Ch. 211..215: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 211-215

Chapter 211

Vincent sat on his boss's chair and looked straight at Maria, who entered his office and walked to his side.

She was holding a file in her hand, which he already guessed the document's content.

Maria put the file on the desk and said, "Sir, this is all the information that you want about Mr. Gregory Maxwell, including private information about his life and also all the projects— ongoing and completed that he had with our company so far."

"Hm," Vincent picked up the file and opened it. He checked the document consisting of all the information for this man called Gregory Maxwell, an old friend of his late father that was still running his business to this day.

"Gregory Maxwell, 61 years old, an old friend of the late Mr. Vaughn Gray. He is running a food and beverage company that has been doing projects with us for the past twenty five years," Maria explained the content of all the research she could find regarding this man, including hiring a private investigator to delve further into the life of Gregory Maxwell.

"He has a disharmonious marriage with his wife, and both of them have cheated on each other since ten years ago, based on the private investigator, Sir," Maria added. "He has two kids, and both of them are living far from their parents, so there is no familial connection between them."

"So, both of them can cheat freely without consequence?" Vincent asked while reading the document.

"Yes, Sir."

"Hmm, as expected," Vincent smiled mysteriously as he noticed one sentence in the document. "Apparently, he has plenty of mistresses that he kept in a few apartments."

"Yes, he has plenty and keeps each of them in different apartments. It's a known secret actually," Maria reported.

Vincent chuckled once he heard that, "See? Aren't I better than him? I never keep a mistress in my mansion, I just fuck them and ditched them away, except for a few condoms. Chloe is just being so dramatic when I'm literally the best man she could ever have in her life."

"That is correct, Sir," Maria agreed. She might understand Chloe's problem if she married a regular man.

But she married Vincent Gray. Of course, she will have to deal with so many women flocking over him. After all, it was a fair price knowing that she got Mrs. Gray's title and all the money and connection as a billionaire's wife.

"Well—" Vincent put the file back on the desk and instructed his secretary, "I want to cut a few projects between my company and his, at least the newest one."

Maria's eyes widened hearing the statement. She thought Mr. Vincent Gray wanted this man's information as a blackmail method in order to get what he wanted.

But he wanted to simply cut the newest project between them?!

"Sir, may I know the reason for your decision?" Maria asked out of curiosity and anxiety. She didn't know what Vincent was planning and was scared this guy might do something rash.

"He is one of the main suspects from the list that Vernon made for me a few days ago," Vincent replied nonchalantly.

"A list?" Maria frowned.

"Yes, it's a list of millionaires that he suspected to be hiding my wife and daughter. They are all billionaires residing— or have a stable business in New York, and also have connections with the Gray family, because I've never shown Chloe and Mackie's face to the public."

"So, only those who have seen them in a few formal parties hosted by the Gray family know about their appearance, making it easy to find the culprit who dared to hide my wife and daughter," Vincent said.

"Sir, that's—" Maria was speechless. She didn't expect Vincent to be very extreme in his method. "Sir, Gregory Maxwell has years of history with the company. His company can be said to be one of our branches, and cutting the newest project with him can be devastating."

"Devastating for whom?" Vincent asked lightly. "Is it devastating for us or for him?"

"… For him, Sir…." Maria replied.

"And why do I need to give a fuck about a small shrimp? He is nothing compared to me, and if this small project gets cut, we can replace his company with another one, it's not that hard."

True, Maria wouldn't lie that Vincent was sitting on top of the world right now. She couldn't deny that Vincent was untouchable, knowing the amount of wealth he evenly spread to almost every sector in not only New York— but also the whole country.

So, a small shrimp-like Gregory Maxwell was nothing but a hindrance. Vincent could do anything to destroy that man's company if he wanted to.

But Maria was still unable to accept the reason that Vincent gave for suddenly breaking the ties between the two companies, no matter how small it was.

"Sir, are you really sure this man is the one who has been hiding your wife and daughter?"

"No," Vincent replied lightly.

"But how—"

"I've read the report that Vernon gave me, and then selected a few main suspects, we will start with this guy— Gregory Maxwell. I will make him go into shock and interrogate him, making sure he will spill everything if he doesn't want his company to go completely bankrupt."

Maria wondered what kind of report Vernon gave Vincent, "Sir, may I see the report that your little brother made? I can help to sort it out."

Vincent raised his brow, "Why do you want to see it? Didn't I tell you to start investigating a few names? Just do what I told you."

"But Sir, blindly selecting a few main suspects and suppressing their businesses is not good for our reputation in the long term. They will see you as unreasonable and ruthless!" Maria protested.

Honestly, she had no emotional bond with Vincent Gray because, to her— he was just a little boy who resumed Mr. Vaughn Gray's work after his death.

But she had a sentimental feeling about this company because she had worked here for decades.

Chapter 212

Honestly, she had no emotional bond with Vincent Gray because, to her— he was just a little boy who resumed Mr. Vaughn Gray's work after his death.

But she had a sentimental feeling over this company because she had worked here for decades, so she didn't want to let it be destroyed because Vincent was an unreasonable asshole who would ruin his father's company for a worthless woman.

"Sir, if you want to find your wife and daughter, why don't you report a missing child instead? Tell the police that Chloe is running away after stealing your money, and also say that Chloe took Mackenzie by force."

"—Or you can also go to the school and meet your daughter. You can force her to say where she lives with her mother, then you can drag her back to your mansion," Maria gave out two easiest and more logical ways to find Vincent's daughter and wife.

But Vincent only scoffed at those ideas, "I don't want to draw too much attention from the public. If I use the first method, the news will leak and those pesky reporters will come, and there's a big chance that Chloe and Mackie's face will be leaked to the public."

"And for the second one, I don't want to look pathetic in front of my wife. This is about the pride of a man, I will make sure that she WILL be the one who crawls back to me, begging for me to take her back," Vincent said.

"A woman like you won't understand a man's pride, so just shut up and do what I told you to do— go make a notice for Gregory Maxwell, saying that the contract for the new project has been terminated, that old man will come begging in front of my mansion in less than a day," Vincent instructed.

…

"Understood, Sir," Maria bowed politely. "Then, please excuse me, I need to write and email the formal notice to his company."

"Hm."

Maria turned around and walked away. She looked calm as always. After all, she was a professional senior secretary who had experienced various troubles at work.

But she couldn't help but feel annoyed by Vincent's clouded judgment.

Obviously, Vincent was being unreasonable right now. Instead of going the easy way, he decided to use a dangerous method that might ruin the company's reputation and even the whole Gray Family's reputation just because he wanted to ensure that Chloe crawled back to him like a beggar.

p 'Hmph, I would rather drag that worthless bitch by her hair and throw her to a cage in Vincent's mansion, so Vincent can continue working normally,' Maria cursed while she returned to her desk and started doing what her boss told her to do.

Meanwhile, Vincent busied himself reading a text from his little brother.

Vernon was truly a hard worker. He went so far as to report every progress their small project had accomplished, even though it was unnecessary.

Vincent didn't reply to him most of the time, but he always read the report that Vernon gave just to appreciate the hard work that his little brother showed.

Though he rarely texted, he would call Vernon at least twice a week just to check on him or talk about random stuff since they were still catching up after ten years.

"Just as expected, Vernon is the only one genuine to me," Vincent murmured. He grew up taking care of Vernon because their dysfunctional parents were too busy dealing with their stupid problems.

He knew that Vernon was a little devil who would throw tantrums over the smallest thing and ruin everyone's day just because he could.

But Vincent never really stopped him from doing anything. He adored Vernon so much that he allowed the little devil to wreak havoc everywhere.

"Well, look at him now. He becomes such an amazing young businessman because I raise him right," Vincent claimed.

He also did the same with Mackie. He allowed his little girl to do anything and buy anything she wanted.

However, she didn't grow up to be a little devil like Vernon because Chloe would often reprimand their daughter if Mackie did something that hurt the maids.

"Heh, that bitch doesn't know how parenting works. Obviously, if she keeps stopping our daughter from doing whatever she wants, Mackie will grow up to be a shy girl," Vincent complained.

"I will make sure to educate Mackie after everything returns to normal, she needs to know that she is a Gray, and she can do whatever she wants."

**

Diamond was sitting on her chair anxiously. She didn't know what her boss would do to her homegirl, and she was just scared that Mr. Phoenix Gray might lose her patience in front of her and end up giving Chloe even more trauma.

'Oh god, please don't let him hurt her, at least not now when Chloe is in such bad shape!' Diamond prayed in her heart. But she knew that was impossible since Vernon was so well known to be a man with an anger issue.

She waited for a while until the door slowly opened from inside, Chloe walked out of Vernon's office, but she didn't seem to be in distress. She looked…

'Fine? Did nothing really happen there? I thought she would come out crying because Vernon screamed in her face until she had a mental breakdown,' Diamond pondered.

Chloe closed the door and stood in front of Diamond with a thin smile, "Diamond, can I get the lunch bag?" Chloe pointed at the lunch bag that Diamond put on a small seat beside hers. "I need to reheat it, Vernon said that he wants to have his lunch now."

Diamond was still confused. She handed the lunch bag to Chloe and watched her homegirl go to the pantry and return with a plate full of food that looked so delicious.

"Diamond, can you help open the door for me, my hands are occupied," Chloe asked, as she held the plate in her right hand, and two small banana milk cartons on her left.

…

"Girl, are you really fine? Do you want me to defend you in front of him?"

Chapter 213

"Girl, are you really fine? Do you want me to defend you in front of him?" Diamond asked, willingly making herself be her shield as long as her homegirl didn't get hurt even more.

But Chloe giggled upon hearing her offer and replied, "No need, Diamond. Vernon is not hostile with me, at least not today."

"R—Really?!"

"Yeah, I can't tell you the details because Vernon told me not to tell anyone, so…."

"Ugh, that guy— I was about to ask if you can tell me everything," Diamond said begrudgingly. She got up and opened the door for Chloe.

Diamond peeked as Chloe entered the office, and she saw Mr. Phoenix Gray sitting calmly on the sofa. He didn't seem to be in any mood right now. He just stared at Chloe— and also the food that she brought.

Then, Vernon noticed Diamond had been peeking behind Chloe and yelled, "Close the door, Diamond! Who gives you permission to peek?!"

Diamond glared back at her boss, but she obeyed his order and closed the door, so Chloe and Vernon could spend time together. She still couldn't predict what her boss wanted to do, but at least he didn't seem to be in a bad mood.

"Well, as long as he doesn't hurt Chloe, I guess…."

**

After that little self-confession in Vernon's heart, alongside him hugging Chloe just like he did when he was just a kid, Vernon decided to spend more time with Chloe.

He knew that Chloe had a lot of issues, though he still didn't know the full story behind it. But at least he got his priority straight.

He wanted her to be comfortable with him. So, Chloe could appreciate that he was being genuine about helping her.

'Then, she will tell me all her problems,' Vernon thought. He also assured himself. 'This is all because I genuinely cared for her as my babysitter when I was a kid, giving me a family that I never knew I needed back then. So I'm helping her as a payback.'

'Nothing more. There's no hidden intention… not at all.'

Chloe put the plate on the table and commented, "You shouldn't be too harsh on Diamond. She is a great secretary and a good friend to me."

Vernon darted his eyes at Chloe. He was a little annoyed because Chloe took Diamond's side. After all, she was still his employee, and he had the right to scold her if she did something out of the line.

But when he faced the smile on Chloe's face, his anger vanished instantly, and he just grumbled, "Hrmm…."

Vernon grabbed the spoon and fork, then glanced at Chloe, who was about to leave him alone.

"Who told you to leave me?"

"Eh— I— I thought you need some time alone to have lunch by yourself," Chloe said.

"Sit here with me," Vernon said, pointing to the spot beside him on the sofa.

Chloe reluctantly obeyed, and she sat right beside Vernon. She watched as Vernon gobbled the food like it was his last meal on earth, which pleased her. It was good to see someone eating her food because Vincent would always throw her homemade cooking and call it dog food.

But Vernon suddenly stopped eating halfway and drank his usual banana milk. He was satisfied with the food and wanted to eat more, but he had something bugging his mind.

"Where's your lunch?" Vernon asked.

"Ah— I—I will eat later," Chloe replied meekly. She got a bit nervous as she thought Vernon would be angry at her for not eating. She didn't really know the thought process behind him getting angry, but she didn't want to trigger him, nonetheless.

"Hmm…"

Surprisingly, Vernon didn't seem to get mad this time. Instead, he picked up the plate, started scooping a spoonful of risotto and a meatball, and then offered it in front of Chloe's mouth.

"Eat this before you have your real lunch later," Vernon said.

Chloe was stunned by the sudden change.

Honestly, Vernon was so weird today.

He wasn't as crazy as usual. He didn't get angry at her nor force her to strip and give him a blowjob.

He kneeled and hugged her on the waist, sobbing like a little kid that finally reunited with his babysitter after being lost in a park. He was also surprisingly gentle with his words.

Chloe didn't believe any man would be kind to her. It was just hardwired in her head that she wasn't worth it.

'He must have a hidden intention. Maybe he wants to play with my feelings? Knowing that I'm just a single old woman that has been abused… so I'm very weak to a man who acts so gentle towards me….'

Chloe was fully guarded and stared at Vernon with eyes full of doubt.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Vernon asked as he got displeased with her gaze. "Do I look like some shady drug dealer to you?"

'Kind of,' Chloe replied in her heart but shaking her head as a visible response.

"Do you feel disgusted with the spoon because I used it just now?"

Chloe shook her head again as an answer.

"Then eat it, I don't want you to starve," Vernon said. "Look at you, all skin and bones, bet you will get blown away by a gust."

Chloe choked when Vernon insulted her out of nowhere. She had to get this paper-thin body because Vincent kept calling her a whale, and she worked hard to be thin.

Chloe wanted to defend herself, but when she opened her mouth, Vernon took the chance and shoved the whole spoonful of food into her mouth.

"Ummffh—!" Chloe was shocked when her mouth was suddenly filled with a big meatball. She gawked at Vernon as if she had been wronged and wanted to get up to spit out the food.

But Vernon suddenly grabbed her arm and scoffed, "Don't look at me as if I'm forcing you. This is for your own good."

Chapter 214

"Don't look at me as if I'm forcing you. This is for your own good," Vernon said, quoting the sentence that Big sis Chloe usually used to force him to do homework or study when he was a kid.

Vernon scooped another spoonful of risotto and a meatball and shoved it into Chloe's mouth right after she finished eating the previous one, giving Chloe no way to refuse.

"This is the food you made, risotto as a main with lots of veggies and meatballs. I guess you're trying to give me a healthy meal, huh?" Vernon asked, and Chloe nodded since she couldn't speak right now.

Vernon lowered his head to hide a thin smile lingering on his lips. He remembered that Chloe always cooked healthy meals for him every day. She ensured that Vernon got all the vitamins, protein, and carbs he needed. She acted almost like a nutritionist, in fact.

But it still made him happy that she watched over his health and ensured he ate well.

Vernon raised his head and resumed his flat expression;

"By the way, You're not going anywhere until you eat everything, then we're going to a restaurant near the office for another lunch," Vernon added.

Chloe's eyes widened, she was already feeling full after eating two spoonfuls of food, but Vernon kept forcing her to eat until she ate half of the food she made for Vernon.

This was basically her food for at least three days. Since Vernon was a big boy, he ate two portions of what regular people ate per meal.

She munched the last meatball weakly and swallowed it. Vernon gave her one of his banana milk to wash it all down.

Chloe lay weakly on the sofa. She was breathing heavily, unable to recover after eating so much food, and her stomach literally bulged a bit.

Vernon watched her for at least ten minutes and was pleasantly surprised, "You don't feel like vomiting at all? You ate half of my portion, you know."

…

…

Chloe waited for a while and was also surprised by her body reaction. Because she didn't vomit anything.

She ate so much food that could allow her to function for three days straight, and she didn't even feel the retching feeling!

Chloe looked at Vernon in disbelief, "I—I don't know. Usually I— I would retch and vomit everything…."

Vernon saw this as a chance and asked, "And why so? Is it because of me?"

Chloe shook her head adamantly. It was most definitely not because of Vernon. Her eating disorder developed when Vincent called her a disgusting narwhal or a fatty whale.

He would laugh at Chloe for eating even the smallest thing, telling her that she looked so disgusting for eating anything when she was fat.

Over time, she felt nervous whenever she had to touch food. The nightmare of Vincent ridiculing her for eating even the smallest thing made her automatically vomit everything she ate unless she ate slowly and alone.

Because the more she got watched by anyone she was scared of, the more she wanted to puke her guts out.

'But, Vernon is literally feeding me right now, and I don't feel the retching? Why? I don't even understand…' Chloe pondered.

Vernon had a theory in his mind and asked to get more information, "Then, what makes you vomit everything you ate before?"

…

Chloe didn't dare to answer because that meant she would tell one of the horrible things Vincent did to her.

She lowered her head, and Vernon got impatient, "Chloe, do you have… an eating disorder? Bulimia?"

Chloe jolted, and she distanced herself from Vernon immediately. She looked straight at him with fear in her eyes.

Her reaction confirmed it, which also stunned Vernon because that was a wild guess.

He never thought that Chloe had an eating disorder— even developed bulimia since she was such a healthy woman before marriage.

He remembered that Chloe was such a foodie that she would try all recipes in a cookbook in the Gray mansion kitchen because she could get all the ingredients she wanted without paying. Vernon would always be her guinea pig for tasting the new recipe.

Which was all great, by the way. She was a talented cook.

"Chloe, about that bulimia—"

"STOP!" Chloe interrupted before Vernon could proceed with more questions. "I—I don't want to talk about it, please…."

"Why?" Vernon frowned. "Obviously, you reacted when I said that you had bulimia. Just tell me what's the problem, how did you develop an eating disorder, or… who is the culprit. You can tell me everything, you know."

"I—It's not that simple…." Chloe replied.

"What's not simple? Just tell me what went wrong," Vernon said lightly, thinking the atmosphere was comfortable enough for Chloe to open up.

…

Chloe went silent. She had two solid reasons not to tell Vernon about her problem.

First, she didn't want to ruin Vernon and Vincent's brotherhood. They had a good relationship, and Vincent had a project with Vernon. She didn't want to be the downfall of such a great young man.

'If I told him about it, he would probably confront Vincent. I know how much of a monster my ex-husband is, and I don't want to drag Vernon in this,' Chloe thought.

Second, she just didn't open up so easily because…

'Because you look so much like Vincent. Even if you're not him, to open up to someone who looks exactly like him is… difficult,' Chloe said in her heart.

'Besides, I can't trust you, Vernon. You're not my cute little Vernon anymore. You've proven yourself to be more than capable of ruining my life, just like your Big brother. You're a man with schemes and hidden interests, I don't want to get used and ruined by another man….'

Chloe got up from the sofa and distanced herself, "I—I have to leave now. I'll return home."

"But— Chloe—"

Chloe completely ignored Vernon and went out of the office, leaving Vernon alone, wondering what went wrong with his sentence.

Chapter 215

Chloe completely ignored Vernon and went out of the office, leaving Vernon alone, wondering what went wrong with his sentence.

"Did I say something wrong? She is obviously suffering from bulimia, just looking at her reaction," Vernon murmured. "If she keeps everything bottled up, how am I supposed to help?"

He sighed and put the plate on the table. He was gentle to her and even tried his best to be patient despite Chloe acting like a difficult child.

Vernon also noticed that Chloe thoroughly enjoyed her lunch, but when he confronted her about her eating disorder, she immediately retreated and became extremely guarded again.

He thought he had become his best version and was entitled to obtain all the information he wanted from Chloe.

"This is like playing a cat and mouse game. I keep luring her out by acting nice, but whenever I want to catch her, she would retreat and hide inside her hole again," Vernon murmured.

It was the first time he actually showed concern for another person in his life. He thought that as long as it benefited him, he didn't care what the others felt about him.

After all, that was the recipe for success in the cold world of elite business.

"Should I continue acting nice in front of her? But what happens when I have bad days? Should I continue acting nice even though I want to explode in front of everyone?" Vernon asked himself. He was fighting against his own habit at this point.

"Urgh, I need someone to guide me in this," Vernon finally picked up his phone and searched for a contact number.

He stopped at one contact number, pressed it, and murmured, "Okay, I think he can help."

Vernon pressed the call button, and after a few beeps, the line was connected;

—

"Good afternoon, Mr. CEO. I thought you'd never call."

Vernon heard the voice of a lady in her mid-20s on the phone, and he was familiar with this woman.

"Shailene, I need your help," Vernon said straight to the point.

"Seriously? No small talk, or at least asked if I've been doing well?" Shailene chuckled amusingly.

"… Hey, Shailene, how have you been?"

"Oh? Mr. CEO actually listens to me when I requested something? I thought you were insufferable as always, hahah!"

"It's not funny," Vernon said bitterly. If he didn't have any use for this woman, he wouldn't have called her again.

But Shailene was a young psychologist that was very popular in the U.K. She handled many cases of trauma, mostly from people who had been abused.

She was also dealing with people who had marital issues. Which was perfect since Vernon knew that Chloe was both, even if she hadn't told him anything.

"Well, it's just fun to tease you because you always show a big reaction to a simple joke," Shailene chuckled again, and she finally stopped teasing him. "Well, what can I do for you, Mr. CEO?"

Vernon had known Shailene since their uni days, and he knew how competent she was in her field.

She was the only woman there that he could actually connect with and open up to, so he talked a lot about his life— even about his life growing up with Chloe as his 'Big sis.'

'Too bad we're not close anymore,' Vernon thought.

"I want to use your service," Vernon said. "I have someone— a woman in her 30s, and she has been dealing with stuff that you're expert of, trauma from abuse and also marital problems."

Shailene paused and replied, "Hold on, am I talking to Mr. Vernon Phoenix Gray here? I checked the caller and it is his number, but this is not the behavior that he normally shows, he is an insufferable bastard who would only think of himself and think twice about helping others."

"Yeah, fuck you too, Shailene," Vernon responded harshly. No matter how often he heard Shailene's passive-aggressive talk, he couldn't help but yell and snap at her.

However, Shailene was already used to him— even took amusement at his anger. So she only laughed as a response.

"Ahahahaha… okay, okay, that's you," Shailene confirmed. "So, you want me to console this woman? That's surprising coming from your mouth."

"No, I don't want you to console her. I want you to console me instead," Vernon said.

"… Huh?" Shailene thought she might've misheard that. "You want me to talk with you instead? You know, I'm mostly dealing with people who have experienced severe abuse and trauma. You're more of the type of men who inflict that trauma instead."

"Oh come on, Shailene. I don't need your fucking condescending attitude. I just need someone to help me so I can let her open up to me instead!" Vernon started to regret calling Shailene because this woman always talked to him as if he was an insufferable 10-year-old boy who didn't know how to control himself.

"Ohh, I see what you're coming now," Shailene said. "You know, I don't really want to meet you anymore after many toxic things you did in the past. But I'm quite interested in your problem here. Vernon Phoenix Gray is asking me how to console a woman? Now that's new. How about we set up a small dinner date?"

"Dinner date?"

"Yup, I'm currently in New York for at least half a year. So if you want to meet and talk, we can always do it somewhere nice."

…

Just like Shailene, the animosity between them was mutual. He didn't want to meet her either, but he really needed to have a direct talk so Shailene could help him.

"Fine, we can talk somewhere. I'll ask my secretary to reserve a table for two, I'll text you the location later."

"Oh, that's great, make sure you reserve it for tomorrow afternoon. I'm still busy dealing with a client until 9 today," Shailene agreed. "I'll have to hang up, see you tomorrow, Mr. Phoenix Gray, the rising handsome CEO."

"Urgh, shut up, Shailene."

Beep.