Ch. 191..195: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 191-195

Chapter 191

"Good afternoon, Jada, Maya. Long time no see," Chloe greeted.

Jada and Maya glanced at each other, seemingly communicating with their eyes, and crossed their hands.

"I didn't expect that you still have the guts to come here, Chloe. After all, I heard from Vincent that you ran away to be a decaying old man's sex toy," Jada said. She had a smirk on her face, thinking she was above Chloe and had the chance to marry Vincent. "Right, Maya?"

"Right," Maya added her support to Jada's statement. "He also told me that you ran away with his money. How shameless can you be? He has been an amazing husband to you."

"An amazing husband who slept with the two of you?" Chloe retorted.

Jada and Maya weren't surprised that Chloe knew about their affair with Vincent. After all, Vincent instructed them to tell their kids to bully Mackie in school.

Of course, they did it willingly without questions. After all, Vincent was their breadwinner now since they separated from their husbands.

"And what's wrong with that? Sorry if we're better than you in bed," Jada and Maya giggled simultaneously.

"Vincent told many things about you, including how you are so ugly, and it's gross to see you naked."

"Yeah, he also said that you can't even give him a good head. Do you need a lesson from us?"

"I don't need a lesson from two whores who cheated on their husbands just to be Vincent's side chicks," Chloe said ruthlessly, poking at the sore spot of Jada and Maya. "How does it feel to be his side chick? I bet you're his side chick #80 and #81."

"You— ugly bitch!" Jada and Maya wanted to grab Chloe's hair and arm, ready for a catfight, but Chloe retreated immediately. Maya and Jada tried to grab her again, but the school bell rang, and waves of little children rushed out of the school gate.

Mackie saw her Mommy was being cornered by Jaden and Mia's mothers. She rushed to the rescue;

"MOMMYYYY!!!"

Mackie stood right before Chloe and protected her Mommy against the two witches. She might have a small body, but her courage was commendable.

"Back off of my Mommy!" Mackie yelled, which attracted the attention of everyone, including the other parents who picked up their children from school.

Jada and Maya looked around uncomfortably as they were put in the spotlight. They backed off, and once Jaden and Mia came to them, they quickly grabbed their kids' arms and returned to their respective cars.

Jada and Maya were pissed off, but they didn't dare to make a fuss in this school, as this school was technically owned by Vincent Gray.

Besides, Vincent told them they couldn't lay their hands on his daughter but could deploy their kids to bully her instead.

…

Mackie glared at them until Jada and Maya drove off.

Then, she turned around and looked up at her Mommy, "Mommy, are you alright?"

Chloe smiled. She crouched in front of her daughter and patted Mackie's head gently, "Mommy is alright, dear. You were so brave to protect Mommy."

"Of course! Mommy, you don't need to worry when Mackie is around! I will always protect you!" Mackie puffed her chest proudly. It gave her a sense of pride when she could protect her Mommy.

Because she always thought Mommy was so weak, she needed to be constantly protected by her!

"Thank you, dear. Why don't we grab an ice cream on our way home? It's my treat~."

"Yay! I want banana flavored ice cream!"

Chloe stopped for ice cream and then drove to the apartment. Mackie was eating her ice cream in the car when she asked, "Mommy, have you called Daddy?"

"… Yes, dear…" Chloe replied. She knew Mackie would throw a tantrum if Chloe said she hadn't called Vincent.

"Really?! Does he want to talk with Mackie?" Mackie looked so expectant. "I have been a good girl for so long, Daddy should've rewarded me!"

Chloe bit her lower lip. She was trying hard to find a good alibi. She didn't want to lie every time they talked about Vincent.

But she also didn't have the heart to tell Mackie the truth about her father.

"Dear, Daddy told Mommy that he is still dealing with his problems. But he does congratulate you for excelling in class!" Chloe said. "Oh, he also sent money to us, so if you want to buy anything, then you can tell Mommy, okay?"

Mackie was disappointed that her Daddy was still too busy to talk. She had been studying hard because she wanted her Daddy to praise her and spend more time with her.

"Daddy always gives Mackie money, but he rarely plays with me…." Mackie lamented. She stopped eating her banana ice cream and lowered her head depressingly.

Chloe knew this would happen and was well prepared to handle this.

"Oh, Daddy sent you a fairy letter too, do you want to read it later?" Chloe said.

"OH, a fairy letter!" Mackie's eyes sparkled with joy once she heard about the fairy letter. It was a term coined by Chloe to support Mackie's relationship with Vincent.

When Mackie was four years old, Vincent went on full throttle on his promiscuity. He would fuck one woman after another every night and didn't even give a crap about his real family waiting for him at home.

Mackie was innately attached to Vincent, and started missing her Daddy a lot and threw many tantrums just to be on call with her Daddy, but Vincent was just out of the picture back then.

So, to calm her daughter down, Chloe tricked her by writing a letter he called a fairy letter.

Chloe practiced copying Vincent's handwriting and wrote a letter for her daughter. Disguising Vincent, Chloe wrote that she was very proud of Mackie and promised they would go and play somewhere together.

Chloe also wrote that Mackie should focus on studying, so she would make Daddy proud.

Chapter 192

Chloe also wrote that Mackie should focus on studying, so she would make Daddy proud.

Mackie would explode in happiness. She would smile all day long once she got the fairy letter from her Daddy. She would hold the letter and read it everywhere for the whole day before saving it somewhere safe.

Mackie had collected Daddy's fairy letters since she was four years old and treasured them in a small box full of fairy letters and small accessories that her Daddy bought for her as a gift.

Though, Only Chloe knew that 90% of the stuff inside that box was Chloe's doing. She was the one who watched her daughter's growth. When Mackie started picking an interest, Chloe would secretly note it down and hand her daughter gifts according to her interest. Of course, she did it under the disguise that it was all gifts from Vincent.

'I just want my daughter to have a normal childhood. I want her to feel treasured by her father...' Chloe assured herself in her heart. The constant guilt of tricking her daughter ate her up slowly from the inside, but she did what she thought was correct.

She didn't have a normal childhood because her father left when she was just a baby.

Her mother was left heartbroken while raising two little girls. She didn't have the time to date anymore as she was too busy working her ass off to feed three mouths and pay the bills.

So, Chloe used all her might and tricks to ensure that Mackie had a perfect childhood, despite how horrible her father truly was.

'I want to give her something that I didn't have when I was a child...' Chloe thought, justifying her action, even if she knew it wasn't the right thing to do.

"Mommy, how many fairy letters did Daddy write for me?" Mackie asked excitedly.

"O--Only one, dear..." Chloe replied. She actually wrote four before she picked Mackie from school. But she didn't want to give it all at once to avoid suspicion on her daughter. Sometimes, Mackie was too smart for her own good.

"Aww, it's okay then!" Mackie nodded happily. "I will put it under my bed, so I can dream about Daddy!"

Chloe felt her heart pinched when she heard her daughter saying such a thing. She was just trying to give her daughter a good life despite the situation she faced right now, but the more Mackie hoped for Vincent, the more it pained Chloe.

'Am I doing it right? What should I do if Mackie finds out about her father's behavior once she gets older?'

Chloe kept questioning her actions, but she didn't dare to think more of them. Because she didn't want to see an expression of heartbreak plastered on Mackie's innocent face.

'I'm sorry, my lovely little girl. I did everything because I want you to be happy....'

**

Vernon arrived at the office around six, when it was already dusk, and Diamond was ready to leave the office.

She was surprised when she saw the big figure standing in the middle of the VIP elevator when it opened, "Oh, Mr. Phoenix Gray, I thought you won't go to the office today."

Vernon stepped out of the elevator and walked past Diamond, "Follow me to the office, Diamond. I have something I want to ask."

Diamond tried to remember all the reports she did today and found that she did everything perfectly, so this should be something that wasn't related to work.

She tailed Mr. Phoenix Gray to enter his office and stood near the door as she watched him sitting on the sofa. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

Diamond waited for her boss to open his mouth, but no sign of him wanting to do it.

They were stuck in this silence for a while until Diamond couldn't help but ask, "Sir, if you don't have anything to ask, then I will go home. Please excuse me--"

"--I do have something to ask," Vernon interrupted. "I'm just unsure how to ask about this problem."

"Is it about the project? Or maybe another problem in the company?"

"No, it's about... Chloe."

Diamond's eyes widened, and her body stiffened instantly. She didn't know what the problem was this time, but she hoped it wouldn't hurt her homegirl. Chloe had suffered way too much.

"Diamond, did you ever accompany her shopping?" Vernon asked.

Diamond frowned, she never knew that her boss would be thinking about such a trivial thing, but she nodded for an answer.

"What did she buy?"

"Uhh... I accompanied her grocery shopping. She's very meticulous on her spending, she often checks whether there was a price cut for an item, or maybe buy one get one, or if there was a coupon," Diamond replied, giving the full information of what she found when she accompanied Chloe to go on grocery shopping.

"I don't care about groceries, that's so trivial," Vernon said. "What I mean is about her spending when buying expensive stuff. Did you ever accompany her to buy something she likes? Maybe a diamond ring or birkin?"

"Huh?" Diamond had never been so confused in her life. "Sir, I thought you checked your credit card spending in your phone often."

Diamond noticed her boss's new habit after giving Chloe his black card. He often checked his credit card spending in the app and would be annoyed when he didn't find what he wanted after checking it.

"I did, I was just asking if she ever bought something more expensive other than trivial groceries, snacks, toys for Mackie, or eating outside," Vernon said. "I believe that she secretly has her own money saved in her account, right?"

"Sir..." Diamond sighed. "I don't know how you get that idea. But Chloe never spends on luxurious items and told me once that she barely has 100 bucks in her bank account, so she always used your credit card. The most luxurious thing she ever did with your black card is treating me and her daughter to a restaurant."

Chapter 193

"The most luxurious thing she ever did with your black card is treating me and her daughter to a restaurant," Diamond said. "And it's not even the expensive one, so I don't understand how you get the idea that she spent a lot of money."

Vernon remembered this restaurant that Diamond mentioned. Because Chloe put the bill at the dining table alongside the grocery bill.

Vernon found it ridiculous why he had to read a grocery bill. Did she think of him as a poor man who would pester on menial things such as groceries?

"Did she ever ask for your money?" Vernon asked again.

"Never, even in that restaurant, I said that I could pay for everything, but she insisted on paying me because she thought of me as her friend," Diamond replied.

Diamond watched how Mr. Phoenix Gray's expression changed from confusion to contemplation. Diamond didn't know what caused him to be so concerned with Chloe.

'Usually, he would ignore whatever I said and jump to the conclusion that Chloe is doing something bad or hurtful to him….' Diamond thought. 'Did a fairy godmother suddenly strike his head with a magic wand?'

"Why did you keep asking about this, Sir?"

Vernon sighed. He leaned on the sofa and closed his eyes while answering Diamond's question, "My big brother— Vincent Gray, stated that Chloe is a gold digger. She played poor in front of others, while she was actually draining his bank account to buy lavish things."

"He said that she would make you constantly feel bad for her, so you will give all your money to her and she'd drain the hell out of your bank account without feeling guilty," Vernon added as he remembered all the things his Big brother said to him about his sister-in-law.

Diamond's jaw dropped once she heard that bullshit from Chloe's ex-husband.

It was such a ridiculous lie that anyone who believed it would be a total dumpster idiot!

"And you believed that?" Diamond asked.

Vernon opened his eyes and stared at his secretary for a while. He nodded once, then lowered his head ashamedly.

"Sir—" Diamond gasped as she didn't know how to process this information. She always had a high opinion of her boss.

Vernon Phoenix Gray was a genius in business. He could read people and made them do his bidding willingly. He was unpredictable and should be so because he faced many work challenges.

But now the idea crumbled in front of her because her boss actually believed that kind of bullshit!

"Sir, pardon me for saying this— and you may cut my salary if you want, but…." Diamond took a deep breath as she prepared herself to unleash all the frustration in her head;

"ARE YOU A FUCKING IDIOT?!" Diamond yelled. Her loud voice filled the CEO's office, and Vernon was unresponsive as Diamond kept yelling at her.

He knew that he deserved the scolding this time. Since nobody didn't dare to scold him, he allowed Diamond to do it for him and give him a knock on the head to clear his head.

,m "SIR! DID YOU EVER OBSERVE CHLOE? DID SHE EVER DRESS WITH EXPENSIVE STUFF?"

"HER BAG IS FUCKING 50 BUCKS, HER DRESS SHOULD BE 100 BUCKS AT MOST, AND HER SHOES ARE LIKE— 30 DOLLARS, AND YOU CALLED HER A GOLD DIGGER?!"

"I… I thought it's just a facade because she wants to look pitiful…." Vernon tried to defend himself, but again, he realized that reason was also stupid.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD, YOU ARE A REAL DUMBASS! WHY ARE YOU SO BLIND!? YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!"

"MY HOMEGIRL CHLOE DIDN'T DESERVE GETTING HURT BY AN IDIOT LIKE YOU! ARGHHH!!!"

BAM! CRACK! CRASH!

Diamond kicked a punched ceramic flower vase near her until it fell and shattered on the floor. She was like a she-hulk unleashing her rage after facing the fact that she had been working as a subordinate of an idiot for the past few years.

…

…

Diamond cleared her throat and fixed her posture. She bowed politely and said, "Pardon my sudden outburst just now, Sir. I was unable to contain my rage when I realized that my best friend has been bullied unfairly by an idiot like you."

Diamond was ready to get scolded. Even if she got a salary cut, she didn't mind at all. She just couldn't handle the frustration growing in her heart.

But when she lifted her head, she saw Mr. Phoenix Gray still lowering his head ashamedly. He was unresponsive even after Diamond exploded right in front of him.

Vernon felt like a dumbass as he finally obtained the clarity. He had been clouded with hatred for his sister-in-law that he didn't even think twice about persecuting her as a gold digger.

'To think about it again, she has never wasted my money, and all of her dresses and bags look so cheap, it's unbelievable that she was once the wife of a billionaire.'

'Why did I believe Big bro's obvious lie again?' Vernon asked himself.

Diamond waited for Mr. Phoenix Gray to reflect on the many terrible deeds he had done to Chloe. He was to be hit hard by reality because he said nothing. He was just murmuring continuously while his eyes were cast on the floor.

She didn't know what would happen next with this stupid asshole, but she was done yelling and venting at her boss.

"If you don't mind, I will leave the office and let you think for what you've done to her, good evening, Sir," Diamond bowed her head politely before turning her back.

But before she could step towards the door, Vernon suddenly called her back, "Diamond, stay here. I want to ask about something."

Diamond turned around and faced Mr. Phoenix Gray again.

"What is it, Sir? If you are still pondering about that gold digger stuff— then I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you. I've spoken enough."

Vernon finally lifted his head and stared at Diamond, who waited for him to speak;

"No, I think I've gained enough clarity to know that she's not a gold digger. But I want to ask you about the abuse she experienced."

Chapter 194

"No, I think I've gained enough clarity to know that she's not a gold digger. But I want to ask you about the abuse she experienced," Vernon said.

Diamond gasped again. She didn't expect this dumbass to start questioning the abuse that Chloe experienced.

Diamond barely scratched the surface of what kind of painful abuse Chloe had from her ex-husband, and she already thought it was excessive how bad Vincent abused her.

But Chloe never wanted to tell the whole story because it was too traumatic to even remember.

Vernon noticed that Diamond's eyes were fully focused when he mentioned the abuse experienced by Chloe.

Vernon knew that Diamond and Chloe were close friends despite only knowing each other for the past few months. Thus, seeing her reaction, Vernon confirmed that Chloe truly got abused by his Big brother.

'She must've told Diamond about it, but why does she refuse to tell me? They only know each other because of me, and I'm not allowed to know?' Vernon thought. He started to get jealous and annoyed by this newfound fact. 'Obviously, I've known her since I was a seven-year-old kid, does she not appreciate that?'

Vernon's gaze visibly darkened, and his expression changed from annoyance to contempt, which was weird for Diamond because they hadn't talked about anything yet.

"Diamond, about the abuse experienced by Chloe... you know something about it, right?"

...

"Yes, Sir. I know a few things," Diamond replied, not covering that she just knew a few things about the abuse.

"Tell me then, tell me everything that you know about it," Vernon ordered.

...

Diamond remembered the warning that Chloe gave to her this noon.

She didn't want anyone to know about it because she deemed it shameful. She went as far as gathering courage, for a meek woman who had been awfully abused, to gather courage meant that she was hiding something so painful.

Thus, Diamond started considering whether Vernon was worthy of knowing the truth.

"Sir, why did you ask me? Why didn't you ask her instead? She lives with you," Diamond asked back.

Vernon wasn't ready to hear such a question. He didn't want to admit that he actually made Chloe cry twice-- or probably more than twice not long ago.

"Why do you need to interrogate me? I'm giving you an order-- as your boss-- that you must tell me everything that you know about Chloe," Vernon raised his voice. He used the same intimidation tactic that he used daily. Since Diamond was his subordinate, he thought he had full control over her.

"Do you not realize that I am the one who paid you to work? I can fire you, and I'm also capable of firing your family from their workplaces.

Diamond was scared, of course. She was facing a man with the surname Gray. She knew how powerful he was, and she was now playing with fire.

Usually, when her boss started to get impatient when she questioned his method of dealing with a business obstacle-- he would threaten her. It was most effective because Vernon had a power that could ruin her and her family's livelihood.

However, Diamond didn't feel fear right now. Her heart was filled with a firm belief that Chloe deserved a man who would love her with a gentle, healing touch to mend her broken heart. Not a-- cruel monster like her ex-husband, or this man in front of Diamond, trying to intimidate and force her to speak.

As if she had gotten the courage from Chloe, she shook her head firmly, refusing to tell her boss about the abuse Chloe experienced, "I cannot tell you about what Chloe had experienced, Sir."

Vernon's veins popped into his temples immediately. He wasn't a gentleman, to begin with, and he held back a lot in front of Chloe because seeing her cry crumbled his soul immediately.

But Chloe wasn't here, so he didn't hesitate to snap at Diamond. He got up from the sofa to show his intimidating figure and pointed at Diamond with his index;

"I am giving you the last chance, Diamond. Tell me what do you know about Chloe, or I won't be nice after this," Vernon threatened.

Diamond clenched her fist, 'Chloe--Homegirl-- please send me your courage. I'm doing this because I know you deserve a good man, not a temperamental asshole like him.'

Vernon's sight blurred for a second. He kicked the coffee table in front of him until it flipped.

The glass of the coffee table shattered on the floor, scaring Diamond even more. This would be the first time her boss exploded in front of her.

"YOU DARE TO OPPOSE ME?! I CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE, DIAMOND!"

"I--I DARE!" Diamond yelled back, betting on her life with this one. They were shouting at each other, and none wanted to back off. "IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO CHLOE, THEN YOU MUST ASK HER BY YOURSELF!"

"SHE DOESN'T WANT TO TELL ME! SHE FUCKING SHUT HER MOUTH WHEN I ASKED!" Vernon yelled back out of frustration.

Vernon was tired of yelling, he didn't know how Diamond got the courage to fight him, but he knew that he couldn't get a thing out of Diamond's mouth.

"Urgh, why did she tell you everything, while she didn't tell me a thing? Obviously, I've known her since I was seven-year-old. She should be open to everything to me!" Vernon threw a tantrum like a kid. He was frustrated and angry but also feeling guilty at the same time.

Diamond was catching her breath after extorting so much courage. Her heart was beating wildly. It was surely something that she didn't expect herself to do.

But it felt good to be able to deny her malicious boss for once, thanks for the courage that Chloe sent for her.

"Why don't you fucking tell me, Diamond? I just want to know what happened while I was out for ten years, so I can do something to protect her!"

Chapter 195

"Why don't you fucking tell me, Diamond? I just want to know what happened while I was out for ten years, so I can do something to protect her!" Vernon said frustratedly.

"Sir— I already promised Chloe that I cannot tell anyone," Diamond replied. She wanted to ensure that her boss got the message she wanted to deliver, "Especially you, Sir. She made me promise not to tell you."

"WHY?!" Vernon snapped. "Why didn't she want to tell me? Does she think I'm not powerful enough to protect her!?"

Again, Vernon started yelling at Diamond to vent his anger. He was like a manchild who had zero control over his emotion, which Diamond realized long ago.

She didn't expect the problem to be so prominent in his life.

"Sir, do you not see the problem with yourself?" Diamond asked.

"What? Now you're blaming me because Chloe doesn't want to tell me about what happened to her?!"

…

Diamond sighed, "Sir, you need to know how to treat a woman gently, especially a woman like Chloe. She has been through a lot, yelling and intimidating her would only make her hide even more."

"But—"

"—I cannot tell you anything about her because you don't deserve to know, Sir," Diamond said. She wanted to make sure that Mr. Phoenix Gray knew how much of an ass he was.

"What do you mean I don't deserve to know? Do you think I'm not good enough to know? Diamond, I can fucking buy your life if I want to!"

"Oh. My. Fucking. GOD! IT'S NOT ABOUT POWER!" Diamond yelled frustratedly. She didn't understand how his brain was wired because she never mentioned anything about power. Chloe must've been traumatized by that since her ex-husband was so powerful. It was terrifying.

"Then what is it about? Money? I have a lot. She can buy anything she wants with my money!" Vernon claimed. He was a multi-millionaire already— even though he wasn't as rich as his Big brother, he could buy her a private jet if she wanted.

"Sir, I— I don't know how to tell you anymore. Just treat her well, earn her trust, and let her open up to you, that's all I can say," Diamond said. She turned around and pushed the door open, intending to leave because she didn't know what to say.

'If I stay here for too long, I think I'll lose all my brain cells,' Diamond thought.

"Wait, if you're not willing to tell me, then refer to someone else. Did she talk about her problem to someone else?" Vernon asked.

…

…

"Sir, Chloe is a broken woman. She doesn't open up easily, and even to me— she only told the surface of what she truly experienced," Diamond said. She looked over her shoulder and glanced at Vernon with a sarcastic look;

"Even if there is another person that knows about this, I don't think they will tell you either. You're not worth telling, a man who will only hurt her like you deserves to be kept in the dark."

SLAM!

Diamond left the office and slammed the door behind her back. It was a total disrespect to her boss, but she just couldn't hide her contempt towards him.

He kept going on and on about having money and power as if she could buy everyone with those two.

"Even if it's important, it doesn't mean that you can buy a heart with those," Diamond murmured as she pressed the elevator button and went down.

She stared at her reflection in the elevator mirror and wondered, "He doesn't realize that my homegirl only needs a man that would treat her with extra care…."

**

Vernon didn't get any answer from Diamond, much to his frustration. He wanted to destroy something else to vent his anger, but he knew it wouldn't solve anything.

In fact, no matter how many things he destroyed here, he didn't think it would be enough. Because there was a nonstop itch in his heart.

He was itching to get to know everything as soon as possible, even if that meant he had to hurt a few people in the process.

"But Diamond is off the limit, she is surprisingly headstrong to keep the secret," Vernon murmured. "Should I… force Chloe to tell the truth then?"

…

…

Vernon shook his head, "No, I can't do that. I don't want to see her cry."

"Then what should I do? Act like I'm a gentleman in front of her? I've never done that, damn it!"

Vernon spent his night in the office fighting against his own demon. He already knew the answer— if he wanted to get it out of Chloe's mouth, he had to treat her very 'gentlemanly.'

It should be simple, but not for Vernon.

He was already a temperamental man, and the hatred for his Big bro and sister-in-law fueled his life for the past ten years.

Thus, he always thought the idea of acting nice was repulsive. Because Chloe was always acting nice when he was a kid, but she backstabbed him in the end.

So he didn't want to show weakness that would be exploited like before.

But, no matter how much he tried to reason, he still didn't get the solution he needed; he was still blind to the abuse that Chloe experienced.

Amidst his frustration, Vernon finally opened the office pantry and popped an alcoholic beverage to calm down. He drank and continued drinking until he felt a little tipsy.

He checked the time and murmured, "Oh, I need to get home. She's waiting for me…."

Of course, he still had zero solution of what to do with his sister-in-law.

But for now, he just wanted to meet her and tell her about something that had been lingering in his mind for a while.

"I... I want to tell him that I'm not a bad guy..." Vernon said as he threw the bottle of wine on the floor, grabbed his suit on the chair, and left the office.