85 Chapter 85

"It's okay, Mackie. Don't ask something your Uncle like that. Mommy will bring it for you," Chloe said. She was about to walk to the fridge when Vernon suddenly got up and opened the fridge instead.

He gave Chloe a side glance, "What? Continue cooking."

"Ah— Y—Yes!" Chloe returned to her cooking activity. She thought that Vernon was still angry at her. That was why she tried not to push his button in any way possible.

But it seemed that he had returned to his cold, unfeeling attitude.

'What a weird guy….'

Vernon put two glasses of banana-apple smoothie on the table for himself and Mackie.

"Uncle, you look so grumpy today," Mackie commented while sipping her smoothie.

"Hm…"

"Gee, Uncle should smile more! Mommy said that you look handsome when you're smiling!"

"Mackie!" Chloe turned around instantly. She stared at her daughter, who was hogging Vernon's arm while he was unresponsive the whole time.

She was scared that Vernon might get peeved by Mackie's overfamiliar attitude, even though she was just a child.

"M—Mackenzie, sit on your chair, don't make a fuss to Uncle Vernon, okay?"

"Humm? But Mommy told Mackie last night that Uncle Vernon is not always scary. Mommy said that Uncle Vernon is really handsome when smiling and laughing!" Mackie said.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Vernon shifted his gaze towards Chloe, who was petrified instantly.

'Using your daughter to gain sympathy, huh? That's so low, sister-in-law,' Vernon thought.

Chloe swallowed her saliva nervously. She started having cold sweat being stared at by Vernon like this.

She had no bad intention when telling Mackie that her Uncle Vernon wasn't always scary. Because Chloe complained that she 'hated' her Uncle Vernon because he never seemed to smile or laugh, and he was always angry and yelling at her Mommy.

Chloe knew that wasn't a good mindset, especially for a little girl like Mackie. Mackie was a feisty, confrontational little girl. She would be in trouble if she suddenly mocked Vernon as intimidating or scary, like a monster.

So, Chloe told her daughter Uncle Vernon wasn't always so scary. He would look handsome when he was smiling and laughing.

So, Mackie didn't need to be scared of hostility around her Uncle.

But it seemed to have backfired because Vernon continued staring at her with that hostile gaze.

"Uncle, stop staring at my Mommy like that! You're scaring her!" Mackie stood on the chair and covered Vernon's eyes with her two small palms.

Vernon clicked his tongue annoyedly, but he didn't want to yell in front of her niece. So he grabbed Mackie's body and forced her to sit on his lap, "Have you not been taught manner by your Mommy? It's not polite to stand on a chair, sit still and drink your smoothie!"

"But Uncle also cannot scare Mommy with your eyes! Mackie won't allow it!" Mackenzie insisted on protecting her Mommy, even if she had to face the big bad wolf in front of her!

"Tch, fine, just sit here and drink your smoothie."

"Okay!"

Thus, Chloe saw Mackie sitting on Vernon's slap as they drank their banana-apple smoothies.

She sighed, full of relief. At least Mackie and Vernon were in a good term. She didn't care about herself, but as long as Mackie was comfortable around Vernon, everything was alright.

Chloe served breakfast, and they ate together as three— of course, with her eating only sliced apple and banana for breakfast, even eating this kind of light breakfast already made her feel nauseous.

After they were done, Mackie and Vernon returned to their respective room and prepared for school and work while Chloe continued cooking for lunch.

'

Vernon took a bath as he didn't take one last night. Under the warm shower, he closed his eyes and felt the water washing out his body, including the fist, whose bandage he unwrapped.

The wound had been dried, though he still couldn't use it to punch things for now.

After he was done, he took the suit from the drawer. It seemed that Chloe had arranged everything yesterday because all his suits were hanging with a nice smell, even the tie had been arranged in the drawer.

His lips thinned as he noticed the effort that Chloe made. But in the end, he chose to ignore them all and grabbed whatever suit he found best before opening the bedroom door.

Again, he found Chloe sitting on the sofa with his lunch bag. Chloe turned around once she heard the sound of the door clicking.

He smiled at Vernon, "This is the lunch bag. I've put a small box of dried fruit inside. It would be good as a snack while you're drinking banana milk."

Chloe stood up and extended her arm to offer the food to Vernon, thinking that Vernon didn't want to see her face again, just like yesterday.

'.',

…

Vernon looked at her and then at the lunch bag before saying, "Why are you giving it to me now? Do you think I'm supposed to reheat it myself?"

"Ah— Um… I—I thought you wouldn't."

"Come to the office. It's your job to provide lunch for me after all," Vernon replied as he fixed his cuff and tie. "Don't make me work twice. I'm always busy in the office these days."

"O—Okay…" Chloe agreed. 'Now you want me to go to work and serve this food for you for lunch. I seriously don't know how to make you satisfied, Vernon.'

Vernon walked away, leaving first to his office. His mind was muddy since he woke up in the morning, and his heart was heavy with a complicated mood.

"I can't go on like this. She is controlling me with her act. Everything she did is just an act, so I can't fall," Vernon warned himself.

Then, he remembered the velvet room in his office. It had been a while since he used that room, despite it being the first thing he introduced to Chloe.

"Oh, that's right, I can use her to play inside that room. Isn't that my original intention to use her body only?"