“Chloe Austin is the daughter of the Austin family, the apple of Mark Austin’s eye.
Do you have any idea what kind of relationship we have with the Austins right now?
If you push Mark too far and he snatches Sterling Group’s project, will you take responsibility?!”
Caden Sterling felt a flash of irritation as he looked at Vivian Sullivan, pulling his arm out of her grasp.
Vivian put on a pitiful, wronged expression.
Seeing it only annoyed Caden further, and he turned away.
“Caden, what about you?
Are you still going to get a divorce?”
“Divorce?
Of course I am, but it won’t be that easy.”
A trace of coldness flickered in Caden’s eyes; it seemed he had formed a new scheme.
Hearing that Caden still planned to divorce put Vivian’s mind at ease.
She took his hand again, acting coquettishly.
“I knew you wouldn’t bear to let me suffer any grievances.
Now that I have your studio, I’m already designing our wedding rings.
They will definitely be one of a kind in this world.
Everyone will be so jealous of us.”
Vivian chattered on with beautiful visions of the future, but Caden simply stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed in another direction.
“Chloe, are you alright?
Does your stomach hurt?”
Jensen Austin was worried that Chloe might feel unwell due to the emotional toll, but seeing that she still had some color in her cheeks, he felt relieved.
“I’m fine, Jensen.
Can we finalize the divorce as soon as possible?
No matter what conditions they propose, as long as it’s not overboard, I don’t care.”
“I understand.
Even if our family has to take a financial loss, as long as you can get a divorce immediately, I’ll take care of it for you.
Your divorce is the most important matter in our family right now.”
Before the banquet even ended, Chloe and Jensen headed home.
Winona Hayes was waiting at home for Chloe’s return.
Upon seeing her, she spoke earnestly.
“Chloe, what you did at the banquet today was too reckless.
You should have waited until the divorce was finalized before letting him know you are the daughter of the Austin family.
Right now, both Sterling Group and your father’s company are bidding on the same project.
It’s highly likely he’ll use this to blackmail you.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, it’ll be fine.
I have my ways.”
Chloe was full of confidence.
Although Winona and Mark Austin had a lot more they wanted to say, they swallowed their words.
“We’ve already discussed it with Aunt Miller.
She just needs to come over to cook and then she can leave.
However, we still want to prepare a room for her to rest in.
Which room do you think we should give her?”
Winona fully respected Chloe’s opinion, and without a second thought, Chloe offered Aunt Miller the room on the second floor with the best view.
“That room works, but no one has stayed there for a long time.
I’ll get someone to clean it up tomorrow and replace the furniture with new pieces, so Aunt Miller knows how much our family values her,” Mark said, resting his hand on Winona’s waist and smiling brightly at her.
“Alright, I happen to know someone.
I’ll contact them tomorrow,” Jensen chimed in.
“Chloe, your room hasn’t been redecorated in a long time either.
I’ll get someone to replace all your furniture tomorrow as well.”
Chloe didn’t refuse; the family certainly wasn’t lacking the money for new furniture.
“That works.
The current furniture was bought when I got married anyway.
Since I’m getting a divorce, it’s best to replace those things.”
Chloe was in such a good state of mind that Mark and Winona weren’t the least bit worried she would change her mind about the divorce later.
“Mom, Dad, go to bed early.
I’m tired, so I’m heading up to sleep.
I have to wake up early tomorrow to go to the company.”
“Chloe, why don’t you skip going to the company tomorrow?
Your brother and I are there to handle things.” Winona seemed to be hinting at something, but Chloe didn’t think staying home was the right choice.
“It’s fine, Mom.
I have to be there to resolve this.
I already have a lead.” Chloe smiled gracefully, then headed upstairs.
“Chloe has truly grown up.
But somehow, I feel like the Chloe we used to know has come back to us.” Mark sighed with emotion, and Winona nodded in agreement.
“Mom, Dad, just rest assured,” Jensen said.
“Chloe will never fall for that man again.
She’s back, and our family can finally live our lives in peace.”
“Yes, Chloe is back.
As long as she’s back, everything is fine.” Mark let out a sigh.
They had no idea what kind of grievances Chloe had suffered at the Morgan family’s hands.
Every time they asked, she refused to go into detail, leaving them to guess what she had endured.
“Did anyone give Chloe a hard time at the banquet today, besides that Caden Sterling and the woman he brought?” Mark asked seriously.
“Who else would dare give Chloe a hard time?
Uncle Paine, for example, was incredibly warm when he saw her.
Oh, by the way, his son Ethan Paine seems to have returned as well.
I haven’t seen him yet, but I hear he’s a striking young man.” Jensen chatted naturally with Mr.
and Mrs.
Austin, the atmosphere in the family home incredibly harmonious.
“Yes, I’ve also heard that Ethan is a fine young man.
He was a bit mischievous in the past, but he’s very steady now.
They say he even became a lawyer.” As Mark spoke, he shot a meaningful look at Winona, who avoided his gaze.
Mark had a hidden meaning in his words, and there was no way Winona wouldn’t understand his look.
“Let’s take Chloe to see Old Man Paine and Ethan another day.
We haven’t seen them in so many years; I’d really like to catch up with them.” Mark chuckled, but Winona gave him a playful shove.
“Are you really going to see Old Man Paine, or are you going to check out Ethan?
Whatever your true motive is, only you know for sure.”
“What motive could I possibly have?
I just want to open up another path for Chloe’s future.”
Mark’s words made Winona stop and think.
“Our Chloe isn’t even divorced yet.
And even if she were, I’m afraid she wouldn’t want to enter into a new relationship anytime soon.
That’s fine too.
Having her stay at home where I can see her every day is better than anything.” Winona patted Mark’s hand, her words touching to hear.
“Alright, you two just keep doting on your precious Chloe.
I’m going up to rest,” Jensen teased.
“Go to bed early, and don’t fret too much over your darling daughter.
When you have some free time, save a little room to remember that you also have a son.”
After his lighthearted banter, Jensen headed upstairs.
Winona and Mark watched him go with fond smiles.
Jensen tiptoed over to Chloe’s bedroom door.
Hearing no sound from inside, he finally relaxed and returned to his own room.
At that moment, Chloe was sitting in her room with her headphones on, staring at her computer.
She was still reviewing the same surveillance footage, but she kept zooming in to scrutinize various details before finally printing out what she needed.
When she arrived at the company the next day, the people in the design department all looked at her with strange expressions.
Chloe could guess what they were going to say, but she didn’t mind.
They would end up eating their words soon enough.