Ch. 46..50: Divorced My Scum Husband, Married His Evil brother Chapter 46-50

Chapter 46

"What are you doing here?"

Mackie saw a man sitting at the dining table, his eyes were like a hawk's, and his brooding gaze only scared her even more.

He looked like her Daddy, but without the trace of his Daddy's kindness. He was also bigger and scarier than her Daddy!

Mackie took a step back immediately. She was always aware of stranger danger and feared random, scary-looking adults.

"W—Who are you?!" Mackie asked loudly, almost screaming as she became so guarded.

Vernon scoffed, "That should be my question. This is my house, do you not know? It's not good to walk in without permission."

"B—But…" Mackie didn't understand why would her Mommy visit and work with this scary uncle that looked like Daddy.

​ "W—Where is my Mommy?"

"Your Mom is in the laundry room," Vernon pointed with his chin before returning to his pancake breakfast. Mackie saw the fluffy five stacked pancakes with maple syrup and dried berries and pointed at Vernon;

"T—That's Mackie's pancake!" Mackie yelled.

"Huh?" Vernon swallowed the pancake inside his mouth and turned his head towards the little girl again. She saw Mackie pointing at the pancake.

"That's Mackie's pancake!" Mackie repeated.

"And why is that?" Vernon asked. He gave the little girl a deep gaze, thinking it would scare her. But much to his disbelief, Mackie got even braver, as if her life depended on that pancake.

"Mommy said that she will make five fluffy pancakes for Mackie!"

"You think your Mom is the only one who can make a pancake?"

"But that's Mommy's Pancake! I know it!" Mackie insisted. "Scary uncle is a thief!"

STAB!

Vernon's lips twitched out of annoyance. He felt a stab in his heart when he got called a thief by a little girl. He never liked kids— in fact, he hated them most of the time, and the hate was mutual. Because all the kids would be scared of him for an obvious reason.

Vernon had a similar appearance to Vincent, but Vernon was taller and had a bigger frame, also a completely different aura and behavior. Vincent would smile and look amiable in front of kids, just like he did in front of the press.

But Vernon never hid his true expression. If he disliked something, everything would be exposed just by looking at his face.

And he disliked a lot of things most of the time.

However, Chloe's daughter was more interesting than he thought because she seemed adamant about claiming a pancake.

A mischievous thought popped in his head, and Vernon stabbed the five stack of pancakes with his fork and sliced it with a knife.

He grabbed the maple syrup and poured it on the pancakes before showing it to Mackie, "You're right. Your Mom cooked this for you. But I'm the first to find it, so it's mine now!"

Vernon fit the whole thing inside his mouth before chewing it, deliberately showing an expression of delight as he ate the pancake.

After he gulped it, Vernon looked at Mackie, whose eyes were already glazing with tears, "What can you do about it? Your pancake is mine now."

"I—I will tell my Mommy!"

"Go on, tell her," Vernon said. His pettiness showed, and he took delight in Mackie, who got upset.

"Wu… wu… WUAAAAA!" Mackie ran towards the laundry room and rushed towards her Mommy, who was loading the laundry into the dryer. "MOMMY!"

"Wha—" Chloe almost lost her balance when Mackenzie suddenly stormed in and jumped on her thighs. "W—What's wrong, Mackie? Why are you crying?"

"Wuu… wuuu… my pancakes, a scary uncle stole my fluffy pancake!"

"Scary uncle?"

"Yes, um… he looks like Daddy, but bigger and scarier!" Mackie reported.

Chloe got the idea of the person immediately. Mackie must've been talking about Vernon.

'Mackie must've thought that pancake was her breakfast since Chloe promised to make pancake as breakfast last night,' Chloe thought.

But she didn't make one for Mackie because she was still sleeping, and the pancake wouldn't be tasty anymore if it got cold.

"Mackie, no need to be mad—"

"Mommy, scold the thief! Mackie wants the pancake back!"

"W—wait—" Chloe had no time to explain when Mackie suddenly jumped out of her thigh and grabbed her hands.

Mackie tried to pull her Mommy towards the living room.

Once Mackie was able to bring her Mommy in front of the man that looked like her Dad, she quickly hid behind her Mommy's legs.

Mackie pointed at the man still sitting on the same spot, leaning at the dining chair while spreading his legs like he was some kind of boss.

"There he is, Mommy! The pancake thief!"

Chloe was a little scared when she had to face Vernon like this. But when she saw Vernon didn't seem to be in a bad mood, she tried to clear things out;

"V—Vernon, I'm sorry for my daughter's words. She thought that pancake was—"

"She accused me of stealing pancake," Vernon suddenly interrupted. "Obviously, you make it for me, right?"

"W—Well, yeah…."

"Then I'm the rightful owner of that pancake!"

"But Mommy promised it was for me! You must've forced my Mommy!"

"Who forced her? She made it for me!"

…

Somehow, Chloe felt she was standing between an argument between two kids. Vernon was beyond petty, even to a little kid. Rather than saying sorry and acting guilty in front of Mackie, he decided to challenge her in an argument.

After hearing enough, Chloe sighed and raised her voice, "Okay, stop!"

Vernon and Mackie stopped their argument once Chloe raised her voice, "I will cook for Mackie the same thing. There is a banana- apple and milk smoothie inside the fridge."

"Huh? How do you know that I drink a banana-apple smoothie for breakfast?" Vernon asked. He was a little surprised because it's actually his favorite. Any kind of banana and dairy product was his favorite. Combining them into a smoothie with other fruits was a great mood booster for him in the morning.

Chapter 47

"Huh? How do you know that I drink a banana-apple smoothie for breakfast?" Vernon asked. He acquired this taste when he was in university, so there was no way Chloe knew about it from his childhood days.

Chloe paused and looked as confused as he was.

"But that one is for—"

"That's for Mackie!" Mackie claimed. "I like banana and milk! Um… cheese and yogurt too! Mommy always makes a banana-apple smoothie every weekend!"

"Wait, is that true?"

"Ahaha… yeah, Mackie loves banana and dairy products…." Chloe replied. "She loves banana milk the most."

Vernon's jaw dropped once he realized that he had the exact same preference as that bratty little girl. He had a stock of banana milk inside his office's fridge, and only Diamond knew about this.

"So the banana-apple added with milk smoothie is not for me?"

Chloe shook her head reluctantly, "It's… for Mackie."

"Then what are you going to make for me, sister-in-law?" Vernon asked. His tone was almost demanding.

"Um… I'm waiting for you to finish the pancake before serving your morning coffee or tea," Chloe replied. "So, what do you want? Coffee or tea?"

…

Vernon imagined that a bratty little girl could get his favorite banana-apple milk smoothie while he drank boring coffee or tea for breakfast.

Somehow, he felt a little annoyed.

"I only drink coffee or tea in the evening," Vernon stated. "Do you not realize that drinking coffee in the morning will only hurt your stomach? Do you want me to get a stomachache in the morning?"

"Ah, I—I'm sorry, I don't know—"

"What kind of stay-at-home mom doesn't know about this?" Vernon started speaking in a vindictive tone, and Chloe lowered her head immediately.

She stammered while trying to apologize a few times.

Mackie realized that her Mommy was scared of this scary uncle. Of course, Mackie was just as scared as she was, but she braced herself to protect her Mommy.

"You're a serious—"

"Don't bully my Mommy!" Mackenzie said as she stood in front of Chloe. Her legs trembled in fear, but she tried to defend her Mommy. "Y—You scary uncle, don't bully Mommy!"

Vernon zipped his mouth instantly, staring down at Mackie standing in front of Chloe. Chloe immediately grabbed her daughter's arm and pulled her to the side, "I'm sorry, Vernon! P—Please don't be mad at Mackie. She is just a kid, I—"

"Tch, whatever, just make me the same smoothie. You will make that smoothie every morning for me, understand?"

"U—Understand…"

"And you, kid," Vernon pointed at Mackie. "Go sit beside me and let your Mom cook."

Mackie looked up at her Mommy, asking for her permission. Whether it was okay to sit beside scary uncle, and Chloe nodded.

"Don't be scared of him, Mackie. He is your Daddy's little brother, Uncle Vernon," Chloe introduced the cold-blooded devil to her daughter.

Though, she knew the first impression wasn't so nice between them. She just hoped that Vernon would tolerate Mackie.

"Daddy's little brother?" Mackie looked at Vernon from top to bottom with her doe eyes and commented, "But he is so scary, unlike Daddy!"

"Heh, that's because I'm not him," Vernon replied.

Not wanting to listen to these two brats arguing again, Chloe picked Mackie up and put her on the seat beside Vernon, "Sit here and stay silent, okay? I will make your pancake first."

"Okay, Mommy…"

Chloe glanced at Vernon, but she zipped her lips immediately, not wanting to scold Vernon for being an absolute manchild.

"Yeah, I know. I'll stay silent," Vernon responded. He knew what Chloe was thinking.

Chloe was relieved. She started making Mackie's pancake and multitasked by making the same banana apple, added with milk smoothie for Vernon.

After she was done, she served the pancake to her daughter and the glass of smoothie to Vernon.

"Thank you, Mommy!"

"Good."

Mackie and Vernon looked at each other at the same time and looked the other way to show their dislike of each other.

"Hmph!"

"Hmph."

Chloe sighed. She couldn't do anything about this. Though, she was glad that Vernon didn't seem to be the type of person who would actually hurt a little kid.

"I will finish the laundry first. You should finish your food first, okay, Mackie?" Chloe said. She wanted to get up from the chair, but Vernon stopped her;

"Eat first. I haven't seen you eating anything for breakfast since I woke up," Vernon said.

"Yes, Mommy! You can eat Mackie's pancakes!" Mackie added.

"Ah, um…" Chloe wanted to say that she couldn't eat breakfast because she would vomit everything again. But she didn't want to disgust Vernon. "I've eaten before I cook for you, Vernon. I'm fine."

"… Eat an apple in front of me," Vernon ordered.

"P—Pardon?"

"I said, eat an apple in front of me. This is an order," Vernon repeated his command, and Chloe was forced to take one apple and start eating it slowly.

Vernon watched intently after Chloe finished eating an apple, and she excused herself to go to the laundry room.

Mackie watched it and found nothing wrong with her Mommy, who always ate so little, and usually vomited it all out after eating too much.

Mommy told her that it was just a normal thing since Mommy's stomach was very small.

Vernon and Mackie sat side by side in silence for a while until Vernon said to the little girl, "This place is not a free stay. Your Mom is working for me, and you shouldn't try to defy me, or I can fire your Mom easily."

"Uncle Vernon is weird," Mackie commented.

The edge of Vernon's lips twitched a bit. To be called Uncle by his niece felt very strange in his heart.

Vernon wasn't close to his family, so he never met any of his nephews or niece from his relatives.

Though, he knew from one of his informants in the Gray mansion that Vincent and Chloe's daughter was Dorothea— his mom's favorite grandchild.

"And why am I weird?" he asked.

Chapter 48

"And why am I weird?" Vernon asked.

"Uncle Vernon is so mean to Mommy, but Uncle also likes to eat Mommy's pancake," Mackie commented. Her legs flailed under the table, happily munching the homemade fluffy pancake. "Mommy's cooking is so delicious. Uncle must've liked it, right?"

"It's tolerable," Vernon replied. He sipped the smoothie from a big straw, and his lips tightened for a moment.

"Then why are you so mean to Mommy? Mackie won't let you hurt Mommy!" Mackie said seriously, her doe eyes beamed with determination, ready to protect her precious mom.

"Heh, you need to grow up first if you want to protect her from me," Vernon smirked and looked at Mackie with a mischievous gaze.

For a split second, Mackie thought she saw Uncle Vernon with wolf ears, like a big bad wolf!

"U—Uncle is like a big bad wolf! Mackie will protect Mommy from you!"

"Heheh, sure, you should. After all, I can eat her anytime I want," Vernon said and he made a gesture of a big bite towards her.

"Waaa!" Mackie quickly jumped from her seat and rushed towards the laundry room.

Vernon watched that little girl running in shambles to return to her mother, even though she said she would protect her mommy less than a minute ago.

"Now I understand why that little girl becomes my mother's favorite," Vernon said, a thin smile perked up at the edge of his lips. But the smile dimmed as he realized that girl's parents, "Too bad I hate her dad… and her mom."

Mackie entered the laundry room and found her Mommy had just finished drying the laundry. Mackie jumped towards her again, "Mommy, Mommy!"

"Ah!" Chloe lost her balance and fell to the stack of Vernon's freshly dried suits and shirts. "M—Mackie, you're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Wuu, I'm sorry, Mommy. But Uncle Vernon is so evil!"

"Hm? What did he do?"

"He… he said that he is a big bad wolf and will eat Mommy!" Mackie reported. She clenched her hug around Chloe's waist. "Mackie will protect Mommy!"

Chloe knew that Vernon must've been saying stuff towards Mackie again.

"Don't mind him, dear. But you're doing good, right? You shouldn't make him angry. He is also Mommy's boss at work," Chloe warned her. She really needed this job, so she couldn't afford to lose it.

"Un, I'm doing good!" Mackie said. "But, Mommy, why does Uncle Vernon never show up in Grandma's house before?"

"That's because he was studying in another country. He is smart!" Chloe tried to give Vernon a better light, so Mackie wouldn't be hostile toward him.

After all, Mackie hated all of her uncles and aunts except her Granny in the Gray Family.

"Do you like Uncle Vernon?" Mackie asked.

"Uncle Vernon is mean! He is also a big bad wolf that wants to eat Mommy!" Mackie pouted as she complained. "But… Uncle Vernon is not like the other."

"Really?"

"Yup! He is unlike other uncles because he didn't hurt Mackie when Mommy or Daddy wasn't around!"

**

Mackie returned downstairs with a glass of banana-apple smoothie. Chloe told her to watch her favorite kids' cartoon while she was busy in Uncle Vernon's apartment.

Meanwhile, Vernon already went to the 10th floor, where there was a gym, leaving Chloe alone in his apartment.

Vernon entered the gym, and his personal trainer was already waiting for him. He bowed slightly, "Mr. Phoenix Gray, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did something good happen?"

"No, I just have a good… and entertaining breakfast," Vernon replied.

'Entertaining?' The personal trainer wondered. It was very rare for Mr. Phoenix Gray to be in a good mood. He only had two default moods most of the time;

1. Grumpy.

2. Super Grumpy.

'Maybe he found a new woman to fuck? I mean, it's not rare for him to bring a woman and fuck her before tossing her away….'

The personal trainer didn't agree with Mr. Phoenix Gray's lifestyle, but he was just an employee here, so he had no right to say anything.

Vernon took three hours to exercise on the weekend. He straightened his legs to rest after a rough training regiment, and the personal trainer told him, "You're doing great, Mr. Phoenix Gray. But I heard you broke up with your girlfriend, Amelia Dunn. I'm sorry to hear that."

Vernon was more comfortable talking to his personal trainer because he was friendly and professional. He knew his boundary and things he couldn't speak about towards Vernon.

"She's just one of those chicks I took for a movie promotion under my company. She tried to get more from me, but I got bored of her already. So I just kicked her away," Vernon replied.

The personal trainer wasn't that surprised by Vernon's words. Because he already got used to him, though he wondered if Mr. Phoenix Gray ever fell in love in his life.

He didn't dare to ask that, though, because Vernon would always glare at him if he asked whether the devil CEO had a first love, at least.

"But you seem to be in a good mood today. Did you find another woman, Mr. Phoenix Gray?"

"I got a woman in my apartment. But she's not only a plaything," Vernon said. A mysterious smirk appeared as if he was already planning something so devious. "She is a plaything for now. But I want to see if she can be useful for me in the future."

The personal trainer didn't know what Mr. Phoenix Gray meant by that. But this woman seemed to be different, 'Maybe it's a daughter from an important family in the world. But he dated a real princess when he was in university, right? How could someone be even more important than that?'

"Ah, that reminds me. I have to make sure that Diamond did her job," Vernon pointed at his phone on a counter, "Bring me my phone. I will tell her to revise a few things in the contract."

Chapter 49

[Monday Morning.]

Chloe woke up early again. She had to cook a lot because she also had to prepare breakfast for Mackie and her boss, Vernon Phoenix Gray. She also had to prepare lunch for Mackie since her daughter was a picky eater that preferred her cooking as lunch.

Chloe wondered if she also had to make lunch for her boss but remembered that Vernon must've had his restaurant food that Diamond mentioned. So, there was no need for Chloe to make lunch because Vernon would just eat outside.

Chloe prepared the suit for Vernon by putting it in a drawer in front of his bedroom door. He knocked on the door a few times, "Vernon, your suit and shirt are in front of the door…."

"Hrm? Yes…"

After that, Chloe woke her daughter up and told her to wash her face and prepare for school while she found good clothes for Mackie and checked her bag to see if she had all the books she needed for today's class.

Chloe waited in Vernon's penthouse kitchen with the breakfast ready. Today she made avocado toast with scrambled egg and cherry tomatoes on the side.

As requested, she gave Mackie banana milk and a banana-strawberry smoothie for Vernon.

Vernon came out early, looking handsome and dapper with the grey suit. He was wearing rimless glasses, His hair was combed to the back, and he had shaved his stubble. He seemed to be in an okay mood today.

"G—Good morning, Vernon. I've prepared your breakfast."

"Hm," Vernon sat and started eating the toast silently.

"Good morning, Mommy!" Mackie climbed the stair after a while, ready with her bag as well.

Chloe smiled and patted her head gently, "Go sit beside Uncle Vernon, and eat your breakfast, okay?"

"Okay!"

Chloe sat in front of the two, watching them eating their breakfast in silence. Her lips slowly perked up;

'It feels like we're a real family of three...'

Vernon noticed Chloe's dumb smile, and his brows knitted together, "What's with your dumb smile? Eat something for breakfast," Vernon said.

"Ah, okay…"

…

Chloe ate very slowly, so slowly that it started infuriating Vernon again. But he wasn't in the mood to yell at someone in the morning. So he got up and picked up his briefcase, "I'll leave first. Don't forget to come to my office after you're done with your daughter's stuff."

Honestly, she was a little scared whenever Vernon said she should come to the office. Because she remembered that velvet room and all the props inside.

Her body shuddered out of fear and nervousness, but she nodded submissively, ""O—Okay, I will…. I will go to work today."

"Good," before he left, Vernon noticed something near the kitchen counter— a pink lunchbox complete with the cutlery set.

"Is that your daughter's lunch?" Vernon pointed at the lunchbox.

"Ah, yes, that's Mackie's lunchbox. I trust my cooking more than the ones in the cafeteria and such, so I make her lunch daily."

"I see…" Vernon stared at Chloe for a moment. "And mine?"

"Eh?"

"Where's mine?"

"I—"

"Didn't I tell you you're in charge of cooking?"

"B—But I thought you'd eat outside—"

"You will make me my lunch, just like how you make one for your daughter," Vernon gave out his order without hesitation, and Chloe had no choice but to concede. "You will suffer a consequence if you don't bring me one."

"Yes..." Chloe nodded meekly.

"Hey! Don't bully Mommy!" Mackie yelled.

Vernon glanced at the little girl before ignoring her and leaving his penthouse.

"Uncle Vernon is so mean to Mommy!" Mackie pouted. "Unlike Daddy, who is very gentle to Mommy!"

…

'I think both of them are just the same,' Chloe said in her heart.

"It's okay, dear. It's what we call a job. Uncle Vernon is Mommy's boss, meaning Mommy has to be obedient to him," Chloe said, trying to calm her daughter down.

Mackie grumbled again.

She missed her old home because many old toys were still there. She also missed Daddy;

"If we're at home, Daddy will protect us from Uncle Vernon…."

'That's also impossible. If Vincent had to choose between me and a dollar store vase, he would still pick that dollar store vase, haha….'

Chloe's self-depreciation developed after getting cheated on by Vincent for eight years. He also often made a mocking remarks such as;

'You have no use, no function other than taking care of my daughter. You should be glad that I didn't leave you yet.'

Or;

You should be grateful that I put up with you. Stop crying just because I fucked the maid.

'Well… isn't that convenient now? He wouldn't need to be careful when fucking the maid anymore since Mackie and I are out of his mansion….'

"Mommy? Mommy!"

Chloe snapped out of her daze when Mackie grabbed her hand, "Mommy, let's go!"

Chloe smiled and grabbed the lunchbox. She packed inside a small lunch bag and allowed Mackie to hold it with her free hand, "Okay, let's go!"

**

Chloe drove Mackie to the school. Usually, she would just drop her right in front of the school gate. But she parked her car today because she had to pay for Mackie's school tuition. She also talked with the secretary and homeroom teacher about the problem between Mackie and her classmates— the children of Vincent's side chicks.

"Mommy, you're going to meet the Principal?" Mackie asked.

"Yes, I need to pay for your school tuition and talked… about something with her. You should go to your class. Remember, ignore Jaden and Mia if they make trouble unless they start hurting you. You must report it to Miss Alicia, your homeroom teacher, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!"

Chloe watched her daughter walking to her class while she walked in the opposite direction to the principal office.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door a few times before the Principal opened the door by herself and greeted her, "Oh! Good morning, Mrs. Gray. Are you here to talk about Mackenzie's problem with her classmates?

Chapter 50

"Oh! Good morning, Mrs. Gray. Are you here to talk about Mackenzie's problem with her classmates?" the old Mrs. Andrew said with a smile. She already expected Chloe to come to discuss the problem that Mackie faced. "Please come in, Mrs. Gray. I've been thinking about calling you to discuss this problem we faced together."

Chloe followed Mrs. Andrew as she entered the principal room. Mrs. Andrew sat on her principal seat and looked at Chloe, "Please sit down, Mrs. Gray."

Chloe sat facing the old principal. Mrs. Andrew cupped her hands as if she was about to deliver bad news, "Mrs. Gray, you've heard about this problem with Mackenzie and her friends, correct?"

Chloe nodded.

"It's regrettable, Mrs. Gray. We've tried our best to suppress the news about your husband— Mr. Vincent Gray's adultery, but it's simply undoable, especially when he slept with two of the student's mothers."

"I've talked with Mrs. Jada Smite and Maya Glasslow, Jaden's and Mia's mothers, about their children knowing their affair, that meant they were doing it inside their homes, where the children could see them— Jaden and Mia told the other kids that their moms were sleeping with your husband," Mrs. Andrews told everything that happened between Mackie, Jaden, and Mia.

Chloe stayed silent because she didn't know what to say here.

"Mrs. Gray, I don't know how is your relationship with your husband, and I respect Mr. Gray so much because his late father— Mr. Vaughn Gray, was the main donator of this school when this school was erected. But, with all due respect, I cannot tolerate what Vincent Gray did to hurt the children. The victim is not only Mackenzie but also all the other students because Mia and Jaden often picked a fight with Mackenzie in the class, and all students involuntarily heard about their moms' affairs with Mr. Vincent Gray."

Now, Chloe was the one who felt stumped after she heard everything from Mrs. Andrew. There was a mix of shame and disappointment in her heart.

She was ashamed of Vincent's deed. That guy seriously had no conscience. He knew about Jada and Maya when he met them in a parents' meeting last year and started texting them.

Of course, Jada and Maya were unable to resist Vincent's charm. Even Chloe had to admit that Vincent was very attractive— though his little brother was even more attractive than he could ever be, appearance-wise.

But Vincent had one thing that Vernon didn't have… which was the title of the Gray Family heir, including all the wealth and businesses.

Thus, those women thought they could kick Chloe out of Vincent's life and be the new Mrs. Gray instead. They didn't know what kind of hell Vincent gave her, and the 'money' he had would only drown them into suicidal depression.

Chloe was disappointed because she couldn't complain about Mackie's problem here. After all, Mrs. Andrew was also in a terrible situation right now.

"My relationship with my… husband is not a public business to talk about. But Mrs. Andrew, shouldn't you put Jada and Mia in counseling instead? They are being destructive and even went as far as bullying my daughter. That's not supposed to happen!"

"Oh, Mrs. Gray, I want to. In fact, I already gave an ultimatum for Jaden's and Mia's mothers, telling them if they wanted the kids to stay in this school, they should put them into counseling or they would be expelled."

"And what's their response?" Chloe asked.

"They just called Mr. Vincent Gray, and I got a threat from him…." Mrs. Andrew sighed pitifully. "He said that he will take this land that his late father had given to us because he still had the certificate if I dare to expel Jaden and Mia out of the school."

"WHAT?!" Chloe's eyes widened. "He—He literally wants the school to be demolished if you did that? Why? How?!"

"This big land is true, under the name of Mr. Vaughn Gray and now under Mrs. Dorothea Gray. He gave us the land to erect the school as a donation but didn't give us the certificate. So the school building is owned by the Gray Family for now."

"This… this is too much…" Chloe mumbled, but Mrs. Andrew heard it.

"That's why Mrs. Gray. I cannot help much. I don't know what your husband's motivation to do this is, but the school is forced to be in this situation because of him," Mrs. Andrew's wrinkles got deeper as she seemed to worry so much about the school's future. "Mrs. Gray, you're the only one who could help us. You're his wife, right? Please talk him out of this."

…

Chloe lowered her head to dodge Mrs. Andrew's eyes. She fiddled with her fingers, unable to say anything as she didn't want to disclose her problem with that bastard.

"I… I will try…." Chloe said.

"Thank you— oh, thank you so much, Mrs. Gray!"

Chloe nodded weakly. She got up and said, "I don't think I will talk about anything else here. I'll go to the school administration office to pay for my daughter's tuition."

"Oh yes, Mrs. Gray, your husband called me yesterday, saying that he has given you the money to pay for Mackenzie's tuition," Mrs. Andrew said. "I told him he doesn't need to pay because he owned the land and school building. But he said he will keep giving money to you, so you can pay the tuition. He even said that you can pay double…."

'Oh, come on, that bastard wants to pit me like this?! That's so low of him!' Chloe clenched her fist, but her expression remained unchanged while staring at the old principal. "My… husband gave the money to me, indeed. And I will pay for my daughter's tuition. But he only gave me enough to pay for her, no more than that."

"I understand, Mrs. Gray. After all, Mr. Vincent Gray also told me that you're often going on spending sprees, buying expensive stuff even if he already told you to stop. Please be mindful of your spending, Mrs. Gray…."