Khloe turned from the window, her voice calm yet resolute. “Better to have a formidable ally than to fight alone and be devoured. Since the Hunts chose me, I have no reason to refuse.”
…
That evening, Khloe returned to the Fox residence to find it empty.
Trey, Angela, and Pete were all gone. A servant explained they had gone to an art exhibition in another city and wouldn’t be back until the next day.
Checking her phone, Khloe saw several missed calls and one unread message from Trey.
Trey: [Khloe, Pete really wanted to see this exhibit with Ms. Thompson. It’s a bit of a drive, so I went with them.]
How considerate-leaving her a note as if they were a perfect little family of three on a day trip.
It suited her just fine. Their absence made it easier for her to work undisturbed.
She summoned a few servants to help her pack her belongings.
“Madam, are you going on a trip?” one asked, watching her box up every personal item she owned.
“Yes,” Khloe replied evenly, gathering passports and important documents from her desk. “And there’s no need to mention this to Trey. He’s been so busy lately. It’s best not to disturb him.”
Busy, indeed-busy playing house with another woman. His comfortable days were numbered.
By midnight, all of her possessions were packed. Once the household was asleep, she quietly summoned movers to take everything away.
Yet two crucial things were missing.
One was her most important academic thesis, containing years of research data. It had been locked in her desk drawer, but was now gone. Likely taken by Trey.
The other was the core project data she had developed for his company. Those files were now locked within the corporate server, inaccessible to her.
But both were her life’s work. She refused to leave them in his hands.
…
At dawn, Trey finally called, the sound of highway rumble clear in the background.
“Khloe, did you get my message yesterday?”
“Yes. I saw it,” Khloe replied, stirring her coffee.
“Sorry I didn’t check with you first. It was a last-minute decision. But Ms. Thompson is a guest. I couldn’t let her take Pete out of town alone.”
“No need to apologize,” Khloe said, her voice light. “It’s only natural for you to accompany her.”
His words faltered. He had assumed her silence meant she was furious. Preoccupied with Angela last night, he hadn’t dared to call her again. But now, she sounded calm. Almost indifferent.
“Khloe, I thought you were upset…”
“I was busy yesterday. Looked at a few properties, met with some clients. Hardly had a moment to check my phone.” She cut him off smoothly, her tone shifting to brisk and a little cheerful.
Relief was audible in his voice. “I knew it. You work too hard. Don’t push yourself. I worry about you.”
Khloe’s stomach turned. Her appetite for breakfast vanished completely.
“Daddy! Stop talking to that bad woman!”
A child’s voice shrilled through the line-Pete’s. It was immediately followed by Angela’s flustered, muffled scolding.
“I have to go. I’m driving,” Trey said abruptly, hanging up before Khloe could form a reply.
With Trey away, Khloe’s first stop was his office. She combed through every drawer, every folder, even his computer. Nothing.
As she mulled her next move, a secretary hurried in.
“Miss Roswell, with Mr. Fox away, there are several funding contracts that need your signature.”
She scanned the documents. These were for projects she had personally fought to secure-deals far beyond the company’s usual league. A delay in funding now would cause half of them to collapse.
“You tried reaching him?”
“Yes, but he’s… occupied. He said to bring them to you.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.