Ch. 201..205: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 201-205

Chapter 201

Vernon, if this breakfast is getting cold, you can reheat it. I've also prepared another banana-apple juice in the fridge just in case this one on the table is too lukewarm for you.

I've prepared your suit, it's on the sofa, good luck with work.

— Chloe.

—

…

Vernon was quiet for a while and scoffed as he found the note funny. He crumpled the note and threw it in the bin near the kitchen sink. He had a good idea of what made her try to avoid him.

"Obviously, I'm the one in the wrong. I'm the one who triggered her trauma, so she should be mad at me," Vernon said. He sat at the dining table and started digging into the breakfast made by Chloe.

He knew that Chloe wasn't mad at him because she still cooked breakfast that looked filling and pretty much suited Vernon's taste.

So there was only one explanation as to why she tried to avoid him;

"You feel guilty about what happened last night, right, Chloe?" Vernon talked to himself while he was sipping the banana-apple juice.

"I should be the one who feels guilty and apologize to you," Vernon said. "You have the right to be mad at me. I don't mind. I'd be grateful, in fact…."

Vernon didn't know what kind of expression Chloe would make if she was mad. He remembered clearly how she scolded and reprimanded him for playing pranks on his parents just to get their attention.

Big sis Chloe would pull his ear until he felt a little pain and then scold him for at least two hours straight.

Then, she would force him to do a chore— cleaning up the pranks or small house chores that the maids usually did.

He would grumble and complain when he had to do chores, but under Big sis Chloe's stern look, he could only pout and continue with the chores.

The maids would be very worried when they saw their young master washing the dishes or even taking out the trash. They knew they would get punished if Young Master Vernon told the head butler or head maid about this.

But Vernon never actually snitched on his Big sis Chloe and other maids.

Because he— in fact— loved being punished and reprimanded by Big sis Chloe.

It gave him a sense of security. Because when he got reprimanded by Big sis Chloe, that meant someone still cared for him.

Because his parents would never reprimand him. They simply ignored his existence and preferred to teach his Big brother about everything, pouring all their attention on Vincent.

Because Vincent was the heir of the Gray family, not him.

He was just a kid that happened to be born under the Gray family, but he was worthless.

'And the only one who cares for my well being is Big sis Chloe. She is my guiding light…' Vernon said in his heart.

Truth be told, if it wasn't because of what he witnessed back then— that Big sis Chloe told his late father that Vernon was 'disgusting, incompetent, and not as good as Vincent'— Vernon would never think about hurting her.

He wouldn't even think about leaving New York because he wanted to stay close by her side.

"I still don't understand why she said that about me… maybe she already forgot about it," Vernon said. "But I will never forget."

His heart was conflicted between wanting to embrace Chloe gently or punishing her for hurting his heart so badly until Vernon felt nothing but a restless rage for the past ten years.

But he had his own priority.

He might be hurt, and he still resented his Big sis Chloe for looking down on him.

But, when he saw her crying and showing signs of deep trauma— he knew that he had to do something.

'At least, I need to get close to her, earn her trust so she will tell me about the whole thing,' Vernon thought.

Even though he still resented her so much, he was willing to put aside his resentment if that meant he could heal Chloe out of her trauma.

"But how do I even heal someone out of trauma? Heck, I think I scare people more than I comfort them," Vernon started counting how many times he helped people feel better.

Then he realized that he had never done it.

Ever since he was a kid, he had been spoiled rotten and enjoyed being babied by Big sis Chloe.

Then he basically spent ten years being a ruthless, heartless bastard in Europe, ruining everything he touched as long as he got what he wanted.

…

"Fuck, I don't know how to comfort someone. What should I do then?"

p Vernon felt stuck after realizing that he wasn't a tender person to begin with. Added to his scary appearance, he would probably terrify her even more.

…

"I need someone to guide me on how to approach her carefully, but who will help me? Should I hire a psychologist to tell me what to do?" Vernon wondered.

That thought lingered in his head for a while, even when he returned to his bedroom to take a bath and prepare himself for the day.

He wore the suit that Chloe had prepared while standing in front of the full mirror.

"Hmm, handsome as always," Vernon said, praising himself for gaining more confidence.

He used the VIP elevator to the basement and drove his car out of the apartment building.

His mind was still filled with Chloe, thinking of a way to get close to her, if that was even possible.

He knew he needed someone to tell him what to do because he wasn't good at making people comfortable.

He walked into his office building and went up to the CEO's office with the office's VIP elevator. He pondered;

'Hm… who will be suitable enough to tell me what to do to gain Chloe's trust….'

Ding!

The elevator door opened, and Vernon saw Diamond, busy at her desk, writing a report.

…

'OH!'

Chapter 202

Ding!

The elevator door opened, and Vernon saw Diamond, busy at her desk, writing a report.

...

'OH!'

As if a lightbulb suddenly appeared and shone brightly on top of his head, Vernon found the person who could teach him a thing or two about approaching Chloe carefully.

Because this woman successfully befriended Chloe in less than a week, it seemed.

'That's right, I could ask her how to approach Chloe. I guess I can give her a bonus for her salary if she gives me good advice,' Vernon thought. He had the firm idea that he could buy anything as long as he had money, and Diamond would definitely help him in this.

Diamond heard the sound of the elevator hitting the top floor. She darted her eyes to the elevator and saw her boss walking out of the elevator.

She had no good face for him. After knowing how much of an ignorant bastard, he didn't feel like acting nice in front of him.

But, he was still her boss-- for now.

Diamond was convinced that she would be fired today or maybe in a few days as Mr. Phoenix Gray needed to find a replacement for her, and she didn't mind.

At least, she would be fired for defending her homegirl, protecting a woman who had been abused severely.

Diamond stood up and bowed politely towards her boss, "Good morning, Sir."

Vernon gave her a side-glance. He was surprised that Diamond didn't resent him after their heated argument in his office yesterday.

Vernon walked past Diamond and opened the CEO's office door. He halted his step before entering and told Diamond;

"Diamond, go to my office right now, I have something to tell you."

Vernon entered his office and closed the door, leaving Diamond guessing what her boss wanted to tell her.

She had zero expectations that her boss would be so kind to her.

She blasted at him yesterday, calling him unworthy of knowing the pain that Chloe had experienced and calling him a bastard.

"But what I said is true, and I stand by my opinion," Diamond toughened herself.

Money was nice, and she definitely wouldn't get this much amount of money if she returned to modeling, let alone being a secretary in another company.

"I can survive with the money I earned from working here. I can even open my own business as I've saved a lot," Diamond thought. "Maybe I can bring my homegirl with me. She can work as my employee rather than suffering with that heartless bastard!"

Diamond didn't feel nervous as she knocked on the door of the CEO's office as she knew her fate was already sealed.

Knock. Knock.

Click.

Diamond opened the door after knocking. She saw Mr. Phoenix Gray sitting on the same sofa as yesterday. The difference was the coffee table that had disappeared because he kicked the table until it flipped and shattered, so Diamond had to tell the janitors to clean it up while she ordered another coffee table for her boss, who had an anger issue.

She closed the door behind her and stood in front of him. She ensured that she stood at least five feet away in case Mr. Phoenix Gray wanted to kick the sofa or destroy something near her. She didn't want to get stitches because of his idiocy.

"I'm here, Sir. Can I help you with something?" Diamond asked, but she didn't smile at all. She didn't have the energy to show a fake smile in front of him.

"Diamond, I'm calling you because I need your assistance for something," Vernon said.

"And what is it, Sir?" Diamond tried to remember the projects and reports she had done for the past week, and she was convinced she didn't miss anything.

So she assumed this one wasn't work-related.

"It's about Chloe," Vernon said.

Diamond's breath stiffened once she heard her best friend's name get mentioned.

She became guarded instantly and asked, "What do you want from her? Sir, you know that you can't force her to tell you her experience, because you will only scare her away."

"I know..." Vernon admitted that his heart felt heavy when remembering the scene last night. "I finally know that she had experienced severe abuse, even if she didn't tell me directly...."

Diamond's eyes widened instantly because she expected Mr. Phoenix Gray to get angry at her for refusing to tell him about Chloe's trauma.

But he actually found out by himself? How?

'Something must've happened last night, he said that he knows about the abuse even though she didn't tell him directly,' Diamond suspected in her heart. 'My homegirl is pretty good at hiding her trauma, so this bastard must've done something terrible towards her.'

"How do you know about it, Sir?" Diamond asked bluntly.

Vernon went silent, facing that question. He was unsure whether he should tell the truth to Diamond, knowing that Diamond would always be on Chloe's side and would probably be angry once she knew what happened to Chloe last night.

"That's not important, but I need your assistance--"

"--No, that's important, Sir," Diamond interrupted, refusing to put this down as she knew that Vernon had done something to her.

"If you want my assistance with anything, then you need to explain everything to me. I don't want to be kept in the dark and might accidentally help someone who will hurt my homegirl," Diamond said.

Vernon's gaze darkened. He was being so nice to Diamond, but it seemed his secretary had become very courageous-- even disrespectful towards him.

"Diamond, know your status. You're my secretary, my employee. I can fire you and even ruin your life," Vernon warned.

"I know that, Sir," Diamond replied. "But I'm working for your company to deal with work, not to help you hurting my own best friend."

Vernon scoffed, "So you're ready to get fired, huh? It will be difficult for you to get a job as long as I told all my connections to refuse your application."

Chapter 203

 

"So you're ready to get fired, huh? It will be difficult for you to get a job as long as I told all my connections to refuse your application," Vernon threatened.

Usually, this kind of threat would be very effective against Diamond, and Diamond was logical enough to know that she wouldn't get the same amount of salary working somewhere else.

Most of the time, Diamond didn't care about Mr. Phoenix Gray's personal problem. She just did what she was told by her boss.

But this time was different because it involved her best friend, whom she treasured. Even though she and Chloe had only known each other for a few months, she already knew that Chloe was a good woman who didn't have any ill intentions toward her.

So she felt obligated to defend her homegirl.

Vernon watched Diamond get silenced after he threatened her, so he assumed she had conceded and would obey him.

"So, are you ready to assist me?"

"No," Diamond refused.

"WHAT?!" Vernon's eyes widened. He didn't expect Diamond-- who had been a very good 'no-question-asked' secretary to actually rebel against him so far that she didn't even care about his threat.

"Sir, I will not help you, not until you tell me what you did to her last night. Because I knew something terrible had happened," Diamond said.

...

Vernon sighed. He really didn't want to tell anyone because he was still ridden with guilt.

But if that would help him to get closer to Chloe...

"Fine, but promise me that you will help me after this."

"Depends on the story, Sir."

Vernon's brows twitched. He might've been too lenient on her. That was why Diamond could be so blunt.

"FINE! I will tell you everything!"

"Good, I'm listening."

...

Vernon took a deep breath and started retelling the important bits, "When I came home, Chloe was waiting for me. She's telling me not to get close with Vincent as he's not a good person, she said."

"I realize that could be my chance to know her secret without needing to get close to her."

"But the more she tried to back off and got nervous, the more I wanted to push her so she'd tell me," Vernon said. "Thus, she decided to get up and leave, and I hugged her from behind and gently told her that I will never hurt her."

"And she... reacted strongly...."

"She struggled and bit my wrist--" Vernon pulled his sleeve to show the teeth mark. "--And when I released her, she fell face first on the floor. She was crying... but there was no sobs. It was a silent cry."

"And..." Vernon felt heavy when he had to mention this last part. Because this was the real moment he knew about the abuse;

"He called me Vincent."

...

Diamond closed her eyes, and even with a short retelling from her boss, she could already imagine the scene, including the extreme fear caused by the trauma that Chloe experienced last night.

"B--But I didn't hurt her at all! I've been very gentle to her. I--I just don't know what I did wrong to accidentally trigger her," Vernon defended himself.

Diamond opened her eyes and stared at her boss, "Sir, there are many triggers that might cause someone with trauma to overreact. What Chloe did was self-defense in her mind, because she didn't want to get hurt."

"Besides..." Diamond observed her boss from head to toe. "You're obviously Vincent Gray, but bigger, scarier, and also with anger issues. Of course she will mistake you as a scarier version of her ex-husband."

"But I didn't even yell at her last night!" Vernon was pissed when he got compared with his Big brother.

"You yelled at her many times before, and that must've been imprinted in her mind," Diamond said ruthlessly. "In fact, I am also the same, Sir. When you're angry for no real reason, I can only stay back and watch you destroy things. Do you think that kind of behavior will be attractive to a woman?"

"What the--"

"So, if you want to slowly gain her trust, try to be more gentle and assure her that you wont' hurt her," Diamond said. "Try not to stand and look down at her, you're scaring everyone. Don't you remember when we went to a charity party with orphans and you made all the kids literally cried because you smirked at them?"

Vernon remembered that moment clearly. He didn't like kids, but he had to put up a good face as it was a huge charity company with many of his business partners.

But his intimidating figure and scary face made all the kids cry.

"Try to sit down while talking to her, so she wouldn't feel so intimidated," Diamond said.

Vernon took a mental note of that idea seriously. Though, he thought it was ridiculous that he had to sit down to look less intimidating, and he doubted it would work.

But he had to try everything if that meant it would help Chloe open up to him.

"I know that she has been abused, but since he doesn't speak a thing about it, can you tell me instead?" Vernon asked.

"No, Sir," Diamond refused firmly. "Chloe has all the right to tell you about that, and I will never spill it without her consent."

"Ugh, darn it."

Diamond sighed, but she was relieved that Mr. Phoenix Gray seemed to have opened up a little, even willing to talk in a civilized manner without being angry for the first ten seconds.

But, she also wanted to test something;

"You should work hard to make her fall in love with you. But I know my homegirl is a great woman who is perfect for you, Sir," Diamond said.

'I bet no girls would tolerate you and your temper and sloppiness except Chloe. She's a real gold, seriously--' Diamond said in her heart.

Vernon's cheeks turned red instantly, he felt an explosion in his heart, but he didn't want to show it in front of Diamond.

"W--WHY WOULD I FALL IN LOVE WITH MY OWN SISTER-IN-LAW?!"

Chapter 204

"W—WHY WOULD I FALL IN LOVE WITH MY OWN SISTER-IN-LAW?!" Vernon yelled out loud, but there was no hostility in his eyes.

He looked very shy, though…

'I never said anything about YOU falling in love with her. But go off, I guess….'

"Well, that's all the advice I can give you, Sir. Please excuse me, I have lots of reports to do," Diamond turned around and left Vernon's office.

"H—HEY! GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT LETTING YOU OFF FOR SAYING THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER!" Vernon yelled again, but Diamond ignored her and left him alone.

"Ugh! That damned secretary! If she's not that competent, I would've fired her already!" Vernon complained. But really, there was no way he would fire Diamond. She was just that competent and quick to do her job as a secretary. He was willing to pay her really high because he knew that Diamond's skill was worth all the salary she received.

Besides…

'She's the only person that Chloe opens up to, I won't kick her out,' Vernon thought.

He sat silent for a while, pondering whether he should follow Diamond's advice or not.

"Ugh, I can't believe I have to cater to a woman's needs. If it's not for Chloe, I won't even think about doing this," Vernon complained again.

In the end, he grabbed his phone and opened contact. He was about to call Chloe, but he stopped right before he pressed the green call button.

He felt a little embarrassed for an unknown reason, like a little boy mustering his courage to confess.

Thus, instead of calling her— Vernon decided to open Chloe's contact and texted her;

—

To: Big Sis Chloe;

Come to the office. I want to talk about something.

—

He curled his lips, realizing he had forgotten to change Chloe's contact name. He was so used to refer to her as Big sis Chloe that he used the same name when he got her contact… long ago.

"Ah! Who cares about that, just send this thing already, Vernon!"

Vernon pressed send and quickly threw his phone on the sofa. He couldn't handle the embarrassment in his heart, even though he just wanted to get closer to Chloe, so she would open up…

'So I can protect her….'

p **

Chloe had been sitting in her car for hours. She had no intention of going to Vernon's office as she was still trying to avoid him.

She was too scared to know what Vernon would do to her, and her paranoia told her that he would probably berate her, call her a crazy bitch, and then kick her out of the apartment.

"I haven't saved money yet… how am I supposed to feed Mackie without returning to Vincent?" Chloe wondered. "Maybe I should steal something from Vernon's apartment, or maybe steal from his black card instead? Surely, a few thousand wouldn't hurt him at all…."

…

"Okay, scrap that, I'm not THAT ungrateful. He has been helping me so much," Chloe murmured.

As she was busy with her plan, her phone suddenly vibrated, and she got a text.

Chloe thought it was a text from Diamond since it was almost lunch, and she hadn't come to the office yet.

But when she checked the name of the texter, she almost had a heart attack;

—

From: Cute little Vernon

Come to the office. I want to talk about something.

—

Chloe's hand trembled, and she threw the phone on the passenger seat. She thought Vernon would be too busy to talk to her today, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Okay, you can't avoid him, Chloe. But you got to think of a way to reason, you CANNOT be kicked right now, especially when Mackie is still recovering from bullying at her school!"

Chloe started thinking of many paths she could take, especially considering whether she could get a job in another company.

But then, she remembered what happened back then, when she was literally going from one office building to another, hoping she could get any job that she could land, to no avail because Vincent forced all those companies to reject her application.

"So, my only choice is…."

Chloe gulped as she realized that she had no choice other than to sell her body to Vernon again, hoping that would be enough to satisfy Vernon so he wouldn't kick her away.

She hated it. She hated to be turned into an item of sex because she was desperate, and she didn't even know why Vernon liked her gross body.

But…

"Just like what I said back then. I will do anything for my daughter's wellbeing. Even if that means I have to sell my body to him."

Chloe felt reluctant and sad because she had to be a prostitute to the little boy she practically raised until he was fifteen years old.

But you got to do whatever to survive.

**

Chloe parked her car right beside Vernon's car. She took a deep breath to brace for the storm that would come soon.

"You can do this, Chloe. This is for your daughter," Chloe grabbed the lunch bag and walked to the main lobby.

She used the VIP elevator to the highest floor. She went out of the elevator and called Diamond. The latter was busy doing reports while listening to music with her AirPods on her desk.

"G—Good afternoon, Diamond," Chloe greeted her nervously.

Diamond didn't seem to hear her, so Chloe tapped her shoulder.

Diamond looked up, and her eyes widened instantly. She got up from the chair and hugged Chloe without thinking twice.

"GIRL!"

"Wha—!"

Chloe was surprised by such a tight hug, but she didn't hate it. She hugged Diamond as well.

Diamond grabbed her homegirl's arms, and before she could say something, her eyes caught something on Chloe's forehead.

'Lots of concealer?' Diamond wondered. She noticed that Chloe's makeup was uneven because her forehead looked so cakey, but the rest of her face was covered with light makeup instead, so it didn't blend well.

Curious about this finding, Diamond touched Chloe's forehead, and the petite woman shrieked in pain instantly;

"AW!"

Chapter 205

"AW!" Chloe shrieked in pain when her bruise was touched.

"Eh—Ah, what happened to your forehead, homegirl?!" Diamond asked out of surprise.

Chloe separated herself from the hug and shook her head, "N—Nothing, it's nothing."

"Girl…" Diamond took a good look at Chloe's face and found out that Chloe had obvious eyebags and an overall haggard face.

She remembered that Mr. Phoenix Gray said that Chloe fell face first when she tried to break free from Vernon. If Diamond's guess was correct, Chloe's forehead might have been bruised badly, 'And she used foundie and concealer to cover the big purple bruise on her forehead until it looks cakey only around that part.'

…

"Girl, did something happen last night?" Diamond asked. "You look pretty haggard…."

Chloe forced a smile and shook her head, "It's fine, Diamond. Nothing's wrong. I was just a little sick, but I'm all better now."

Of course, Diamond knew that was an obvious lie. But she was sensible enough not to inquire more about what happened to her homegirl, knowing it was a sensitive topic that involved her trauma.

"Just let me know if you need anything, and what I mean anything is ANYTHING, okay?" Diamond assured Chloe that she wanted Chloe to know that she would always be there to help her.

"Diamond, you're so kind to me, I don't know how to pay you back…." Chloe smiled thin, feeling guilty because Diamond was the only one who was genuinely concerned for her.

"Girl— you can pay me by being happy, seriously," Diamond said sincerely.

"Haha, I'm already quite happy when I'm talking with you, Diamond," Chloe smiled. "I will bake you a cake later, as a sign of thanks from me."

"Girl— Well, I heard that you're a great cook, since that guy inside the office likes your food so much, so I wouldn't say no to that."

"Haha! Sure, sure, I will bake one for you. I haven't baked a cake for Vernon yet, so you'll be the first one to taste!"

"Oh! Dang, girl— I will take a picture of that cake and send it to him just to make him jealous, hahahaha!"

Diamond and Chloe laughed freely until the laughs gradually dissipated, and Chloe's mood turned grim again.

"Anyway, he told me to come here, I'll have to face him…." Chloe said.

Diamond noticed the nervousness and fear in Chloe's eyes, and she patted her shoulder, "It will be alright, trust me."

Chloe nodded once, trying to act normal in front of Diamond before she had to face Vernon.

Chloe put the lunch bag on Diamond's desk and knocked on Vernon's office door three times before entering.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Click.

Chloe pushed the door open and saw Vernon sitting on the sofa. He was staring at the door, and their eyes automatically met once the door was open.

Chloe and Vernon were surprised at each other's gaze, and their heartbeats were racing simultaneously, but for a different reason.

Vernon's heartbeat accelerated because of shyness.

While Chloe's heartbeat accelerated because of fear.

"C—Come in, Chloe," Vernon instructed.

Chloe walked in. Her legs were trembling because she was scared, but she continued thinking about her daughter. She was the only source of strength for her.

'I did everything for Mackie, I did everything so she would have a good life despite not being with Vincent,' Chloe chanted in her head.

She stood in front of Vernon, but with her head lowered. She dared not stare at Vernon because she couldn't face him after what had happened last night.

Vernon noticed her reluctance. She even stood so far from Vernon that it was closer for her to run towards the door than towards him.

His heart cooled down. He really hated this kind of reaction from Chloe because he wasn't even trying to do anything to hurt her.

But Vernon tried to keep his calm.

He knew that Chloe was nervous and scared. So he planned to follow Diamond's advice by acting gentle and trying not to intimidate her.

"Come here."

"W—What do you want, Vernon?" Chloe asked carefully.

"Just come here first, I want to tell you something about last night," Vernon instructed, and Chloe took only a small step forward.

Vernon clenched his fist, trying not to show his displeasure, "A little closer."

Again, Chloe only took a small step forward reluctantly. Vernon repeated his instruction four more times and was met with the same small reluctant step.

"GODDAMN, YOU'RE TESTING MY PATIENCE!" Vernon finally lost his composure.

He got up from the sofa, and with his long legs, he easily took a big step forward and caught the woman who had been trying to avoid him the whole morning,

He gripped Chloe's wrist firmly, but he didn't gauge the difference in their strength. He accidentally gripped Chloe's wrist too hard and hurt her.

"AH!" Chloe screamed in pain, and Vernon instantly snapped out of his short rage.

He loosened his grip on her wrist but held her hand to ensure she didn't escape like last night.

Vernon saw his Big sis Chloe was on the verge of crying, and tears were already welling in her eyes.

"S—Sorry, I… I didn't mean to…." Vernon quickly apologized, but he knew that wasn't enough. He literally shouted at her a few seconds ago.

He knew he had scared her, so he followed what Diamond told him to do.

Vernon gulped. This was the first time he would do this.

'It's okay, Vernon, you did this because you want her to open up,' Vernon assured himself in his heart.

Slowly, Vernon lowered his body and kneeled in front of Chloe. He looked up and saw that Chloe was shocked by his sudden action.

"W—What are you doing, Vernon?"

'Well, I don't know, but Diamond said lowering myself in front of you will make you fear me less!' Vernon complained in his heart as he found this a very cringy thing to do, but it was better than not trying at all.