Chapter 3 I Need a Marriage Partner

Chloe suspected that was hallucinating and instinctively rubbed her ears before directing her gaze toward the man once again.

Yet, his countenance remained unchanged as he calmly observed her.

With a sparkle in her eyes, Chloe's determination grew stronger. "To be frank, I'm not interested in sex."

After witnessing what she had seen earlier in the day, she developed some emotional scars when it came to that aspect.

The man frowned slightly as he scrutinized her face with a cold stare. Nonetheless, Chloe stood tall, unflinching under his gaze. He then withdrew his gaze and commanded coldly, "Get in the car."

Once in the car, Chloe could not contain her excitement and messaged Emily.

[Chloe: Em, don't wait for me. I'm on my way with Jake's uncle to meet his parents!]

[Emily: You never fail to surprise me, Coco. Your relationship is moving faster than a rocket!]

In the high-end VIP ward of the hospital, Harold Whitman lay on the bed and excitedly looked Chloe up and down.

"May I ask who this young lady is?" he inquired.

Before the man could say anything else, Chloe confidently stepped forward and answered with a smile, "Grandpa, I'm your grandson's girlfriend. I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot to bring a gift. I hope you’ll forgive me."

Harold sat up, his voice trembling with emotion as he asked again, "Are you really his girlfriend? Why have I never heard him mention you before?"

"Well, we just confirmed our relationship not long ago, and I had to travel around due to my busy work schedule so I haven't found a suitable opportunity to come to meet you," Chloe replied smoothly, her sweet and crisp voice pleasant to the ears.

"We were having dinner earlier when we heard that you were sick so we decided to come and pay you a visit," she added.

Chloe was dressed in a Chanel-style suit. She had finely chiseled features and an innocent, delicate face that made her seem approachable. Her feet were clad in high heels, which exposed her snow-white, slender legs. She appeared to be the very picture of a wealthy family's daughter.

"Wonderful! This little brat has finally come around!" Harold exclaimed, clearly pleased with Chloe. He could not stop smiling and looked nothing like someone with a heart condition. He even warmly invited her to stay for a late-night snack.

It was almost midnight by the time they left the ward.

The man looked at his watch and asked, his voice clear and pleasant, "Where do you stay?"

Chloe hesitated, not sure whether she should go home or not. Ava knew she had returned to the country, yet her father had not bothered to call her. Chloe felt a pang of loneliness, but she had nowhere else to go so she answered softly, "Laguna Villas, thank you."

The man noticed the conflicted look on Chloe's face and raised his eyebrows.

With few cars on the road that night, they quickly arrived. As she was about to exit the car, the man gave Chloe a black business card with gold trimming.

"I’m in need of a spouse. Besides love, you can name any other condition you desire," he said.

Chloe looked up at him in shock, but he maintained his cold and calm demeanor as if he was conducting business. After a few seconds of silence, she took the card and asked, "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course," the man agreed briskly, "I’d like to have a response by tomorrow morning as I only have an hour available in the afternoon. If everything goes well, we can go straight to City Hall."

Chloe nodded slightly and watched him leave. She then tucked the card into her bag and entered the villa.

She found Benjamin sitting on the sofa in the living room and was pleasantly surprised to see him. "Dad, were you waiting for me?"

Benjamin looked up at her and struggled to contain his displeasure. He ordered, "Go upstairs and apologize to your sister."

Chloe froze in her tracks. "Dad, don’t you understand what happened?"

"What else is there to understand? Jake and your sister are getting engaged. How dare you try to get in between them."

"Get in between them?" she asked, her voice faltering. "Don't you know that Jake and I have been together since high…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ava and her mother came downstairs.