"What's my Big brother's true motive for helping Chelsea?"
…
Neither Diamond nor Vernon couldn't find any answer to that question, but Diamond had one thing she wanted to say;
"Sir, whatever the reason is, you should be careful. We don't know what Vincent Gray will do next."
"You're right, Diamond," Vernon hummed for a few seconds and said, "Continue observing Chelsea and see if my Big brother does something. Don't get discovered by him. The price of getting discovered might be our lives," Vernon warned her, knowing the full extent of Vincent's cruelty.
"Understood, Sir."
"That's all for the report? How about the dietician I asked you about before?"
"The dietician you want will be available next week, Sir," Diamond replied. She put everything in her busy schedule to ensure they had everything sorted out.
"Good," Vernon was satisfied with Diamond's work as always. He knew he wouldn't be able to manage without Diamond's help, and he had increased her salary by roughly 50%.
Though, he had guessed that wasn't enough for Diamond anymore.
Diamond had the money, but she didn't look too happy.
"Do you have any problems you want to talk about?" Vernon asked.
"Pardon, Sir?"
"You don't seem to be happy when I tell you that I'll increase your salary. Do you want a better reward for your hard work?"
…
"I do, Sir," Diamond had been holding this topic for too long. "I've been thinking about this, and I'm unsure if you have the answer already. But… Do you ever plan to marry Chloe once everything has been sorted out?"
Vernon was stunned by the question, his heartbeat started accelerating, and he looked genuinely flustered, "W—What is that question for?"
"Sir…" Diamond sighed. Her old self wouldn't dare to talk about this with her boss. But they had been getting closer in a more friendly manner after they had the same interest, which was to protect Chloe.
"My brothers are very interested in Chloe, Sir," Diamond replied. "I have two brothers, a cop and a lawyer. Both are around our age, and both have been asking me about Chloe."
"DID YOU SHOW HER PICTURE TO THEM?!" Vernon's thundering roar echoed inside his office. Vernon stood up from his chair and glared at Diamond with his hawk-like gaze.
He gritted his teeth as he didn't know that his loyal secretary could backstab him like this.
"I SWEAR, DIAMOND JOHNSON. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU IF YOU DARE TO DO SOMETHING TO MY WOMAN!"
Diamond wasn't budging even after her boss roared at her. She stood firm and replied sternly, "They saw my selfie with Chloe, Sir."
Diamond fished her phone out of her pocket and showed the selfie she had taken with her best friend.
Vernon saw the selfie and was also enamored by it.
It was just a simple selfie with Diamond making pouty lips at Chloe as if she wanted to kiss her, and Chloe smiled meekly beside her. It was like a pair of girl best friends hanging out together.
But what made the photo special was the reddish hue on Chloe's cheeks. She looked so beautiful, yet so cute and shy. It evoked a man's sense of protection, wanting to protect this woman from harm.
And Vernon got the same feeling.
"Sir, Chloe is a gorgeous woman. She might not wear anything expensive or glamorous right now, but even her face is beautiful enough to make her a top-class model," Diamond claimed. "And this comes from an ex-model who worked with many fashion editorial magazines before I decided to quit and work as a secretary."
"My brothers saw this selfie and they're both interested in her, so…" Diamond pocketed her phone and said firmly in front of her boss. "Sir, if you don't have any intention of being serious with Chloe, then I will introduce her to my brothers."
"She deserves happiness, and I guarantee that she will be happy with one of my brothers."
"Don't," Vernon replied curtly. "There is no way I'm going to let someone else touch my woman. She is mine, and I…."
Vernon gulped as he got nervous. Truthfully, he still had no idea whether he would take his relationship with Chloe to the wedding altar.
But not because he didn't want to marry her. He was unsure if Chloe would accept another man as her husband, knowing how traumatized she was by her first marriage.
'But I have to claim her first before someone else claims her,' Vernon thought. Thus, he declared, "I will… m—mar—ry—"
Knock. Knock.
Vernon and Diamond darted their eyes at the door instantly.
Knock. Knock.
"Um… Vernon? Diamond? Are you there?" Chloe asked from outside. She had just arrived and remembered Vernon said he had a morning meeting.
So she thought the office was empty.
Diamond and Vernon gave each other a side glance, and Diamond stated in a low voice, "Sir, I am not going to introduce her to my brothers. But please be serious with her, okay? She deserves to be happy."
Vernon thought that his loyalty was being questioned, which actually infuriated him.
He clicked his tongue and retorted, "Mind your own business. This is about Chloe and I, so it's up to us in the end."
"It's also up to me to introduce her to my brothers. Pretty sure she'd love to have a man without anger issues."
"YOU DARE—"
"Yes, girl! We're inside! You can come in!" Diamond quickly called her homegirl to shield herself from her boss' rage. Chloe opened the door and was surprised by the stacks of documents on Vernon's desk.
"S—Sorry, did I come at the wrong time?"
"No, gurl, we've just finished the work report," Diamond smiled and glanced at her boss, "Right, Boss?"
"Uh… huh, yeah," Vernon confirmed. He tried to smile and make it natural but couldn't because he was still angry at Diamond, who dared to threaten him.
"Okay, um…" Chloe glanced at Vernon for a second before focusing all her attention on Diamond. "If you're not busy, can I talk to you for a moment, Diamond?"