Joseph raised his head slightly since he found it amusing. ‘She really is a dummy. Why’s she so proud when her cooking skills are on par with the downstairs restaurant?'Nathan understood Joseph's meaning and found it even more frightening. 'Don't tell me Joe is serious about this girl. It doesn't seem like he finds her a novelty. Well, I'd be happy to see him find his significant other if it happened a month ago, but now that Xavia is coming back… I don't think he has forgotten about her.'Chloe left after delivering the meal. When she closed the door, she heard Nathan's words. "Xavia contacted me. She asked me why you didn't reply to her and if you're still mad at her."Chloe’s face stiffened slightly and she was struck dumb, unable to pull herself away from the spot. She had never felt a strong desire to eavesdrop. Currently, she yearned to listen to Joseph's answer."Ms. Chloe, why aren’t you going in?" Lucas suddenly opened the door of the neighboring office and looked at her
"And who are you? Why did you speak up for Ava?" Emily walked over and looked Max up and up. "Oh, I know... You must be another stupid sap who has been tricked by her."Her bestie had charged forward and attacked their enemy, so of course, she could not retreat.Max consciously assumed that she was talking about him, so his face turned livid and he fell silent.Ava's tears were mixed with the stinky liquid of the eggs, and they were all over her face. As a result, she presented quite a ghastly scene. She roared, "Come at me if you dare! Don't vent out your anger on Mr. Max!"Max glanced at her with complicated feelings. It seemed that Ava's move was effective.Chloe smirked wickedly. 'She doesn't forget to keep up her good image even at this moment. Great!'She cleared her throat and spoke loudly so more people could hear her. "Mr. Max, right? You said that I shouldn’t do this no matter what happened. Well, I’d like to tell you what she did. I sincerely hope that you won't be tri
Joseph’s brows went up as he glanced at Chloe, who appeared nervous. He then picked up his phone and walked toward the backyard. Chloe frowned as she stared at his back as he left. She then took out her phone and texted Emily.[I think Ava filed a police report.][How shameless! She has done so many shameful things. Isn't she afraid of being exposed?][But she didn't leave any evidence.][What should we do now? Will officers be coming to take us away?]When that scene came to mind, Emily was filled with a tinge of fear. [I think we'll be fine. Joseph has a relative working at the station. He just called Joseph. I guess he's asking Joseph about the incident.]At most, that incident could be considered a civil dispute. Since she and Ava had familial ties, she assumed she just needed to apologize to Ava in public to resolve this. She did not mind apologizing to Ava.Hearing that, Emily relaxed. After chatting a bit, they ended the conversation.Soon, Joseph returned and stared at
"I'm heading to the station."Chloe struggled against him. She refused to continue dwelling on that topic."You can't go.""It's fine. I don't care.""But I do." He bent his forefinger and flicked her fair and delicate forehead rudely before he asked, "Have you forgotten about your current identity?" After a brief pause, she became quite upset. "Oh, shoot! I forgot about that."Chloe had signed a contract with Joseph. She could be humiliated, but not the Whitmans. If the media dug out the truth and reported about this incident exaggeratedly, saying that the mighty wife of Joseph had showered rotten eggs on another woman in public...Pfft!That scene was both amusing and terrifying...Joseph stared at her as she stood there in worry, but she failed to suppress her laughter at some point. Her thoughts were unknown to him."Stay here to reflect on your mistakes." Chloe wanted to resist but soon lost her confidence when she thought of Samuel's legal fee. She decided to hold he
"But why?""It's too sexy."Chloe was flabbergasted. She solemnly inspected her clothes for a few minutes before she stated, "No. It’s just a plain old shirt.""Change it. Keep your current identity in mind. You represent more than yourself now."Chloe yearned to retort back at him, but it was time to go to work. Hence, she reluctantly returned to her bedroom to change into a boyfriend-style top. The long hem of her shirt covered her pants so now it looked like she wore nothing else other than her shirt. It seemed ordinary, but this was attractive to men.A frown appeared on Joseph's face. "Who are you trying to seduce?"Chloe disobeyed him this time around. She put her hands on her waist and retorted, "What do you mean by normal or strange clothes? You’re just being prejudiced against me. It's useless no matter what clothes I put on!"Joseph's slender sharp eyes turned dark. He got up from the sofa and forced her into a corner step by step. Soon, his tall figure towered over he
Ellie was visibly prepared as she forcefully pushed Chloe aside. "I told you to thoroughly inspect everything before coming here. Why didn't you listen?"Chloe was bewildered. "I did inspect it..." Although she had carefully checked the contents of the plan, there was clearly something stuck to the file with glue, which naturally should have been noticed.‘Wait a minute…’ Chloe suddenly noticed something and took another look at the folder. It was not a paperclip, but a sharp-ended safety pin!Ellie's expression turned flustered and concerned. "Mr. Joseph, this is due to her carelessness. I have a first aid kit in my office. Let me fetch it and help you bandage the wound."Joseph nonchalantly wiped the blood off his finger with a tissue as if it was a minor inconvenience and turned his gaze to Chloe. "Did it prick you?""No, I recall when Ms. Wendy handed me the folder, it didn't have this item on it, and I hadn't used any safety pins. However, it’s still my mistake, and I’m sorry
Joseph grew impatient with Chloe’s tortoise-paced approach. Not wanting to waste any more time, he bent down, closing the gap between them, and their bodies pressed tightly together. With a firm grip on her chin, he urged her to respond actively.In a fleeting moment, an intense intimacy enveloped them. Joseph found himself unexpectedly drawn to this sensation. It was as if he had discovered a newfound craving, a fatal attraction to such intimate exchanges. Particularly in recent times, his desire to connect with her on a more profound level had been steadily growing.In a hazy state, Chloe opened her eyes and found herself gazing at the magnified, dashing face before her. His long eyelashes softened the cold gleam in his eyes, and his large hands cradled her gently.Chloe could not help but wonder if her eyes were deceiving her. At that moment, she sensed a shared intensity in the kiss, as if Joseph, too, was caught up in the whirlwind of emotions. A whimsical thought crossed her m
Joseph remained silent, elegantly crossing his legs and scrolling through financial news articles on his phone.Nathan interpreted the silence as confirmation and let out a sigh. "So, you've really decided to go serious with Chloe?"Joseph continued to ignore him."Are you certain about this? It's a matter of long-term commitment. Don't leave Chloe in limbo while still holding onto Xavia. That’s not cool, mister womanizer!"Nathan had gathered information about Chloe's family situation from Samuel, and based on their first encounter, he was convinced that Chloe’s father was not a good person."You rotate partners every day. What right do you have to lecture me?"Shaking his head, Nathan replied, "My arrangement with my women is consensual. It's not the same.""Ah yes, you're a noble one."Nathan had no clever comeback for that remark. He continued in a serious tone, "I'm not joking around with you. Xavia reached out to me yesterday. She has a plane ticket for next Friday. It's
After Chloe calmed herself, she realized that the place she was in resembled the villa she lived in while overseas five years ago. However, upon closer inspection, the exterior scenery was different. She realized something and froze."Did you build a villa identical to the one I stayed in five years ago?" she asked.Noah was busy bandaging himself. Upon hearing her question, he replied, "Yeah, doesn't it look almost identical?"Chloe's gaze swept over every item in the room, and she admitted that she was touched. She turned back to Noah and looked at him gently as if she had returned to the time when she simply treated him as a little brother."How did you convince Tiffany to cooperate with you?"Tiffany had made her move while Noah distracted Desmond."I just told her about it, and she agreed."Chloe asked, "Do you think you’re treating her fairly?"Noah said flatly, "I’ll compensate her."Compensate? How? Chloe thought that youth was the most precious thing in the world, but
In the Whitman family home, Joseph went to deal with a bunch of urgent company matters after putting Jasper to sleep. By the time he finished, it was already past three in the morning. He contemplated calling Chloe to ask about Noah's situation, but thinking it might disrupt her sleep, he abandoned the idea.When Joseph woke up the next day, it was already half past six. He recalled Chloe mentioning that Exotic Star had a new product launching today and that she would have to wake up early. He reached for his phone on the table, intending to call her.However, his hand slipped and the phone fell to the floor. The loud thud caused his heart to tremble. He stared at the shattered phone screen as he got a bad feeling. He grabbed his spare phone and quickly dialed Chloe's number. After ringing for some time, a cold, mechanical voice informed him that there was no one available to answer at the moment. Without hesitation, he immediately headed to the Sullivan Manor. When Joseph got ther
“Yes, Grandpa, and I hope you won't stop me when the time comes," Noah said. "You're not discussing this with me. You're just informing me!" Desmond said exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, Grandpa.”Desmond hemmed and hawed for a long while, at a loss for words. He seemed to age ten years as he stared into the distance through the window. After a while, he said, "I've already had someone contact doctors abroad regarding your condition, so don't worry. All you have to do now is just focus on recovering. Don't give up so soon."Sensing Desmond's determination, Noah's eyes filled with tears. He too wished to spend a few more years with his grandfather.When they arrived at the Sullivan manor, the foreign doctors had replied. Upon learning that the renowned healer, Z, had treated Noah but only achieved limited success, they decided not to intervene.Noah was not discouraged by this. He comforted Desmond and said, "Grandpa, I would like to go abroad for a few days. It's been a long time sin
Half an hour later, Desmond and Noah walked out of the ward together.Desmond said, "The doctor told you to stay in the hospital for a few more days, so why don't you just listen? If something happens to you again, they can treat you immediately."Noah smiled warmly and said, "It's okay. The medical equipment at home is sufficient."Desmond sighed. It would be good if Noah stayed at home as well. At least there would be more pairs of eyes on him.Desmond instructed the driver to come to the hospital’s basement car park. When he hung up the phone, he looked around the corridor and wondered, "Wasn't Chloe just sitting here? Where is she?"Noah did not say anything and just lowered his head."And where's Tiffany too? Call her. We need to go home," Desmond said as he took his phone out to call Chloe.However, Chloe did not answer his call. Noah did not call Tiffany. Instead, he said, "Her brother had something to discuss with her, so he came by and brought her home. Maybe Chloe ha
Chloe looked at Tiffany and said sarcastically, "Not everyone is willing to contribute their entire life knowing that the other person doesn't like them."Tiffany had a heart problem. She might die at any moment, yet she chose to live around someone who did not love her back. Chloe often marveled at the greatness of love, but she would never possess such a sacrificial spirit.Tiffany laughed coldly. "It’s because I have compassion and you don't. When Xavia died before your eyes, you just coldly stared at her body."Chloe raised her head sharply, glared at Tiffany, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Xavia took my child, stole my man, and wrecked my marriage! She nearly got me killed several times! If she hadn’t died, it might have been me! I should've celebrated her death with fireworks! None of you know what I've been through, so stop pointing fingers at me!"At first, she had felt responsible for Xavia's death, but she had since come to her senses. Xavia's death had nothing to
Desmond was taken aback that he even forgot his cane and almost tripped on the carpet. He quickly got back up and headed for the second floor. The butler immediately called for an ambulance while the other housekeepers guided the panicked guests away.Chloe furrowed her brows, following Desmond into Noah's bedroom. The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out all light. But just standing at the door, one could detect the strong scent of rust from inside.A helper flipped a switch, and the room was flooded with light. The wooden furniture was neatly arranged while neatly folded clothes sat on the sofa.Chloe looked around but did not see Noah. She then looked toward the bathroom and her face sank.Tiffany pointed to the bathroom and said, "He's in there."Desmond trembled as he pushed open the bathroom door. Inside was a mess, with red stains covering the floor. Noah was in the bathtub, his wet clothes clinging to his body. His arms hung limply over the tub's edge, and his head sl
Chloe did not know how to answer."Say something. You wanted her dead, right? Are you happy now that she is dead?!” Kenneth shouted angrily at her, his eyes bloodshot and his gaze piercing.He was so loud that it drew the attention of many nearby. Callum and Joseph rushed over, and Joseph shielded Chloe behind him. He pushed Kenneth back several steps and said sternly, "Never speak of that woman in front of Chloe again. Otherwise, there'll be consequences!""Hah! Are you protecting a murderer?" Kenneth laughed. "Oh yeah, you’re both responsible for Xavia's death after all."Smack!Callum slapped Kenneth across the face, instantly silencing him. "Get a grip, Ken! Xavia deserved to die. Stop embarrassing yourself in front of Chloe.”Kenneth held his face as he muttered, "Yeah, you're right… Xavia should’ve died. She was evil. She deceived and took advantage of me… She should die..."Then why was he so tormented over her death? He could not sleep or eat. He knew Xavia deserved th
Joseph frowned. "Of course not. Her death has nothing to do with you. Promise me you won’t think such thoughts."The unexpected turn of events caught both Chloe and him off guard. Xavia clearly wanted to haunt Chloe forever by killing herself in front of her. Although he felt shocked, he was not deeply shaken. After all, he had not witnessed Xavia's jump, and Xavia probably thought that the third floor was not enough to kill her. After all, being in the hospital for treatment was better than being detained by the police.Chloe looked at Joseph with vacant eyes and smiled bitterly. "You're right. It’s good that she's finally dead. She got what she deserved, and I should be happy," she said."Exactly. Even if she didn't jump, the police would’ve arrested her," Joseph said gently, "It's my fault for asking you to buy us some time. If she comes back as a ghost to haunt you, I'll stop her."Joseph, Tyson, and a few officers had arrived just moments after Xavia jumped. He had brought a g
Everyone erupted into gasps. As a deafening crash came from below, the staff scattered. Some ran downstairs to try and rescue Iris. Some who had rushed to the windows shouted anxiously, "She's still alive!"Everyone around Chloe was running as her mind was filled with an endless ringing. The whole world became a blur. She never imagined that things would end like this. The meeting hall was on the third floor. It was not too high, but it could be fatal if one were to land on their head. Everyone's accusatory gaze fell on Chloe, and the crowd started to murmur."Damn, how could she do this to Iris? Do you think she’ll be haunted by nightmares tonight?""Yeah, why does she insist that Iris is Xavia?""What if Iris dies? Won’t Ms. Chloe indirectly become a murderer?""Do you think Iris will come for revenge in the middle of the night when she dies?"Something inside Chloe snapped, and she shouted, "It wasn't me! What she did has nothing to do with me!"Her outburst silenced the ro