Chapter 55 Thinking of Divorce?
"Why hasn't a catch like Brayden got a girlfriend yet?" Donovan asked with a laugh.
"I haven't found the right one yet," Brayden replied, his complexion pale.
Donovan stopped talking to Brayden, instead bringing up a scandal shaking Maple Valley: the famous banker Matthew Parker's wife had been caught cheating with a younger man. She thought her husband wouldn't retaliate, but Matthew had caught them in bed, taken compromising photos, and left her penniless, ruining both her reputation and her lover's in Maple Valley.
"Yeah, that woman should have been mindful of her status before making a fool out of a prominent banker," Brayden's father, Dylan, chimed in, dabbing his forehead with a napkin.
"That young guy dug his own grave and dragged someone else down with him. He deserves to be torn apart!" Donovan remarked nonchalantly, swirling his wine glass as if he were simply indulging in some juicy gossip.
Chloe listened, her heart pounding with fear.
Sweat dripped from Dylan Perez's brow as well.
Donovan was a shrewd man, knowing just when to make his moves. Moments earlier, when Chloe had mentioned she was studying for the CPA exam, it became clear that Brayden knew Chloe as well.
Donovan wasn't usually one for idle gossip, nor would he invite someone out without good reason. Now, bringing up such matters in his presence, there was no doubt he was hinting at something. It seemed he was issuing a subtle warning to both Chloe and Brayden. Donovan's tactics were impressively cunning.
After the meal, Chloe and Donovan left together. Brayden was about to say something to Chloe but found himself recoiling under his father's icy stare.
"Aren't you ashamed to embarrass yourself like this?" Dylan Perez hissed at his son.
Once inside the car, Brayden asked Dylan, "Do you know Donovan? How did you meet him?"
"From now on, you are forbidden from seeing Chloe. No matter how much you like her, she belongs to Donovan now," Dylan scolded Brayden harshly.
"But there's no love between them! They're bound to divorce," Brayden argued back.
"As long as she isn't divorced, you're the one who should be torn to pieces. Didn't you get the message from Donovan?" Dylan retorted.
"Why are you so afraid of Donovan, Dad?" Brayden inquired, confused.
Dylan's face crumpled in unease and frustration, but he remained silent. Over a decade ago, while Donovan was studying abroad, Dylan had a hand in framing Donovan's father. Donovan later obtained evidence of this and had since held it over Dylan's head. So even though Dylan was well into his fifties, in Donovan's presence, he felt tender.
Meanwhile, in Donovan's car.
Chloe was silent, her face tinged with anger. She wrapped her coat tightly around herself and feigned sleep, ignoring Donovan completely.
She was trying to piece together why Donovan had chosen this time to have them over for dinner. She remembered receiving a WhatsApp message from Fragrant Grass Styling on Monday, which meant Donovan had already had this idea by then.
That same Monday, Paisley had delivered meals to everyone in the company, purposely printing a large photo of herself on the delivery bags.
And the location of the drama she was filming? It was in the very hospital where Chloe's mother worked.
Chloe swiftly grabbed her phone and sent a WhatsApp message to Sofia: [Did Paisley come to the office on Monday?]
Soon after, Sofia replied on WhatsApp: [I just did some casual asking around at the front desk, and they said she usually goes straight to the CEO's office.]
That confirmed it: Paisley must have said something to Donovan.
Chloe was baffled. How could Donovan, the imposing CEO of New East International, take Paisley's words as gospel truth?
Was it because Paisley was his unforgettable ex-lover, whose every word he trusted implicitly?
One day, Chloe thought Paisley was seriously engaged in filming, but to her surprise, Paisley pushed through the crowd and noticed Chloe from a distance.
The lengths to which Paisley went were indeed frustrating.
When Chloe got home, she hugged her blanket and was about to go to the adjacent bedroom.
Today, Donovan had dragged her dignity through the mud.
"Do you care?" Donovan asked Chloe coldly.
"What position did you put me in today? Couldn't you have asked me directly?" Chloe stood in the living room, her stance firm.
"Would you have told me?" Donovan said with a sneer.
"I wouldn't have said anything. I was just waiting for Paisley to tell you. Whatever she says is the absolute truth, right?"
"Isn't it the truth?"
Chloe was speechless.
She was fuming, remembering that day Paisley had only seen and not heard their conversation.
So, what Paisley must have conveyed to Donovan was probably an exaggerated version of Brayden holding her hand.
As for the "marriage in name and in truth" that Chloe referenced, Paisley hadn't even heard it. Even if she did, she wouldn't have told Donovan.
Paisley only wanted to sow discord, hoping to hasten the divorce between Chloe and Donovan.
"Don't try flirting with another man again when you're out," Donovan's voice was cold, issuing Chloe an ultimatum.
Chloe was infuriated, particularly by his use of the word "flirting." She sat angrily on the bed, clutching her blanket.
"You are forbidden from sleeping in the adjacent room tonight!"
Her eyes red with anger, Chloe looked up at him. "Tyrant! You're nothing but a tyrant, possessive, selfish, and indifferent to the feelings of others!"
"Do you want a divorce?" Donovan asked a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
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