Heaving a sigh, Chloe looked out the window. "You don't have to comfort me. Although this isn’t what I want, I can't do anything about it." "Listen." Joseph grasped her shoulders and turned her back toward him. "I know what you're suffering from, and it isn't terminal. Don't be scared." Chloe stared at him in confusion when she realized he was telling the truth. "How do you know? What illness is it then?" She wondered if he had known all along. He had bought her those pills for her headache. But why did he not tell her?"I sought Professor Alfred after I found something wrong with you. Even Mr. Desmond is aware of your illness. We didn't tell you because, as Professor Alfred already said, it might trigger you." "What are you worried about? I'm the one suffering from this illness. I have a right to know the truth!" Chloe roared in agitation. She found it unacceptable that everyone was hiding her own condition from her."You may not trust Professor Alfred, but don't you trust Mr.
Vince and Bethany were gone when Joseph and Chloe left Fairlight. Remembering those two from earlier, Chloe nudged Joseph. "I think someone seduced Vince away."Joseph narrowed his eyes and muttered, "What?"She told him about the scene she had witnessed before she went upstairs. Hearing the story, Joseph's expression fell. He called Vince, but the latter did not pick up.Vince had not driven Bethany straight to the airport. This was the first time he had disobeyed Joseph's order after he started working for him. *Joseph found Vince and Bethany in a dark and noisy bar. There were men and women dancing on the dancing floor, engaged in worldly pleasures."Over there." After a look around, Chloe spotted Vince and Bethany in a corner.Picking up his wine glass, Vince was about to take a sip when suddenly a woman rushed over and smacked the glass out of his hand. Clang!The partygoers did not hear the glass breaking.Vince was infuriated. He looked up at Zoelle in shock as she
Zoelle burst into laughter because she knew very well what had happened. Her bright laughter and beauty captured the hearts of many men, including Vince.Unspeakable feelings rose in Vince while watching Zoelle. Inevitably, he recalled her sitting on his thigh in the locker room, sweating profusely as her long hair cascaded down her shoulders…Even though they were doing such an embarrassing thing, she had taken the lead and guided him to a world he had never been to before.Bethany was irritated by Zoelle's inexplicable laughter. She wanted to take Vince elsewhere to continue with her plan, but he remained unresponsive even after she yanked him twice.Confused, she turned and found Vince staring at Zoelle like the other men in the bar. Although he did not long for Zoelle like the other men, she still panicked. She stared at Zoelle with jealousy and yanked Vince again. This time, Vince responded. He looked at her and asked, "What?" The furious Bethany suppressed her annoyance.
"You are to go back to Imperium and receive 100 lashes. You won't be receiving a bonus this year either," Joseph ordered icily. "Yes, sir." Vince accepted his orders and looked up, asking carefully, "What about Bee—""What does she have anything to do with you?""I just wanted to ask for Bee to be shown mercy as she just recovered and woke up.”Joseph smirked, remaining languid and calm as if nothing serious was about to happen. "I won't punish her."Relieved, Vince uttered gratefully, "Thank you for your generosity, sir." A smug expression crossed Bethany’s face. She flipped her hair and glanced at Chloe, trying to indicate something. Chloe looked back at Bethany indifferently. She was half a head taller than Bethany and came off looking more menacing. Though a little frightened, Bethany straightened her back. So what if Chloe was taller? Men liked docile and petite women. She and Zoelle were just too tall."Oh?" Zoelle stared at Joseph curiously, guessing he had something
Vince did not know what to do. Seeing that Joseph was about to drive away, he said, "Find a hotel to stay at. When I have the time, I'll come to you and we’ll discuss this." He then got into the car.Bethany watched in despair as the car sped off. She dropped to the floor, feeling utterly drained. She cried until she had no more tears left. Staring at the deserted street, Bethany found it hard to believe that Joseph had abandoned her for Chloe. She was filled with anger, and she wanted revenge.Suddenly, someone who hated Chloe to the core came to mind. They could join forces and get rid of Chloe. *Seated inside the car, Zoelle hummed a tune while casting a cheerful gaze at Vince, her spirits notably high.Chloe turned around and extended a hand toward Zoelle. "Gimme your phone."Zoelle raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why?""I know you recorded the scene of Bethany trying to drug Vince." Zoelle's demeanor suggested to her that there must be concrete evidence supporting her c
Vince remained silent. Frowning, he lowered his head dejectedly and ignored Zoelle.The recording was short and Chloe played it at twice the normal speed. She then turned to Joseph and asked, "Do you think this is how she spiked my yogurt?"Maintaining an innocent facade while engaging in nefarious acts was truly deceptive, like a wolf wrapped in sheep's clothing. No one would suspect Bethany at first glance. Considering her past contributions, she could have had a good life in Imperium if she had behaved.Joseph's face sank as he said coldly, "Letting her leave Imperium like that was giving it to her too easy."Bethany was a troublemaker, causing havoc not only for others but also inviting it upon herself. Given how bold she was to harm Chloe, Joseph was determined to eliminate her. He knew that people changed over time, and this proved the same for Bethany. Never having made a true effort to understand what kind of person Bethany was, he and Vince ended up looking at Bethany thro
Chloe frowned as she did not want to leave Zoelle on a deserted road. However, Joseph had already hit the brakes. He looked at Zoelle through the rearview mirror and said, "You can get out now."Zoelle immediately got out. Joseph then locked the doors and continued driving. He had not minded giving Zoelle a lift, but he would not stop her if she wanted to get out. Aside from Chloe and Jasper, he had no concern for anyone else.Chloe fell silent for a moment and asked, "Do you think Vince went too far?"Joseph nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. "Yes."Vince silently looked through the back window of the car. As the car picked up speed, Zoelle slowly faded from sight until she vanished. He felt a bit uneasy but forced himself to ignore it. His words may have been harsh, but she was not a good woman anyway."Why did you let Zoelle get out then?" Chloe asked."She's not my friend nor my relative, neither do I like her much, so why not?" Joseph replied.Not knowing what to say,
Alfred was caught off guard, having never been comforted by a patient before. He acknowledged that he had held responsibility for Chloe's current situation. He had been too trusting of his former student and should never have taken the case based solely on the student’s one-sided claims.Stella entered the room. "Professor, it's time."Alfred glanced at the clock on the wall and took a deep breath to calm himself.*It would take a whole morning to undo the hypnosis. After that, the patient needed to stay in the hospital for three days of observation. Before being allowed to leave, they would have to undergo a comprehensive psychological evaluation. Joseph had Lucas bring his laptop to him as he planned to work remotely while waiting for Chloe to be done.When Stella stepped out of the room, she spotted Joseph sitting at the table. He was impeccably dressed and had a serious expression. He exuded a regal aura as he poured his focus into his work. However, he seemed rather worried