Chapter 178
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Chapter 179
On the first floor in the tea room of The Old Hamilton Manor, Miranda poured Ian a cup of tea.
Miranda poured Ian a cup of tea.
Ian set his phone down on the tea table and said, “Mom, don’t take what Chloe said to heart p>
Miranda shook her head, disappointment clear in her eyes. “Ian, you know better than anyone that the Hamilton family might look perfect on the outside, but it’s all just me holding it together with my patience p>
She continued, “People can survive without each other. Just because I’m your mom doesn’t mean you should take everything I’ve sacrificed for this family for granted p>
Guilt flickered deep in Ian’s eyes.
He tugged at the corner of his lips, holding back what he really wanted to say, and ended up saying, “Mom, I guess you did let what Chloe said get to you p>
Miranda paused briefly. “I did let Chloe’s words sink in, but there’s a few things I hope you’ll let into your
heart too p>
“Ian, you’re attractive, smart, have degrees, and know how to get things done. To outsiders, you’re a proper gentleman, and when it comes to Andrea, you’re always loyal and stand by her. But have you ever truly thought about how you’ve treated Chloe p>
“For Andrea’s sake, you’ve been burning through Chloe’s feelings for you. You put her through hell—a pain far worse than any divorce could cause p>
‘Just because Chloe loves you, she’s always in a passive position, controlled by you, and even afraid to have your child,‘ Miranda said.
‘You’re always above Chloe. When it came to claiming that child as your own, you made the decision without even consulting her. You always want to control everything, including Chloe p>
‘Ian, you and Chloe have never had an equal relationship. No matter how much effort you put in, you won’t have a healthy, equal marriage p>
‘Listen to your mother–just divorce Chloe and make amends p>
‘If you can win her back, consider yourself lucky; if not, that’s your consequence.
As fan walked out of The Old Hamilton Manor, his mother’s words from the tea room echoed relentlessly in his mind.
I owe Chloe so much… I’ll make it right, lan promised himself.
‘But divorce? No way. I’m never letting her go,’ he thought, stubbornly.
A few nights later, Patrick came back from abroad and called everyone up for a casual hangout.
Ian blocked Chloe in the hallway right by the restroom.
He said, “Andrea’s been complaining she can’t get a slot for your appointment p>
Chloe answered without missing a beat, “She’s got a sketchy reputation. I’m worried she’ll pull something on me, so I don’t want to treat her p>
When Ian didn’t say anything, Chloe continued, “If you really care about her, I could treat her–on one condition p>
Ian said, “Name it p>
Chloe shot back, “Divorce me, and she’ll walk out of here healthy as new. That’s my promise p>
Ian’s expression turned cold. “Don’t even dream about it p>
He took a few angry strides away, then spun around and came back.
He locked eyes with Chloe, his voice edged with frustration. “Chloe, if I told you I haven’t let Andrea go for a reason, would you believe me p>
Chloe let out a cold chuckle. “I’d believe in ghosts before I’d ever trust a word out of your mouth, Ian p>
They locked eyes for a tense beat before Ian turned on his heel, his face stony with anger.
After a few steps, he spun back around and returned.
He stuffed the peace talisman he’d picked up in Europe into Chloe’s hand, not taking no for an answer. “If you don’t want it, just toss it p>
With that, he turned and walked away.
Chloe stood there, fidgeting with her fingers.
Then she sent Patrick a text and threw the peace talisman in the trash.
After Chloe left, Patrick fished the peace talisman out of the trash.
Back in the private room, Chloe turned to Patrick. “Patrick, I’m moving this weekend. You and Mia should come over and help me pop some champagne p>
Patrick grinned. “Why not call a few more friends? We can get a mahjong table going p>
Speaking of mahjong, Chloe’s mind instantly went to Julian.
The next afternoon, in the garden at Rowe Estate, Chloe watched proudly as Julian managed to stand up from his wheelchair all by himself.
She stood nearby, constantly cheering him on.
After two therapy sessions, Julian’s body was already much stronger.
He could barely manage to stand for just over a minute now, which was a huge jump from where he started.
With his health on the rise, his temper had mellowed out too.
Julian settled into his wheelchair, and Chloe grinned, “Julian, I’m moving next week. Wanna come play mahjong at my new place p>
Julian gave her a sideways look. “You know, you’re terrible at it but you just can’t resist, huh p>
Chloe rubbed her hands together awkwardly.
On the weekend, worried about keeping all these big shots happy, Chloe hired a chef to come over and whip up a feast.
Patrick and Mia showed up early to lend a hand.
Chloe was busy arranging fruit in the living room when Philip walked in with Simon.
Simon spotted Chloe, let go of Philip’s hand, and ran straight into her arms. “Mommy p>
After that, an uncomfortable silence spread through the room.
Patrick and Mia shot each other a startled glance, both looking totally baffled.
Carl nearly spat out his apple. “Chloe, w–who’s–where did–where’d the kid come from p>
Chloe’s parents just stood there, shell–shocked.
They’d just lost their own grandchild, Chloe wasn’t even divorced yet… Suddenly, there was this kid showing up out of nowhere?
Philip, noticing all the stunned looks, adjusted his cuff links and addressed Chloe’s parents with a polite smile, “Sorry about the confusion. My son decided to make Dr. Irvine his godmother, that’s all p>
“Oh p>
Everyone visibly relaxed.
Philip turned to Simon. “Simon, say hello to your grandparents p>
Philip coached him, and Simon politely greeted them.
“Hello, Grandma. Hello, Grandpa p>
“Hello, Uncle p>
“Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt p>
Chapter 179
$5 vouchers
Chloe stared at Simon, who was chattering nonstop, and blurted out in disbelief. “Mr. Foster. I can’t believe Simon is actually talking to strangers now p>
Philip couldn’t hide his appreciation as he looked at Chloe. “It’s all thanks to you. Chloe. Simon’s doing so much better now p>
Mia couldn’t resist giving Simon’s cheek a playful squeeze. “Wow, if the dad’s this handsome, no wonder the son is too. Talk about good genes p>
Just as everyone was laughing and chatting, Julian rolled in.
Even sitting in his wheelchair, the deep V of his white shirt couldn’t hide his rebellious vibe.
Chloe’s parents looked at Philip and Julian in the living room.
Both men were dressed to the nines, radiating an unmistakable aura of power and sophistication.
They exchanged glances, then headed into the kitchen, whispered for a while, and finally came back out.
The big Chinese dining table was set for ten. Chloe’s parents, Chloe and Carl. Patrick and Mia, Philip and Simon, plus Julian–so there were nine at the table.
With Patrick’s legendary social skills, the whole group quickly warmed up to each other. The whole room buzzed–no awkward silences anywhere.
Carl joked, “Ten’s a perfect score, but we’re still one short p>
Chloe pulled out her phone and started a video call with Arthur Logan.
When Arthur saw he was the only one missing from the dining table, he jumped out of bed. “Eating without me? Hope you guys all get a stomach ache p>
Chloe propped her phone up on a stand. “We’re eating, you’ll just keep us company online p>
Everyone was laughing and toasting, enjoying the meal.
Suddenly, Arthur blurted out, “Chloe, lan took that ugly girl to Europe for their honeymoon–why haven’t you divorced him yet? Are you planning to keep him around forever p>
His words instantly killed the vibe.
Chloe glanced at her parents, then at everyone else, feeling super embarrassed.
She put down her chopsticks and said, “It’s not that I don’t want a divorce–it’s Ian. He absolutely refuses to sign the papers, no matter what I do p>
The whole room fell into an eerie silence–you could practically hear a pin drop.
Even Arthur, over on the video call, fell completely silent.
ine awkwardness.
She cleared her throat and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “Seriously, if anyone here can help me finally get Ian to sign the divorce papers, you’ll get the seat of honor at my divorce
party p>