Arthur slammed his fist against the car door. The loud bang made Donald jump. He glanced back but stayed quiet.
Arthur rolled down the window. The cool air helped clear his mind. Chloe had been gone for days now. The 80 million dollars hit her account right after the divorce.
Was she already spending it all?
He picked up his phone and found her number. He was about to call when he remembered – Sarah said Chloe’s number was dead the day she left.
She really knew how to make a clean break. This whole playing-hard-to-get act had gone too far.
She made her choice. Even if she ended up with nothing, it was her problem. Not his.
Arthur stared at the number for a second. Then he deleted it.
“Donald, find out what Chloe’s doing now.”
Donald paused. “Mr. Myers, about Mrs. Myers – “
“Mr. Myers?” Arthur’s voice shot up, loaded with annoyance.
Donald caught himself. “Right away, sir.”
Arthur leaned back and shut his eyes. He dozed off a little on the way to the hospital. By the time they arrived, his hangover was finally fading.
At the Central Hospital, the attending physician came to update him. He said Charles’ condition was stable.
“Will he ever wake up?” Arthur asked.
The doctor shook his head. “We can’t say never. But it would take a miracle.”
Arthur barely showed any expression. It was the same reply, no matter how many times he asked.
“Keep looking for specialists. Don’t stop, spare no expense,” Arthur said. He wouldn’t let go as long as there was hope to hold on to.
When the doctor left, Arthur stayed.
He stood at the window with a lit cigarette. After a deep pull, he blew out a cloud of smoke and waved a hand to fan it away.
“Grandpa, Chloe and I are done.” He gave a dry laugh. “That woman you picked – so stubborn. Always with the mind games and the tears.” He shook his head. “She really had us fooled.”
Charles lay still. No response.
Arthur kept talking. He’d been complaining ever since Charles made him marry Chloe.
“She’s boring. Doesn’t get me. Just act sweet and obedient.” He frowned. “Guys don’t even like girls that quiet. I never liked her.” He spoke firmly. “If it weren’t for her, I’d be with someone I actually like.”
Someone he liked…
For a second, Chloe’s face appeared in his mind. Then it shifted into Jennifer’s.
Jennifer had always been fragile because of him. If things had been different, they would’ve been together long ago.
He’d searched everywhere for the girl who saved him that year. When he found Jennifer, he wanted to marry her right away. But then he had to take over the family business.
Jennifer went abroad to study music. They just drifted apart. He never got to tell her how he felt.
“Grandpa, the woman you chose – she’s nothing special. We signed the papers. She’s not part of this family anymore.” Arthur leaned closer and whispered, “I’m going my own way now. I’ll show you – I don’t need someone like Chloe. I’ll do better without her.”
He remembered his grandfather’s words. Charles always said Chloe was a good person. That she’d be his lucky charm. That he should take care of her.
Arthur smirked.
Charles had been sharp his whole life, yet this was how he ended up. Arthur was going to show him how bad his judgment really was. The truth was, Chloe had just blinded him.
When Arthur got back to the car, Donald was waiting with an update.
“Sir, Ms. Lewis is looking for a job.”
“A job?” Arthur almost laughed.
What could she even do? She’d spent years tucked away in the Myers Manor. She never even visited her own family. All she did was play the homemaker and make breakfast sometimes. What real skills did she have?
Donald nodded. “Sir, Ms. Lewis is applying for Design Director at a fashion brand.”
Arthur laughed. “Designer? Director? What’s she going to design? Baby food recipes?” That made sense to him. Chloe had always made Robert’s food herself.
A nutritionist – that would fit. But a designer? That was just wrong.
He tried to picture Chloe as a designer. He couldn’t see it at all.
She should know her limits. Chloe as a designer? She’d be better off if she just stuck to making healthy meals in the kitchen.
“Also,” Donald added carefully, “two companies have sent her interview invites. One is a brand under our Myers Group.” As he said this, he added a word of praise. “It seems Ms. Lewis has some talent.”
Arthur shot him a cold look.
Donald caught that look. Thinking he’d spoken out of turn, he decided to stay quiet.
Arthur’s mood darkened. Chloe, a designer? What a joke. If she wanted his attention, she should pick a better way. Going for a director role was just embarrassing.
This had gone far enough. Chloe was making a fool of herself – and the Myers name. Those companies were connected to Myers Group, and many people in the industry knew Chloe was his wife. That was why they accepted her application and invited her for interviews.
If this got out, people would laugh at him.
“Put the word out,” Arthur said coldly. “No one in our circle is to hire Chloe.” He frowned, annoyed just thinking about her doing.
He rubbed his temples and said, his voice full of annoyance, “Once she hits a dead end, she’ll come crawling back.”
*****
After getting the interview notice, Chloe bought a new suit. If she was going back to work, she wanted to look the part.
“You look great, Mommy! You always do,”
Robert said, giving her a thumbs-up as she checked herself in the mirror.
Chloe smiled at her reflection.
Just a little effort, and she looked like a different person. Elegant and confident.
She sighed softly. Six years as a wife had almost made her forget who she used to be.
“Good luck, Mommy! You’ll get that designer job.”
Then her phone rang. It was HR from one of the design companies. She answered right away.
“Hello, this is Chloe…”
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.