Chapter 148 Where to Eat?
Chloe thought to herself that Paisley probably wanted to use the USB drive to pique her interest, forcing her to sneak a peek at the contents.
Chloe could even imagine what was inside: probably just photos of Paisley and Donovan being intimate, maybe even in bed, meant to cause conflict between Chloe and Donovan.
But Chloe stubbornly refused to look.
When she got off work, she even told Donovan about it.
"You really didn't look?" Donovan asked her.
"It's all in the past, what's there to see? I'm not interested." Chloe's gaze was fixed outside the window, as if she had absolutely no interest in Donovan.
Donovan's phone rang, and he answered it.
Chloe overheard him asking the HR department to clear out an office for him, presumably for the new hire.
"Is the company hiring new people?" Chloe asked Donovan after he hung up.
"Yes, a new CFO."
"Who's the new CFO?" Chloe asked again.
"My junior, Charles Wilson. He's a top finance graduate from the University of Chicago."
Chloe realized that this meant that Ann had lost her shot at the role, which left her feeling quite disappointed.
"Don't you think that hiring your junior reeks of favoritism?" Chloe's tone carried a hint of complaint.
"Are you suggesting that hiring Ann wouldn't?" Donovan retorted.
Chloe remained silent, but her thoughts were somewhat transparent to him.
"That's not what I meant," she said. Chloe simply felt uneasy about Ann losing her job. She felt somewhat responsible for it.
"Anyway, aren't you going back to the mansion tonight? Are you sure your grandfather's fine at home?" Chloe asked.
"Are you trying to drive me away? Or are you trying to blackmail me?" Donovan replied.
"You're so capable, how could I ever blackmail you?"
Chloe initially knew very little about Donovan and rarely saw him at work. However, she now had a clear idea of where he stood in the company and how tough he could be, so she became more cautious.
"You have the most leverage," Donovan said as his car headed toward Amelia's house.
Donovan missed the floral bedsheets on Chloe's bed and the sight of her silhouette when she opened the window.
"If you don't completely get rid of me, I'll never leave your sight," Chloe said.
"Really? Where should I get rid of you?" Donovan asked.
"Here we go again!" Chloe said, then turned her head to look out the window.
After a moment of silence, Chloe's phone beeped a few times.
She opened it to find a message from Ann, with shocking content attached.
It was a collection of many photos, most likely screenshots from a video. The photos showed Brayden and Ellie, both naked, engaging in various activities in the office.
Chloe was horrified by what she saw.
She couldn't help but feel responsible for Brayden's downfall. He had been a young man with so much potential.
Chloe tightly gripped her phone, her palm turning white and trembling as she read Ann's message.
Ann: [Look at what Ellie has done! Damn, she had to drag Maple Valley's most promising accountant to hell.]
The conflict between Ann and Ellie had been going on for a while.
Ann: [Ellie must have drugged Brayden, she wants to ruin the entire company!]
With Donovan present, Chloe was afraid to say too much. She was afraid that he would mock her, so she remained silent.
She felt like a sinner, responsible for Brayden's downfall.
When she returned home, Chloe's face was pale.
"What's wrong, Chloe? Are you feeling unwell?" Amelia asked Chloe.
"It's nothing. I just need to lie down for a while," Chloe said, before closing and locking the bedroom door, leaving Donovan outside.
Once the door was shut, she began to cry, overwhelmed with guilt and remorse, burying her face in the blanket.
In the kitchen, Amelia and Donovan were alone.
"You don't have to do this. Her father didn't want you to know, and because of that, it seems like we're trying to take advantage of you." Amelia was referring to the incident where Donovan gave Jacob a house.
She had already returned the house Donovan gave her.
"It's only right," Donovan said as he sat on the couch. "If Jacob misbehaves in the future, I'll take the house back. After all, the house is in my and Chloe's names."
"What's wrong with Chloe? What's going on with her?" Amelia glanced at the tightly closed door of Chloe's room. "A girl's mind is hard to read. Be more patient with her. If Chloe causes you any trouble, let me know and I'll talk to her."
"Got it."
"By the way, I had nothing to do today, so I had the maid push me to church to pray for you and get some blessings. Take them." Amelia took out two packaged boxes from a drawer and handed them to Donovan.
"Do you still believe in this?" Donovan chuckled.
"Why not? It's harmless. Your blessing says 'smooth sailing' while Chloe's is 'peace and joy,' very pretty. It's almost New Year's, so take them," Amelia said. "Since Chloe hasn't come out yet, I'm afraid I'll forget when she does, so you hold onto them for her."
Donovan placed both lucky charms in his bag.
He remembered Paisley's words and felt the side of his bag, confirming the presence of a USB drive.
As he was staying at Chloe's house today, he clearly wouldn't be able to view what was on it.
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