Chapter 16
The Shop Assistant at the door couldn't conceal her astonishment as she looked at Chloe.
She thought, 'The audacity of a mistress these days is truly something. She's with someone else's husband and still flaunts it in front of the wife.'
Catching the Shop Assistant's incredulous gaze, Chloe's complexion grew a few shades paler.
"You—!"
"Am I wrong?" Harper moved to take a seat in the rest area, "Speak your mind."
In the VIP lounge of the jewelry store, Chloe managed to collect herself after the emotional moment. She took a seat and gently placed the gift bag on the table, the sound of it landing echoing softly in the quiet space, "Guess what present Francis gave me?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Miss Musk, if you're just here to flaunt whatever trinket my husband tossed your way, then frankly, I'm not interested."
The word 'husband' sent a visible chill through Chloe, but she quickly masked it with a sweet smile, producing a red velvet box and setting it on the table. "Don't you want to see the ring Francis ordered for me?"
Harper froze, her mind reeling. 'Francis had given Chloe... a ring?'
With a flourish, Chloe slipped the ring onto her finger and raised her hand for Harper to see. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, basking in her own triumph.
The diamond ring caught the light, casting mesmerizing rays around the room. It boasted a rare blue diamond, named 'Tear of the Blue,' whose extraordinary value Harper had learned about from a previous visit to the store.
Instinctively, Harper clenched the baby clothes she had brought with her. Her fingernails dug into her palm hard enough to draw blood, but she barely registered the pain. 'You have to stay calm,' she told herself. 'You must not fall into Chloe's trap of wanting to see you angry, to see you break down.'
But her throat felt choked with dust, and it was hard to breathe.
Chloe's smile grew even sweeter as she spoke. "Francis chose this ring personally. He must be planning to propose to me. He asked you to wait here for him because he wants you to witness our blissful moment."
"Over these past two years, all his flights to L country were for me. I was foolish and let him down before, but now, I'll make it up to him."
Her expression was shy yet brimming with happiness. "Also, if I hadn't left the country on a whim, Francis wouldn't have had to marry just anyone to please Dylan. I know he's been trying to get back at me. This has been hard on me, but even harder on him."
"No way," Harper suddenly interjected, her complexion ghostly. She couldn't accept that the marriage she had cherished for two years was just a part of Francis's game of revenge against Chloe.
'What does that make me? A mere pawn in their game, a prop to be used at their convenience?'
She refused to believe it, yet her shaking hands and trembling body betrayed her inability to contain the despair.
She remembered how Francis had convinced her that she was the perfect choice, and she had been so moved, feeling as if destiny had brought them together.
But now, someone was telling her it was all a lie. She was a nobody without power, wealth, or connections. What good was knowing the truth if she didn't have the strength to fight back?
'So, this is what Francis considered 'suitable.' Harper laughed bitterly to herself at her own naivety.
Chloe smiled softly as she saw Harper relax, her worries fading away. Reaching out, she gently took Harper’s hand, "Harper, I know it's tough to swallow the truth, but I don't want you to be in the dark any longer, especially not about the divorce."
Then, with a sympathetic tone, she slid a card across the table, "Here's five million for you. Consider it a small token from Francis and me. After the separation, we hope you'll have no more dealings with the Getty family."
The card felt like a slap across Harper's face, a stinging blow that stripped away her composure. She knew she had lost, utterly vanquished by Chloe.
Memories surfaced, becoming sharper with every passing second. 'Francis often traveled to L Country for extended business trips, refusing to bring me along no matter how much I pleaded.
'And the ring—Chloe had been by his side picking out her engagement ring while Victor had delivered my plain band. Francis probably had chosen it in a hasty, indifferent moment.
'Yet, I treasured that ring, never wanting to remove it even to shower. Now, all my cherished memories seem like cruel jokes...'
Harper's heart felt as though invisible hands were tearing it apart. The pain was silent, yet it hurt more profoundly than any physical wound.
"Francis, how could you be so cruel?" she thought bitterly. "Why break my heart this way?"
Harper, feeling suffocated by the weight of her anguish, got up to leave, not wanting to stay another minute.
"Aren't you going to wait for Francis?" Chloe asked, standing up as well.
With a bitter smile, Harper suppressed the rising tide of her grief, "Chloe, haven't you accomplished what you set out to do? Why keep me around as an audience for your performance?"
Chloe's smile froze, "What do you mean? I'm just trying to be kind by telling you the truth before the divorce."
"What are you afraid of?" Harper asked pointedly.
'I may have been naïve, but I'm not stupid. Chloe's words were designed to provoke me, to crush any lingering hope. Did she need to stimulate me more? Francis never loved me. That truth alone is a crushing defeat.'
Harper couldn't understand why Chloe made such a pointless move. 'What makes her so insecure?'
Chloe's expression flickered, but she quickly regained her composure, smiling confidently, "Me, afraid? Everyone knows Francis has always loved me. So what if he slept with you a few times? I was abroad and couldn't quench his thirst. Men have their needs, and I understand that."
Chloe painted herself as a self-sacrificing warrior, making it seem as if Harper was the one who had come between them.
"If you're so confident, then why bother testing me?" Harper shot back.
Harper couldn't help but be amused as she looked at Chloe and asked, "So you're telling me all this as a way to prove that you knew Francis was married and still went after him knowingly?"
"You...!" Chloe was left at a loss for words, fuming with anger.
"Let's get one thing straight. You're the one who did me wrong, not the other way around. I don't need your phony kindness, and I certainly don't owe you anything!"
Chloe was on the verge of exploding in rage at Harper's words, but then something unexpected happened.
"Ah!" Chloe screamed as her coffee somehow splashed all over her clothes and hands, leaving her in complete disarray.
Harper furrowed her brow, thinking, 'Chloe seems like a lunatic.'
Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes without falling, making her look pitiful. She turned to Harper and said with an air of grievance, "Harper, I know you despise me, so go ahead and vent it out. Even if you hit me, I won't fight back."
Right after she spoke, Chloe staggered backward, looking as though she was about to drop dead on the spot.
"Chloe!"
Francis rushed over, catching Chloe just in time.
"What happened here?" Francis asked with a furrowed brow and a stern voice.
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