“You don’t even understand design, yet you thought you could use such a cheap trick against Chloe.
She is a daughter of the Austin family.
Even if she were stupid, she still has Mark Austin and Winona Hayes backing her up.
Did you really think the Austin family reached their current status through luck?
It was through sheer cunning!”
Caden Sterling was furious.
He hadn’t expected Vivian Sullivan’s scheme to be so full of holes.
“Caden, what should we do now?
If we wait any longer, do you think Chloe might post this on the internet?
If she does, I…”
“I’ll handle it.
Don’t stay outside anymore.”
In a fit of anger, Caden hung up and dialed another number.
Chloe felt her phone buzzing.
Glancing at the screen, she saw Caden’s number.
“Hello?
Have you signed the papers?” she answered.
“As long as you don’t release that video, we can meet at the Registry Office next Monday.”
Caden’s straightforward attitude caught Chloe by surprise.
“It seems Vivian Sullivan is truly important to you,” she mocked.
“She really lives up to the title of your first love.
How special.”
“Are you going to post the video or not?
If you aren’t, then cut the nonsense.” Caden frowned.
He gripped his phone tightly, terrified that Chloe might say no.
If she refused, he would be completely helpless against her.
“Fine.
Next Monday at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Don’t be late—the earlier, the better.”
“Are you really in such a rush to divorce me?” Unable to hold back, Caden scoffed.
“I’m sorry, but I’m beyond just being in a rush.
I wish we could do it right this second.
In fact, why don’t we head over there now?
There’s still an hour before they close; we should make it in time.”
“I didn’t bring our marriage certificate today.
It has to be next week.”
Caden hung up the phone, a strange sensation suddenly welling up in his chest.
Yet, whenever Chloe was brought up, he felt nothing but anger and resentment.
“Jensen, Caden has agreed to the divorce.
Looks like we won’t have to put up much of a fight.”
Chloe was on the phone with Jensen Austin.
Even though he was in a meeting, he couldn’t help but feel happy for her.
“That’s great.
But just in case he tries to pull any tricks, I’ve still contacted a lawyer for you.
Make sure you communicate your demands clearly.
We won’t take a penny less than what’s ours, and we don’t want a dime of what isn’t.” Jensen expressed his firm stance, and Chloe nodded in agreement.
“I’ll come pick you and Mom up later.
We’re going to Uncle Paine’s house for dinner.
Since Ethan is a lawyer, you might as well ask for his advice on this.”
“Jensen, let’s not.
I don’t want to trouble Uncle Paine’s family with this anymore.
The whole ordeal is almost over anyway.” Chloe chuckled softly, her smile growing even brighter.
Hearing the joy in her voice, Jensen smiled as well and decided to let the matter drop.
“I’m almost off work, Jensen.
You can come pick me up.
I helped Mom land a huge contract today, you know.”
“I know you’re the best.
Just wait at the company.
I need to deliver a document to Mom, so I’ll be there soon.”
After their call ended, Chloe informed Winona Hayes about their dinner plans at Uncle Paine’s house.
Winona nodded, and Chloe sat in her mother’s office to wait for Jensen.
It didn’t take long for exhaustion to hit her.
Finding a comfortable position on the sofa, she simply lay down and drifted off to sleep.
As soon as Jensen walked into the office, he saw his sleeping sister and immediately quieted his movements.
“Mom, I brought the document you asked for,” he whispered.
“Are you planning to acquire Jane’s studio?”
“Yes.
Even though the studio doesn’t have any famous works, the fact that it has survived for so many years means it definitely has its merits.” Winona placed the document into a folder, slipped on her coat, and signaled to Jensen that they could leave.
“The studio’s achievements are actually quite decent.
It’s just that they don’t really understand marketing, so their revenue isn’t high.
Are you sure you want to acquire it, Mom?”
“I’m buying it just for Chloe to play around with.
After all, she’s finally out of the Morgan family.
Now, whatever she wants, I can openly give to her.
It doesn’t matter how the studio performs under her management; as long as she’s happy, that’s all that counts.”
At that moment, Chloe rolled over in her sleep.
Jensen and Winona shared a fond smile before gently waking her up.
“You got here so fast, Jensen,” Chloe mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
“Mom, this sofa is way too hard.
You should get a new one.
It’s really uncomfortable to sleep on.”
“It was never meant for sleeping in the first place.” Winona ushered her daughter out the door.
Chloe playfully stuck her tongue out and followed Jensen to the car.
“When we get to Uncle Paine’s house later, make sure you say nice things to him,” Winona reminded her carefully.
“He treated you so well when you were little.
You’ve got quite the sharp tongue now, so don’t go sassing him.”
“Alright, Mom, of course I know that.
Uncle Paine has always been so good to me.
Even if he scolded me, I’d just smile right back at him.” There was no falsehood in Chloe’s words, mainly because she knew Wayne Paine would never actually scold her.
“Dad’s been having tea at Uncle Paine’s house since this afternoon.
I bet they’re having a great time catching up right now,” Jensen chimed in as he parked the car, and Winona nodded in agreement.
“Uncle Paine, I’m here!
Did you prepare candy and cookies for me like when I was a kid?” Chloe jogged through the doors of the Paine family home, just like she used to do as a little girl.
For a moment, a wave of nostalgia washed over everyone in the room.
“I might be out of candy, but there are plenty of cookies to go around!
Next time, I’ll be sure to have some sweets ready for you.” Wayne treated Chloe as if he were still coaxing a child.
But she was no longer a little girl who would throw a tantrum over missing candy.
Smiling warmly, she picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.
“Where’s Ethan?” Mark Austin asked, looking around.
“Wasn’t he just here a moment ago?
How come he disappeared the moment Chloe arrived?
The two kids used to play so well together.
Have they grown distant?”
“Oh, don’t mind him.
He’s taken on a few cases recently, and his phone has been ringing off the hook.
Even I can hardly stand it.” Wayne poured Mark another cup of tea, explaining the situation with a joking tone.
“That’s just how it is being a lawyer.
It’s good for him to be busy.
It’s certainly better than when he used to go stealing bird eggs as a kid.
At least he’s busy with proper business now.”
“Uncle Paine, do you remember that time Ethan took my sister to climb a tree?” Jensen asked.
“They only knew how to get up, not how to get down.
They were stuck up there for hours before someone finally managed to get them down.”
Jensen had an excellent memory.
His vivid recount of the story painted such a clear picture that everyone burst into laughter.
“Come on, let’s eat.
We can chat over dinner.”