Seeing that Joseph was about to follow Chloe, Callum firmly held onto the steering wheel and said irritably, "I'll lose all respect for you if you go after her."Frowning, Joseph replied, "I can't let her go with Noah.""Then you need a new approach. Your previous methods won't work. You can't be forceful when it comes to wooing women."Joseph managed to calm down and regained some of his composure. "What's the matter with Imperium?""Nothing.""What do you mean?""Fine, it's about Cyrus."Joseph's face sank. "Does he know about our relationship?""No," Callum replied, lighting up a cigarette. "Besides, we're just friends. Imperium is yours and yours alone."Joseph did not pursue that topic further and asked, "Did Cyrus approach you?""Yes. He wishes for Otto to marry my daughter."Understanding instantly dawned upon Joseph. The Sinclairs had a long history in the underworld. However, they recently turned to legitimate businesses, with the political arena being the only real
Chloe yawned and replied nonchalantly, "All right, all right. Goodnight.""Bye, and don't be late tomorrow," Jasper said.After ending the call, Chloe put on an eye mask and drifted off to sleep.*Meanwhile, as soon as Joseph and Callum parted ways, a police car pulled Joseph over."Mr. Joseph, we received a report that you’re drunk driving. Please cooperate with our investigation."Joseph furrowed his brow slightly. "Who told you that?"He only had one glass of red wine tonight. It was not enough to make him drunk, so it was unlikely that anyone would have noticed."Sir, please don't make things difficult for us...""Fine. I'll ask your superior then.""Wait, wait. It was an anonymous report from a woman. Apart from us, the media has also been informed."A group of paparazzi were hiding nearby and sneakily taking photos. To be honest, they did not want to be involved in this matter either.Joseph chuckled, knowing exactly who the anonymous reporter was. He made a call to
Xavia felt a chill run down her spine when she heard Joseph's words. Even someone as cunning as her did not know how to respond to this unexpected turn of events."B-Because I didn't hear Chloe's voice. I thought it was one of the nurses..." she stammered."Hah." Joseph's eyes bore into her as he pressed on, "So you weren’t hoping for Chloe to die so that you can take her place?"Xavia's first instinct was to deny and come up with an excuse, but when she looked up and met Joseph's icy gaze, her blood turned cold. At that moment, she realized why she had been losing favor with him over the years. It was clear that Joseph had restored the hospital’s surveillance footage. He had tolerated her manipulations and schemes only because of Jasper. Her only stroke of luck was that she had not been involved in the fire.Taking a deep breath, Xavia calmed herself and said, "You can't think of me that way. If I wanted to get in between you and Chloe, I had plenty of chances to do so, but I neve
During the morning meeting, Noah introduced to all the executives, "Everyone, this is Chloe Johnson, my international business partner. Starting today, she'll be temporarily taking on the role of marketing manager."Chloe, dressed in a business suit, stood up and smiled, maintaining her composure. "Ladies and gentlemen, nice to meet you. I'm sure you have your doubts about me, and I can accept that. But I assure you that if you give me a chance, I'll bring many surprises to this company." She had discussed the marketing manager position with Noah beforehand. Other than the core technology, one of the most important aspects of a jewelry company was its sales. Secondly, Exotic Star was a large corporation. Its design concept was ingrained into the company, so she would not meddle in it without permission. She would only consider taking a higher position once she made some achievements. "Not all, Ms. Chloe. We've long heard of the great developments made in Estre. It's our honor to b
Chloe's lips twitched before blurting out, "Only Xavia would do that kind of thing.”After saying that, she recalled that Jasper was Xavia's child, and a tinge of awkwardness hung in the air between them.Jasper stared at her with his clear eyes. "So why did you post a long complaint on the Internet yesterday if you had no such intention?""Now that’s silly. Are you saying that I should just continue to suffer in silence since I've done it for five years?""But you didn't provide any evidence. It's just your one-sided statement.""I don't need evidence. Your mother knows more than anyone if I'm right or wrong. And from another point of view, she didn’t provide any evidence to refute my words.”Jasper fell silent and furrowed his brows. Chloe thought he was unhappy about her criticizing Xavia. But regardless, she was the victim here. She turned away and ignored him as the latter remained silent, staring out of the window as if pondering something.Chloe accompanied Harold in watc
Joseph wore no expression. "Kids shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs.""I can help you capture her heart.""You don’t have enough homework, do you?"Joseph was used to Jasper's strange way of thinking. He did not give much of a reply before asking some people to come in.Jasper pouted and muttered reluctantly, "Chloe’s willing to meet me instead of you. You shouldn’t doubt my power."These words hit Joseph in the gut. He massaged his temples and decided not to be mad at Jasper.A few doctors in white coats soon entered the ward. Joseph glanced at the sleeping man on the bed, and his expression became unfathomable. "Take him away." *When Chloe was back at the Sullivan manor, Noah went up to her with a solemn expression. "We got a call from the prison."Chloe was a little dumbfounded. "The prison?""Yes, the prison where Benjamin is locked up." "Oh. What's the matter?"Benjamin had disappointed her greatly five years ago. Chloe would have forgotten that she still had a fat
Benjamin's face became badly bruised from the punch, but he had no chance to retaliate. As expected, the warden pulled them apart. "I'm not lying. There’s a watch back in the villa that the man left behind. It's in the basement."This revelation filled Chloe with extremely complicated feelings, and she found it hard to say anything.Noah regained his wits. His eyes turned icy as he said, "How do we know if you're lying or not?""Go ahead and do a paternity test." Benjamin started coughing and his breathing became labored. He suggested intermittently, "I…I’m running out of time. We…We should expose the truth to…the public."Benjamin could admit that he had cheated on Luciana first, but this was the true reason he disliked Chloe. Before he was imprisoned, he had always thought of her as filthy since she was not a true Johnson. Alas, people only gained epiphany on the verge of death. Although she was not his child by blood, Chloe had seen him as her father. He had failed to cherish
Eustace erupted in anger. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the apartment to a car downstairs, indifferent to how she resisted and struggled. He then let her go and carried a girl out of the shotgun seat.The girl was pretty, with fair and tender skin. Her eyes were round and large and her hair done up in two braids. However, her eyes were unfocused, signaling she was different from others of her age."Aggie, say hi to Mommy," Eustace urged the girl tenderly.The girl seemed to understand him as she looked toward Xavia and said, "Hi, Mommy." "Aaaahhh! No!!!" Xavia broke down and screamed as if she had been punched. She then slapped the girl. "Get out of here!" The little girl, Angelina Hubble, made no response as if she did not feel the pain of the slap. She was still in a daze. Everything seemed to remind Xavia that Angelina was a mentally challenged child, and the girl was her child.Xavia's face twisted in rage. Unable to let go of her anger, she slapped Ange
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