Ch. 241..245: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 241-245
Chapter 241
"Then, why don't we go to my apartment? It's not far from here, it should make you more comfortable talking about private things, right?" Shailene offered.
Vernon paused for a few seconds. He stared at Shailene, wanting to grasp the intention behind her invitation.
He was a man with plenty of experience, and when a woman invited him to her apartment, there was only one thing that would happen next.
But, Vernon refused to believe that Shailene wanted to have sex with him. Because she obviously hated him to the bone.
Shailene noticed the silence and alerted gaze coming from Vernon, and she scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, Vernon. I have a private office in my apartment, that place is where I usually talk to my clients if she doesn't feel comfortable talking in a formal space, like in a regular office or clinic."
"Ah, okay then," Vernon said. He was relieved by Shailene's answer. After all, he had encountered many women who wanted to have sex with him without consent, either by spiking his drink or other methods.
'She seems to be the right person for this. Since she can maintain her professionality,' Vernon thought.
**
Vernon and Shailene finally left the restaurant after they finished their dinner. It was still seven-thirty in the evening, and Vernon drove through the street, heading to Shailene's apartment as he listened to her order as a guide.
Vernon entered the basement to park his car and then followed Shailene as they entered the elevator to her floor.
The elevator stopped at floor 18, Shailene opened the door with a card, and they went through it.
"Do you plan to stay in New York permanently?" Vernon asked as he walked inside with Shailene.
"No, I'm going to return to London next year. I'm here for an important client that demands me to stay for extended time. She was a rich old woman with severe mental problems because of a cold marriage with her cheating husband," Shailene said.
Vernon wasn't all that surprised by it. After all, Shailene's job mostly covers that kind of psychological problem.
"And that woman stayed with her husband?" Vernon asked.
"Yes, up until his death about twelve years ago," Shailene replied. "She's a widow now, but she can't be happy because the trauma that her late husband inflicted was too much, and that affected her relationship with her sons," Shailene looked over her shoulder towards Vernon, and she had a mysterious smile. "She comes from an old money family in New York, and the family is extremely influential just so you know."
"Uh… okay?" Vernon didn't understand why Shailene had to tell him. He didn't give a crap about a rich old widow's problem. "Do I really need to know about this old woman's problem? Is it important for me and my problem?"
Shailene only gave a vague answer, "The identity of my clients is confidential, I can't tell you in detail and also can't tell you her name."
"Good, I also don't give a damn about a random old window's problem," Vernon said carelessly.
"Hahah, you never change, Vernon," Shailene chuckled out of amusement. "Still the same uncaring bastard who doesn't give a shit about anyone as long as you get what you want."
Vernon shrugged it off. It was the truth, and there was no need to deny it, especially in front of Shailene, who knew how scummy he was.
Shailene led Vernon to a room. She turned the light on and showed Vernon her office.
It was a simple room with a big window to stare at the view outside, a big bookshelf, a chaise longue for the patient to rest on, and a small chair for Shailene as the psychologist.
It reminded Vernon so much of a typical psychologist's office, and he didn't understand why Shailene said this private office of hers was better than a regular formal office.
Shailene seemed to understand what was in Vernon's mind. She chuckled and picked a remote.
She pressed a few buttons, and the AC started blowing gentle warm air and calming scents.
"Wait, is this—" Vernon sniffed their air a few times. "—Lavender and Chamomile?"
"Mhm, this private office has been modified with my request. I can control the relaxing scents blowing out of the AC. It also has a huge aquascape and a wide view to the city," Shailene explained as she pressed another button. The wall slowly slid open, showing an aquascape hidden under the wall. It was huge and stretched from one corner of the room to the other.
"Now, go lay there," Shailene pointed at the chaise lounge, and she walked to the desk to grab a note and pen.
She sat on the small couch directly facing the chaise lounge. She crossed her legs and glanced at Vernon, who stood still near the door.
She nudged her head towards the chaise lounge again, and Vernon finally walked in and lay awkwardly on the lazy couch.
He had never been in this kind of position before, and this would be the first time he had ever met a real psychologist.
He always thought a mental illness was a sissy thing, just like his Big brother said.
—
'As long as you have money and power as a man, then there is nothing to worry about. Those mentally sick people are because they're poor and useless, and that's why most of them are women,' Vincent said to Vernon, who was only nine years old.
—
Thus, the idea of going to a psychologist as a man-made him shudder. So he just bottled whatever negative things inside his head and unleashed it by fucking a random gurl, breaking things, or simply doing a reckless thing to let the steam off.
He thought that was the right way to appease the exploding anger in his heart, so he didn't need to be a sissy by coming to a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
Little did he know that he would be sitting in this chaise lounge with his ex as the psychologist, all for that woman.
Chapter 242
Little did he know that he would be sitting in this chaise lounge with his ex as the psychologist, all for that woman.
Vernon gritted his teeth silently, 'If it's not for her, then I would never think about doing this. This is so embarrassing.'
Shailene had faced many clients knowing that Vernon was very uncomfortable right now, and it was a natural reaction for many, especially men.
Shailene knew that many men were still trapped in their toxic pride and masculinity, which prevented them from seeking emotional help.
'They don't even speak about their problems to their loved ones most of the time, let alone coming to a psychologist like this,' Shailene thought.
"Don't worry about yourself, Vernon. You're here not to talk about yourself—" Shailene said. '—Even though I know that you have a lot of psychological issues as well,' she added in her heart.
"You're here to talk about this woman named Chloe. I want to know what makes become so attached to her, and what kind of person she is in your eyes," Shailene said.
Vernon nodded slightly, but it didn't help him ease his nervousness and discomfort.
The topic might not be about him but the woman he had dreamed about since the first time they met. It is something that he thought he would hide for the rest of his life.
But when confronted by a stranger like this, it made him very nervous.
Shailene sighed. This would take forever for Vernon to speak if he stayed like this.
Thus, Shailene said, "Close your eyes, Vernon."
"Huh? Why do I need to?"
"Close your eyes so you don't need to look at me. I know that you're very nervous right now," Shailene said. "With your eyes closed, you can imagine you're talking to yourself about that woman named Chloe."
Vernon felt really exposed right now, but what Shailene said made sense.
Besides, she was the expert in this, not him.
So, Vernon closed his eyes slowly.
With only darkness in front of him, Vernon's other senses heightened. His ears and nose became more sensitive to sound and scent.
He heard the sound of the water from the aquascape and the relaxing scent of chamomile and lavender blowing out of the air conditioner.
Vernon's muscles gradually relaxed, and his breathing stabilized.
"Okay, that's good, relax yourself first, and think about that woman who filled your life day and night," Shailene said. "Think about any kind of memory about her, whether it's good or bad."
Vernon's mind created a vivid imagination about his Big sis, his sister-in-law, and his Chloe Gray.
In his head, Chloe had just finished cooking. She was wearing a simple shirt and jeans.
She was wearing a pink apron and smiled at Vernon as she put the food on the table in front of him.
Vernon felt his body had shrunk. He looked down and saw a pair of tiny hands holding utensils for kids.
It seemed that he had regressed back when he was only seven.
'Vernon, don't forget to eat a lot, okay? Don't you want to grow big and strong? You said that you will carry Big sis Chloe on your back like a bear,' Chloe said jokingly.
Vernon stared at Big sis Chloe, who was young, bright, and beautiful.
Ever since he was a baby, Vernon had met many women of various social statuses, races, and ages.
His father— Vaughn Gray, would often carry him around as a toddler while flirting and talking about raunchy stuff with those women he met in many events.
His father often whispered many things to small Vernon about women, saying that Vernon must be a powerful man in the future and fuck as many women as he could get his hands on.
He needed to show how much of a man he was by fucking many women; that was the only way for Vernon to get his father's validation.
Vernon listened to everything since he was a toddler, but the more his dad whispered about those things, the more he found the women his dad brought distasteful and gross.
As he grew up, he became increasingly hateful towards those women who became the source of a fight between his parents. His life at the age of seven became hell on earth.
His parents didn't give a shit about him, he could literally jump from the rooftop, and his parents wouldn't even know about it. They were too busy with their affairs and fights.
He had his Big brother close to him, but his Big bro got noticeably busier as he focused in high school and would scold Vernon if he tried to disturb him.
He started breaking things to gain attention, hoping his parents would see him again, even if he had to be scolded.
But his parents usually told the housekeepers to clean the mess he made and locked Vernon inside his room as a punishment before they were busy with their own things.
All nannies had given up on him, and he had no intention of becoming close to anyone.
That was until his Big brother brought a girl to their mansion.
She was a woman around his Big bro's age. She had wavy chestnut hair, big doe eyes that made her look very kind, and an aura that made everyone who talked with her feel comfortable.
To top it all off, she was gorgeous. She was the most beautiful woman little Vernon ever saw in his life.
'That's my little brother, the one I talked about with you,' Vincent said as he pointed at young Vernon.
Chloe approached little Vernon who stared at her, trying to guess her intention. She crouched until they were about the same eye level.
'Hey, Vernon, my name is Chloe Carlson. Your Big brother told me a lot about you,' Chloe said as she gently patted Vernon's head. 'You can call me Chloe, but I would prefer you to call me Big sis, since you call Vincent as Big bro, right?'
Chapter 243
'Hey, Vernon, my name is Chloe Carlson. Your Big brother told me a lot about you,' Chloe said as she gently patted Vernon's head. 'You can call me Chloe, but I would prefer you to call me Big sis, since you call Vincent as Big bro, right?'
"Big sis Chloe…." Vernon mumbled in real life.
Shailene frowned as a response. She heard the name muttered by Vernon, but she didn't expect Vernon to address this woman as 'Big sis Chloe.'
'It seems this woman named Chloe is not just a random woman that came to his life. For him to call her Big sis Chloe, that means she has been present since he was a kid.'
'But she's not his blood sibling, right? I know that Vernon only has one brother as sibling, and that is the famous billionaire Vincent Gray,' Shailene thought as she noted the name that Vernon muttered just now.
'Maybe she is someone hired by their parents to take care of him? But I doubt they'd hire a young woman to take care of young Vernon when they can pay the most expensive and experienced nanny to do that.'
She continued listening without interrupting as she realized that Vernon relived the core memory with his 'Big sis Chloe.'
—Vernon's memory—
Little Vernon stared at the doe eyes that looked so kind. He could see his reflection in Big sis Chloe's eyes, giving him the illusion that Big sis Chloe was looking at him and only him.
Little Vernon hugged Big sis Chloe for the first time without hesitation, much to Chloe's surprise, 'Oh— Vincent said that you're a difficult kid. But you seem nice.'
Nevertheless, I promised him to take care of you, so—' Chloe gently separated herself from Vernon, who hugged her tightly. She gently caressed little Vernon's cheek and smiled at him, '—You can count on Big sis Chloe for everything, got it?'
Despite being seven years old, little Vernon already had enough brain capacity to read someone's intention. When those women his dad brought to the house tried to coax Little Vernon, thinking he was just another clueless kid with no idea of what was happening around him.
Usually, Vernon would show a disgusted face and throw a huge tantrum whenever he was touched by those women.
But right now, he had no feeling of disgust as he stared unblinking at Big sis Chloe.
Instead, he felt this gradual throbbing in his heart that got harder and hotter. Then, he realized that his heart was beating faster and faster until his cheeks reddened.
'Un…' little Vernon nodded bashfully.
"I… I will be with Big sis Chloe…." Vernon said it out loud while Shailene listened attentively.
Shailene noticed a smile perking up on Vernon's lips. And it was a smile of comfort as if he was content with his dream.
As if he got everything he wanted inside his fantasy.
Shailene continued writing in her note. She concluded that Big sis Chloe's presence must've influenced Vernon's life massively.
But the real question was…
'Was it a good or bad influence?' Shailene asked herself.
—Vernon's memory—
Little Vernon became much better when Big sis Chloe visited him almost daily.
She would come right around noon and go home after ten when Vernon finally fell asleep.
Because if Big sis Chloe left while Vernon was still wide awake, the little devil would make a huge tantrum that would destroy the whole mansion.
So Chloe had to understand how attached Vernon could be despite constantly trying to pull pranks to get her full attention.
Little Vernon was so happy about everything, and after he reached the age of ten, he confessed to Big sis Chloe.
"Big sis Chloe, once I get older, I will marry you! You will be Vernon's wife!" Vernon claimed out loud, which shocked Shailene.
But Vernon was so deep into his imagination that he didn't remember he was inside Shailene's office, with her listening to his mumbling and talking to himself.
Big sis Chloe in his imagination, chuckled lightly and patted his head, 'You want me to be your wife?'
"YES!"
'Then, Little Vernon needs to grow up first. Be strong, so you can protect the woman you love in the future, okay?'
"That woman is Big sis Chloe!" Vernon insisted.
'Haha, okay, okay, that would be me,' Chloe replied, thinking it was just harmless banter as she knew that Vernon would eventually forget about these things.
Little did she know, Vernon still remembered vividly the promise and confession he made, and he took it very seriously.
He thought, as long as Big sis Chloe could wait for him, he would definitely marry her!
He held that dream of marrying Big sis Chloe until it shattered when he was fourteen years old because he witnessed what his Big sis Chloe said to his dying dad.
—
Shailene waited for Vernon to speak again, but she waited for at least twenty minutes, and no movement or any word was coming out of Vernon's mouth.
His breath stabilized, and Shailene frowned in response.
"Wait, Vernon?" Shailene tried to call him, but there was no answer.
"Vernon?" Shailene got up from the chair and walked toward Vernon to check him.
Vernon didn't seem to be in distress, but the smile on his lips had disappeared for an unknown reason.
Shailene put her finger right under Vernon's nose and let out a relieved breath, "He's still alive at least."
"But damn, you're falling asleep while imagining your Big sis Chloe. What kind of sweet dream are you having right now?"
Shailene didn't want to wake him up as he seemed tired. So she took a spare blanket from her room and covered Vernon from neck to toe.
She also took off his shoes, making sure this scum had a good sleep.
She stared at Vernon for a while and clicked her tongue annoyedly, "I don't even know why am I being so kind to you, Vernon. You're the worst man I've ever met."
Chapter 244
Shailene stared at Vernon for a while and clicked her tongue annoyedly, "I don't even know why am I being so kind to you, Vernon. You're the worst man I've ever met."
She started questioning her sanity as she found it ridiculous.
To be so gentle to a bastard like him...
'Maybe... maybe I still love him....' Shailene thought.
Deep down, she knew that was the real answer. She knew she was an idiot for having that feeling after being hurt by this bastard so badly that she couldn't even trust men anymore.
Shailene kept staring at sleeping Vernon, and the urge to kiss him grew in her heart.
She wanted to taste his lips again, even if that would be the last.
Shailene clenched her fist, trying to ward the stupid idea off her head.
But she couldn't help it, and the urge started to grow bigger and more uncontrollable.
...
Shailene took a deep breath and said, "Just once, Shailene. Then you must promise yourself to forget this bastard. She is not worth your time."
Shailene kneeled beside the chaise longue, her eyes lingering on Vernon's lips, and she slowly leaned in for a kiss.
...
However, before their lips touched, a loud ringtone from Vernon's suit pocket shocked Shailene, and she jolted away immediately.
"What in the--"
Shailene's chest rose up and down. She was shocked and also terrified. She thought Vernon would wake up upon hearing his phone ring at full volume.
But the big buffoon was still the same. He could sleep through any kind of noise, a habit that Shailene noticed when they were still dating.
The phone stopped ringing after a while, but it rang again, hinting that this call was an important one.
Shailene sighed. She got up and slipped her hand inside Vernon's suit to grab his phone.
She was thinking about waking Vernon up before giving the call to him.
But when she checked the caller's name, her body stiffened instantly.
Then, her lips perked up as she changed her mind.
She didn't give the call to Vernon and picked it up instead.
"Hello?"
**
Chloe was a bit late to clean Vernon's room today. She cooked dinner for Mackie and then helped her check her homework.
She was a little tired, so she rested a bit, intending to get a power nap for at least ten minutes before her last cleaning duty.
But she fell asleep for at least two hours, and her heart jumped immediately when she checked the clock.
"Crap, it's already nine!"
Chloe got up from the sofa and went upstairs to the penthouse. She knew Vernon had a dinner date tonight, but she didn't know if he would stay and have fun with that woman or return late at night.
So she had to do her duty before he came home.
Which was-- to clean his bedroom.
Of course, Chloe could just call the housekeepers to clean it, but Vernon asked her a few days ago that his room should be cleaned by herself. He wouldn't allow any housekeeper to touch his bedroom anymore.
Chloe entered Vernon's bedroom and turned on the light before she started cleaning.
"Tch, he is such a messy guy. He's an adult, but why can't he put his clothes in the laundry basket?" Chloe complained as she picked up Vernon's dirty socks, shirt, trousers, and boxers on the ground before putting them in the laundry basket at the edge of the room.
"Did I teach him to be tidy when he was a kid? Did he forget about everything after he left? What kind of life did he has when he was in highschool and uni?" Chloe wondered.
But she couldn't get any answer since there was no way she would ask Vernon about it.
She wanted to know why Vernon suddenly left for ten years without contacting her or even Vincent, and she wanted to know if his sudden departure was connected to her.
"My gut feeling told me that I've done something wrong that might upset him. But I don't know why," Chloe murmured.
She sighed helplessly and continued cleaning until she noticed something familiar in the drawer near the bed.
"Huh? Isn't that--"
Chloe walked towards the drawer to confirm, and she panicked once she realized that it was the condoms she had bought yesterday.
"Wait, did he forget to keep this in his car or his wallet?" Chloe started panicking as there was a chance that Vernon might have practiced unsafe sex that might lead to many unwanted things, such as STDs and unwanted pregnancies.
"Oh no--"
Chloe put the condom in the drawer again and then rushed out to grab her phone.
She quickly dialed Vernon's number, but the first call didn't connect.
So she tried it again, and the call was finally connected.
"Hello?"
Chloe's heartbeat skipped for a second when she heard a woman's voice answering the phone call. She started panicking even more as she didn't expect someone other than Vernon to pick up the call.
"Hello? Who is this?" the woman on the phone asked her.
Chloe snapped out of her panic and answered, "Ah-- um... My name is Chloe, and uh... where is Vernon right now? Is he with you?"
The only thing that came to Shailene's mind when listening to the voice of Chloe was;
Gentle.
She sounded very gentle. She had the mature voice of a woman, but there was a hint of sweetness in her voice despite her sounding nervous.
'Huh, didn't he tell me back then that he hates a woman who pretends to be sweet and cute?' Shailene wondered.
"Hello? Are you there?" Chloe asked again, making sure the call was connected.
"Yeah, I'm here," Shailene replied. "Vernon is sleeping beside me right now. Is there something wrong?"
Of course, that was a total lie. There was no way in hell she would sleep with Vernon again, not after he called her the wrong name.
"Ah--" Chloe assumed that Vernon and this woman had done it, so she asked to make sure;
"Um, did he use protection before doing it?"
Chapter 245
"Ah—" Chloe assumed that Vernon and this woman had done it, so she asked to make sure;
"Um, did he use protection before doing it?"
…
…
"Huh?" Shailene was utterly dumbfounded by the question. She thought this woman named Chloe would confront her, yelling like a madwoman and calling her a bitch for sleeping with her lover.
But Chloe didn't seem to get mad. Instead, she sounded worried about Vernon's condition right now.
Chloe thought the woman on the phone didn't understand her question because she wasn't being straightforward.
Thus, Chloe took a deep breath and braced herself;
"I just want to know if he used condom when having sex with you. Because he left his packs of condoms at home," Chloe explained, which stunned Shailene even more.
"You're calling him just for that?"
"Um… yes," Chloe confirmed.
She felt responsible as a Big sister figure for Vernon. Even though Vernon was already grown up and would probably hate her if she kept babying him.
But taking care and watching over Vernon was like an instinct for Chloe. It was innate and ensuring that Vernon practiced safe sex was her duty as Big sis.
Meanwhile, Shailene was trying to grasp what the hell was in Chloe's mind.
"You're not mad that I had sex with Vernon?" Shailene asked. She had never been this crass to someone, but her curiosity urged her to push the narrative further to see Chloe's reaction. "You know, he said that he never had this much fun in his life. He hit it rough and fell asleep after we did it three times."
"Oh no…" Chloe felt weak after she heard this. "Did he… cum inside?"
"Y—Yeah, he did, what's wrong with that?" Shailene asked. Even if she knew that was simply ridiculous, all she wanted to hear was Chloe's extreme reaction.
Shailene remembered that Vernon had a high sex drive in college. She didn't know if this bastard was still the same fuckboy, but if he was, he should be clapping Chloe's cheeks every night, right?
'So she should be burning in jealousy by now,' Shailene thought.
Chloe stayed silent while listening to this woman describe her wonderful night with Vernon, which wasn't a surprise. Chloe also knew that Vernon had a high sex drive, proven by how many times he ejaculated that night when he was so drunk and horny.
But Chloe also wouldn't lie that she felt a little pain in her heart, not because of Vernon.
But because this kind of phone call reminded her of Vincent.
Whenever she called Vincent and asked where he was, the ones who would answer the call would be random women he slept with, and they would taunt and torment Chloe.
Unfortunately, Chloe couldn't do anything other than cry in silence, lamenting her fate.
But Vincent was married with a daughter, while Vernon was still single and didn't seem to have a girlfriend.
So he was still free to do whatever he wanted.
Chloe cleared her throat, trying to adjust herself to sound more mature when talking to the woman on the phone;
"Miss, I really don't mind you having sex with Vernon. But you two are still unmarried, and unwanted pregnancy is very troublesome and dangerous. Please get yourself checked after a month, and I will scold Vernon for this once he returns home, okay?"
…
'What the fuck is happening right now?' Shailene asked herself.
Chloe's response was so out of her expectation that she was left speechless.
"Do you not hear what I said just now? I said that we— me and Vernon, had a blast of a night. We had the most wonderful sex ever," Shailene repeated to ensure she got the proper response.
"Yes, I heard it well, Miss," Chloe replied lightly. "So please wear protection if you ever do it again with him, okay?"
Chloe was convinced that Vernon would just fuck this woman once and leave. At least from what Diamond told her before, Vernon changed his lover like changing his underwear.
Shailene was ever so intrigued by Chloe's reaction. There seemed to be something that Vernon didn't tell her here.
"Who are you anyway? I saw your name registered as Chloe Gray in Vernon's phone. But to be so worried to the point of asking about private stuff, that means you're probably his girlfriend, right?" Shailene guessed. "Estranged girlfriend? Or in an open relationship with him?"
"Ah, no— I'm neither," Chloe replied. "I'm not his girlfriend."
"Then who are you and why are you calling him just for this? You're not his mother, right?"
"I'm uh… I'm his Big sister…." Chloe replied awkwardly.
"I heard that he only has a brother," Shailene rebuked.
"I mean, I'm his Big sister figure. I'm uh…." Chloe was trying hard not to say that she was Vincent's wife. Because she felt so disgusted just thinking about it.
But that would be the easiest way to answer this, honestly.
"Big sister figure? Huh, like a sister-in-law?"
…
"Is that a yes or no?"
"Yes…" Chloe replied weakly. The moment she was referred to as 'sister-in-law,' she knew that she would be recognized as Vincent's wife again, something that she absolutely hated to admit.
Shailene raised one brow and scoffed as she stared at the sleeping scum bastard;
"My, my, my, that is very interesting," Shailene said. "Vernon never told me that she has a fussy sister-in-law."
Chloe went silent instantly, she didn't know how to react, and she was so ashamed this woman called her fussy.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad," Shailene said. She had predicted the response she would get for calling Chloe a fussy sister-in-law, and she was in for it.
"It just surprises me that Vernon was so close with his sister-in-law, to the point that she would ask about private stuff like his brother-in-law's sexual life," Shailene scoffed. "What's next? You're going to feed him cake and call him a good boy for being an obedient little brother for you? That's so weird."