Ch. 101..105: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 101-105

Chapter 101

"Master, Madam Gray has been waiting for you."

"What does she want?"

"Madam doesn't tell, Master. She just wants you to come."

"Fine, this better be important because I have lots to do."

Vincent walked through the many corridors, heading to his mother's room.

He grew up here and knew every corner of this big mansion. Vincent stopped in front of her mother's room, and the butler who had been following him for a while knocked on the door and opened it, allowing Vincent to enter.

Vincent entered, and as he expected, his mother was sitting on a chair with a long gown, a phone in her right hand, and a cigarette in her left. He remembered that his mother had often worn this long gown since he was a kid. She said it was to maintain her figure, so she would quickly notice when she got a little fat.

"What is it, Mom?" Vincent asked as he approached her and sat on the opposite seat. He rarely got a call from his mother, so he knew it would be important once she told him to come.

Dorothea put her cigarette in the ashtray and stared at her first son. She sighed and said, "I heard from the maid that worked in your house. Your wife actually left with my favorite granddaughter, right?"

…

Vincent didn't want to confirm it because if he did, he had been defeated by a woman. To be left alone by a dumb woman was a big blow to his pride as a man.

"Do you know where they are now?" Dorothea asked.

"Vaguely," Vincent finally replied, but he did it in self-defense, "She suddenly left while filing for divorce, waiting for me to sign it. I know that she is still around New York, but I don't know her exact location and whom she was entangled with."

"Can't you just use our connection to start searching for her? You can call the head of the New York police department and start searching for them. If they need a reason, just say that Chloe ran away with your daughter, and you want to retrieve your daughter at least," Dorothea said, laying a solid plan for Vincent. "I don't care about your wife, but I want my granddaughter back. If she can't take care of Mackie, I will do it."

…

"I can't believe you hadn't thought about using this strategy," Dorothea sneered at her son. "You're the son of Vaughn Gray, right? He will get this idea faster than I ever could."

"Of course, I have that in my mind, Mom," Vincent sighed. "I already thought about using the police force to search for her."

"And why don't you do it already? Why are you so incompetent?"

Vincent's gaze darkened as he saw how his mother looked at him so lowly, just because he didn't do what she thought was right.

"Mom, do you ever leave Dad's side when he was still alive?"

"Never, I'm not like your wife, who is just an ungrateful bitch. I'm faithful to him," Dorothea answered with pride.

"Then Dad never has the same problem as I did because he doesn't have an ungrateful woman by his side," Vincent tried to defend himself as well. He thought his mother's scolding was unjustified because he faced a problem that had never happened in the Gray family before.

"I have to deal with a woman like Chloe, who has no gratitude. I picked her from that slum, gave her all the nice things, but she just ran away," Vincent said.

Now, Dorothea was the one who went silent. Because Vincent was correct. Vaughn— Dorothea's late husband, had never experienced the similar problem that Vincent had.

Because there was never a threat of Dorothea leaving him, even when he was on his deathbed. Dorothea stayed faithful to her husband, despite all of his cheating problems.

Though, Dorothea never specified whether she was happy or not when Vaughn was still alive. But alas, she got his money, wasn't that the most important thing in life?

"Why did she leave you again?" Dorothea asked. "Is it because you sleep with a few women outside?"

"Yes," Vincent replied without hesitation. "Mom, can you believe that? She left me just because I slept with women outside. What kind of unreasonable woman she is? Can't she tolerate her own husband?"

"She is not as good as me. I'm faithful to your Dad until his passing, and stay widowed, probably until my death. But, shouldn't you account for her upbringing and education?" Dorothea said, reminding Vincent that Chloe wasn't like them, who were smart and sensible about the world.

"She grew up in a poor family, and she only had an undergraduate degree. She is never a good woman to marry, to begin with. But you insist on marrying her back then."

"I know…" Vincent nodded. "But it's not my fault that I saw her as a perfect woman back then. She took care of Vernon!"

…

Dorothea went silent again. Because she acknowledged her negligence towards Vernon. She was too busy dealing with her own problem as Vaughn's cheating worsened in his later years. She spent her time partying and spending all the money her husband gave her as compensation, so she would always go home either drunk or covered with gold, literally.

As Vaughn's health constantly declined, so did her attention towards Vernon. She barely checked on her second son and hired at least a dozen nannies to care for him.

,m Which resigned after a week or two since Vernon was too much to handle for them.

Dorothea hated admitting that Chloe was the only one Vernon accepted as his caretaker. Hence, she was the one present in Vernon's life for half of his life, growing up from a kid to a teenager.

"You're right, Vincent. I accepted her into our family because she took care of Vernon. I've never liked that lowly woman. She is too dumb to realize that she married the heir of the Gray family."

Chapter 102

"You're right, Vincent. I accepted her into our family because she took care of Vernon. I've never liked that lowly woman. She is too dumb to realize that she married the heir of the Gray family," Dorothea said, acknowledging her defeat as she knew that Chloe was nothing but trouble. "Then, what are you going to do, Vincent? You know you can't let her free for too long. She will be a bad influence on my granddaughter!"

"Don't worry, Mom. I have my own way," Vincent replied. "I know she has been selling her body, probably to a crooked, rich old man in New York. Because she has paid Mackie's school tuition upfront, she doesn't have that much money."

"So she sold her body for money? What a gross woman!" Dorothea reacted strongly, "If she did that, I would never want her to step into the Gray Mansion anymore. That's disgusting!"

"You don't need to think about that, Mom. Once I bring her back into my house, I will ensure she won't want to show her face in public anymore. She is too dirty of a woman to come to our family gathering," Vincent said.

"Why don't you just marry someone else then?" Dorothea asked. Knowing how dirty Chloe was, it was the most logical to divorce her and marry someone else. "If you don't know which one to marry, I'll arrange you with some of my friends' daughters. I'll make sure they are under 20s, so they're still young and not saggy like your current wife."

…

"You're not in love with her, right? Vincent, if you love a cheap whore like Chloe, that means you're stupid," Dorothea said. She thought it was ridiculous for her son to love a whore. "We accepted her because you said despite her slum life, she is smart and a caring woman for Vernon and your future child. But now, she brought Mackie with her, even though she works as a high-profile prostitute. She is not a good mother, unlike me."

…

Vincent paused for a while, seemingly in deep thought, before answering his Mom's question, "It's a matter of pride. I don't love her, but she is still my official wife. I don't plan on remarrying, knowing that women out there are just like her. I don't want to take a second failure."

"Besides, it's a bad press for Gray Family to have a crumbling marriage," Vincent said.

Dorothea sighed, but what her son said was true. If Vincent and Chloe were divorced, it would be bad press for them all because Vincent was the heir of the Gray family, the new Master.

He even had his own PR team to control the news on the internet.

"Just do what you think necessary, Vincent," Dorothea said. "What kind of plan do you have anyway?"

"Simple," Vincent replied. "I will make sure that she will break as she realized she had no way out other than crawling back to me, her rightful husband. I've cut her off from her mother, so she has no way out other than that mysterious man she is with. Once that man kicked her out of his life, she will have nowhere to return."

"I will put pressure everywhere until she breaks down," Vincent added. "One more thing, I will search for that man who dares to pick her up. That man must be an old millionnaire living in New York. It'd be easy to comb through the list and find that guy with my connections. I'll make sure he suffers."

"You can do whatever. Just make sure that my granddaughter doesn't get hurt too much," Dorothea said. "She needs to continue her study. She is a smart girl, unlike her mother."

"Yeah, she reminds me of little Vernon," Vincent smiled, reminiscing about the little brother he raised together with Chloe. Mackie was just as much a brat, stubborn, yet endearing, just like Vernon.

"Maybe you should give her more money," Dorothea said. "Women love money. As long as you give her a lot, she won't complain."

"I wish Chloe is more like you, Mom. She is difficult. She doesn't seem to like everything I gave her," Vincent sighed. "Why can't she overlook me sleeping with other women just like you did with Dad."

Dorothea had a trace of sadness on her face, but she covered it quickly and looked away, "Because I know better than her. Money is the most important thing in this world. What's the use of me caring for the women your Dad brought? I am still the official wife after all, and I get all the money and privileges that none of his bitches had back then."

p Vincent nodded in full agreement. Chloe was just dumb. That was it.

Vincent and Dorothea talked about the businesses and investments that the Gray family made to ensure that everything was well-maintained as always. Vincent answered in full confidence because he was a competent businessman due to his late dad's teaching.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention, Vernon and I are currently working together," Vincent informed her mother.

"Working together?"

"Yes, it's a small project involving our companies. Well, it's small for me. Even the profit earned is so minuscule. But it's a big project for the current scale of his company. So he took this very seriously."

"And what is it about?"

"A few TV shows and endorsement of some of the products produced by my company. I also entrusted him with a little money to invest in some of his projects. I want to see how much growth he has after ten years."

Dorothea felt slightly conflicted when she heard that Vincent and Vernon were working together. Of course, she was happy that Vernon seemed to have opened up to the family again after separating himself for ten years straight.

Vernon only called her when he needed help, mostly with his university admission back then. He lived off with the money sent by Vincent and Dorothea or just used his late Dad's unlimited black card.

But, even with all that money, Vernon still disappeared for ten years, refusing to even have a normal talk with Dorothea, his own mother.

Chapter 103

But even with all that money, Vernon still disappeared for ten years, refusing to even have a normal talk with Dorothea, his own mother.

He was uncontactable until recently, when he was suddenly willing to come to the Gray Mansion for Dorothea's birthday party.

'He's a handsome man now, bigger than Vincent and Vaughn, but definitely has some of their facial features,' Dorothea thought as she reminisced the moment her second son met her for the first time after ten years. 'But, I don't see Vincent and Vaughn deep inside him. Vernon is like a stranger, even for me, his own mother.'

"I know that he is competent," Dorothea said. "He built his own company from scratch without help from the Gray family. He is talented, just like you and your father. But, is he… trustworthy?"

Vincent frowned, "What do you mean by that, Mom? Do you not believe your own son? Vernon is your son and my little brother."

"I know he is my son. I'm unsure that he is the same Vernon," Dorothea replied.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I met him during my birthday party before, and my instinct told me that he is not the same Vernon we once knew," Dorothea said, following her instinct to stay away from her own son to save herself.

Vincent started to feel annoyed by his mom's words, "Of course, you don't feel familiar with him. You're absent in his life. Don't you remember that you only hired nannies to take care of him when he was a kid and growing up as a teen?"

"Yeah, that one is my fault," Dorothea sighed. "I was busy dealing with my problems. Just be careful, I'm telling you because you're my son and the one who controls the Gray family. I don't want someone to ruin our big family because I had this dreadful feeling when I met him. He is like the devil that will drag us all down to hell."

"Enough of that, Mom," Vincent got up from the chair, not wanting to have more discussion that slandered his little brother. "You're not close with Vernon because you don't care about him. You let him leave for ten years and never told me his whereabouts. Do you think I have to listen to your accusation about him? He is nothing but a hardworking young man."

Dorothea knew that discussion was out of the picture now. Vincent seemed to be convinced that Vernon could do no wrong.

But it was just her instinct that told her not to believe in her second son…

"Don't give him too big of a project. I don't want to risk anything," Dorothea advised. "You wouldn't know whether Vernon is planning to take us down or not. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"I don't care about your unfounded fear, Mom. If Vernon is competent, then I will give him a bigger project. I'm not a greedy man, it's also his right to get the family wealth, and I will share it with him."

"But you're the head of this family. You don't need to share much."

"No, he is from a Gray family. He is also my little brother. I will leave now. I don't think I want to listen to you anymore," Vincent said.

Vincent opened the door and walked away.

Dorothea stared at her son's back until he slammed the door. She then looked at the tall window that showed the garden below. Despite having this peaceful moment, many bad thoughts were storming into Dorothea's brain.

She lit another cigarette and blew the smoke out of her mouth, "Maybe Vincent is right. It's all just my unfounded fear because I've always been absent in Vernon's life. I've only raised him for the first five years of his life."

"But my instinct won't lie. I get this dreadful feeling inside me as if Vernon wants to ruin us all," Dorothea tapped the tip of the cigarette on the ashtray. She glanced at the family photo hanging on the wall, Vaughn and herself sitting while Vincent and Vernon stood on each side. Vernon was only seven years old in that picture, and even back then, she still felt the same dreadful feeling as Vernon.

That kid was never close to anyone except Vincent and Chloe. No matter what people do to try and impress him, he would throw tantrums or ignore them completely.

He always felt out of place compared to Vincent, who was tactful and intelligent.

Dorothea counted all the possibilities that might happen. When a man who was missing for ten years suddenly returned and became close to his big brother, who happened to be the heir of the Gray family, he must have been into something.

She scoffed mirthlessly;

"I don't care whether he is my son or not, but I won't let anyone destroy everything that I've earned. The Gray family will never fall under my care."

**

Vincent stormed out of the Gray Mansion in a sour mood. He knew that his mother and Vernon weren't really close. In fact, Vernon never liked to have dinner together with his parents. He liked having dinner alone or with Vincent or Chloe.

So, Vincent was surprised that a woman could have his way into Vernon's tightly closed heart, cooking for him and probably living In the same apartment.

Vincent never had a bad memory of Vernon, so he was visibly angry when his mother— who never raised Vernon— suddenly accused his little brother of a terrible scheme.

"Mom never knows how difficult it is to raise Vernon. Yet, she had the gut to demonize him," Vincent grumbled as he walked out of the mansion.

His car was ready right when he left the main door. So Vincent hurriedly entered his car.

"Where are we going next, Sir?"

"Just drive first. I want to wind up," Vincent said but changed his mind a minute later. "Go to the office now. I want to check on something."

 

Chapter 104

"Go to the office now. I want to check on something," Vincent said.

"Sir, if I remember correctly, you don't have any more meetings in the office, right?"

"I'm wondering if my little brother is still in my office. So we can have a talk about something. Stop asking questions and go," Vincent ordered again.

Thus, the chauffeur drove the car out of the main gate of Gray Mansion, and they headed to Vincent's main office. Vincent didn't call Vernon to notify him, he just wanted to make sure about something, and he would feel guilty if he called Vernon.

Because… for some reason, Vincent also wondered if Vernon ever had an idea of ruining them all.

**

Vernon arrived right after he got permission from his big brother. He swaggered to the executive elevator and was assisted by the receptionist as Mr. Vincent Gray had already told her to always give access to Vernon Phoenix Gray to his office.

Vernon was carrying his briefcase containing the documents that needed to be signed by his big brother. Once the elevator door opened, Vernon saw nobody but a woman in her late 50s sitting at the secretary's desk. She wore a blue blazer and seemed to be busy working on a document and didn't notice Vernon's arrival.

The receptionist wanted to notify the old secretary, but Vernon stopped her, "No need to do that, I'll do it myself. You've assisted me enough."

Vernon smiled at the receptionist, and the latter blushed instantly. Her heartbeat accelerated just looking at the handsome young CEO. His devilish smile grasped her heart, making her feel a little lightheaded.

"Y—Yes, Mr. Phoenix Gray, you can a—always call me if you—"

Vernon stepped out of the elevator before the receptionist could finish her sentence, and she went down disappointedly.

Vernon walked to the secretary's desk confidently and tapped the desk gently to notify the old woman.

Maria, the senior secretary of the Gray office, looked up, and her eyes widened instantly. Her mouth gasped, but no words came out of her open mouth.

"Good afternoon, senior secretary," Vernon smiled again. "I'm here to get the signature from my big brother. I think he should've informed you about it."

Maria was still stunned for a while as she observed the man in front of her.

Of course, she knew who he was. Even without giving his name, the name of Vernon Phoenix Gray had been the talk of around social media and gossip from her colleagues.

Maria was stunned because this would be the first time for her to see Vernon up close after ten years. The last time she met him was during his 15th birthday party before he left to live in Europe for ten years.

'He's now grown up to be so big… and scary,' Maria thought. 'Reminds me of Mr. Vaughn Gray in his prime days.'

Maria had followed the late Mr. Vaughn Gray since she graduated high school around 19. Mr. Vaughn Gray was still in his prime days of the late twenties and hadn't married his wife, Mrs. Dorothea Gray.

Maria vividly remembered how similar he was to Vernon, from how they talked, the smirk, and even their eyes.

'Well, Vernon is bigger, has sharper facial features, and is much more intimidating than Mr. Vaughn Gray ever been. But the similarity was there. I wonder if he is just as scheming and hot-blooded as the young Mr. Vaughn Gray,' Maria thought. As Mr. Vaughn Gray grew older and older, he became more like Vincent. His expression was unreadable. He liked having lots of affairs, was conceited, and basically was a shell of his former self. 'I doubt he remembers me, though. I'm just a random employee of his father, after all.'

"Hey, hello, Mrs. Secretary?" Vernon tried to snap the woman out of her daze because she kept staring at him with that empty gaze and mouth wide-open.

Maria snapped out of her daze and got up to greet her, "Yes, Mr. Phoenix Gray, I have been informed by Mr. Vincent Gray about your arrival, and I've prepared the stamp for it. Please follow me."

Vernon followed the old but professional secretary to enter Vincent's CEO's office. His big brother said she had worked for the family for the past thirty years, which also explained how she recognized him instantly.

'But what's with that gasp? Why is she acting as if she had seen a ghost? Did she know something?' Vernon pondered.

His gaze darkened full of hostility as he sensed this woman wasn't someone he could fool easily.

However, he resumed his smile and kind gesture once the old secretary took something from the drawer and turned towards Vernon.

"Mr. Phoenix Gray, may I read the document first?" Maria asked.

"You want to read it? I thought my big brother only told you to replicate his signature and stamp it with the official stamp. I don't think reading the content of the contract between my brother, and I is your duty as a secretary," Vernon said.

Maria shook her head firmly," I'm sorry, Mr. Phoenix Gray, but your big brother always told me to check on documents that need to be signed and stamped officially. This is a procedure that I've kept since Mr. Vaughn Gray's era."

"But my Dad has passed away now. You don't need to be too strict about it," Vernon continued to argue.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Phoenix Gray. I cannot sign it nor give you the stamp if you don't allow me to read it first," Maria said firmly, giving no space for compromise.

Vernon clenched his jaw. Whether intentional or not, Vernon realized this old woman was dangerous to his plan. But in the end, he gave in, knowing that he shouldn't trigger any suspicion, no matter how small it was.

Vernon sighed and took out a file inside his briefcase, "It's just a few documents regarding my current project with my big brother. No need to be so guarded."

Chapter 105

Vernon sighed and took out a file inside his briefcase, "It's just a few documents regarding my current project with my big brother. No need to be so guarded."

Vernon handed the file containing the documents that needed to be signed to the old secretary. He seemed annoyed, but not angry, from Maria's perspective.

"Thank you, Mr. Phoenix Gray," Maria accepted the documents. Then she started skimming through the documents. She had a few suspicions, mostly because she reminisced about Mr. Vaughn Gray in his early days. She assisted him, working as a real secretary for a long time, and she knew how scheming and cunning he could be just to get what he wanted.

Vernon Phoenix Gray reminded her so much of Mr. Vaughn, so she had to make sure that he didn't plan to do any treacherous thing to the Gray family, especially to his big brother, Vincent Gray.

After reading everything and ensuring it was safe, she put the document on the table, "I will stamp and sign it now, Mr. Phoenix Gray. I'm sorry for reading the document first," Maria apologized. She found out there was nothing suspicious about the document.

Vernon snatched the document right after Maria stamped and signed it by replicating Vincent's signature. He clicked his tongue annoyedly, "Of course, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just a project that my brother and I are currently doing. Do you not realize that you're prying too much?"

"I thought my big brother said that you're a professional."

Vernon tried to break her down just to ensure she wouldn't pry none of his business. It would be difficult to progress under a tight watch.

Maria, the old secretary, bowed her head nonchalantly, "Pardon me, Mr. Phoenix Gray, but this is the protocol I need to follow to ensure the company wouldn't make a mistake."

Vernon's expression darkened. This old secretary was annoyingly persistent. It was practically impossible for him to break her.

"Well, I'll leave now. I already told my big brother to send the scanned document to his email instead," Vernon said.

Maria only answered with a nod, waiting for Vernon to leave.

Vernon stomped his feet as he left his big brother's office.

Maria stared at Vernon Phoenix Gray, who left her in Vincent's office alone. Indeed, she felt guilty because he actually suspected the second son of her boss, who had passed away.

But she knew Mr. Vaughn Gray too well. He was a man that would crush absolutely anything just to get what he wanted, "But what does he want?" Maria asked herself. "Vernon is already a successful businessman without the help of his family. Mr. Vincent Gray also often talked about him in generous light, so if Vernon wanted a piece of his inheritance, Vincent would definitely give him without question asked."

"But what does he really want?" Maria asked again. It might be a gut feeling, but Vernon's behavior speaks for itself based on her experience working with the late Mr. Vaughn Gray.

"He is into something…." Maria murmured.

But she couldn't just accuse him, not in front of Mr. Vincent Gray. Because Vincent seemed to be so fond of his little brother.

It also made Maria wonder about something…

"Does he want something from his big brother?"

Maria couldn't find an answer, nor she could talk about this to Vincent. So the only thing she could do was to watch from the side and hope for the best.

**

Vernon kept his leisure smile until he entered his car. He stared at the empty VIP parking lot in front of him, then threw his briefcase to the next seat and slammed the steering wheel to vent his anger.

He realized that his big brother's old secretary was much more cautious than he expected.

Vernon already studied a pattern that his big brother would leave the office at around 3 P.M and would allow his secretary to handle the documents, making it easier for Vernon to get a signature from his big brother's secretary.

But Vernon thought the one who would give him a signature was that bimbo secretary that wouldn't give two shits about the document's content and just stamped and signed it.

But turned out that the said secretary was actually a senior that was much more attentive and careful and also worked for his late dad for a long time.

Vernon checked his briefcase and saw the two files that he had prepared.

Vernon had a hunch that something would be wrong with his plan today. So he prepared two separate documents. One was the normal one that would benefit both parties and had been officially signed by that old secretary just now;

And the other document was the real one, a document that he truly wanted to be signed. Because there were bits of almost unnoticeable but important parts of the contract that he reworded, making it exponentially beneficial only to one party, which would be himself, Vernon Phoenix Gray.

"That old secretary read everything very thoroughly as well. Good thing I brought the fake document so she wouldn't get suspicious and report it to Vincent," Vernon said. He didn't want to rouse any suspicion, not at this stage when he had prepared everything for at least three years.

"Now I have to play a long game with him because of that old hag," Vernon grumbled as his plan had been hindered by one person. But he was naturally cunning, so he had already formed a second plan in his head. No matter what, he had to ensure he got all the trust from his big brother until he lowered his guard completely and trusted Vernon without question.

"Then, I can plan on doing what I want, including my plan with my sister-in-law, hehe…." Vernon smirked as he imagined everything he would do to his family. He felt no remorse, especially for his estranged mother and brother.

The only thing that made him feel a little doubtful was Chloe, his sister-in-law;

He felt… a little disturbed with his own plan that involved her.

But Vernon shook his head quickly, dispelling the thought of pitying his sister-in-law, "No, that woman doesn't deserve pity, not after what she did to me, to us."

Chapter 106

Vincent arrived at the office about two hours after Vernon left. He went up and texted Maria not to leave because he wanted to check on something. He knew it was wrong to be doubtful of his little brother. After all, Vernon never hurt him and didn't seem to be planning on taking over the Gray family.

'Though, if he wants his share, I can split all of my businesses and inheritance with him in half. It's also his right, after all….'

Vincent knew everything was alright, and he shouldn't doubt his little brother. To make it even worse, he was doubtful of him just because his mother said so.

She was probably the last person you wanted to hear her opinion about Vernon— because Vincent also acknowledged that his mom never truly took care of Vernon after he was around four to five years old.

Vincent waited until the elevator door slid open, saw Maria standing beside her desk, and bowed respectfully, "Mr. Vincent Gray, do you need me to do anything?"

"Come to my office," Vincent said. He entered his office room, and Maria followed him from behind.

Vincent sat on his seat and pulled the drawer open to check on his official stamp.

He pressed his thumb on the stamp and realized it had been used recently because the ink was still wet.

"Did my little brother come to the office just now?" Vincent asked.

"About two hours ago, yes," Maria answered properly. "He came with a document, asking to be stamped and signed with your signature, just like what you texted me before."

"Hm…" Vincent nodded. It was exactly what Vernon told him as well. He just wanted to come here to ask for a signature and stamp for that small project of theirs.

"Did you read the documents thoroughly?" Vincent asked again.

"Yes, I read it fast, but I make sure to get every point in that contract that needs to be signed. There is nothing wrong with the contract, Sir. In fact, I feel like Vernon Phoenix Gray is trying to give our company more profit with that project," Maria explained. She was an experienced secretary, so she knew how to read fast but thoroughly. She was convinced that Vernon had no ill intention.

Yet, she also had this expectation that Vernon had a personality similar to Mr. Vaughn Gray in his young and single life.

So she was expecting something might happen sooner or later in this office and possibly to the whole Gray family.

"May I know why you need this confirmation, Sir? Is something wrong?" Maria asked, thinking she could give Vincent a hint or two.

Vincent sighed and tapped the desk with his finger, "I trust my little brother. But there is something in me that start suspecting him. It's an unfounded suspicion that he might be onto something, possibly planning to ruin the Gray family."

"So I thought, he must've changed one thing or two inside this new contract that would give him a chance to exploit many things using my name," Vincent explained. "But my fear is unfounded. Vernon is taking this small project very seriously, and I'm here accusing him of scheming against me."

"About the document. Mr. Phoenix Gray didn't seem happy about me reading it," Maria said, trying to hint to her boss to stay alert no matter what.

But after she heard his response, she knew that it was too far gone for Vincent;

"It's understandable that he got mad. Because he must've felt that I didn't trust him enough, even telling you to look at the contract thoroughly before giving signature."

Maria went silent and then bowed her head, "If that's all that you want, I want to leave now, Mr. Gray."

"Hm, thank you, Maria. You can leave now," Vincent said.

Vincent got up after a while as well. He wanted to make up for his suspicion towards his little brother but didn't know how.

He was returning to the mansion when Vernon sent the scanned copy of the document that was signed by Maria today to his email.

—

Vernon Phoenix Gray: Big brother! Here's the scanned copy. Check it out, and if you don't agree with anything, just let me know, and I'll change it.

Vernon Phoenix Gray: File sent.

—

Vincent decided to read the document, and once he read everything on his way home. He felt even more ridiculous. Because it was exactly what he expected from his little brother.

It was honest and very detailed on what he needed and that— Vincent's company would allow him to use a few resources.

It was minuscule for his scale. Vernon could just ask this directly to Vincent, and he would basically hand those stuff to Vernon with no question.

But it was just his cute little brother. Even if he had grown up now, he still maintained his honesty.

Thus, Vincent decided to call his little brother, and the call was connected after a few beeps;

—

"Hi, big brother! Did you read the file I sent you?" Vernon asked. His tone was excited as always.

"Yes, I did," Vincent replied. "You don't need my signature just for these. It's a resource you can take as long as you ask me for it."

"But it's still your company's asset, big brother. I can't just take it without permission!" Vernon reasoned. "But at least I got the legal permission now. I'll make sure that our project will be doing great!"

Vincent smiled bitterly. Vernon was so excited about this, while he was the one who got all suspicious of him without reason.

"You're already doing more than what I expected, Vernon. Just continue with the project. I am more than pleased because you have so much dedication."

"Of course, why would I disappoint my big brother? I'll make sure to make you proud!" Vernon claimed.

—

They discussed a few more things before hanging up the call, and Vincent headed to his house— a mansion where he, Chloe, and their daughter lived for ten years.