Ch. 176..180: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 176-180

Chapter 176

"Why is she so different?" Vernon fretted. "Why can't she just simply fall for me, like the rest of those women? Am I lacking something?"

"I don't want to show her my true feelings. I don't want her to see me as weak, isn't this the correct thing to do?" Vernon asked himself.

"If I showed too much of those fragile emotions, she would exploit me, playing me around until I begged for her mercy."

'But… scaring her didn't work either….'

Vernon was reflecting on his mistake. He knew that he had messed up.

But he truly wanted to know what happened between Chloe and Vincent, so he could help.

But he was just… a little impatient…

He was always like this whenever he didn't get what he wanted. He would be impatient, often resulting in him using intimidation or fear. It always worked, of course, at least for the past ten years when he lived in Europe.

Vernon's mind was filled with Chloe as he worried about her. This was the first time she ever had enough courage to face him, so the trauma must've been excruciating.

,m 'But what can I do to make her open up?'

Vernon sighed and got up from the floor.

He wanted to just sleep on the sofa to relax like last night. But he remembered Chloe's words, telling him to wash his face and brush his teeth first.

"Urgh, why do I still have to do those? I'm in a somber mood right now," Vernon complained.

He changed to simply using his boxer, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, just like what Chloe told him to do.

Vernon lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he tried to imagine what kind of bad experience his Big brother had inflicted on her.

He could only think of one thing…

Vincent fuck around outside with random women and gave Chloe all the money she needed to have fun. It wasn't a normal family, and they were probably out of love for each other.

But at least both of them could live their lives to the fullest, not giving a single fuck about being loyal whatsoever.

It was bad, but it was normal for the Gray family.

'There must be something else… something else that changes Chloe so much…' Vernon pondered, but he couldn't find any answer to his own assumption because Chloe simply refused to tell.

Although he barely got anything from her, he knew one thing for sure;

"She has not been happy for ten years straight," Vernon murmured. He didn't really know what kind of terrible experience Chloe had experienced for ten years, but it was definitely traumatic enough for her to try to bury it.

"I have to confirm it nonetheless. If she refuses to tell me, then I have to find out about her secret myself," Vernon murmured. He was determined to discover what kind of experience his sister-in-law experienced during ten years of his absence.

Because clearly, she suffered way more than she could handle.

"Now, what should I do if my Big brother actually abused her? Should I let him off and forget about it?" Vernon asked himself. His gaze darkened, and his eyes glinted maliciously.

A smirk grew on his lips, and he scoffed, "Of course not. I'm already planning to destroy his business empire as a revenge for looking down at me. But if it's proven that he abused her until she is traumatized… then I have no more pity."

"No more playing nice because of blood sibling bullshit. I will rest until I see his head on the floor."

Vernon finally closed his eyes after he was satisfied with his resolute will. He would think about an idea on how to crack the secret open, and he already got one target whom he would force to speak out, or she would get fired.

…

…

Vernon opened his eyes suddenly. He just realized that he had forgotten about something;

"Shit, I forgot to apologize," Vernon cursed his carelessness. "Then, how am I supposed to say sorry now? Of course it will be awkward if I say sorry tomorrow morning!"

Thus, Vernon spent the rest of his night trying to find a good way to apologize without sounding too awkward and hurting his pride.

**

[Monday Morning.]

Chloe woke up the next morning and did her morning routine in a daze. She couldn't believe what she said to Vernon last night.

She was brave enough to face him. Despite all the odds, the urge to bottle up her trauma was stronger than her fear of him.

She wasn't sure if it was a good thing because she knew she wouldn't be able to bottle the trauma forever.

But she did this because she didn't want another man that might exploit her at her lowest. She was already scared when near unknown men, let alone opening up to them.

"It's okay, Chloe. Hopefully, Vernon understands your situation and stops asking about it. It's okay to play pretend, right? Just a bit, so Mackie's mental health would be protected."

She went upstairs and started cooking breakfast early in the morning. Naturally, Mackie and Vernon went out of their bedroom, ready to eat breakfast, before they prepared themselves for school and work.

Vernon and Mackie sat at the dining table as Chloe served their breakfast.

"Okay, breakfasts done. I will prepare the shoes for both of you. I cleaned them yesterday," Chloe said.

"Chloe," Vernon suddenly called her. Her body froze for a few seconds. She turned around and set up a sweet smile;

"Yes, Sir?"

'Sir…'

"Nothing, you can go now," Vernon said.

"Okay, thank you."

Vernon was at a loss as he kept staring at Chloe. She intentionally distanced herself, giving Vernon no chance to apologize for what he did last night.

Mackie was busy eating her breakfast when she noticed Uncle Vernon didn't touch his plate at all, "Uncle, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. You should finish your food, by the way," Vernon said.

"Un!" Mackie finished her breakfast and burped a bit.

She leaned on the chair and then checked on her Uncle again. She was actually curious about something;

"Uncle, when will you meet Daddy?"

Chapter 177

"Uncle, when will you meet Daddy?" Mackie asked.

Vernon glanced at his little niece and replied, "Today."

"Oh!" Mackie's face brightened instantly. She grabbed Uncle Vernon's wrist with her small hands and requested, "Uncle, can you ask Daddy today then? Please tell Daddy that Mackie wants to meet him!"

…

Vernon nodded weakly, not wanting to talk more about his Big brother here. Besides, it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to fulfill her request.

Vernon still intended to hide the presence of his sister-in-law and little niece from Vincent. He knew that Vincent's power was too much for him, and he might be able to influence Chloe or Mackie to return home.

Mackie was happy by Uncle Vernon's nod. She released her hands around his wrist and hopped off the chair, "Thank you, Uncle! Mackie will study well in school! Daddy always said that I should be smart and strong like him, so he wouldn't be disappointed with me!"

Vernon's eyes widened when he heard the word 'disappointed' coming from Mackie's mouth.

Because it was the same method that his late father, Vaughn Gray, often said to him so he would keep up with his study.

Though, Vernon was always a rebel ever since he was young. He wouldn't listen nor bow down to his late father's threat. He didn't care if he would be a disappointment because his Big brother, Vincent Gray, was more than enough as the heir of the Gray family.

But he didn't expect his Big brother to use the same threat against his own daughter.

'He's really copying everything Dad did when he was still alive…' Vernon thought. It would be easy to conclude what happened with Chloe if he saw his late father's treatment of his mother.

But it seemed that Vincent did way more than their father did back then. Because their mother didn't end up running away like Chloe did.

'I don't know what had gotten into him. I decided to leave because I thought… she will be with a good person….'

Vernon's mood turned bitter as he was constantly reminded of what his sister-in-law and big brother had said back then. How both of them looked down on him for being inadequate and disgusting.

They were looking down on him for being second and would never be able to be as good as his Big brother.

Vernon took a deep breath to calm himself, 'Calm down, Vernon. You need to find out about the truth first before judging her. The way she reacted last night is not someone who lived a happy life.'

**

Chloe and Mackie left the apartment first to go to school. Chloe dropped her in front of the school gate.

"Goodluck for school today, dear," Chloe said as she patted Mackie's head.

"Mommy, don't forget about your promise!"

"Promise?"

"Yup! You said you will call Daddy and ask if he can talk to me! I really want to talk to him!"

"… M—Mommy will try to call him," Chloe said.

"Yay! Thanks, Mommy!"

Mackie ran towards the school entrance and joined her friends. She was always in high spirits, unlike Chloe, who felt weak after she promised Mackie to call Vincent.

Chloe returned to her car and parked it far from the school gate. She sat in her car for a while, thinking whether it was okay for her to call Vincent or not.

She didn't want to call him, nor did she want anything to do with him except for the divorce that was still stuck because he refused to sign it.

But she had already promised Mackie, and she also had to ask him whether he had considered signing the divorce paper or not.

"Okay, Chloe, prepare yourself before calling him. Don't get triggered by his words. He's always like that, remember? He likes to taunt and torment you with his words," Chloe warned herself, so she wouldn't be overtaken by anger when Vincent spoke ill against her.

She grabbed her phone and found his contact. Her finger hovered on the green button on the screen. She took a deep breath and finally pressed the call button on the screen.

**

Vincent woke up in the morning in a groggy mood, as always. He slept in the master bedroom, which was supposed to be his and Chloe's bedroom, until that bitch decided to leave.

It had been a while since Chloe left him with Mackie. He thought she'd eventually return because she had nowhere else to go.

Who would've thought that she managed to find a rich old man to hide her, like the true whore that she was?

Vincent got up from the bed and cleaned himself as part of his morning routine. He only had one meeting today, and that was with his little brother. He always emptied the schedule whenever he wanted to meet with Vernon in case they wanted to spend more time discussing something.

It was also how Vincent tried to respect his little brother's presence. After all, they had lost contact with each other for ten years straight.

After he took a warm morning bath, he wore his bathrobe and heard the door knock.

"Good morning, Mr. Gray. I'm here with your suit," the maid outside said.

She was the new one in charge of picking the suit— including tie, shoes, cufflinks, etc. for Vincent since he had a giant walk-in closet.

He opened the door, and the maid blushed instantly when she saw the handsome Mr. Vincent Gray, only wearing a bathrobe.

"M—Mr. Gray, I come with your suit…."

Vincent looked down to check on the suit, tie, cuff, shoes, and everything she had prepared. His gaze darkened as he found her selection tacky, with a vibrant yet contrasting color, almost like a clown. He grabbed the suit on the maid's palm and threw it onto her face.

"Ah!" the maid was shocked. She fell backward when the suit hit her face. She looked up only to see Mr. Vincent Gray's hostile gaze, "M—Mr. Gray?"

"Do you think I'm a jester from middle age? Go get me a better selection, you tacky bitch."

Chapter 178

"Do you think I'm a jester from middle age? Go get me a better selection, you tacky bitch."

The maid was shocked by Mr. Vincent Gray's insult just now. It was her first day at work, and her job was easy.

She was tasked to prepare Mr. Gray's suit. He had a giant walk-in closet and wanted to ensure he was always well-dressed every day.

Apparently, this was a job supposed to be handled by his wife, but she suddenly left him.

So the maid was happy to get the job. It paid well, and she had the chance to be the new wife of Mr. Gray.

"B—But, Sir, I think this looks well on you…." The maid said. She was convinced that she had picked the best working outfit for Mr. Gray. He was always handsome and well-dressed, so even if he wore something a bit more colorful, it wouldn't change how handsome he looked.

Vincent sighed, picked up his phone, and called the head maid, "Come here and take this bitch out of my sight!" he yelled.

The head maid arrived five minutes later. She was an early 40s lady who worked alongside Chloe before she left Vincent. The head maid respected Chloe a lot for being a resilient woman, but in the end, she still needed money and would always obey Vincent more than Chloe.

"Morning, Master Gray," the head maid bowed her head respectfully. "Did this girl do something wrong?"

"Do something wrong? Look at the stuff he arranged for me. Do you think I will meet my brother with that kind of tacky shit?!" Vernon snapped while pointing at the young maid sitting on the floor.

She stared at Mr. Vincent Gray pitifully, but Vincent didn't give a single crap about her. He didn't even allow her to apologize because he simply said, "Fire her and find a replacement!"

"Yes, Master Gray."

The head maid lowered her head and glared at the young woman. This would be the third 'outfit maid' who got fired by Mr. Gray. Their job was simple, yet nobody could find a suitable taste for him.

"Get up and leave. You're fired."

"B—But, I— I can do better—"

"Master Gray doesn't need a maid who can do better. He needs a maid who can do her job perfectly. Don't worry, I will give you compensation for your early dismissal," the head maid said.

The young maid was at a loss. She had already told her friends that she would be working with Vincent Gray, and her salary would be enough to pay for her student loan.

But she got fired on the first day…

Thus, she got up weakly and walked away from Vincent and the head maid.

Vincent clicked his tongue annoyedly as he stared at the head maid in front of him, "Why did you hire her anyway? I told you to hire a competent one!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gray. I read her resume, she was a university graduate, majoring in fashion design. I thought she would be great to prepare your daily working outfit," the head maid reasoned. "But if she is not up to your expectation, then it would be hard for me to find a replacement."

"She is the third one you fired, and the previous two were older women experienced in the fashion design field. At this point, I think you won't be able to find a good one…."

"Tch, bullshit, what's so hard to find a fitting suit for me? I have a huge walk-in closet for that!"

…

"Mr. Gray, I don't think anyone can do a better job finding you a fitting suit except…."

"Except my wife?"

"Yes…"

"Then I would rather do it myself," Vincent said. He walked to his giant walk-in closet not far from his bedroom and yelled at the head maid who tailed him.

"Don't you ever dare to mention that bitch anymore. She is currently busy fucking an old man to live. A cheap whore like her doesn't deserve to be mentioned in my house!"

Vincent entered the walk-in closet and slammed the door on the head maid.

The head maid sighed. She didn't know how to tackle this problem because Mr. Vincent Gray started to get disorganized after the absence of his wife.

Because it seemed that nobody fits or fulfilled his standard.

Usually, Chloe was the one who prepared his suit whenever he was at home. She even brought a few spare suits she prepared and put them in Mr. Vincent Gray's main office wardrobe in case Vincent wanted to change his outfit while he was still in the office.

And Vincent would wear everything she prepared without question but without even a single word of appreciation for his wife.

Chloe cooked daily for him, even though he never ate anything and preferred to eat outside.

But these days, Vincent suddenly had the urge to eat in his house, and the chefs had been blasted every day because they didn't cook the food according to his taste.

The problem was… Mr. Vincent Gray never specified what kind of food he wanted to taste.

"He literally blasted everyone who replaced Chloe for the work she did before. How are we supposed to make him satisfied when he simply blasted everyone without giving any reasoning?" the head maid murmured. "Even the suit prepared by that young woman just now, it's not even tacky, I saw him wearing a similar outfit two months ago."

The head maid was afraid that Vincent would yell at her if she defended the young maid just now. In the end, she was just an employee hired by Vincent Gray.

Despite the stress, the salary was fantastic. It blew her mind because she could be a millionaire working as a head maid here.

"Ah, but things were a lot easier for me when Chloe was around. She was a great mistress, because she managed the mansion perfectly. I don't even understand why Mr. Gray abused her so much…."

Chapter 179

"Ah, but things were a lot easier for me when Chloe was around. She was a great mistress because she managed the mansion perfectly. I don't even understand why Mr. Gray abused her so much…" The head maid could only sigh, and she left Mr. Gray alone dealing with his stuff.

Nobody was ever good enough for him, so it was better to just do what he said and be prepared to be yelled at by him later on.

…

Vincent picked his suit, tie, shirt, trouser, cufflink, shoes, et cetera. He hated doing this because he thought it was a menial task that should've been done by someone else lesser than him, but nobody he hired did a good job, at least not good enough to satisfy him except for one woman…

And that woman was currently having sex with an old man just to avoid him.

"Tch, this is supposed to be her job! That ungrateful bitch doesn't know how to show gratitude to me!" Vincent complained. He had to admit that Chloe did a lot of jobs as the mistress of his mansion.

She managed everything, and that head maid wasn't even half as competent as her.

Because of the mismanagement, Vincent had to deal with his problems at work and also problems in the mansion.

He could've just left the mansion and stayed in a five-star hotel for the rest of his life. He did that often. For a whole year, he rarely came home unless needed, and he enjoyed sleeping in the hotel because he didn't need to waste his time scolding Chloe.

But, he had found a new hobby after Chloe left.

That was… to sleep at home— specifically in his master bedroom where he and Chloe were supposed to sleep together.

He didn't know what caused him to develop this habit, but the master bedroom that had been decorated by Chloe was actually a lot more comfortable and homey compared to the five-star penthouse he could live in.

He stared at himself in the full-body mirror. Vincent was still the same handsome, dashing billionaire as the image he put up in public.

But he felt something was missing in him, and he didn't know what.

He just felt the missing thing was important, and he couldn't wait to take that missing thing back.

Vincent shook his head lightly. He didn't want to be distracted by weird things when he was about to meet his little brother. He had to put the same perfect image in front of him, so Vernon would always idolize him as the one above, who should be followed.

Vincent got out of the walk-in closet in a full formal outfit. He walked to the living room and noticed the inviting aroma from the dining hall.

He walked to the dining hall first and saw the chefs and a few maids had prepared a full breakfast for him.

They cooked a lot every day, even when he wasn't home. But Vincent never touched them, as he found them repulsive.

"Ah, Mr. Gray, we have prepared your breakfast. Would you like to eat?" The chefs greeted the Master of the house.

Vincent ignored them and walked to the dining table. He noticed a few foods that were usually cooked by Chloe. He took a spoon and scooped the broth.

Vincent sipped the broth, and he frowned instantly.

CLANK!

Vincent threw the spoon on the table and turned around, "Trash! All of you are a bunch of trash! You can't even cook a fucking soup!"

The chefs turned pale instantly. They were all trained chefs who had worked in Michelin restaurants for years before they got recruited by Mr. Gray with a handsome salary.

But the pressure was enormous because Mr. Vincent Gray hated everything they cooked.

Vincent's mood became even worse after tasting the soup. It wasn't as good as he expected from Michelin chefs. He didn't even know how they could fuck up a simple soup that Chloe usually made.

"Why do I have to be surrounded by idiots, damn this," Vincent murmured as he walked to his office. He slammed the door shut and sat on his chair to rest for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, he took something from a drawer behind his office desk.

He took a small, framed picture that he hid well in his home office, a picture of Mackie and Chloe together.

Of course, he did this because he wanted to look at Mackie, not Chloe, or so he thought.

Vincent covered half of the frame with his hand, so he didn't need to look at Chloe's face. He stared at his daughter's big smile in the picture for a while, and his lips naturally perked up.

p He rarely met his daughter because he was always busy before. Even though he thought Chloe was a useless bitch who became a stay-at-home mom because she had no other skill, he genuinely loved his daughter.

Mackie was a smart girl, very feisty too. She could make Vincent laugh whenever he had a bad day, and she was always on his side, no matter what.

She was the perfect daughter he wanted, and Chloe took her from him.

Vincent's jaw clenched when she remembered that useless bitch. He couldn't wait to show her the consequence of ever leaving him.

Obviously, he treated her very well, and she dared to file for a divorce.

"I can't wait to get the information from Vernon. He should be here soon with the list of millionaires I have to take care of. I will see what I can do to punish the man who dares to hide my daughter and wife."

Vincent was busy staring at her little daughter's picture when his phone on the table vibrated.

He thought it was Vernon since he would be coming here to report about his work.

"What's with the call? Does he want to reschedule our meeting?" Vincent frowned. "No, I don't think my little brother is a person who likes to reschedule without a notice."

Chapter 180

"What's with the call? Does he want to reschedule our meeting?" Vincent frowned. "No, I don't think my little brother is a person who likes to reschedule without a notice."

The phone rang again. Vincent finally picked up his phone to check the caller,

Then, his eyes widened instantly.

Because the caller was actually his runaway wife, Chloe Gray.

Vincent smirked as the urge to blast Chloe for running away appeared in his heart. Usually, Chloe blocked his number and only unblocked it to call him. So Vincent couldn't just terrorize her, and changing phone numbers was too much of a hassle for a woman who wasn't even worth his time.

He picked up the call and leaned on the chair leisurely, "Good morning, cheap whore, why did you call me? Did your benefactor finally got tired of you?"

Chloe bit her lower lip when Vincent greeted her with insult. It wasn't unfamiliar since he always did that when Chloe was still living in the mansion.

But it had been a while since she left, and Vernon never called her a bitch or a whore as they lived together, so it became a shock for her when she got called one.

Chloe tried to calm down, so she wouldn't just yell at him and turn the situation worse. Vincent was dangerous, and the more she retaliated, the worse it would get.

"Vincent, about the divorce paper—"

"I burned it," Vincent replied without hesitation.

"What?!"

"Yes, I burned it. Do you think I will sign a stupid divorce paper?" Vincent said heartlessly.

"But I—"

"But you want a divorce? So what? Do you think just because you want a divorce, then I will happily sign the paper?"

…

Chloe was completely speechless with her ex-husband. She knew he was a bastard, but she didn't expect him to be so coldhearted. He didn't even let her get her freedom.

"W—Why did you do that?" Chloe asked, her voice started getting shaky. She was trying hard not to let out emotion take over her.

"Becuase I don't want a divorce. I know you're an idiot, but that should be obvious enough, right?" Vincent replied. "Listen, Chloe Gray, we are not going to have a divorce, and that's my decision. You don't have a saying in this."

"It's Chloe Carlson for you…." Chloe argued, refusing to use the surname Gray because she wouldn't be one any longer. "Why did you do this to me, Vincent? If you are divorced from me, then you are able to sleep with any woman of your choice. You don't need to be careful around Mackie too, since she will be with me, isn't that what you want?"

…

Honestly, Vincent hadn't slept around with anyone for a while. He slept with Jada Smite and Maya Glasglow, the mothers of Mackie's classmates in school.

But that was out of necessity to put more pressure so Chloe would eventually crawl back to him.

Chloe didn't understand why Vincent would suddenly stop talking and go silent for a while, and she didn't want to ask. She was just so done with him. Even talking with him already drained the life out of her.

"Vincent, I'm calling you because I want you to process the divorce between us…." Chloe said. "I don't need your money, and I won't take a dime from you. Just… free me, so I can leave…."

"And that will never happen, dumb whore," Vincent scoffed. "Is it done? Are you done talking about divorce?"

…

Chloe actually wanted to tell Vincent that Mackie missed her Daddy so much. But the way he kept insulting her made Chloe change her mind. She didn't want to tell him about Mackie and doubted that Vincent cared about their daughter.

"Then I have nothing to say to you, goodbye, Vincent."

Beep.

Vincent still put the phone near his ear, listening to the long beep before he threw his phone on the table.

He was a little annoyed because the call ended so quickly. He had a lot of things to say to his wife. Though, most of them were just insults.

"That bitch— how could she sound so calm now? Did she gained confidence just because her grimy, old benefactor has given her enough money?" Vincent assumed. "I will show her. I will show her how I can turn the world upside down if I want! THAT FUCKING BITCH WILL PAY!!"

Vincent kicked the desk in front of him in a rage, and one drawer under the desk accidentally opened after the kick.

Vincent saw a few papers inside the drawer, identifying them pretty quickly. Because it was the thing that he claimed to have burned. It was the divorce paper that hadn't been touched since the first time Chloe shoved it to him.

He put it inside the office desk because he thought it was unimportant.

Vincent picked up the divorce paper. He had read everything before and took it as a joke since he knew that Chloe had nowhere else to go.

But it was different now.

Chloe and Mackie didn't return to him of their own will, and Vincent got impatient as days turned weeks and weeks turned months. At some point, his wife and daughter might have been out of his grasp for good.

Vincent reread the content of the divorce paper, and he chuckled, full of ridicule, "So funny, does she not realize that she is nothing without me?"

"I guess my late father is right. If you don't keep your wife in a tight leash, she will eventually wander off becuase she's not satisfied," Vincent murmured, remembering one of the teachings by his late father before he passed away.

Vincent turned on the electric fireplace in his home office. He walked towards the fireplace and stared at the fire that started to spread around the stones.

"Divorce. Hah, what a stupid idea. I am the Master of Gray family, there is no way I will ruin my reputation by getting a divorce."