Lucas was speechless as Chloe had a point. "All right. Don't worry about us," she said lightly before walking into the office with the folder. Joseph was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window when she entered. He turned to look at her and said, "Right on time."Feigning composure, she handed him the folder. "Go ahead. Open it and take a look."Joseph’s jaw clenched tightly as he pulled out the report. In just one glance, he knew the answer. His eyebrows furrowed deeply, and then he relaxed them. 'Well, it's time to play by ear.'Beside him, Chloe tiptoed to catch a glimpse of the report’s contents.[DNA match rate: 99.9%, indicating a blood relationship.]As if a string in her mind suddenly snapped, Chloe's heart was gripped with excruciating pain, rendering her incapable of rational thought. Although she had mentally prepared herself for this, the stark reality laid out before her was still hard to swallow.Her footsteps became unsteady and she tottered. The composure she
A flicker of sadness appeared in Xavia's eyes. She remained silent, merely nodding before turning away, consumed by a sense of despair. As she walked to the doorway, she bumped into the corner of a table, causing her to bend over in pain and clutch her stomach. Seeing this, Joseph quickly approached her and asked, "Are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?""I'm fine." Xavia turned back to glance at Chloe, saying empathically, "You and Ms. Chloe should talk. I'll come to see you another time.""Okay," Joseph said while instructing Lucas to take Xavia home. Lucas pressed his lips together, reluctant to comply but refrained from saying anything. He stole a glance at Chloe, whose eyes were red and lips were tightly pursed. Chloe did not want to appear a failure in front of Xavia, so she maintained a straight posture, struggling to contain her emotions. As he watched this unfold, Lucas felt a pang of discomfort."Thank you, Joe. I'm sorry for all the trouble. I'll be more car
A wave of relief washed over Chloe as the message was sent. From now on, she did not have to compromise or accept that child. And she would not have to see Xavia anymore. She yearned to leave behind this unhealthy relationship and pursue a normal life.Curling up on the couch, she gazed out the window at the soaring birds in the sky, longing for the same sense of freedom. In the past, when the Johnsons had oppressed her, her greatest dream was to earn enough money to travel across the country. But now that she had the money, she was carrying a child…Life was just never perfect.Chloe's mind was in turmoil, yet oddly clear at the same time. She sat quietly for a while before calling Emily to assure her that she was safe."What?! You broke up with Joseph?!" Emily's voice boomed through the phone, resonating in Chloe's ears."Yes, and lower your voice. My ear is ringing," Chloe replied."Sorry, I was just really surprised," Emily apologized, "You initiated the breakup?""Yes. Afte
Joseph's face darkened. He gripped his pen so hard that it snapped in half. He found it difficult to believe that this was happening. Thinking back to Chloe's silent demeanor from a few hours ago, he realized she had been planning to break up with him since then. No, maybe even earlier than that.As this thought coursed through his mind, his countenance grew even darker and the fury swirling within his chest pierced him like a thousand sharp blades.Lucas perceptively sensed the changes in Joseph's emotions. He carefully approached him and asked, "Sir, would you like to continue the discussion?""Please give us a chance, Mr. Joseph. Having one more friend means having one more source of strength.""If Brairlake hadn't overstepped, we wouldn't be troubling you with this."The business partners thought they had a chance and expressed their sincerity one after another. Little did they know that their voices irritated Joseph even more. “Get out!”Joseph's sudden outburst reverber
Chloe had carefully planned her escape this time, and Emily was the only one trusted. She definitely would not want to worry Emily by not being able to reach her. On top of that, Emily's indifferent response and not showing curiosity about the reason for all this was suspicious. After all, she had a strong affinity for gossip."Umm... Should I continue questioning Emily?""No need.""Okay."After ending the call with Lucas, Joseph arrived at Chloe's family villa. The gate was tightly secured, and there was no trace of anyone inside. It became clear that she was not there. Joseph's eyelid twitched, and he slammed his hand against the steering wheel. 'Is she playing a game of hide-and-seek with me? Does she truly believe that I can’t find her?'He returned to his house and instructed the property management to investigate the community's surveillance cameras. The footage revealed Chloe carrying a suitcase and getting into a cab, but the car’s license plate was blurred and difficul
Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly and he asked coldly, "Which room is she in?"The owner lowered his head to check the system. "Please wait a moment, let me check."Tyson took back his identification and glanced at the man beside him silently. "Room 3, second floor," the owner stated.Joseph fished out a cigarette, lit it, and proceeded up the stairs. Tyson followed closely behind and asked, "Did you and Chloe have a fight?"Joseph remained silent, showing no intention of answering."Have you two remarried? Have you obtained a marriage certificate? How’s her health been lately?"Joseph turned his head to look at him. "Do you have something to tell me?"Tyson touched his nose. "No. Nothing."He just wanted to see if Chloe had terminated the pregnancy. Judging by Joseph's reaction, it seemed likely that she had, but she probably did not inform him. Otherwise, how could he remain so composed? After all, a pregnancy would begin to show at four months.The guesthouse was not large,
Chloe frowned and took a step back, trying to put some distance between them. However, Joseph grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.He gazed down at her. "Will you come willingly, or do you need my help?"Heaving a long sigh, Chloe's voice became light and helpless. "Please don't force me. Let's part on good terms, okay?"Joseph was infuriated by her suggestion. He pulled her out of the room without waiting for her refusal. He did not even give her time to take her daily necessities and luggage.Chloe struggled endlessly. On the one hand, she was reluctant to go back with Joseph. On the other hand, she was afraid of hurting her baby, so she did not dare to exert herself. Hence, her struggles were nothing but mere scratches to him, posing no danger.Joseph forcefully took her back to the villa."Stay here and reflect on what you’ve done. Give me a satisfactory answer tomorrow."He slammed the door shut and locked Chloe in the bedroom. Incredulity arose within her as she
Left with no other option, she logged into her email with her password. Emily did not often check her emails, but this was Chloe's only choice now. She emailed Emily about her situation and asked the latter to get her out. However, it had been many months since Emily had checked her email and did not see Chloe's message. Chloe had always given Emily a heads-up, so she did not find it strange when Chloe did not contact her for a few days. She just assumed it was Chloe avoiding Joseph's harassment. *Days passed, and Chloe did nothing else but sleep and eat while locked in the room. Joseph had not appeared since the day they fell out with each other. She touched her belly and felt that it was a good thing that he did not come back. If he approached her, he would find out that she was pregnant. Then, she would never be able to leave him.When Chloe thought that she would never get a reply from Emily, a notification sound came from the laptop. A friend request popped up on the webs