son was only acting, Trey pinched his cheek in warning.
taken Angela’s call, he’d thought it was an emergency. Her rushed words about their son falling, child’s dramatic cries, had made him drop everything. But at the hospital, all he found was a so minor it had scabbed before he even arrived.
“Was it about work?” Trey asked.
Angela replied casually, not meeting his eyes. “She said it wasn’t urgent. Maybe she just… missed you.” Her tone was carefully laced with a hint of possessive jealousy.
Trey reached for her hand. She pulled away once, then twice, until he finally caught her fingers and murmured in her ear, “Honey.”
Despite herself, a faint smile touched her lips.
“Don’t forget,” she chided softly, “you already have a wife.
“Don’t say that. You’re the only wife I have.”
Their whispered intimacy carried them out into the hallway From his seat, Pete watched with a smug smirk. With his mother back, that wretched Khloe would be kicked to the curb sooner or later.
“Enough now, don’t be upset,” Trey soothed, trying to extricate himself. “I should really call her back. If she gets suspicious, it will complicate things.”
“She won’t suspect you,” Angela countered, her voice laced with contemptuous certainty. “She’s too infatuated, too foolish. Her entire world revolves around you.”
“Angela…”
“If you call her back now, it means your heart is wavering.
Normally, a few sweet words were enough to placate her, but this time she stood her ground. Not wanting to upset her further, he relented.
And if he was honest, she was right. Khloe’s devotion to him was blind and absolute. She never questioned him. Managing her had always been effortless.
Half an hour later, Stella called Khloe again.
“Why are you dragging your feet? The company is right near Alicia’s neighborhood. Are you a sloth?” Her tone was sharper this time, and she didn’t immediately hang up, waiting for a response.
A cold smile curved Khloe’s lips. She finally spoke, “Stella, I’m in a critical meeting. The company is in the final stages of its public listing. One misstep could mean astronomical losses. I truly cannot leave right now.”
The line went silent for several seconds. Stella could hardly believe what she was hearing. Khloe had never dared to defy her before.
“Have you lost your mind? You dare to disobey me? Have you forgotten the Fox family rules? The first is respect for your elders-“
“I said I cannot leave,” Khloe repeated, her tone respectful yet unyielding. “Trey’s work is the highest priority. That’s what you have always taught me, isn’t it?”
Before Stella could muster a retort, Khloe continued smoothly, her voice dripping with false concern, “But Alicia is still recovering from giving birth. She must have the best nutrition. Whatever she’s craving, I’ll have Trey’s assistant order from the finest Michelin-starred restaurants, or even hire a private chef for the day. Money is no object. We’ll just put it all on the company’s account.”
“You…” Stella sputtered, choking on her fury, rendered speechless.
Khloe had always been so quiet, so submissive, so easily pushed around. How was it that today, her words were so sharp and clear? And by framing it around Trey and the company, she had made Stella seem completely unreasonable. 1
“Alright, Stella. Once Alicia picks a restaurant, just send me the name. I have to get back to work now.”
Without waiting for a reply, Khloe ended the call.
The dial tone buzzed in Stella’s ear. She saw stars, nearly fainting from sheer rage. “That wretched girl… she actually hung up on me?”
Her hands trembled so violently she almost threw her phone across the room.
Watching her mother’s meltdown, Alicia was equally stunned. “She’s really not coming?”
“Trey has spoiled her beyond reason! She’s a barren nobody from the gutter. She should be thanking her lucky stars every day for marrying into our family. How dare she be ungrateful? How dare she defy me?!”
Stella cursed and beat her chest, all dignity forgotten.
Alicia rolled her eyes, as if she’d seen this coming all along
“Mom, I told you-Khloe’s meek act is just a front. For someone like my brother, who only cares about connections and advantage, to marry a woman so far beneath our social standing… do you really think she’s a simpleton?
“But don’t worry. I refuse to believe I can’t put her in her place.”
A mocking smile curled on Alicia’s lips as she personally dialed Khloe’s number.
Although she constantly ordered Khloe around, she always maintained the facade of a friendly sister-in-law. Besides, her husband, Stanley Jones, was a department manager in Trey’s company, and Khloe often had to liaise with him on business.
Alicia was certain Khloe was just soft clay, easy to shape. Even if she had stood up to Stella today, it must have been a one-off for Trey’s sake. At home, her brother adored her the most; if she, Alicia, asked for something, Khloe would have no choice but to obey.
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.