It was a simple question, but it sounded worlds different to the finance director. He trembled and nearly fell on his knees. "Sir, it's not my fault. We weren’t trying to ride Ms. Chloe's popularity. The netizens have been talking about her, and surprisingly, our sales improved too."The finance director was a long-time employee of Fairlight, so he was well aware that Joseph was once married to Chloe. But for some unknown reason, they got a divorce. During the years she had been away, no one in Fairlight dared to mention her name. It became a forbidden topic.Joseph looked up with even deeper confusion in his eyes. "What are you saying?"The finance director was surprised. "Don't you know, sir?""What am I supposed to know?" The finance director brought up the trending news page on his phone. “Take a look at this, sir."Joseph took the phone. The screen was filled with photos of Chloe from when she was in elementary school up until she entered the working world. The helpful neti
Joseph was a few steps quicker, and Noah was stopped outside the room. He knocked on the door and a house helper answered."Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Noah?" "Am I not allowed inside?""Not at the moment. Mr. Desmond ordered it so."Noah faked a smile and did not leave. "Why Joseph is in there, why can't I go in?"The helper could feel Noah's intimidation, and he bowed his head. "Please don't make things difficult for me. I can’t read Mr. Desmond's thoughts. Please just wait. Don't worry, he surely wouldn’t side with an outsider."Noah had always been this way. The usually gentle Noah would turn into a whole different person when it came to Chloe.Noah's expression softened slightly. "Okay, I'll wait downstairs."Fifteen minutes later, Joseph and Desmond came out of the room. Noah got up and walked to Desmond to show his support to the latter. "Grandpa."Desmond gave him a reproachful look, and the atmosphere became inexplicably dull. "I'll be taking her then,
It was unknown if Noah took Desmon’s advice seriously. He kept his head low and took a step back, letting the shadows hide his expression. He whispered, "I understand."Desmond shook his head helplessly. "You've always been smart and could differentiate between right and wrong. You should lead Coco forward and forget about the past. There’s no need to fill all of Coco's requests. Do you understand?"Being nice to someone was no guarantee that the person would treat you in kind."That’s what I want too, Grandpa.""I know, so you have to be the one to pull Coco out. Men should put up a strong front when the time calls for it. You're just too docile. You shouldn’t always listen to Coco. You guys are about to get married. How about you two go on a trip and not let the recent events affect you? And don't worry about the company. Exotic Star won't go downhill just because of public opinion." One was his granddaughter and the other was his adopted grandson that had grown up with him. He
“Wow, Ms. Chloe. We had no idea you were a real-life rich, noble lady.""I'm sure you'll become a part of the royal family after tonight's party.""You’ve reached the moon before even hitting thirty, and you’re so pretty and capable. I'm so jealous of you!""All right, that’s enough. This isn’t just because she’s lucky. It’s because she’s hard-working too."Chloe smiled and sent her colleagues off before sitting down to work. After they left, Frieda came in and consoled Chloe, "Don't be nervous. Tonight’s your show. Lead it and show those who look down on you what's what." "I'm not nervous. I just feel like I’m being put on the spot."Chloe originally had no wish to be associated with the royal family, but now, she had to clarify her stand. If she admitted her relationship to Callum, she might have no choice in becoming part of the royal family.Frieda smiled. "You have the choice to decide if you want to be a part of the royal family or not.""Are you saying that I can clarif
Joseph clenched his wine glass so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He shot Otto with a fierce glare. "Shut up."Otto smiled fearlessly. "This is the first time I’m seeing such a vivid expression on that poker face of yours. You're jealous. How interesting!"Joseph’s deep possessiveness over Chloe made him yearn to ruin all the men who even laid their eyes on her.Otto tried to keep his wild thoughts at bay. His father had picked the wrong person. It would have been great if he had sought out Chloe instead. Xavia was simply no comparison.Joseph calmed down and a scorn spread across his face. "I think you should worry about yourself instead. After all, you might just drop dead one day." Otto became unruffled. "It's a slow-acting drug. I won't die. Vanya had managed to survive all these years, right?""Let’s hope you're as lucky as her," Joseph commented lightly before entering the hall.Otto froze, then scanned the party attendees. Unfortunately, he did not see Zoelle any
Kenneth frowned. He found Otto frivolous and unsuitable for his sister.Ophelia was not bothered with chatting with him though. "Come on, Otto, let’s go inside. The party's about to start.""Yeah, let’s go inside. You can speak to Leah in private about these matters. She's not a child anymore, and you should show her some courtesy." Xavia stepped in just in time to mediate the situation, putting up a gentle and considerate facade.Kenneth pursed his lips and, although unhappy, agreed to let it go.Unknown if Carolina was doing it on purpose, she brought Chloe around with her and introduced her to the other members of the royal family. And Chloe did not embarrass Carolina, greeting everyone amiably."Mdm. Carolina, you're too kind to the girl. Her mother is just a commoner. What's more, she hasn’t been given a noble title. You don't have to care so much about her." A grandly-dressed woman looked at Chloe in disdain.Carolina frowned and whispered, "Stop this nonsense at once.""I
“Whatever. After all, I'll be part of the royal family while you'll always be a shameful bastard child.""Good luck."Chloe could not be bothered with Xavia and turned around to look for Noah. Her indifference filled Xavia with annoyance.Just then, Chloe locked eyes with Joseph. She tucked away a few strands of her hair behind her ear and looked away calmly as if he was just a stranger. Joseph clenched his fists tightly and texted her. She glanced at the text, the few words he typed out clearly showing his unhappiness.[Come to the backyard.]Chloe put away her phone and snorted. 'Dream on.'Before long, Callum appeared. And as Frieda had anticipated, he led Chloe to the center of the hall and solemnly and formally introduced Chloe as his daughter. He also said that he had yet to get to know Carolina at the time so, as his legal wife, she had nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone had surmised as much, so they were not very surprised. "From this day forth, Chloe has my full suppor
The conversation made Chloe agitated. ‘My God! She actually dares to drug Joseph?’ Clara was unscrupulous when it came to gaining wealth, which made her even bolder than Xavia. At least, Xavia advanced orderly and tried to use a baby to bind Joseph to her. Clara was on a different level. She was trying to manipulate her body.But did Joseph look like a man who could be seduced through bodily charms? How naive!This was going to be a good show.Chloe wanted to watch the whole thing play out and enthusiastically texted Joseph to ask him where he was."I'm right behind you." Feeling his cold breath on the back of her neck, she was stunned. She whipped around and found him standing within inches of her. They were so close that she could feel his breath and smell his unique scent.A little startled, Chloe took a step back and almost slipped and fell. Fortunately, Joseph managed to catch her by the waist and held on to her."Coward." His cold voice was filled with a strange note of