist under the desk, trying his best to hold this uncomfortable feeling in his heart. The blitzes from the camera made it even worse.

He felt nauseous as if he could throw up anytime soon.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was definitely not in a good condition right now.

Nevertheless, the show must continue, and he had to endure this uncomfortable feeling until the press conference ended.

"I implore all the news outlets to clarify to me if they want to know the truth. I've been watching the news and my face is plastered everywhere without my consent. This is clearly the violation of privacy and also defamation," Vincent said. "Therefore, I'm planning to take any slander that I got to the court, I will sue any media who dares to defame me without concrete evidence."

The reporters were shocked by that.

Mr. Vincent Gray was usually a very kind yet busy man who wouldn't even care to gossip about him.

But it seemed that it was just a public image he presented to look good, or the rumors already pissed him off.

After all, the rumors were enough to bring his company's stock down to a horrendous level.

The moderator then allowed the reporters to ask questions one by one. There was a bit of noise from the reporters as they were busy discussing what questions would be good for Mr. Gray.

They knew they were threading on a thin line right now, but they also knew they'd get paid handsomely as long as they could get some sensational, scandalous, and shocking answers out of Vincent's mouth.

Little did Vincent know that most of the reporters here were already fed by Vernon a lot of 'small facts' about Vincent Gray.

These reporters knew more than Vincent expected.

Thus, the first reporter asked, "Sir, I want to ask if you're truly innocent in this case of Chelsea Davis. After all, Mrs. Davis keeps on mentioning you in her testimony, saying that you are the one who promised her a hand-in marriage in exchange for murdering her own family."

"And would you believe that?" Vincent raised his brow. "The idea is already outrageous. Chelsea Davis is obsessed with me, and she is insane. She's probably hallucinating about me before murdering my mother-in-law."

The first reporter went silent and backed off, and the second reporter came with another question that was as revolting as the first one.

"But Sir, based on the police report for her mental health screening, Chelsea Davis is not insane. She is in so much shock right now, but she is not mentally damaged and therefore, there is still a possibility that she's not lying," the second reporter said. "What is your opinion on that, Sir?"

Vincent's body stiffened. He was actually surprised by that statement.

There was no doubt that Chelsea was insane. One look into her eyes was enough to show that she wasn't right in the head.

But how could the police release a statement that Chelsea wasn't insane? What kind of bullshit was that?

'Did the police conspire with my enemy to take me down? After they could bribe the police to release a false statement about Chelsea, Vincent began to panic as he realized he wasn't completely in control of the situation.

'Could it be that Chloe is the one who manipulated the result, so Chelsea wouldn't escape the verdict because she was clinically insane?' Vincent wondered. 'No, there is no way that Chloe has that much power. She is just a stupid housewife that is barely able to think. How could she prepare that kind of elaborate trap for me?'

"A—Anyone could lie," Vincent replied nervously. "Chelsea Davis is lying so she wouldn't get a harsh sentence. After all, if she throws the blame on me, she wouldn't be the only perpetrator."

The second reporter backed off, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

Vincent's palm began to sweat as he got nervous. That was only the second question, and he almost shat himself out of panic.

The third question came soon after, "Mr. Gray, the police department already released the statement that Chelsea Davis' four sons are taken by their only living relative, which is Mrs. Chloe Gray, your wife. Does that mean the boys are in your home now?"

Vincent had expected the question about Chloe and the boys to pop out anytime soon, and he calmed down a bit after knowing he was finally in control of the situation again.

Maria would've handled these questions easily with tons of reasonable lies, but he didn't have that skill because he was so used to reading or remembering a script that had been prepared beforehand by Maria, so his public image would always be perfect.

"My four nephews have been taken by my wife, indeed. They are in our custody, currently living in our mansion," Vincent replied. "Unfortunately, I refused to show their faces in public because they are under so much trauma. They deserve to heal first."

Vincent thought that answer would be enough to satisfy the reporter. He also expected everyone to clap their hands, or at least nod in agreement and satisfaction, as Vincent Gray was still the same good-hearted person the public knew,

But the third reporter didn't back down. Instead, he asked again, "But Sir, we already got a report from the child protection service. They said that the boys are currently living in an apartment with Mrs. Chloe Gray and her daughter. She is a single mother that is currently working as a secretary in a company."

"How do you explain this, Sir? Why do the Child Protection Service have a different report compared to your statement just now? And what about the fact that Mrs. Chloe Gray is now currently living in an apartment as a single mother?"

"Mr. Vincent Gray, are you two already separated?"

Vincent was caught off guard by that statement.

Again, he had no information about the Child protection service, and he didn't expect Chloe to report her living condition, work, and even her life with Mackie.

As if everything about her was legit, and he was the one who lied.

Vincent tried so hard to find an answer to this question. Of course, he couldn't just say that the CPS lied. Child Protection Service was a highly respected institution. People would just call him nuts for claiming that CPS made a false statement.

"Mr. Gray?" The reporter called his name because he was yet to get an answer to his question.

Vincent's face gradually paled, and he began to sweat from head to toe as he didn't know how to answer that question.

The moderator immediately noticed Mr. Gray's nervousness, so he said, "Next question, please?"

The third reporter backed off, and the fourth came. Vincent hoped the question wouldn't be about Chloe anymore because he couldn't answer them.

But this wasn't his lucky day.

Because the reporters in the room—and everyone watching this press conference live—must've noticed the nervousness on Vincent Gray's face. They must be wondering about the truth as well.

"Mr. Gray, what do you think about the rumors that you abused your wife until she left you? Is that true?"

"I—I never abused her," Vincent answered. His gaze began to blur as he tried to stabilize himself. "I never hurt her. We're not in any fight whatsoever. We're not separated either."

"Then how come the Child Protection Service found your wife, daughter, and four nephews in a two bedroom apartment, and your wife is currently working as a secretary in another company? Pardon me, Mr. Gray, but you just contradicted yourself," the reporter said ruthlessly. "Are you saying that the CPS lied about the report?"

"Yes, Mr. Gray, please answer this."

"We want to know about your relationship with Mrs. Chloe Gray!"

"Mr. Gray, everyone is waiting for your answer!"

The reporters began to attack Vincent with questions that he couldn't answer.

Of course, he couldn't answer any of them because Chloe had already left her almost a year ago, and he had no idea where she was and what she was doing right now.

He began to get nauseous, dizzy, and his heartbeat accelerated as he got a panic attack.

He began to imagine everything crumbling in front of him.

His career.

His family.

His public reputation.

And he realized that his end might be near, and he would be a disgraced man who wouldn't have power anymore.

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

He could hear the voices of the people who demanded an answer he couldn't give. In the end, his body trembled and…

Everything turned black.

 

Chapter 722

Everything turned black for Vincent. He thought he was hallucinating because his body felt too light, so light that he felt numb all over.

His mind got blurred because of the endless parroting in the room.

People called him nonstop and asked the same questions he couldn't answer because of Chloe.

She was the problem of everything in his life. If only he didn't fall in love with her back in high school, he would be an amazing man with a submissive wife who would do everything for him by now.

Chloe was the one who changed him and also the one who ruined him.

'This is all because of you… Chloe Gray…'

That was Vincent's last thought before he lost consciousness completely.

"MR. GRAY!!"

Everyone in the room, and people who watched this broadcast, was shocked when they saw Mr. Vincent Gray faint after being bombarded with questions.

The moderator panicked and yelled, "Medic! Call the ambulance, hurry!"

The staff quickly surrounded Mr. Gray to stop people from filming him, and the broadcast went wild when plenty of bodyguards yelled, "BACK OFF! MR. GRAY NEEDS SPACE TO BREATHE!"

The live broadcast was cut short when there was a little scuffle between the bodyguard and a cameraman.

Everyone who watched the live broadcast on the TV was still trying to process what was happening, and Chloe was also one of them.

She was actually surprised by the result of Vincent's press conference. She watched the live broadcasting with Vernon by her side, waiting for Vincent to explode angrily and yell at everyone. So everyone will know his true color.

But fainting was out of her calculation.

Vernon observed Chloe's expression and asked, "Are you surprised by the result?"

"Of course! I didn't expect him to faint," Chloe replied. "I just expected him to scream and yell, probably going violent towards the reporters as well."

"Well, it doesn't matter. What's important is that Vincent already embarrassed himself in public," Vernon said. "The fact that he cannot answer the question, and got a panic attack to the point of fainting, already proves that he is guilty. I'm sure that the public also has the same opinion as us."

Vernon kept on staring at Chloe and noticed that Chloe didn't seem to be too happy about this.

He frowned.

He thought that Chloe would rejoice after seeing such an embarrassing condition Vincent had right now. He was a laughing stock in the public, and this would just worsen as people would see him as an abusive bastard and a good liar since he could fool the public with his perfect gentleman persona.

"Love, do you not like it?" Vernon asked. "I feed those reporters with a few information about you and Vincent, just enough to make them start questioning many things during the press conference."

…

Chloe stayed silent while staring at the static TV.

"I am happy, Vernon," she replied. "I just… didn't expect him to faint like that. It reminds me of myself. When I was with him, I fainted a lot because he often abused me physically and mentally. He'd shock me with his outrageous behavior and I often fainted out of despair."

"This is the first time I saw him in the receiving end, and I feel guilty to admit that I actually feel happy when I saw him like that," Chloe bit her lower lip and then turned her head to look at Vernon. "Do you think I'm evil because I like seeing him in that condition? Should I be sad about it? Should I pity him?"

"Wha—of course not! You shouldn't pity him at all! Do you not remember what kind of horrible shits he did to you?" Vernon snapped back. He grabbed Chloe's hand and wrapped it tightly as if he didn't want to let go. "Don't ever think about pitying that bastard, Chloe. He deserves to suffer!"

"O—Okay," Chloe was surprised by Vernon's sudden overreaction. "I didn't feel bad nor do I pity him. I'm just unsure, how can I be so cold to someone? I've never been this mean before, and it makes me a little uncomfortable."

Vernon sighed.

Of course, Chloe would feel uncomfortable doing all this cold-hearted stuff to take someone down. Vernon felt joy when he saw Vincent fainting during a live broadcast just because of a question he couldn't answer.

After all, Vernon was used to fighting with other businessmen through callous methods. He wasn't a stranger to the difficult life of scheming and ruthlessly taking down a business rival.

Unlike Chloe, she was just a normal housewife who longed for a normal happy life, which she couldn't get for the past ten years.

But she had to get used to this. The revenge against Vincent was still ongoing, and Vernon would not stop until he found that bastard under the bridge, begging for spare change.

"You're not mean or cruel, Chloe," Vernon assured. "Just because you feel vengeful towards one person, doesn't mean that you are evil, especially when that person is the one who abused you for ten years straight."

"So please…" Vernon slowly loosened his grip on her hand and put her palm on his chest, "Please stop feeling guilty about Vincent. Let him suffer, he deserves all the misfortunate that happened to him. Remember that his downfall is the only way for us to be together."

…

Chloe nodded.

"I'm sorry for being a little hesitant," Chloe said. "You're right. He deserves to get all the misfortune in his life. He has done enough damage to us and everyone around him."

Vernon was relieved that Chloe seemed to have been certain about this. Though the chance was close to impossible, he was still worried that Chloe would think about returning to Vincent if that bastard begged in front of her.

After all, Chloe had a very soft heart. She might forgive Vincent after all the horrible abuses she got from him.

'I won't let them meet again,' Vernon thought. 'I have to make sure that Vincent will never be able to contact Chloe anymore.'

"So, what will you do after this, Vernon?" Chloe asked as she decided to throw this small guilt in her heart for revenge. "The public opinion is already stacked against his favor, and now that he fainted because of a simple question he can't answer, there is no doubt that his reputation would plummet, alongside his stock, right?"

"You're right. It won't take long for the Gray company to crumble," Vernon confirmed. "The stock has plummeted, and he has almost zero business partners because I've snatched them all. But of course we need to watch our back. We can wait for about a month to see everything unfold."

"One month?" Chloe frowned. "But isn't it good to file for divorce right now? After all, everyone's opinion is already against him."

"No, it's not enough," Vernon said. "He still hasn't lost everything. He may lose the company, but he also inherited tons of inheritance from my late father. We need to destroy that too, so he will end up in the street."

"Then how are we supposed to do that?" Chloe asked. She knew that Vincent would still live a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle because Vincent inherited all the accumulated wealth of the Gray family.

Vernon smirked, "I have. My own way, of course. I have a perfect person to turn him completely insane. Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay then…" Chloe nodded. She was unsure what was in Vernon's mind and what kind of plan he brewed after this.

She had done all the things she had in mind. Chloe basically destroyed Vincent's reputation and also his company. It would be difficult for him to recover after this.

But it seemed that Vernon's wouldn't stop until Vincent was six feet under.

Vernon wanted Vincent to truly suffer for the rest of his life, mainly because he already knew that Vincent treated him as a dog instead of a brother. Vincent was just as horrible—if not even more horrible—than Dorothea.

However, that wasn't his strongest reason.

His greatest reason had always been Chloe.

He wanted to have Chloe all for himself, including marrying her to make it official.

'And I will stop at nothing as long as I can have her,' Vernon vowed in his heart. 'I don't care how many lives I have to destroy. How many schemes I have to go through. I have to make sure that Chloe is mine, and that's all that matters for me.'

Meanwhile, Chloe was also thinking about something;

'Is it wrong that I'm actually happy with Vincent's suffering? I felt nothing but joy when I saw him faint, and I certainly want him to suffer even more,' Chloe thought. 'I hope I won't have to do this kind of thing to someone else. I don't like this malicious feeling in my heart.'

'The revenge against Vincent has to be the first and the last cruel action I did against someone, then after that, I can finally obtain my complete freedom,' Chloe looked up to stare at Vernon and added, 'And stay with the man that I love and loved me back.'

Chapter 723

Vincent didn't know what happened to him after he blacked out during the press conference.

But as he regained some of his consciousness, he found himself floating in the middle of an empty space.

He opened his eyes and looked around to see if there was something he could do in this space.

But he was floating helplessly. His body was numb from top to bottom. All he could do was move his eyes left and right.

"Where am I?" He asked himself. But of course, he didn't get any answer because his voice echoed inside this empty space. He was all alone, and this actually felt excruciating.

Being alone was so excruciating for him.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Vincent asked.

Again, no answer.

He was completely alone, and he was so scared about it.

"Hello? HELLO!? SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER ME!" Vincent started screaming as he began to get desperate.

This silence was painful. Vincent didn't care if he had to see the face of his enemies at this point, as long as there was someone that could accompany him in this vast emptiness.

"I can hear you, brother,"

Vincent frowned. He could hear the familiar voice of his little brother. He looked straight and asked, "Vernon? Where are you?"

"I'm right here."

Vincent frowned as a man suddenly appeared in front of him.

It was Vernon, who looked tall and handsome.

Vincent was once very proud of his little brother. He didn't even care if he had to split his company with Vernon as long as Vernon continued to admire him and do everything he said like a good big dog.

But even an obedient dog would eventually bite his master.

Vernon dared to go against him, secretly plotting to take over many of his business partners during a dire time, and by the time Vincent realized it, it was too late for him.

Vernon had gotten everything.

Vincent didn't even need to split the company in half for his big dog because Vernon already stole half of it anyway.

Vernon stood in front of him with a malicious smile, "What's wrong, Big bro? Are you feeling lonely because there's nobody around you right now? What do you expect? Do you think that they will keep kissing your ass after you've fallen off your high horse?"

Vincent gritted his teeth, "It's all because of you! Everyone left me because of you. You stole everything from me!"

"Oh come on, you know that you're doomed to fail sooner or later anyway," Vernon chuckled. "After all, you're the one who destroyed the jewel of your life. You abused Chloe nonstop, beating, humiliating, and imprisoning her for ten years, thinking that she will not be able to escape nor have the courage to do so."

Vincent's heart ached when Vernon mentioned Chloe.

As much as he tried to deny it, he knew that Chloe was a big part of why everything crumbled down at this point.

Chloe was indeed the jewel in his life. She was the one he actually fell in love with and the only one who could fill this empty void in his heart.

And right after she left, he began to act crazy.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he began feeling agitated. He began to make so many careless mistakes to the point that he lost many things, including his most prized big dog, Vernon, and his most useful maid, Maria.

From the very start, he knew that Chloe was the source of his pain.

But he was too prideful to admit that he needed Chloe's present, and now he was reaping the result of his conceitedness.

Vernon observed his big brother and laughed, "Why are you making that sad face, Big bro. You know that you can't take her back anymore, right? She left you and has no intention to return to you."

"I—I just need to find her," Vincent said. "I need to find her and beg for her forgiveness. She is a kind-hearted woman. She's very soft, and she will definitely forgive me if I beg."

"And how do you find her? Do you know how?" Vernon raised his brow. "You can't even find her with the help of Maria. You let her go so many times even though you have the chance, because you think that Chloe would eventually come crawling back to you."

Again, Vincent was left speechless.

It was true.

He couldn't find a way to find Chloe anymore now, and there was no way that Chloe would return to him, especially when she was happy with her new man.

"She… she won't be able to marry that bastard. We're still married, and that bastard would get bored of her anytime soon," Vincent reasoned. "And when that time comes, she will have no choice but to return to me if she doesn't want to die hungry."

"Hm, I'm not sure about that, Big bro. I don't think I'll get bored of her anytime soon," Vernon grinned. "It'd take a lifetime for me to get bored, and even in my death, I'd definitely still long for her to be by my side. So there's no chance that I will let her go."

Vincent's eyes widened, "W—What do you mean?"

Vernon's grin widened, and he called, "Come here, my love. Let's show this ex-husband of yours, who is the man who has been protecting you for so long."

Vincent's eyes darted at seeing a glowing figure slowly walking toward Vernon. His heart sank the moment he saw his wife's beautiful figure stopped beside Vernon and allowed Vernon to wrap his arm around her waist.

She was much more beautiful now. She wasn't skin and bone anymore, her eyes were beautifully bright, and her long chestnut hair was luscious.

She looked so stunning, just like the same woman that Vincent saw that day on the altar when they exchanged their vows.

"Chloe!" Vincent tried to move his body, so he could reach his wife, who was with Vernon right now. But no matter how hard he tried to move his body, he couldn't even move a finger. Thus, he yelled out of frustration, "CHLOE, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Chloe didn't answer. She was like a mute.

She looked sad while staring at Vincent but then rested her head on Vernon's chest lovingly before looking at Vernon with such loving eyes that should've been reserved only for Vincent.

"CHLOE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHY DID YOU GIVE HIM THOSE EYES?! WE'RE MARRIED! WE'RE HUSBAND AND WIFE! ARRRGHHH!" Vincent continued to struggle endlessly, trying to break free from this invisible chain because he HAD to separate Vernon and Chloe.

This was the worst nightmare he would ever get in his lifetime.

"Stop struggling, Big bro. You know there's no use of that," Vernon chuckled. "Besides, why are you so surprised to see me as the one who has been coveting your wife for a long time? Do you not realize that I've been in love with Chloe since I was just a kid?"

Vincent glared at Vernon as if he couldn't wait to tear his brother apart, "YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU STEAL HER FROM ME! YOU TOOK THE JEWEL OF MY LIFE!"

"Steal?" Vernon frowned. "Do you really think that I steal your wife, when you're the one who discarded her? You're the one who abused her for ten years, and once she left, you still haven't realized how important she is in your life."

"Naturally, she comes to find me, asking for a job to support herself and her daughter. And I, as the man who has been madly in love with her for so long, of course wants to keep her all for myself."

"In fact, I can't wait to marry her, hahahah!" Vernon laughed heartily and then hugged Chloe deeper into his embrace until there was no gap between them, hurting Vincent's eyes even more.

"YOU—I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU AND TAKE MY WIFE BACK!!" Vincent was like a mad dog. His veins began to pop out, but he still couldn't do anything as he saw Vernon caressing his wife's sexy body, which should've been exclusive to Vincent.

"Oh, you can't even do anything right now, Big bro. Your company will fail anytime soon, and you know that you will be left with nothing," Vernon said. "And don't worry about those inheritance that our equally shitty father left to you. You'll run out of it eventually," Vernon said. "And by the time you've turned into a beggar in the street, I will marry MY woman, and live a fulfilling life with her."

"I will treasure her everyday, making sure that she is happy with her new life, so she won't run away," Vernon said. "Maybe I should give you my gratitude for showing me how not to treat my beloved woman."

Vincent didn't want to give up, he shifted his attention at Chloe and begged, "Chloe, my wife! Forgive me for everything I did! I regret it! I regret everything I did to you! Please come home, so we can start anew!"

Chapter 724

Chloe stared at Vincent, who begged for her to come back. She looked sad, so sad that she shed tears at the corner of her eyes.

Her tears gave Vincent hope. He thought that Chloe would forgive him.

After all, they had been together for ten years. Of course, Chloe wouldn't ditch him just because of a small fight. She was a loyal woman who never cheated on Vincent before, so she shouldn't be swayed by Vernon in less than a year.

"Chloe—Wife, you forgive me, right? I regret everything, I swear!" Vincent said. He got desperate that he actually wanted to kneel in front of his wife, begging her to return so they could start anew.

This would be the first time for Vincent to kneel in front of someone else, but he didn't even hesitate. He'd do anything as long as Chloe could return to his side.

Unfortunately, his body was locked in place. He couldn't even move a finger, let alone kneel in front of her.

But he knew there was a hint of hope for him. As long as he begged enough, Chloe would definitely return to him!

After a long silence, Chloe finally opened her lips, "Why are you regretting it now, Vincent? You know that it's too late, right?"

"No, it's not too late!" Vincent refuted. "Wife, please, I know I have been a horrible man to you. I don't know what has gotten into me, but you should know that you're the only woman I love! You're the only one that can make me feel things!"

"If I am the woman you love, then why are you abusing me for ten years straight? Why are you hurting me?" Chloe asked. "What does love mean to you, Vincent?"

"I—" Vincent was tongue-tied after realizing he had been unreasonable. He had been mindlessly following his late father's words as if they were religious scriptures he had to obey. He thought abusing and imprisoning Chloe would stop her from leaving, "I love you, Chloe. I love you so much that I'm afraid you will leave me. That's why I thought imprisoning you was the only way so you won't leave."

Chloe grew increasingly sadder, "And why do you think I will leave you? Never in my mind have I ever thought about cheating on you, Vincent."

Chloe then looked at Vernon, who was embracing her and added, "I didn't have a romantic feeling for Vernon before. But he showed me that I deserve to be treated like a treasure. I deserve to be loved."

"I will never leave you if you did the same to me…"

Vincent's face grew even paler than before.

Chloe was soft, as always. She always had that gentle yet brilliant aura in her, like a polished jewel that shone brightly.

But her words cut deep into Vincent's heart.

"T—Then I will do it for you as long as you return to me," Vincent said earnestly. "I've never been affectionate before. But I want to try. I will treasure you, and I will treasure our daughter too. I will attend every birthday party, teacher-parent meeting, and any events that our daughter has. I will make sure you are well protected."

"I will let you buy anything you want. I will give everything to you, my inheritance, assets, and the money in my bank account, EVERYTHING!" Vincent said as he grew desperate. "Please, Chloe, give me a second chance!"

"I give you chances, many of them, for ten years, Vincent. It's all gone now. I've run out of patience. I can't do it anymore after enduring ten years worth of abuse," Chloe said. "Please stop begging, you know it won't change a thing between us."

"NO! I WON'T STOP BEGGING!" Vincent yelled. "We got married because we're in love, and I don't want to divorce you! I will never divorce you!"

"That doesn't matter whether you want to divorce her or not," Vernon said. "Soon, you will have nothing. You won't be the powerful Mr. Gray anymore. You will be reduced to being an ordinary man."

Vernon had an evil smirk as he stared at his Big bro, "And you know that no ordinary man can bribe the court, or pressure them to be in your favor because you have so much influence."

Vincent felt that blood had been drained out of his body.

He knew Vernon's words were true.

"Why are you doing this to me, Vernon? Did I ever treat you badly? You're my little brother that I treasured!"

"Yes, as a dog," Vernon scoffed. "You want me to be obedient to you like a dog who stuck his tongue out, waiting for praise."

"Just admit it, Vincent. You're the one who instigated our mother when she was intoxicated. You're the one who influenced her to beat me up because I was a product of rape. You're also the one who told our bastard father to force Chloe to say those mean words about me, so I will be heartbroken enough to leave."

"You know that deep down, you've been insecure," Vernon said straight to the point. "You know that Chloe might leave you because you're not good enough, that's why you manipulated the situation so we will never be together."

"But fate has a unique way to string us together. In the end, Chloe and I are fated to be together after ten years."

Vincent couldn't refute any of those.

It was all true.

He was good at reading someone who had the potential to be bigger and better than him. Since he was a child, he began to suppress anyone, be it from his main family, branch family, and even family friends.

He wanted to be the best, so he wouldn't tolerate anyone that might be better than him, and Vernon was one of them.

Since he was a child, Vincent already knew that Vernon had the potential to be better, and he didn't want any competition.

So he made sure that Vernon turned into his obedient dog. He wanted to be his only source of light, so Vernon would never dare to fight against him.

Unfortunately, things didn't go well when he brought Chloe into the mansion.

Vernon began showing a sign of dependency and a childhood crush. Chloe might not realize it, but Vincent was quick to sense it.

At first, he simply thought that Vernon would grow out of it.

But his feelings for Chloe didn't change.

In fact, it got even stronger to the point that Little Vernon began showing a sign of obsessiveness toward Chloe.

And that was when Vincent realized he had to do something, or Vernon might steal his woman.

He also wanted to kick Vernon out of the family because he began showing signs of competence at school.

"If you're angry at me, then you can just take all of my money, Vernon," Vincent said helplessly. His eyes were still on Chloe, hoping he would get pity from his wife in exchange for all the money. "You can have everything, including all the money from the Gray family inheritance. Just please, give me my wife back."

"Do you think I will sell Chloe for inheritance?" Vernon scoffed. "This is why she left you, Big bro. You keep yelling that you love her, but you don't really understand your own words."

"You don't know that Chloe is not a 'thing' you can own. She is the woman I love, and I know that she has her own free will," Vernon said. "That's why I'm trying my best to keep her happy and satisfied with our current life, so she will not leave me. That's how you treat the woman you love."

Chloe lowered her head, "He's right, Vincent. You say that you love me, but you don't know how to love someone. Right now, you feel sad and desperate after you realize that you can't live without my presence. You don't love me as a human being."

"You love me as an item, a piece of furniture that you can put in your house. You feel sad when your item is lost, but you don't really appreciate your item when she's around," Chloe said. "I can't live like that. I'm a human being, I want to be genuinely loved and treasured. That's all I want."

Chloe lifted her head to look up at Vernon again, "And Vernon is the one who treats me well, not you."

"Well, that's all we want to say to you, Big bro. Enjoy spending the rest of your life with excruciating pain in your heart, I experienced it for ten years straight, so you should feel it too," Vernon said before he smiled lovingly at his woman. "Let's go, love."

Chloe nodded and then said, "Good bye, Vincent."

Thus, Chloe and Vernon turned around and slowly walked into the darkness, much to Vincent's grief, "Wait—WAIT! NO! DON'T LEAVE! CHLOE, DON'T LEAVE ME! CHLOE! CHLOE!!!!"

**

PS: My heart is in a mess after writing this chapter. I don't know what to feel.

Chapter 725

"Wait—WAIT! NO! CHLOE! DON'T LEAVE ME! CHLOE! CHLOE!!!!" Vincent screamed at the top of his lungs. But she didn't stop no matter how many times he shouted, trying to stop Chloe from leaving with Vernon.

In fact, she didn't even look back, signaling that she had moved on completely from Vincent.

"No, wife… Chloe… no… don't leave me…" Vincent screamed for too many times that his throat became parched. He could only murmur her name as he realized she was gone.

Chloe Gray, his wife, was gone with another man.

And that other man happened to be his little brother.

This was the betrayal that Vincent never expected. It was like a nightmare that he refused to stay. He'd rather die if this were his truth.

"Why is everyone leaving me? I know I made a mistake, but I can always be better…" Vincent murmured. "I can be a better person, I promise."

Vincent repeated that last sentence many times but didn't understand how to be a better person.

In his mind, he was always the best in everything.

He was raised as a Young Master. He was praised, admired, and adored by everyone around him. Even his late father told him that he should not settle for less. He needed to be one of the most powerful men in New York. He needed to bring the Gray family to the public, giving them a good image of a rich but generous family.

He was always successful in everything in his life.

So when things came crumbling down, he panicked and had no idea what to do in this dire situation.

But he knew that he wasn't an idiot. Though he might've lost the company his late father worked hard to build, he still had his brain. He could build another company from the ground up, even if it'd take a while.

So money, power, reputation, and everything else wasn't that important for him in the end.

The most important one was his wife.

He couldn't live knowing his wife had left him for another man. It made him so angry, yet so hopeless.

"I will do anything, please come back to me, Chloe…."

Vincent was trapped inside this darkness for a long time until he heard the voice of his beloved wife calling his name repeatedly.

"Vincent… Vincent… Vincent!"

Vincent lifted his head. He looked around desperately, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Chloe, where are you? CHLOE!"

"I'm right here!"

Vincent then saw the sight of the malnourished version of his wife running towards him. She was so thin, with only skin and bones. She had a very pale face, frail body, and even her hair wasn't as luscious as the Chloe that Vernon brought just now.

Vincent's heart was aching when he saw Chloe in such a state. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he finally realized that that it reminded him of their wedding day.

The day when he fell in love with his wife all over again.

Chloe was so much better when she was healthy.

A healthy version of Chloe looked glamorous, gorgeous, so gorgeous that it reminded him of their wedding day.

The day when he fell in love with his wife all over again.

And also the day when he decided to destroy her.

But that didn't matter.

He vowed to make things better. He wanted Chloe to be healthy and spend as much time together as possible with her and their daughter.

Chloe ran towards him with her frail body. She looked pitiful, and Vincent couldn't help but call her name, "Chloe! I'm right here! Please hug me and never let go!"

He began to call her name frantically as she got closer and closer to the point that she was about to hug him.

"Chloe! CHLOE! CHLOEEEE!!!!"

…

…

…

"CHLOE!" Vincent yelled before he opened his eyes after that. His heartbeat was beating restlessly while he stared dazedly at his bedroom ceiling.

He was unblinking as he tried to process what was happening just now and then realized that it was all just a dream.

'It's just a dream…' Vincent thought. 'Everything is just a dream. Thank God, Vernon and Chloe didn't end up being together. Thank God, that I still have a chance to make amends with my wife.'

Vincent bit his lower lip as he stared at the ceiling for a long time. His eyes began to pool with tears as he remembered the content of his dream—or in this case, his nightmare.

He didn't know what was worse, to wake up and realize that he had missed the embrace coming from his malnourished wife.

Or to be stuck in a nightmare and realized that Chloe and Vernon ended up together and would get married soon.

That nightmare was so horrible that Vincent preferred not to live to see that happening. He'd rather die.

"Chloe…"

Again, he murmured her name while staring at the ceiling. The tears that pooled at the corner of his eyes streamed down and wet the pillow.

He knew his love for Chloe was doomed when he decided to destroy her.

But at that time, Chloe was just so stunning on their wedding day. She was so bright and beautiful and became the source of everyone's attention.

Every male guest in the venue secretly drooled at her, wanting to strip her naked because she was so damn gorgeous.

And Vincent got angry instead.

He was angry at those men who dared to look at his wife as if she was a slut. They couldn't wait to fuck.

And he got even angrier since Chloe didn't seem to mind the attention of those men.

She kept being her usual cheerful and kind self, greeting and conversing with almost every guest present, whether it was a man or woman.

And Vincent was so jealous he couldn't wait to lock Chloe in their bedroom, making sure that nobody could see an inch of her skin.

She was too beautiful, so Vincent had to ensure that Chloe was too ashamed to show an inch of her skin so that she would stay covered all the time.