164 Chapter 164

'Am I the one who made her cry all this time?' Vernon asked himself in his heart. He acknowledged that he had been treating his sister-in-law badly all this time, so Chloe might have been crying because of him just now.

'Wait, isn't that what I want? Back then, I said that I would make her cry for ditching me. Isn't this my goal since the beginning?'

'But why am I distressed now?'

…

Vernon was also confused about himself. He got what he wanted to see her cry for him, but why did he regret it now?

'Am I that weak-willed to falter over a woman's tears?'

…

Vernon already knew the answer but didn't want to admit it. He just found himself so pathetic, maybe a little too easy to forgive after the humiliation Chloe had done to her.

'But I just can't see her cry again. I can't bear the pain….'

Vernon didn't know if he could try to be gentler in front of her— because he had never done that to anyone.

He treated everyone the same, either work colleagues or enemies, with no in-between. He also treated his sister-in-law as the latter, thinking she was the enemy alongside his Big brother.

…

Vernon decided to just lay on the sofa, resting his head where his sister-in-law sat just now, imagining that he was resting on her lap.

He imagined Chloe staring at her with a smile while caressing his forehead. He had that dream once he slept on the sofa, and the dream was so vivid that he thought his sister-in-law was sitting on the sofa while propping Vernon's head on her lap.

He could also feel the kiss on his forehead. He felt that everything was real that night.

"Sister-in-law… no, Chloe…." Vernon called his sister-in-law. "If I treat you better and show you my vulnerable side, will you find me pathetic? After all, you like a powerful man that can do anything for you…."

"If I show that I'm still the same little Vernon you cared for years ago… will you show your disgust to me? You told me that I'm incompetent and disgusting…."

Vernon covered his eyes with his arm. He didn't want to think about it because he was scared that his sister-in-law would laugh at him again, just like she did back then.

'But I don't want to see you cry….'

**

Chloe woke up the next morning, and the first thing that came to her mind was what happened last night.

She thought she could pass the night without drama, but Vernon caught her crying and sobbing so shamelessly.

'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N(ov)elBin',

She didn't expect Vernon to look so agitated, which prompted her trauma of being pressed by Vincent and verbally abused by him.

"Ah, he must've been shocked by my reaction too…." Chloe murmured, regretting her reaction last night. "But I don't understand why he'd look so angry and distressed to see me cry. It has nothing to do with him."

Chloe refused to believe that Vernon still deeply cared for her. After all, they were already separated for ten years straight, and he had so many things to do than caring about her problem.

Still, Chloe believed she had to apologize for making Vernon see something unsightly.

She got up and washed her face.

Chloe checked the clock, "Still five thirty in the morning. I better prepare the breakfast for them. A filling breakfast on the weekend sounds good."

Chloe went up to Vernon's penthouse and was surprised when she saw Vernon sleeping on the sofa.

Vernon's big frame didn't fit on the sofa, so his sleeping posture didn't look comfortable. He covered his eyes with his arm and still hadn't changed his clothes from last night.

The first thing in Chloe's mind was…

'Did he not brush his teeth last night? That's not good….'

'Besides, he'll get shoulder pain sleeping on that small sofa…' Chloe decided to wake him up. She intended to tell Vernon to sleep in his bedroom to get a better sleep quality. 'And he should sleep until noon. It's Sunday after all.'

'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovelB(i)n. ᴄᴏᴍ',

Chloe approached Vernon carefully and gently tapped his shoulder a few times to wake him up, "Vernon, wake up. You should sleep on the bed."

…

"Vernon, wake up…" Chloe repeated. This time she patted his cheek a few times.

Vernon finally opened his eyes slowly. He'd be grumpy when someone woke him up when he was asleep. But he heard the soft voice of the woman who had filled his life since he was a child.

When he saw his sister-in-law trying to wake him up, he knew it wasn't a dream this time. But he was still unsure of what to do. He should've pushed her away, so that old feeling wouldn't grow again in his heart.

But he also wanted to have her warmth…

Vernon decided to just follow what his heart— and dick wanted. He wrapped his hand around Chloe's hips and pulled her to the sofa.

"Ah—!" Chloe didn't have time to react when Vernon suddenly pulled her, forcing her to lay on top of his abs and pecs. Chloe struggled a bit, but Vernon tightened his arm around her waist, ensuring she couldn't live.

Chloe gave up soon after, knowing she had no strength to struggle against Vernon. She looked up, thinking she could wake Vernon by continuously badgering him.

Vernon had a habit of sleep talking and having vivid dreams, which Chloe discovered when he talked about the woman he loved but also hated. He talked about that woman while sleeping on this sofa as well.

However, Chloe was stupefied when she saw that Vernon had already opened his eyes. It seemed that he was already wide awake the whole time. It gave off the idea that Vernon pulling Chloe into his embrace was a deliberate, conscious action that Vernon did.

And that action was unfathomable for Chloe.

'But if he's already awake, why would he pull me to his embrace like this? A conscious adult Vernon has never been this warm towards me….'