Ch. 41..45: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 41-45

Chapter 41

Chloe and Mackie went to Citarella Gourmet Market to buy groceries for Vernon. It was already late noon when they arrived, so it wasn't as crowded.

"Yay, yay! Grocery, grocery~," Mackie hopped happily as she followed her mommy putting a list of raw ingredients, spices, and dairy for the grocery.

Actually, Chloe and Mackie also went grocery shopping here. They would drive far from their mansion to the Upper east side, where Citarella and Grand Central Market were located.

Then, they would go to The Brown Hut for dinner, only the two of them.

Vincent rarely came home since he was busy with his business— with the side activity of sticking his dick to any chicks he met.

Sometimes, Chloe was tired of driving Mackie every morning and evening to her school, followed by buying groceries. When she was home, she had to cook and do laundry.

Though, at least there were a few female housekeepers and gardeners to clean the mansion every two days. Thus, Chloe was only obliged to cook for Mackie and wash the family's laundry.

But she did those by herself amidst her depression and intentional starvation for her diet, making her feel so weak, even nauseous at times.

She asked Vincent if it was possible to get a chauffeur, at least. But he refused, calling Chloe a thirsty whore because she would definitely fuck with the chauffeur in private.

Thus, the only man in their big house was Vincent.

'Ah, I think he also fucked a few of the maids. Maybe that's why he kicked me out of the house with Mackie a few times when he was in the house because he is fucking the maids in the living room,' Chloe reminisced the painful memory again.

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Chloe snapped out of her daze when Mackie called her, gently pulling the hem of her shirt, "Yes, dear?"

"Mommy, I want that!" Mackie pointed at a long fridge in front of them, specifically at yellow milk.

"Banana milk?"

"Un!"

"Okay," Chloe picked up banana milk for Mackie and then checked her shopping cart, "Ah, I also need to buy milk and yogurt."

Chloe started looking around in the dairy section. She hadn't seen milk in Vernon's fridge before, so she didn't know the brand he liked.

"I'll just take my usual," Chloe mumbled. "I hope he will like it."

Chloe picked two cartons of milk, but she suddenly heard someone commenting from behind, "That's not the brand that Mr. Phoenix Gray likes."

Chloe turned around and was surprised by the ebony beauty in front of her.

She was wearing a pink tank top that contrasted with her beautiful dark skin and short denim, carrying a shopping basket filled with groceries for one person. She looked very youthful when dressed like this, compared to her usual blazer style in the office.

"Diamond?"

"The one and only," Diamond responded with a thin smile on her luscious lips. She glanced at the shopping cart and asked, "Are you shopping for Mr. Phoenix Gray right now?"

"Yeah, I need to restock his fridge."

"Well, that means you have to start over. You bought many brands that he doesn't like. Mr. Phoenix Gray is a very picky eater. So he will throw away anything unsuitable for his plate," Diamond informed.

"Eh? He is a very picky eater?" Chloe was a tad surprised. Because if she remembered correctly, Vernon would eat absolutely anything that Chloe made, even the stuff a kid should've hated, like broccoli, green bean, or carrot.

"You don't know?" Diamond was even more surprised than she was. "He often criticized any food he ate, even if it was made by top chefs. He is so picky that I have to drive far to a restaurant he liked just to get his lunch. He would even notice if the seasoning was a tiny bit off!"

…

'Sounds like a hell of a boss to work with,' Chloe said in her heart. It made her wonder how much Diamond got paid to put up with all the craziness that Vernon did.

"Then, who cooks for him every day?" Chloe asked.

"Either he cooked his meals himself, or he would go to the restaurant that he was a regular, or told me to bring the food from the restaurant to his office," Diamond replied.

"Eh? You need to be the one who bring it to his office? No Ubereats?"

"He refused to use Ubereats. He said the taste would be different if it's delivered by random people he doesn't know! Like, damn, I'm working as your secretary, not daily food delivery!" Diamond started venting about her work burden. To put up with Vernon's shenanigans wasn't for the faint-hearted.

Even Chloe felt her pain just by how her tone and expression changed when she started talking about work-related stuff.

Diamond fixed her expression after realizing she was being a little emotional, "I can help you. I was the one who restocked his grocery in his penthouse before you came."

"Ah, thank you, Diamond!" Chloe was relieved that Diamond was here. She feared Vernon would yell at her if she bought the wrong stuff.

However, she didn't expect Vernon to be a picky eater either.

'I have to ask him what's his likes and dislikes for food, so I won't make mistakes when cooking for him."

Chloe put the milk cartons back in the long refrigerator and picked the correct one under Diamond's instruction.

Before they left the dairy section, Diamond noticed the little girl that had been eyeing her while hiding behind Chloe's legs, "Is that your daughter?"

"Ah, yes, her name is Mackenzie, or people usually called her Mackie. Mackie, go and say hi to Miss Diamond," Chloe said as she gently pushed Mackie to the front.

Realizing that Mackie was scared and shy, she confirmed, "Don't be scared. Miss Diamond is Mommy's friend in the new job."

Mackie clenched her Mommy's jeans as she kept staring at Diamond, "G—Good afternoon, Miss Diamond…."

Chapter 42

"G—Good afternoon, Miss Diamond…."

Diamond smiled and kneeled in front of Mackie. She knew she was tall and could be intimidating to little kids, especially shy ones like Mackie.

"Good morning, Princess. My name is Diamond Johnson. You can call me Aunt Diamond instead. What is your name again?"

Mackenzie paled instantly when she heard the word 'Aunt.' She quickly hid behind Chloe's legs again and buried her face in her thigh.

Diamond frowned. That wasn't a normal reaction coming from a child.

p "Mommy, I'm scared!"

"I—it's okay, you can just call her Miss Diamond. She is not your Aunt, right Miss Diamond?" Chloe stared at Diamond with pleading eyes, and Diamond got even more confused.

But she finally gave in, "I'm sorry, Little Princes. I'm not your aunt. You can call me Miss Diamond instead, okay?"

"Um…" Mackenzie nodded weakly. "M—My name is Mackenzie Rose Gray. Miss Diamond can call me Mackie…."

"Okay, Mackie, nice to meet you," Diamond smiled again, hoping that Mackie would relax.

Chloe breathed out relief. Diamond stood up and asked Chloe in a low voice, "What's wrong with your daughter, Chloe?"

"There is something bad happening between her and the Gray Family. I will tell you later," Chloe replied with the same low voice, as she didn't want Mackie to get even more scared.

Diamond glanced down at Mackie, who seemed really scared when she heard the word aunt, and she sympathized with Chloe and her daughter.

'Mr. Phoenix Gray and his entire family are seriously fucked up in the head. I'm so glad I have nothing to do with him personally,' Diamond thought.

Diamond put her shopping basket in Chloe's shopping cart and grabbed the handle, "I will push the cart. You should pick your daughter up."

"Ah, thank you so much, Diamond!" Chloe picked up Mackie and carried her while they were grocery shopping together.

Diamond told her about every brand Vernon liked or disliked, and Chloe tried to remember everything because it was just her luck to encounter Diamond today. She couldn't rely on her every time.

Diamond also told Chloe that Vernon refused to eat many vegetables and absolutely refused to eat fish.

"Fish? That's weird…." Chloe mumbled.

"Yep, he hates fish the most. Though, I don't think it's because of the fishy smell. Because he still eats caviar or any fish eggs just fine," Diamond explained. She saw Chloe was thinking about something and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking about something in the past," Chloe shook her head.

They continued grocery shopping until the cart was full of stuff and spent more than two hours inside.

Chloe left with a shopping cart full of groceries. Diamond accompanied her to her Bentley. After putting everything in the car trunk, Chloe turned around to face Diamond, "Diamond, do you still have time tonight?"

"If you mean by free is that I have no date tonight, then the answer is yes. I'm just planning to cook something and watch Orange Is the New Black in my apartment," Diamond replied thoroughly.

"Then how about we have dinner in a restaurant nearby? It'll be on me," Chloe offered. This was the last she could do to show his gratitude to Diamond.

Diamond smiled thin and nodded, "Sure, it's been a while since the last time I ate out."

**

Chloe, Mackie, and Diamond drove to The Brown Hut and entered without reservation. Good thing Daryl, the owner, already knew Chloe, so he provided a seat in a good spot with a street view from the glass pane.

"Chloe! Where have you been?" Daryl said as he shook her hand. He looked at Mackie and patted her head, "And you too, Mackie."

"Good evening, Mr. Daryl!" Mackie greeted happily as he gave the little girl a little hug.

Daryl opened his arms for Chloe, but she indirectly refused by quickly sitting on the seat, turning Daryl down.

Daryl looked lost, but he regained his composure quickly and put the menu on the table, "You guys should see the menu first. I will return in ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Daryl!" Mackie said.

"Thank you, Daryl," Chloe said with a thin smile.

Daryl seemed hesitant as he glanced at Chloe for a moment before walking away. Not once did he say something to Diamond. All of his attention was on Chloe only, which was strangely intimate.

Diamond observed everything and asked Chloe, "Who's that guy?"

"Ah, he is Daryl, the owner of this restaurant. We've known each other since Mackie was only four. Since this is Mackie's favorite restaurant."

"I see…" Diamond hummed for a moment, leaned toward Chloe, and whispered, "Do you not realize that he has his eyes on you the whole time?"

"I know," Chloe replied without hesitation. Her eyes were still on the menu as if getting fancied by the owner of the restaurant that you were a regular wasn't concerning enough.

"He's been like that for years, actually. So I took his flirting as a compliment but refused to have any physical contact other than a handshake," Chloe said in a low voice to prevent Mackie from listening. She clearly gave boundaries between her and that man.

"For years? Even when you're still married to Vincent?"

"Mhm, we never come here together, so he never knows," Chloe whispered. "But I've never done more than just a handshake with Daryl because I was married to Vincent."

"Then you're trying to divorce him now, right?"

"I tried, but it's difficult. The Gray Family has too much power…." Chloe sighed as she continued whispering in Diamond's ear. "I don't know what that guy wants, really. Clearly, if we are divorced, he can fuck with whoever he wants. Yet, he still wants me to be his legal wife for whatever reason."

Diamond knew nothing about Vincent Gray other than the news about him through social media.

But there was one thing to be sure about him;

People saw Vincent Gray as a mature family man. Because he was never caught cheating. Either Chloe was lying about him, or Vincent Gray's PR team was amazing at their job.

'I think the second one is more plausible, knowing his little brother, Vernon Phoenix Gray is also a big playboy who fucks around.'

 

Chapter 43

'I think the second one is more plausible, knowing his little brother, Vernon Phoenix Gray is a big playboy who fucks around as well," Diamond thought.

Funnily enough, the media rarely saw Chloe and Mackie, despite being the wife and daughter of a handsome, young billionaire. Though, whenever asked by the media about his wife's absence, Vincent always said that his wife is a deep introvert that doesn't like media attention.

People thought that was because Vincent wanted to protect his family from the media's eyes to living a normal life.

"And why aren't you accompanying him in many events?"

"Vincent forbids me from meeting any random person or showing myself in public. I'm basically trapped in our house. My activity is just taking care of Mackie, cooking, and doing laundry," Chloe replied. She had a sad smile, "At first, I see nothing wrong with it since I know he is the jealous type. But once I know that he has been fucking around nonstop, I know that I'm nothing but a furniture in his house. That's why I got terribly depressed, even suicidal at some point…."

"Ah, please don't say this to Vernon, okay? I don't want him to think that I'm just a burden. I don't want to get fired so soon…." Chloe pleaded. Getting fired in this harsh situation was basically a death sentence for Chloe.

Diamond bit her lower lip. She thought that Chloe was just a spoiled, ungrateful woman at first.

But after knowing this, it was hard to pin the blame on her for leaving Vincent. That guy was an absolute monster.

'I want to report this to Mr. Phoenix Gray. But… he is always unpredictable. What if he decided to kick Chloe because he thought of her as a burden? I will die out of guilt,' Diamond thought.

"Okay, I'll keep your secret from Mr. Phoenix Gray, I promise," Diamond said, much to Chloe's relief.

Mackie saw her mommy, and Miss Diamond was whispering for a while. She got curious, "Mommy, are you talking about Daddy?"

"Ah, n—not at all, dear. Miss Diamond and I are just talking about work," Chloe said as she shifted Mackie's attention to the menu instead, "Have you decided what you want to eat?"

"Yes! I want this, and this, and this!" Mackie pointed at one meal and two desserts, also a drink.

Normally, Chloe wouldn't let Mackie eat too many sweets, but she wanted to treat her daughter after so much, so she nodded, "Okay, dear."

"Really? Thank you, Mommy!"

Daryl returned after ten minutes and took the menu and their orders. Again, he kept stealing glances at Chloe, but Chloe intentionally acted dumb and ignored him, much to his disappointment.

After Daryl left, Diamond whispered, "Did you tell him you're married?"

"Yeah, I told him I'm married, but he knew my marriage is not good."

"Wha— how could he know?!"

"When I was at my lowest, I couldn't handle it anymore. So I sat here until the restaurant closed, not eating my food. I broke down in tears once he approached me and asked what was wrong…."

Chloe also felt guilty because she broke down in tears in front of a random man.

But she had nobody to talk to. Even her family supported Vernon more.

Diamond felt heavier in her heart as she continued listening to Chloe's story. She wanted to comfort her in some way, but she knew that might make Chloe feel small and pitiful. Thus, she sat in silence as she stared at Mackie, who was drawing imaginary things with her finger on the table.

"Mackie Honey, are you doing well in school?" Diamond asked Mackenzie, thinking it would lift up the somber mood around her.

Mackenzie lifted her head, and her round, black pupils stared at Miss Diamond, "I'm doing well! Mackie always gets A in any exams!"

"Really? That's great!"

"Un! Daddy, told me that we will go to Disneyland again if I do good in school. Since Mackie is always doing good, we will go to Disneyland six times!" Mackenzie said innocently.

"Six times?"

"Since Daddy never fulfilled his promise to me to go to Disneyland.

Mommy said that Daddy is busy, and we will go when Mackie is twelve years old! That will be five years from now, and that would be six visits to Disneyland!"

…

Diamond shifted her gaze towards Chloe, and the latter smiled bitterly and replied with a helpless gaze.

…

'Oh my god, these two are so pitiful! How could— How could someone be this evil to his own wife and daughter!' Diamond pitied both Chloe and Mackenzie.

'Alright, I will fuckin help both of them! I will protect them in any way possible from Mr. Phoenix Gray's wrath!' Diamond swore in her heart.

She couldn't believe that she would actually dedicate herself to helping someone else, but seriously, Chloe deserved happiness in her life.

Chloe didn't know what was in Diamond's head. All she saw was her expression changing from sadness, anger, calm, and suddenly spirited, as if she was determined to do something.

'Well, I'm just glad that Diamond is a good person. I thought she would be like Vernon, who is unpredictable and crazy,' Chloe thought.

**

Chloe, Mackie, and Diamond ate in silence until it came to the dessert. They waited for Mackie to eat and started chatting in a low voice again.

"How about your daughter? What makes her scared of the word Aunt? That's definitely got to do with the Gray family, right?" Diamond asked.

"Yes, you see… that family is a big one, with many branch families and relatives. They're constantly trying to bootlick Dorothea Gray, Vincent, and even Vernon at some point. But all of them treated those relatives hot-and-cold."

"When Mackenzie was born, she was instantly Dorothea's favorite grandchild, which creates jealousy among the relatives," Chloe explained. "One of them is called Aunt Mary, and she is Dorothea's niece from her sister. She kidnapped Mackie and took her hostage."

Chapter 44

 

"One of them is called Aunt Mary, and she is Dorothea's niece from her brother. She kidnapped Mackie and took her hostage."

Diamond's eyes widened, "KIDNA—"

"Shh!" Chloe covered Diamond's mouth and pointed towards Mackie with her side-glance, signaling Diamond to be careful because it was traumatizing for Mackie.

"Mary kidnapped her when Mackie was in the Gray mansion with Dorothea. I almost died out of panic once I got the news that my daughter had been kidnapped. I thought I would follow my daughter to the afterlife if Mary killed Mackie…."

"And, how does it get solved?"

"Mary wants Dorothea to fulfill her demands to get a hundred million of cash as ransom, but Dorothea and Vincent tracked her down in less than four hours after Mackie kidnapped her," Chloe explained. "Mackie said that Aunt Mary slapped her and clenched her arms until it's red. She was so traumatized by her face and how she forced Mackie to shut up because 'Aunt' Mary would choke her to death if she didn't zip her lips."

"And what happened with Mary after she got caught?" Diamond asked.

"In prison, serving an unnatural life sentence," Chloe replied while staring at Mackie.

Again, Diamond was shocked, "Life sentence? For kidnapping?"

"The Gray Family has a lot of people working for them and lots of powerful connections as well… that's why Mary could get an unnatural life sentence for kidnapping," Chloe sighed, full of woe, "Now you know why I can't just divorce him without his agreement, right? The Gray family will somehow turn the tide on me and make me the guilty instead…."

Now Diamond was the one who felt trapped. Just listening to Chloe's story made her feel heavy in her heart.

Diamond cupped Chloe's hand and said, "I will support you. At least I will be your help in the office, making sure that Mr. Phoenix Gray won't give you too much trouble, okay?"

Chloe didn't understand what made Diamond suddenly want to help her, but any help was necessary during tough times!

"Thank you so much, Diamond. You… you are my first friend for years, you know…." Chloe said. She hesitated a bit, afraid that Diamond wouldn't like to befriend an old, uninteresting woman like her. "If—If you don't want to be called my friend, then we can backtrack—"

"What are you saying about? I want to be your friend. Girl, we will be besties!" Diamond showed her warmer side as she wanted to hug Chloe.

Chloe hugged her back, and Mackie saw this. She jumped off her seat and tried to join with the hug, "Mommy, Mommy, don't leave me out! I want a hug too!"

"Ahahah! Okay, dear," They were hugging as three, it was a little embarrassing, but Chloe felt warmth in her heart for the first time in years.

To have a friend again after Vincent isolated her from the outside world for so long. It was such a strange feeling, but Chloe didn't hate it at all.

**

Diamond gave her phone number to Chloe as they walked out of the restaurant, saying, "Remember to call me if you need anything, especially if it involves Mr. Phoenix Gray. I will help you in any way I can!"

"I will. Thank you, Diamond."

They returned to their respective cars and drove off in a different direction. Chloe drove to the Phoenix Apartment and asked Mackie, "What do you think about Miss Diamond?"

"Um… Miss Diamond is so pretty!" Mackie replied. "I want to play with her again later!"

"Sure thing, dear."

**

Chloe and Mackie returned to their apartment in Phoenix Tower. Mackie washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into pajamas before sleeping.

Chloe was left alone again. She restocked her fridge before going up with the groceries for Vernon's fridge.

Like a good maid, Chloe restocked everything inside the fridge while waiting for Vernon to come home. She had the receipt from The Brown Hut restaurant, showing the amount of money she spent eating out.

It was actually a little out of her budget because she was treating Diamond, but it was a great exchange because now she could befriend Diamond, which would ease her burden when dealing with Vernon and all his madness.

Chloe waited until it was almost midnight when she heard the penthouse door was opened.

Vernon went home looking ragged. He seemed to have a rough day and was in a terrible mood.

,m "Vernon, do you want—" Chloe tried to greet him, but he just gave her a glance before sidestepping her and walking towards his room. He slammed the door, leaving Chloe alone in the dim living room.

Chloe was afraid that Vernon could snap at her any moment if he found her annoying. So she tiptoed towards the kitchen and silently heated the food she bought for him from the restaurant. She also wrote a note behind the receipt before returning to her apartment, falling asleep quickly after such a long day.

**

Vernon walked out of his room wearing his grey pajama. He had a rough day with one of his new clients about their upcoming entertainment project together. The problem was solved, but it took a toll on him.

"Sister-in-law?" Vernon called as he looked around. He thought that Chloe must've been in the kitchen or living room, waiting for him.

But she was nowhere to be found.

"Huh, I was thinking about playing around with her a bit," Vernon mumbled. He noticed something on the kitchen counter, so he checked it out.

"Hmm… dinner and… a receipt?" Vernon picked the receipt first and realized it was just a regular receipt from a restaurant called The Brown Hut, and Chloe paid 300 bucks for it.

"Why is this on the kitchen table? What's the point of this?" Vernon asked, thinking that it was unimportant. Chloe could use that black card for whatever she wanted, even if she wanted to buy a new car or empty some branded store of her choice.

 

Chapter 45

Vernon flipped the receipt and found a note written on the back of the receipt.

—

​ Vernon, this is the receipt of my spending. Please subtract my salary in exchange.

Thank you for letting me use your card.

Ps: I bought you food from the restaurant for your dinner.

— Chloe.

—

"Nonsense," Vernon crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash can. He was already in a bad mood, and just reading that made him even more annoyed.

"She still tries to say about salary this and that, even subtracting salary. Does she think I can't give her all that my brother can? Fuck, so annoying."

Clearly, she was being so frugal and modest because she wanted to insult him. Vernon thought, "Just because I'm not as rich as my brother, you think of me so lowly? Tch, I bet you never did this to your rich husband, huh?"

Vernon couldn't think of any other reason for her doing this other than just humiliating him.

Obviously, Vernon gave that black card for her to use. So she could have the same life quality as she got with Vincent.

But she refused the black card for personal use and insisted on getting a salary from him.

"Fine, I will give her what she wants. I've prepared a contract to shock her on Monday," Vernon had a smirk on his face. He already imagined the shock and helplessness on Chloe's face once she realized what kind of contract would he give her. It would be a fun little revenge from Vernon to Chloe.

"It's just a small price for looking down on me," Vernon said.

He was a little hungry and curious about what Chloe had bought. So he opened the lid and found a roasted chicken that had been heated not long ago.

It looked tempting, and the smell was pleasant, but Vernon was a picky eater. So he doubted he would like this restaurant food.

"It was bought by my sister-in-law. I think it will be good," Vernon pinched the chicken and pulled a strip of meat. He opened his mouth and ate the chicken meat.

He munched it three times before spitting it out, "Fuck, that's nasty!"

**

Chloe got up on Sunday morning. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and tied her hair to a bun. As she opened the next bedroom door, she checked on Mackenzie, who was still sleeping soundly.

She closed the door silently, not wanting to wake the little angel.

Chloe went up to Vernon's penthouse to cook for breakfast and cleaned a little bit before the housekeeper came in the late noon.

She did everything on autopilot because this was what she often did in her home daily.

Chloe made five stacks of fluffy pancakes for Vernon first and would make one for Mackie later once she woke up. After she was done making it, she knocked on Vernon's door a few times;

Knock. Knock.

Knock. Knock.

"Hmm? What?" Vernon answered from inside.

"Vernon, breakfast is ready. I made you a pancake. You can eat it while it's still warm," Chloe said in a gentle voice, just to ensure that Vernon knew she had done her job.

Chloe busied herself by cleaning and then went to Vernon's laundry room to wash his suits and formal shirts.

Vernon got up a moment later when he heard the sound of the washing machine. He yawned a few times before washing his face and then opened his bedroom door to the dining table.

He saw a stack of fluffy pancakes on the table with a few syrup bottles.

Honestly, Vernon rarely ate this kind of sugary, starchy thing for breakfast. He would just drink a smoothie before his morning exercise.

But the smell of the pancakes reminded him of that time when Chloe cooked pancakes for him. He still liked it despite knowing it wasn't good if he ate too much.

So, he sat and poured maple syrup and a few dried berries. He started eating in silence while listening to the low sound of the washing machine from the laundry room.

'Feels like living inside a small family,' Vernon thought.

**

Mackie woke up quite late today because when she slid the curtain, the sun was already rising.

"Um… Mommy?" Mackie knew that her Mommy must've woke up earlier to prepare for breakfast. Mackie walked with her small feet to the bathroom and stepped on the small stool, washing her face and brushing her teeth before searching for her Mommy in the living room.

"Mommy?"

…

"Where is Mommy?" Mackie asked herself. She continued searching until she stood near the spiral staircase leading to the upper floor.

Mackie asked her Mommy about the stair and if she could play upstairs. But her Mommy forbade her, saying it's someone else's house, not ours.

But she also saw her Mommy climbing upstairs a few times. Thus, Mackie thought that the neighbor upstairs must have been a good person!

She heard the noise of the washing machine upstairs, so she thought her Mommy must've been doing laundry with their neighbor.

"Whaa! Mackie never had any neighbors before. I want to see it too!" Mackie said in full spirit. Since they lived in a mansion, the distance between one house to another was so far that it wasn't even possible for her to play with her neighbor.

Heck, even Mackie didn't know the family's name on the mansion beside hers!

Mackie wanted to help her Mommy and see the new neighbor, so she climbed the spiral staircase slowly until she reached the last staircase.

She could see the view of a clean kitchen, but nobody was there.

However, Mackie clearly heard the washing machine near the kitchen, "Mommy!"

Mackie called her mommy and walked toward the laundry room. However, she didn't realize the presence of someone else sitting at the dining table or far from the kitchen, looking at her while frowning.

"Stop right there, kid," Vernon said. Mackie halted her tiny steps, and she turned around slowly.

"What are you doing here?"