Joseph said, "No, I don’t.""What about her employee profile? You should be able to find her picture there."Joseph was reluctant to search for it, but he eventually succumbed to Gabriel's persistence and brought out his phone. As Joseph looked through the employee profiles, Gabriel surveyed the women in the bar, trying to find one that tickled his fancy.Men and women were going at it on the dance floor. Most of them were drunk and simply swayed along with the music. A blonde girl then walked toward their table with a drink in hand. When she saw Joseph, she gasped in astonishment. Among the three men in front of her, the one in the middle was the most distinguished. He possessed rare attractiveness in both appearance and demeanor, and he looked even more captivating than an A-list male celebrity.‘I don’t think I can win him over though.’ She shifted her gaze to Samuel. ‘He’s good-looking too, but I don’t think I can handle him either.’ Lastly, she turned her attention to Gabriel.
But their campus was massive, so it was not odd that their paths seldom crossed.Gabriel nodded. "This is fascinating. I've met a lot of people with the same first and last name, but finding someone with not just the same name, but also from the same university is a one-in-a-million chance. These two should definitely meet each other."Samuel picked up on the main point—same name, same school, and plastic surgery. A sudden realization sobered him up, filling him with a cold sweat. His first instinct was to discuss this with Joseph, but as he looked toward the man, he found that Joseph had fallen asleep.Pausing briefly, Samuel shot Chloe a text.[Your intuition may be correct. There's something off about Iris.]Within five minutes, Chloe texted back.[You're thinking the same?][Let's hold off on telling Joseph. We should compile some evidence first.]*It was barely morning, but Chloe had woken up and was unable to go back to sleep. She stepped into the bathroom and decided t
Their eyes locked, yet they said nothing."Umm, I’m heading out for a bit," Chloe said to the housekeeper. She hesitated, then asked Noah, "How did your hair turn all white? Has the treatment not been going well?"Noah touched his hair and managed a weak smile. "No worries. It’s just part of the process.""Follow the doctor's advice, okay? Where's Tiffany, by the way?"When Noah moved back into the Sullivan manor, Tiffany had come with him, and she was a hit with Desmond. Sweet, obedient, and comfortable in her new life, Tiffany now enjoyed a lifestyle of considerably higher quality compared to when she was with her own family.Chloe had been avoiding Noah and Tiffany, so they rarely crossed paths."Tiffany's visiting her brother," Noah answered, "Headed to the office so early? I saw that you tackled that plagiarism allegation pretty well. I'll swing by later to help with any fallout. It'll be a learning experience for next time. Of course, I hope there won't be a next time.""N
Chloe let out a sigh. "The fate of an unfaithful man.""Don't worry. If you remarry Joe, all his assets will be yours regardless if he cheats or not."Chloe cracked a wry smile. "I'm not entirely clueless about the law. Assets before marriage are considered individual property."Samuel gazed into her eyes. "Ms. Chloe Johnsons, what if I told you Joe has already drawn up a legal document specifying that if something were to happen to him, all his assets would go to you?"Chloe's eyes widened in astonishment. She recalled Joseph discussing this with Desmond, but she was shocked at how quickly he had acted on it. She was somewhat touched.Samuel steered the conversation back. "So, last night, I did some digging into Iris. Guess what I found."Feeling curious and audacious, Chloe ventured, "Is Xavia Iris?"Samuel’s brows went up in disbelief. "Hold on. I'm a lawyer, not a detective. Even the police can't work that quickly.""...Fine, go on.""Last night at the bar, we bumped into
Chloe’s eyes darted between a humble and nervous-looking middle-aged woman and a grim-looking man.The guard picked up on Chloe’s uncertainty. "That woman talking to Mr. Joseph is the head of Finance," he explained.This prompted Chloe to think, ‘Finance? So she’s Iris' superior?' Intrigued, she decided to stick around and listen in on the conversation.Joseph looked sleep-deprived and irritable. As he massaged his forehead, he said impatiently, "I didn’t dismiss her.”The middle-aged woman appeared troubled. "I know it's not my place, but Iris has done good work since she started and has fixed many errors in our reports. She’s considering quitting because she thinks she'll cause problems between you and your wife. She feels her tactlessness has made things worse…"Joseph glared at the finance head, visibly annoyed. "And Iris told you all this?""Oh, no. She sent me her resignation last night. I felt that something was amiss, so I pressed her for details," the woman quickly expla
The second Lucas laid eyes on Chloe, the scolding he had prepared got stuck in his throat. He even started coughing from biting back his words."Cough, cough! Ms. Chloe, to what do I owe the pleasure?"Chloe stared at Lucas. "Why? Am I not welcome here? Is there a naked woman hiding around in the office?"Lucas' face twitched. "Please don’t make such scary accusations, Ms. Chloe. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”Chloe grinned slyly. "Okay. How have things been between you and Em recently?"When Emily's name came up, Lucas' eyes lit up with affection. "I took her to meet my mother last week. We have plans to visit her family this weekend.""You’ve met her parents before, right? Are you prepared?" Chloe asked. She herself was not too impressed by Emily's extremely patriarchal parents.Lucas gave a wry smile. "I have, and yes, I’m prepared. But when two people are in it for the long haul, family visits are just part of the deal.""Good. Em’s a great person, but you should
After their lips parted, Chloe's cheeks had the hue of a ripe peach, and it was irresistibly inviting. Joseph looked down at her with smoldering eyes as his warm breath brushed against her neck, deepening the intimacy."What are you—"Her sentence was cut short by an unexpected knock on the office door.Joseph's brow creased. "Who's there?""It's me, Mr. Joseph. Are you busy?"Chloe's eyes instantly narrowed. She grabbed Joseph's shirt sleeve and whispered, "It's Iris!"Joseph lifted an eyebrow. "I won't let her in.""No, let her. I want to see what tricks she's up to."As she said this, she scanned the room and spotted the bathroom. She darted inside and left the door slightly ajar. "Let her in."If Chloe were absent, Iris would surely take the chance to act. But with her there, the dynamics would change.Sighing inwardly, Joseph decided to humor her and called out, "Come in."Iris entered and surveyed the room. Finding only Joseph inside, she lowered her eyes before liftin
Joseph's eyes darkened with a hint of sadness, and his voice took on a gravelly tone. "She mostly stayed home and only had a few friends. As for photos, those are rare. She didn't enjoy being in front of a camera. We only have a few pictures of her at home."His mother mostly kept to herself and had only a few whom she called friends. She had been somewhat of an introvert. Unlike the socialite wives often seen arm-in-arm with their husbands, his mom had an independent mindset. She had established her own brand and was extraordinarily unconventional for her time, which was what had fascinated Cyrus so much.Realizing that Joseph had missed her point, Chloe explained, "What I mean is has Xavia ever seen old photos of your mother."After pondering for a moment, Joseph answered, "No, she hasn't.""Hmm…" Chloe frowned. "That doesn't make sense...""You're suggesting that Xavia altered her face to resemble my mother, aren't you?""Yeah.""How could she have imitated my mother's appear