Ch. 116..120: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 116-120

Chapter 116

Vernon left first to the office. He just told Chloe to bring his lunch as always.

Chloe noticed that Vernon's mood seemed to be a little complicated for an unknown reason, making her wonder if she had unknowingly made another mistake this morning.

However, she couldn't think much about it and decided to focus on her daughter.

"Ready to go?" Chloe asked as they were already sitting in her car.

"Un! Let's go, Mommy!" Mackie replied.

Chloe drove to Mackie's school and asked, "How's school these days? Everything is alright now? Jaden and Mia still try to bully you?"

Mackie shook her head, "Not anymore, Mommy! Because when they're trying to fight Mackie, Miss Alicia will say they will get extra homework, hihi~."

Mackie was happy that her bullies were getting reprimanded. Though, she was still a feisty little girl. Even when those two were ganging up on her, she could still stand on her ground and not let herself get bullied. So none of her other classmates dared to tease her.

Chloe was relieved that Miss Alicia was trying to protect Mackie. She was quite close to Miss Alicia and even had her number saved in case there was an emergency for Mackie in school.

'Maybe I should call her again and show my gratitude in person. She's been very helpful during these hard times,' Chloe thought. She planned to invite Miss Alicia for lunch at least.

"Mommy."

"Hm?"

"When will I meet Daddy again?" Mackie asked.

Chloe's hand on the steering wheel trembled once she heard that question again. She forgot that Mackie was in a good term with her Daddy, even though he had been nothing but horrible towards Chloe.

She thought Mackie would gradually forget about the existence of her Daddy as long as Chloe kept her busy with stuff. But it seemed the question was unavoidable in the end.

Chloe took a deep breath and said, "Mackie, remember when Mommy said that Daddy is still dealing with his own problem?"

"Umm… yup! But Mommy said Daddy will pick us up after he finishes his problem!" Mackie said as she still remembered her Mommy's words back then.

"Yes, we need to wait until he is done with his problem, or else we cannot return, understand?" Chloe said.

Mackie imagined her Daddy was busy dealing with his work. Mommy always said that Daddy was always busy. He had a lot of projects outside, so she couldn't act spoiled. Daddy wasn't home because he wanted to earn a lot of money for them.

But at least she could call her Daddy…

"Ah!" Like a lightbulb popped on top of her head, Mackie asked her Mommy, "Mommy, can I at least call Daddy? Mackie often calls Daddy when I want to hear his voice!"

…

True, Mackie had a small phone that was only usable for her to call Vincent or Chloe. I also watched some Youtube kids' videos. But Mackie mostly used it to call her Daddy because it was the only way for her to talk with her father daily.

"Mommy, where's my phone?" Mackie asked.

Chloe gulped out of nervousness. She didn't want to give Mackie her phone simply because she just didn't want Mackie to talk with her father again.

"Um… it's on service, dear," Chloe replied. "It's broken when moving around, so it's still being fixed."

"Awww…." Mackie was dispirited. "Then, what about Mommy's phone? Can I borrow it to call Daddy?"

…

Chloe tried to find another reason so Mackie would stop asking about her Daddy. Then she replied, "Daddy told Mommy last night that he is very, very busy. It's better not to call him for now, okay?"

"Very busy? Mackie cannot call him at all?"

"I'm sorry, dear…."

Mackie was even more dispirited than before, which was painful for Chloe because she had to constantly lie to Mackie just to cover up for that bastard Vincent.

She just didn't know how to handle this. If she said that her Daddy was a cheating bastard, it would probably shatter the image of her perfect superhero, Daddy.

'But is it fair for me to continue lying to her?' Chloe asked herself. 'She will know it sooner or later. But not now, she is too young to understand, and our situation is too unstable for that kind of reveal….'

"Mommy, I hope Daddy's problem will be done soon… Mackie misses him a lot…."

"I know, dear. I hope so too…." Chloe said. But she secretly wished that would never come true. She hoped that Vincent would burn in hell and never see Vincent anymore.

"But you shouldn't miss him too much, Mackie. Your Daddy is always busy, remember?"

"Mmm… at least he should call Mackie at least once…." Mackie said. "I miss playing with Daddy…."

"Well, we have Daddy's little brother at home. It's also fun to play with Uncle Vernon, right?" Chloe had to use Vernon's name as a scapegoat here since he was the current 'father figure' for Mackie, it was a bare minimum, but at least he was there, for now…

"Uncle Vernon is not kind like Daddy!" Mackie complained. "But, Uncle is fun…."

"Let's play with Uncle Vernon for now, okay?"

"Um… Uncle Vernon is not Daddy…." Mackie complained. "I wish Daddy would call soon…."

Chloe went silent after that, she wanted to stop the topic from resurfacing, so Chloe wouldn't have to face many difficult questions from her daughter.

She stopped the car in front of the school gate and opened the door for Mackie, "Mackie, it's time for school."

"Okay…" Mackie nodded. She hopped off the car and waved her hands to Mommy. "Mackie will get an A again today, so Daddy will be proud of me when we meet again!"

Chloe's smile faltered for a split second, but she still maintained that excited face for her daughter, "That's great! Daddy will be proud of you, dear! Study well, and don't let anyone bully you, okay?"

"Okay! See you later, Mommy!"

Chapter 117

"Okay! See you later, Mommy!"

Chloe waved to her daughter until she entered the gate and joined the rest of her friends. Her smile faltered completely, and she closed the car door.

It was already difficult for her to talk about the issue of her separation from Mackie, but as time went on, she knew she couldn't hide this for too long.

"Maybe I don't handle this correctly…." Chloe said. "I should've been more firm and told her slowly about the separation between Vincent and me."

"But I just don't have the heart to see her crying because she would be separated from her Daddy. And there is no way I'll let her stay with Vincent."

Amidst her uncertainty, she tried to calm down. She convinced herself, "Chloe, you can't let him see Mackie, at least not until Vincent has signed the divorce paper and the divorce has been finalized."

**

Vernon was on his way to his office when he got an idea. He called his big brother, and they were connected after a few beeps;

—

"Morning, big brother!"

"Huh? Ah… Yeah, Vernon, what is it?" Vincent asked. He yawned a few times as he just woke up from a nightmare.

What kind of nightmare?

It was a nightmare where he saw Chloe living a happy life, but without him in the picture. It was so stupid because he saw Chloe smiling and laughing with this new man whose face was undescribable to Vincent.

It was a stupid dream, but Vincent still counts it as a nightmare.

"Where are you now? Let's have brunch together!"

"Oh… I just woke up. I'm on my bed right now," Vincent replied. Usually, when one of his business partners asked him to come together for brunch, he'd refuse unless there was a business deal between them.

But Vernon wasn't just a business partner. He was his little brother. So Vincent asked, "I'll join brunch with you, but can you wait a while? I need to get ready first."

"Ah, no need, big brother! I'll just come to your mansion!" Vernon replied.

"That's…" Vincent hesitated. He didn't want Vernon to see the family pictures of him and Chloe. Because he didn't want to look pathetic in front of his big brother, to be keeping the family pictures of a woman who left you— that was a whole new level of shame.

"It's fine, big brother! We can go together to have brunch! I'm on my way!"

BEEP.

Vernon chuckled when he heard the hesitation in his big brother's tone. He must've felt ashamed to show his mansion without his wife inside.

But that wasn't his problem. He just wanted to investigate his big brother and sister-in-law's life when he wasn't around.

"They must have lots of fun times together while I'm away from their life. How lucky," Vernon said. He pressed the gas pedal, and the car sped up. "Too bad I'm not going to let this off."

**

Vincent sighed when Vernon hung up the call. Though he didn't want Vernon to come, he still couldn't refuse his little brother's request.

So he would be here to check on everything that Chloe had left, "This is pathetic, Vincent Gray. You're the current Master of the Gray family, and you let a woman humiliate you like this? You should be the first one in the family to experience this."

Vincent got up from the bed, washed his face, and shaved his stubble. He wanted to be as presentable as possible in front of his little brother.

After all, he was the Master of the Gray family, and Vincent looked up to him for everything. He didn't want to disappoint that kid.

"If only Chloe is here, she can act like a good, submissive little wife, and everything will be perfect again. That bitch has issues."

**

Vincent already notified the security to open the gate for Vernon's car, so he just passed through the security check.

Vernon looked around the mansion as he drove to the front porch. This mansion wasn't as grandiose as the main Gray mansion. It could be counted as a small mansion, in fact. But it was understandable because this was a private mansion that rarely hosted any party since all parties regarding the Gray family would always use the Gray mansion.

Besides, they only had one child, and this place had the best security in New York. It was most logical to buy this mansion.

But still, for the scale of 'Vincent Gray' the billionaire. The size of the mansion was a joke.

"Heh, this kind of mansion is easy for me to buy. I don't know what's the deal with my sister-in-law's arrogance. It's not like she lives in a castle."

Vernon parked his car on the front porch and saw the wide-open main door. It seemed that his big brother had expected his arrival.

He saw a few maids were still busy cleaning, and they bowed their heads respectfully when Vernon passed them.

Though, he also saw one or two maids enamored by his looks, which had always been a regular sight for Vernon.

But what surprised him was the lack of a man in the mansion.

Other than the security guard. He only saw many maids but no butler. Even the gardener outside was a female gardener. Which made him wonder if this was just a coincidence or a preference.

Two maids stopped Vernon on his track as they bowed politely at the same time;

"Good morning, Mr. Phoenix Gray. Mr. Gray told us to escort you to his office. Please follow us."

"Hm," Vernon nodded. He followed the maids and passed the living room. Surprisingly, he didn't see many expensive items in the living room. Honestly, this whole mansion didn't have much expensive stuff he imagined.

Even without the expensive furniture, it still had its own homey charm, with many small knick-knacks that regular people bought from dollar stores. Even the sofa wasn't a brand name. Yet, it looked comfortable.

There was also a big framed photo of the family right on top of the TV. Lastly, Vernon also noticed a cheap carpet in front of the TV, definitely less than 5 grand.

'This place reeks of her touch.'

Chapter 118

'This place reeks of her touch,' Vernon thought. His sister-in-law had this weird hobby of acting as if she didn't have money and always tried to live on a budget, even though Vernon literally handed her his black card for her to use.

He thought she did it because she just wanted to humiliate him, indirectly telling him that he was poor compared to Vincent— his Big brother. Because his Big brother could provide Chloe with all the lavish things, this world could offer.

"This way, Sir," the maids led the way for Vernon. He walked through a long corridor and noticed many hanged family pictures of his Big brother's family— Vincent, Chloe, Mackie, and a little bit of that old hag Dorothea Gray lined on the corridor wall.

This house was surprisingly very tidy and homey…

Unable to contain his curiosity, Vernon finally asked the maids, "I heard from my Big brother that my sister-in-law left the house with my niece. Do you know what happened?"

The maids went silent for a while. Vernon noticed that they were glancing at each other before one replied, "Pardon, Sir. We're just maids who work from dawn to dusk, so we don't know much about Mr. And Mrs. Gray's life."

"Are you sure?" Vernon asked. He found it quite unbelievable because his sister-in-law was a stay-at-home mom. She seemed to be a homemaker as well, seeing how meticulous she was trying to make this mansion look homey.

Thus, these maids must've known something about what happened in the house since Chloe was mostly at home.

But Vernon couldn't pry more than this, at least not in a direct or confrontational manner, because he already expected that his big brother must've ordered these maids to escort him for a reason.

"My sister-in-law is a homemaker, right? Did she arrange everything here?"

"Yes, Mr. Phoenix Gray. She is the one who orders us around," one maid replied. They glanced at each other for a split second, and the other added;

"She is mostly just giving orders. She doesn't actually do any work around."

"Really?"

"Yes, she is… a wasteful lady— if I may quote Mr. Vincent Gray."

"Wasteful? Like a gold digger?"

"Yes…"

"That's interesting. Because I've noticed many cheap furniture and knick-knack around the house. I don't think a gold digger would want a cheap thing when she has the resource to buy anything she wants."

"T—That's…"

Vernon smirked and seemed to catch on to something. "Hmm~? Is that how you describe the mistress who hired you? That's a bit too spiteful, don't you think?"

The maids jolted out of shock, but luckily, they had arrived in front of Vincent's office door.

They opened the door and welcomed Vernon to enter, "Please wait inside, Mr. Phoenix Gray. Master Vincent Gray will be here soon."

"Sure," Vernon entered his big brother's office. The maids wanted to close the door, but Vernon's hand suddenly grabbed the door hinge, and his head peeked out, "What's your name?"

The maid was astonished when Mr. Phoenix Gray suddenly asked their names. If they weren't in the Gray mansion, they would be head over heels to be noticed by such a handsome hunk who happened to be a Gray family member.

But, this man had this very intimidating aura around him, and the fact that they had witnessed how horrible Master Vincent Gray treated his wife— they were actually scared to even say their names.

Vernon watched their face turn pale, and they looked terrified. It wasn't all that surprising for him, though. People who worked with the Gray family tended to be subservient and even intimidated by fear.

'So it's not that different here. Either Chloe has intimidated them to the bone— which I think is impossible, or my big brother intimidated them instead.'

'I think the second one is more believable,' Vernon thought.

"Aww, too bad. I was going to ask my big brother to give you two a raise since you've shown me good hospitality," Vernon grinned. "You can leave now."

"P—Please excuse us, Mr. Phoenix Gray."

The maids closed the door. Their palms were sweaty because they thought they had faced the devil himself.

Vernon Phoenix Gray was a lot more intimidating than Mr. Vincent Gray, despite being all smiley.

"Goddamn, he is so scary. I thought I might die of a heart attack when he asked us our names," one maid said to the other. "Did he see through our lies? I thought we were already convincing enough."

"Y—Yes, but he starts asking questions we can't answer. Of course, we can't just say that Mrs. Chloe Gray has been emotionally abused until she zipped her mouth completely when Mr. Vincent Gray is around."

"Yeah, I don't want to get fired, or even worse… Mr. Vincent Gray might notice our fault and actually ruin my life…."

They were hired by Mrs. Chloe Gray around the same time four years ago, and they came together to the mansion. She was such a sweet lady who told them about the stuff they needed to do around the house. She smiled and asked them if they also had children at home. Once they said they did have children at home, Mrs. Chloe whispered to them that she would give them a bonus at the end of every month aside from their salary. She said it was a bonus for the kids.

She was all sweet and helpful until the legendary Mr. Vincent Gray arrived home in the late afternoon.

Then, that smiling lady just vanished out of thin air. Mrs. Chloe Gray became so soulless— almost doll-like. She looked terrified when Mr. Vincent Gray would look at her and ask her things. She became very silent and only spoke when Vincent Gray told her to speak.

Soon, they noticed that Mr. Vincent Gray would use his charm and money to pick a few of the younger maids and fucked them, even when Mrs. Chloe Gray was at home.

They also noticed how Mr. Vincent Gray bullied his wife for the smallest thing, nitpicking at every little detail until Mrs. Chloe Gray broke down in tears many times.

Chapter 119

They also noticed how Mr. Vincent Gray bullied his wife for the smallest thing, nitpicking at every little detail until Mrs. Chloe Gray broke down in tears many times.

Such as that one time when Mrs. Chloe Gray cooked many dishes since early dawn for Mr. Vincent Gray's birthday surprise.

Mr. Vincent Gray looked pleased and hugged his wife, that was… until Mackenzie— their daughter left for a piano lesson in the late afternoon.

He suddenly changed and told all the maids— including them, to bring all the foods that Mrs. Chloe Gray cooked and give them to the three guard dogs.

—Flashback—

"V—Vincent, please don't… I—I made them… I made them for your birthday…." Chloe begged weakly. Her body trembled, and her eyes were already pooling with tears when she saw all her homecooked food become dog food.

Vincent shrugged it off, "It's fine. I have my own chef who cooked for me in one of my restaurants. He actually makes decent food, unlike you who make dog food."

"Do you really expect me to eat these? You want to humiliate me as the Master of Gray family?" Vincent scoffed at his wife. "Well, at least I give you a hug in front of our daughter. That's enough to show how I appreciate your effort, right?"

"Though, you're just a housewife after all. What kind of appreciation do you need for slouching around the house?"

—

​ It was just one instance where Mr. Vincent Gray went way overboard. He basically crushed her will to live at some point.

Did they pity her? Of course…

But they also knew that Mr. Vincent Gray was the one in power here. Mrs. Chloe Gray might be their employer, but Vincent Gray dominated her.

So the maids also obeyed Mr. Vincent Gray and basically ignored Mrs. Chloe Gray just to get into his good side of Vincent.

Including them, they didn't want to get into the bad side of Vincent Gray and also closed their eyes whenever abuse happened in the mansion.

"Do you think we should tell the whole thing to Mr. Vincent Gray?" one maid asked.

"Isn't that even a question? Of course, we have to! It'd be better to get scolded by him after we reported everything rather than getting fired because Vernon Phoenix Gray said something about us!"

"Yeah, you're right. The salary in this place is too good. I need the money."

"Same, I need the money too."

**

Vincent had just worn his suit and clipped his cuff when he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

Knock. Knock.

"Master, Vernon Phoenix Gray is waiting in your office."

"Hm."

Vincent opened the door and saw the two maids he dispatched looking at him with worried eyes before looking down because they were scared.

Vincent immediately sensed something was wrong, and he asked, "Tell me the detail of your mistake before I have to hire new maids."

The maids glanced at each other again, and one of them braced herself and reported;

"Master, your big brother— Vernon Phoenix Gray, asked us about Mrs. Chloe Gray. He asked what was happening between you and her. We didn't answer, but he asked again about what she was doing around the mansion."

"And what was your answer?" Vincent asked.

"We… told him that she doesn't do any work, and a wasteful lady, a gold digger."

Vincent nodded approvingly, "I don't see anything wrong with your answer. So what's your concern?"

"Uh… Mr. Vernon Phoenix Gray noticed the cheap furniture and knick-knacks around the mansion and said it doesn't make sense if she is a gold digger but also buying these cheap things around the house when she has all the money she wants…."

"I see," Vincent wasn't panicked when he heard the report. In fact, he was quite pleased by Vernon's question. "My little brother is a smart kid. So it's natural for him to ask about that. Don't worry, I will be the one handling him. You two can leave now."

"Y—Yes, Master Gray!"

Vincent paced through the corridor with steady steps. He was pleased with Vernon, who noticed small things around the mansion, meaning that he was a detail-oriented man, just like Vincent.

"Ah, Vernon is smart, just like me," Vincent said as he walked. "This is why I allow him to work with me. He has the same qualification as me. That means he is just as good as me."

He wasn't nervous about how to face Vernon about the question either. Because what was said by those maids was the truth, Chloe was just a housewife and homemaker that couldn't do anything else. She was a wasteful woman and gold digger.

He just needed to twist a few things to fit his narrative.

**

Vernon stayed silent after the maids left him in his Big brother's office. He looked around to observe the surrounding of this office and scoffed when he noticed a few things.

"I thought my big brother would distance himself from my sister-in-law after they're separating. Does he realize that even his office room is full of the touch of my sister-in-law?" Vernon commented. Like the rest of the mansion, even Vincent's office was decorated with what Vernon called 'Chloe style.'

It reminded him of how middle-class people would decorate their offices in New York.

"If he is really over her, then he should've changed this office— no, the whole mansion according to the Gray family style," Vernon commented. He checked around and noticed a small flower pot with a price sticker that hadn't been fully scratched off.

"This must be her trying to scratch off the price. That's cute, HAHAHA!" Vernon laughed it off as he found everything funny each time he noticed a few small things about his sister-in-law.

"I guess even my powerful brother is not immune to her when they got married," Vernon mocked. "If I'm in my big brother's position and married Chloe. I'll never allow her to change anything in my house and office."

Chapter 120"If I'm in my big brother's position and married Chloe. I'll never allow her to change anything in my house and office," Vernon said, thinking it was ridiculous to let a woman like his sister-in-law change things inside his office.

"Heh, what the hell am I saying? If I have to marry, she would be the last woman I'd marry on earth," Vernon stated. However, before he could say more, he heard a click from the door, and the door was pushed open.

Vernon saw his big brother— Vincent Gray, standing at the door. He was already suited and looking dapper as always, a trait that should've been inherited by their father, Vaughn Gray. Their father always wore his proper suit, even in the most casual situation.

"Big brother!" Vernon resumed his act to please his Big brother. He walked towards his Big brother and hugged him. Vernon patted Vincent's back twice, and Vincent did the same before they were separeted.

Vincent's mood improved instantly when he saw his Little brother. Vernon took the initiative to ask his Big brother, "Big brother, let's go for brunch! I know a restaurant that will suit your taste!"

"Sure," Vincent agreed.

"Let's use my car. I've never driven you around, right? This would be the first time!"

"That's true," Vincent chuckled. "I lost the chance to be the one who teaches you how to drive. But I guess this would be a good opportunity on how much you grow, Vernon."

"Yes!"

**

Vernon drove with his Big brother to the restaurant that was partly owned by him. They were chatting about many things, mostly business and experiences growing up, but never once had Vernon asked his Big brother about his sister-in-law.

Vernon called the restaurant manager on the way, and they were given the best table with a garden view in front of them.

Vincent and Vernon sat face to face. Vernon looked relaxed— even slouching on his chair uncaringly, while Vincent sat in a very proper manner, waiting for his food.

"Sit back straight, Vernon. You shouldn't slouch like that in public," Vincent chided.

"Gee, Big brother, you're always nosy about stuff like this. Who cares?" Vernon chuckled.

"I care," Vincent replied. His expression became firmer as he disliked how his little brother challenged his authority. "Sit back straight."

Vernon chuckled, but he obeyed in the end, not wanting to make an enemy of his Big brother.

Vincent was much more relaxed after Vernon obeyed his order, "I know that you have something in your mind the whole time, right, little bro?"

"Ah, did those maids tell you something?" Vernon asked back.

"They told me you're asking about your sister-in-law," Vincent said. "If you have questions about her and her life before she left me, you should ask me. I can always give you all the detail that you want."

Vernon's eyes peered for a split second. He noticed that his Big brother was well guarded just by looking at his expression. He lived with Vincent long enough to know that his Big brother was being very serious right now.

'Heh, that's funny. I thought he didn't give a single shit about his sister-in-law. But by the way, he looks very well-guarded just to answer some questions about her. He seems to think a lot about her.'

'Now, the question is… did he think of her with love… or hatred?'

Vernon was disturbed by his own question. He asked himself, 'So what if my big brother is still in love with my sister-in-law? Isn't that better for the plan that I've formed? She could be a great tool for me to succeed….'

'But… I feel annoyed, somehow.'

"Well, I asked your maids about my sister-in-law since I'm curious," Vernon started the conversation. "They told me she is a wasteful woman and gold digger."

"But?" Vincent baited.

"But, I saw many cheap furniture around your mansion, Big brother. I bet she was the one who bought them all," Vernon reported his observation. "I also noticed that she seems to be a good homemaker. Many things are arranged to make your mansion looks like it was owned by an upper-middle-class family in New York. Unlike the Gray mansion, it always looks lavish and untouchable all year round."

Vincent took a deep breath and answered honestly, "Yes, she is a good homemaker, I must admit. She makes the mansion look much more comfortable, even my office, with her touch. I assume you must've noticed the arrangement and cheap stuff laying around."

"Oh, haha! Yes, I noticed and had a good laugh at them," Vernon replied.

"She is a good homemaker, but that's it. Being a homemaker is the only quality she has. She is still a slouch of a woman," Vincent said.

"But, is she really a gold digger?" Vernon continued prying. He also wanted to believe that his sister-in-law was nothing but a gold-digging whore.

But when he saw the cheap furniture around the mansion, he found something wasn't right.

Vincent's lips perked up a bit once his little brother asked the question, "Yes, she is a gold digger. But not in a way that you'd expect."

"What do you mean by that, Big brother?" Vernon asked. "I mean, I just find it a little unbelievable that she is a gold digger but doesn't use the money you provide to buy many unnecessary expensive things."

"That is the way she tries to put the burden on you," Vincent said.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Big brother?"

Vincent smirked as he knew that his little brother was dancing in his palm now. He was never nervous when facing someone who questioned his actions.

Because he knew he'd always win, no matter what.

"My wife, Chloe Gray— I gave her my black card and allowed her to do anything she wishes with it. But she continues acting like we don't have enough money, buying cheap things to fill our mansion, and always nitpicking about smallest mistake I made," Vincent said.