Chapter 57 How could you hand me over to Paisley?
"Come in," A dispassionate word ushered Chloe into Donovan's office.
She stood at the center of Donovan's workspace, her gaze composed.
Donovan leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing Chloe.
"Power doesn't work on me, but money does, right?" Donovan's tone was thick with sarcasm.
"If you've got something to say, Mr. Blake, just say it. I'm in the middle of sorting out finances, quite busy," Chloe replied, her voice cold.
"There's something missing from my house. Have you seen it?"
Chloe's brow furrowed slightly as she looked up at Donovan. What did he mean by asking her about something missing from his house? Was he treating her like a thief?
"What's missing from your house?" Chloe asked, her tone now edged with anger.
"Our marriage certificate. Did you take it? If not you, then we have a break-in at our house, and I need to call the police," Donovan said matter-of-factly.
Chloe's heart settled. He wasn't accusing her unjustly. Yet, the thought of Donovan calling the police worried her, so she admitted, "I took it."
"Oh? And what do you want with the marriage certificate? Eager to hold the reins in a divorce proceeding?"
"That's right," Chloe responded.
Donovan chuckled as if he found Chloe's naivety amusing. "Do you realize that both parties have to be present for a divorce to be valid?"
"I know that!"
"So how do you plan on giving me up to Paisley? Just by holding onto our marriage certificate?" His gaze was fixed on Chloe.
It was as if he had peered into the very depths of Chloe's heart.
The swirl of emotions left Chloe feeling disarrayed, and a chill of betrayal crept up her spine.
How could Paisley spill everything to Donovan? And why did he believe it all?
Seeing Chloe flustered and angry, Donovan seemed to have deciphered her thoughts. "It looks like you did indeed say those things."
Chloe wasn't good at lying. Whatever she said couldn't be unsaid. The silence was her default!
"If you talk like that in public again and someone catches wind of it, watch out for how I'll deal with you!"
Chloe muttered to herself disparagingly: What, is he just going to handle it in bed? What else could he do?
"If there's nothing else, then I'll be leaving, Mr. Blake." Chloe's defiance had already diminished by half.
Donovan was a master of negotiation. He knew exactly how to talk circles around Chloe, leaving her with no ground to stand on.
Chloe felt uncomfortable under his control. That evening, she returned to her dorm room and carefully opened her suitcase that she kept there. She flipped through Andrew Price's diary, which was still in perfect condition. She placed the marriage certificate on top of Andrew Price's journal.
Just then, Sofia breezed into Chloe's room, exclaiming, "Chloe, you're back? I just opened the door and found it wasn't locked. Knew it had to be you."
Chloe wanted to hide her secrets, but it was too late. Sofia's gaze fixed on the two small books.
"You got married?" Sofia, wide-eyed, picked up the notebooks. Donovan and Chloe. She couldn't believe it.
She knew Chloe had moved in with Donovan, but the marriage was utterly unexpected. With Donovan's status, wasn't he supposed to marry someone of equal social standing? Moreover, Sofia had assumed that Mr. Blake would eventually tie the knot with Paisley and that his current fling with Chloe was just a phase, a fascination with her youth and beauty.
Caught, Chloe had no choice but to come clean. "Don't tell anyone, okay? Keep it a secret."
Chloe didn't mention a word about the marriage being a business arrangement. If she did, it would violate their agreement, and she'd have to pay a hefty fine for breach of contract.
"Can't you trust me?" Sofia patted her chest. "Why are you back in the dorm? Trouble in paradise?"
"Don't get me started," said Chloe, locking her suitcase and placing it in the closet. "He suspects Brayden and me of setting him up."
"Caught in the act?" Sofia's tone was teasing, hoping for scandal.
"No way! There's nothing between me and Brayden. Donovan is just being paranoid," Chloe explained frantically.
"So he must really love you!" Sofia said dreamily. "I can't even picture Mr. Blake, who's always so high and mighty, with his sharp mind and piercing gaze, getting jealous."
"Yeah, right," Chloe dismissed with a scoff. "That's just his possessiveness. Jealousy doesn't come into it. He absolutely won't allow anything he's marked as his own to be tainted by the scent of another man."
"Did you get his mark on you? Where? Where?" Sofia teased as she playfully sniffed around Chloe, "Oh, I get it. He's left his mark on you inside, hasn't he, Chloe?"
Chloe's face turned bright red, "Get lost!"
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