Chapter 374 374

'If only you're as ruthless as I am, Chloe…' Vernon thought. 'Things would be so much easier if you can be a bit more cruel against those who hurt you.'

Vernon stared at the ceiling, and the face of the most beautiful woman on earth appeared in his imagination. His cold heart started to feel warm when the image of the woman smiled at her, 'But, I don't think I will fall in love with you if you're a cruel woman. The only reason why I have a proper childhood is because of you.'

'You're the one who saved me from the abyss, but you're also the one who plunged me back until it hurt me terribly….'

The smile on his lips dissipated. Whenever he recalled many happy memories with Chloe, his mind automatically recalled that one bad memory.

It was just one bad memory, but it was strong enough to cloud over all the good that Chloe had done for him when he was growing up.

"Why did you say that, Chloe? Am I that worthless to you until now, when I have everything to spoil you?" Vernon murmured.

He knew that he always claimed that women would flock to him once he was as rich as his Big brother, including Chloe.

But deep down, he also felt sad and insecure because of it.

He wanted Chloe to like him for being himself, not because he was filthy rich…

Vernon felt another heartache that he couldn't stop.

Because the only way to stop it was to confront Chloe and ask about what she said about him back then.

'She will probably try to dodge it. She is timid, after all….'

Vernon murmured Chloe's name a few times. It was his way of making himself feel better whenever he was experiencing heartache caused by a bad memory.

Vernon kept on doing this for a while until he heard a soft voice calling his name from the kitchen.

"Vernon?"

Vernon opened his eyes and turned his neck towards the kitchen. He saw Chloe wearing her pajama and also a sweater. The pajama and sweater looked so loose on her thin body, giving an image of pitiful beauty that Vernon wanted to protect.

Chloe walked towards Vernon and sat beside the big guy who slumped on the sofa, "What's wrong? You look tired…."

"It's… nothing," Vernon replied weakly. "I just had a business call." He said while pointing at the phone on the table with his chin.

"Business call?" Chloe frowned. "At this hour? That's not really… um… ethical…"

"Hahah…" Vernon found it funny when Chloe was talking about ethical stuff.

There was nothing ethical about him.

Nothing was ethical when you had to fight Vincent Gray because to beat the devil, you had to be a devil yourself.

"It was an important call. Don't worry, I've got it all sorted out," Vernon replied. "Why are you still up so late though?"

"I just finished checking Mackie's homework."

"Like a teacher?"

"Mhm…" Chloe nodded. "I always check her homework to see if she made a mistake. If she did, I usually tell her how to solve the question correctly."

Vernon felt warm in his heart. He remembered how Chloe often did the same thing when he was a child.

He was naturally gifted since he was a kid, just like his Big bro.

Some of the mistakes he made were because he didn't pay attention or was simply too lazy to study, so he wrote all the wrong answers and called it a day.

But Chloe would teach him slowly how to solve the problem. Even though he already knew how to do it, he usually pretended not to know anything, so he could spend more time with Chloe.

'She is still a great mother. Even under a series of terrible abuse from Vincent, she still takes care of her daughter meticulously….'

'How I wish I could spend more time with you for the past ten years, Chloe. I went through a lot, I feel like I could snap and go crazy at any moment.'

"Um…" Chloe lowered her head, embarrassed as she noticed that Vernon was staring at her with such a hot gaze.

It was a man's gaze toward his beloved woman, and Chloe wasn't used to it. She used to be looked down on, so she became shy when she was stared at as if she was a long-lost treasure.

"U—Um… Vernon…"

"Hm?"

"Could you not stare at me like that?"

"Like what?" Vernon raised his brow. He was just slumping on the sofa and gazing at beauty. He didn't even do anything, and Chloe looked so embarrassed and her ears turned red.

She even fidgeted uncomfortably, which Vernon found to be so cute.

"Um…" Chloe found it hard to describe the kind of stare Vernon gave her. But it was definitely a loving stare that she wasn't used to getting.

"J—Just turn around and stare at something else," Chloe said.

"What if I refuse?" Vernon chuckled. He straightened his back and then leaned closer toward Chloe until their faces were only an inch apart.

Vernon mischievously rubbed the tip of his nose against hers and said, "I can also do this if I want. Remember that taking care of my personal needs is also part of your job?"

"A—And staring at me so close is one of your personal needs?" Chloe asked. The more she talked with Vernon, the more she didn't understand him.

"Indeed, it is one of my personal needs," Vernon replied. "It makes me feel warm all around my body whenever you're within my reach. The closer you get to me, the better it feels in my heart."

He finally lowered his gaze, staring at Chloe's boobs, which looked so juicy despite the owner's thin body.

He grabbed Chloe's boobs and started fondling them gently.

"Ah! V—Vernon?!" Chloe was startled by his vulgar touch. "W—Why do you need to do that too?"

"Hm? Your tits are also one of my personal needs."