Chloe chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I’m all right. Just getting by.""Do you have time for a meal?" Icarus asked.Setting her jaw, Chloe replied, "I'm sorry, I don't have time right now. Let's catch up next time. Joseph and I will treat you."A wave of disappointment washed across Icarus. "Are you still bothered by the fact that I lied to you before?""Not at all. It's all in the past. Now that I'm pregnant, it's not good for others to see me alone with a man," Chloe explained sincerely."Are you afraid Joseph will get jealous?" Icarus asked.Chloe smiled silently. She was not afraid of Joseph getting jealous. She simply did not want the trouble and could not be bothered to explain to him. After all, he would not believe her explanation anyway.Icarus did not press the matter and took a look at his watch. "You’re still on the clock, right?""Yeah. Why?""I have something to give you. I'll bring it over later," Icarus replied."You don't have to... You've already helped me tod
Chloe was stunned for a moment. "Are you for real?"He playfully pinched her nose. "When have I ever lied to you?"Rolling her eyes, Chloe retorted, "Well, you've never lied, but you always made direct announcements or gave commands."Joseph was stumped. In the long thirty years of his life, he was always surrounded by studying and work and had grown accustomed to such direct interactions. Directness and efficiency were his way of dealing with people.Chloe looked up at him and asked, "What about Xavia's child?""Tyson wants a second child, but they can't conceive due to certain circumstances," Joseph explained.Understanding dawned upon Chloe. It would be acceptable for Tyson to adopt the child. It would protect the child from being mistreated and also avoid direct contact between Joseph and Xavia.Seeing her remain silent, Joseph cautiously embraced her. "Is this arrangement okay with you?""It's fine, and you're right. Xavia’s already six months pregnant. I can't ask her to
Raising his eyebrows, Joseph's magnetic voice took on a chilling tone. "What are you trying to say?""Haha!" Otto laughed, his voice cold and grating to the ear. "Nothing much. It’s just a friendly reminder. Earlier today, I happened to overhear a man who went to see your wife saying, 'Let's prepare some new clothes for our child.' The word 'our' is quite interesting, isn't it?" Upon hearing this, Joseph hung up the phone without hesitation. He turned his gaze toward the trash bin at the company's entrance, and his face sank. After not hearing his footsteps for some time, Chloe paused and turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression.The man stood bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. His nose was high and prominent, his gaze held a deep intensity, and his thin lips were tightly pressed together. From a side view, he exuded an air of indifference and aloofness."What's the matter?" Chloe asked.Was throwing away the gift from Icarus not satisfying enough? Did h
Chloe took a deep breath. ‘I’m so tired of hearing that name.’She handed the lunchbox to Lucas and forcefully kicked open the office door in frustration. Xavia let out a startled cry. She covered her face and hid behind Joseph while Megan looked Chloe up and down in disdain. "Why didn't you knock? You scared me.""Why should I knock when I'm looking for my husband? Are you doing something inappropriate that you don't want others to see?""How dare you! O-Of course, not…" Megan retorted, stealing a glance at Joseph. It went without saying that she secretly wished she could engage in some secretive affair with him. That way, her life would have changed entirely, just like Chloe's."Are you here to have lunch?" Joseph looked at Chloe lovingly.However, Chloe locked her gaze on Xavia behind him, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Why are you covering your face? It's not like you're a ghost that’s afraid of the light.""Xavia has suffered enough. Please choose your words carefully,"
Chloe chuckled sarcastically. 'Afraid of offending the Sullivans? Trying to use reverse psychology, huh?' She crossed her arms and looked at Joseph threateningly. Joseph met her gaze and groaned inwardly. To be honest, he really wanted to take this opportunity to teach Noah a lesson, and it had little to do with Xavia. "I’ll call Noah over,” he said. Xavia's face lit up, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Thank you, Joe. You're so kind to me."Chloe scoffed. Her anger flared as she retorted, "If you find trouble with Noah today, don't expect to step foot in my room tonight."Joseph took Chloe's hand and pulled her aside. He looked at her helplessly and said, "I’m not helping Xavia. I just want you to see Noah's true colors." Since Xavia dared to confront Noah, it meant she was speaking the truth. It would be perfect if he could expose his true nature in front of Chloe right now. "Even if it was Noah, so what? He was just helping me to get revenge. And what about you? Are you help
Noah reached up and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes in confusion as he looked at Xavia. "May I ask who you are?"Xavia's anger surged, her desire to lash out at him almost overwhelming. But now that she was in Joseph’s presence, she forced herself to remain composed. With a sneer, she remarked, "Pretending not to recognize me?""Sorry, that's not what I meant." Noah gestured toward her face while smiling shyly. "Your face is so swollen that I can’t recognize you...""Pfft…" Chloe could not hold back her laughter.‘Good one, Noah.'What Xavia cared about most was her appearance. Hearing Noah say that her face was so swollen that he could not recognize her, Chloe was confident that Xavia must be infuriated. "Have you forgotten who you hit yesterday? Shall I remind you? There were witnesses who saw it. Should I call them over?" Xavia said, forcing each word out of her lips. Without preparation, she would not have come asking for Joseph's help.Chloe stopped laughing and f
Joseph’s lips pressed together tightly in silent agreement with Chloe.Megan was speechless. "Xavia, you were the one injured, so why are you scared?" Before they came here, they had agreed that one of them would play the good cop while another would play the bad cop. But now, Xavia had sabotaged their plan at the critical moment. If it were not for her desire to seek revenge on Noah for not choosing her as the ambassador, she would not have come here with Xavia. Xavia ignored Megan. She deeply bowed to Noah, her voice filled with remorse as she said, "I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else and caused trouble for you and Joe."Noah graciously accepted her apology. "It's fine. Do you need anything else?""No." Xavia shook her head anxiously, her distress palpable.A faint smile played on Noah's lips as he glanced at Joseph. "It's a shame, Mr. Joseph. It seems you won't be able to seek justice for Ms. Xavia this time.""Are you sure you mistook him for someone else?" Joseph s
It was a public event and there were a lot of people.Otto arrived wearing a coffee-colored windcoat. His distinctive appearance and slender figure made him stand out in the crowd. When Chloe noticed him seated next to the collaborating party for the project, she squeezed Joseph's hand and said, "Will he say something inappropriate?""That's exactly what I want," Joseph replied as he smirked, giving her hand a reassuring pat. "Don't worry, today’s our opportunity to strike back."Chloe nodded firmly, her eyes gleaming. "I believe in you."After Joseph took the stage, Icarus entered through the main entrance and settled in a seat behind Chloe. She noticed him after about five minutes but she was not too surprised. "I thought you had gone back abroad."Although Icarus was not as renowned in the financial industry as Joseph, he was considered a promising talent. It was appropriate for him to attend such a large-scale press conference."No, I'll be staying in Aesper for a while," he