Chapter 32 He Does Not Trust Her
On a Sunday noon, Chloe was informing Donovan about her afternoon class at the training center. Donovan was calmly sipping his soup. "Let Maya accompany you," he said.
"You always keep your word," Chloe responded with evident delight.
"Don't try to flatter me. If there's another incident, forget about going there ever again," Donovan warned as he reached for a napkin to wipe his hands.
Chloe stuck out her tongue playfully, thinking to herself that nothing could be kept from Donovan.
At the training center, Chloe spotted Ellie. Ellie seemed to be dodging the conversation, her body trembling slightly as if she were scared.
"I'm really sorry about last time, Chloe," Ellie said with a flicker of regret, "Ethan shouldn't have treated you that way."
"It's okay, you can't control what Ethan does." Chloe could relate to that, perhaps being reminder of a wayward brother just like Ellie's.
This time in class, Ellie purposely stayed in a corner far away from Chloe.
Chloe was a bit puzzled by her behavior.
When Brayden arrived for the class, his gaze seemed instinctively drawn to Chloe.
Although Ellie was resentful, she just bowed her head, not uttering a word.
Ethan's leg had been broken by Donovan, who had deliberately shown her the video as a warning not to act recklessly.
Having witnessed Donovan's fiery temper for the first time, how could Ellie not be frightened?
To avoid crossing paths with Donovan's anger, Chloe purposely avoided Brayden's gaze and quickly left the classroom as soon as the lesson was over.
Seeing Chloe leave, Maya approached with a beaming smile and remarked, "You seem tired?"
"Not tired, it was just one class," Chloe replied as she and Maya walked away together.
Brayden furrowed his brow as he trailed behind. The last time Chloe said Donovan was her husband, Brayden asked Jacob about it, and Jacob flatly denied it. But now, a maid from the Blake family had personally come to pick up Chloe.
'What was really going on?' Brayden pondered.
Brayden decided it was time to investigate the matter himself.
Two days later, Brayden slammed a photocopy of Chloe and Donovan's marriage certificate onto Jacob's desk.
"Take a look for yourself!" he said, clearly angry since Jacob had tried to set Chloe up with Brayden before.
"What's this all about?" Jacob picked up the document, incredulous.
"You're asking me? Who should I ask? You better not pull this kind of thing again!"
"Could these be fake?" Jacob asked hesitantly.
Brayden let out a bitter laugh and responded, "I have friends at County Government Offices."
With that, Brayden left, his heart heavy with disappointment. He had never imagined that Chloe was actually married.
From his initial shock, Jacob slowly shifted to delight.
Donovan – the very man he'd never dared to think about – was his brother-in-law!
No wonder Chloe could hire a caregiver for their mother.
Knowing this, why did he even bother trying to get Chloe together with Brayden?
On Saturday, Jacob went to Donovan's mansion.
Donovan was surprised. He didn't know Jacob.
"Chloe's not here?" After saying this, Jacob made himself at home on Donovan's couch, assuming the role of "Big Brother-in-law."
Chloe went to visit their mother every Saturday without fail, and Jacob was well aware that she wouldn't be home – his question had been deliberate.
"She's not here. Are you looking for her?" Donovan inquired with a frown.
"Oh, yes, brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law?" Donovan asked with a slight frown.
He realized who the man was – Chloe's good-for-nothing older brother.
"Yeah, Chloe just told me you guys got hitched. I get that you gotta have your reasons to keep it under wraps, but come on, am I still living in some shabby house? Doesn't quite suit your rep, does it? Shouldn't you be upgrading to a villa or something? And about my job, you gotta do something about it. I'm driving for Dylan Perez right now. If word gets out to your people, it won't sound too good," Jacob said as if he had Donovan cornered.
"Dylan Perez? Is Brayden his kid?" Donovan inquired.
"Yeah. Also, mom's sick and needs cash. Hospital bills run ten grand a month. Caregiver's another thousand. Plus, for any emergencies, you gotta cover at least five years' worth," Jacob continued.
"How much?" Donovan asked coolly.
Jacob stretched out his hand, "Five million."
Donovan smiled as if amused by Jacob's outrageous demand.
"I can get you a job, but my money doesn't grow on trees," Donovan said with a calm air.
"If you don't pay up, I'll make Chloe divorce you! She and Brayden are quite the item, love at first sight. Brayden doesn't mind that she'd be on her second marriage," Jacob blurted out, losing his composure as he stood from the sofa.
"Have that talk with her first, then get back to me," Donovan replied coldly.
Seeing that hitting a brick wall, Jacob became embarrassed and enraged, threatening, "I'll go to your company and spread the news that you're married."
"Really? I'd be more than pleased. It'd help fend off a whole lot of annoying suitors," Donovan responded with a smile.
Jacob was at a loss for words.
Realizing he was getting nowhere with Donovan, Jacob's frustration boiled over, and he stormed out.
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