Vernon grinned proudly, "But of course! Now we've solved the food problem. I will cook, and your Mommy will be the one who tells me what to do, so we can still eat her cooking even when she can't cook for a while!"
"Yay! Finally, I can eat Mommy's food again!" Mackie chirped.
Chloe watched how Vernon and Mackie rejoiced over such a trivial thing. She didn't expect such a simple thing as homemade food could affect them greatly.
'Maybe I've underestimated myself...' Chloe thought. 'Maybe I do have a role in this family.'
Vernon carried the quesadilla plate to the dining table, followed by Mackie, who couldn't wait to eat more.
But they stopped halfway when they realized that Chloe wasn't following.
Vernon and Mackie turned their heads at the same time, staring at Chloe, and asked;
"What are you doing standing there? Come, let's eat."
"Un! Let's eat, Mommy. I'm starving!"
"Ah--" Chloe snapped out of her daze and smiled at them. "Yes, let's eat. I'm also hungry."
Thus, Chloe joined them at the dining table, eating the food Vernon made under Chloe's tutoring. Chloe felt so happy and relaxed for the first time that she ate a lot of quesadillas today.
**
Diamond was busy watching Netflix at home when she got a call from a private number.
Of course, she knew who this person was. So she picked it up without hesitation;
-
"Hello?"
"Good evening, Miss. I have all the information you need about Miss Shailene Walsh," the man with a heavy voice said on the phone.
"Mhm, tell me," Diamond instructed. She had to thank her boss for allowing her to use this informant to investigate Shailene. He was very effective in doing his job.
"Shailene Walsh has one very important client, and that is Mrs. Dorothea Gray," the informant said. "Mrs. Dorothea Gray paid her at least ten thousand dollars per session, though it doesn't seem to help."
"As expected," Diamond murmured.
She was wondering about Dorothea because Diamond believed the old woman couldn't get that kind of information without any insider information. And the only ones knowing about Vernon and Chloe's relationship and Chloe's true identity as Vincent's wife were only her and Shailene, Vernon's temporary psychologist.
This information was important, but she needed something more to catch that bitch off guard, "Do you have any additional information?" she asked. "You know having Dorothea's identity as Shailene's main client isn't going to change things, right?"
"Yes, Miss. I've gathered one more piece of information that will ruin her career. I'd like you to read it by yourself. I put the document under your parked car," the informant said.
"Good, my boss will send you the money as always," Diamond said.
"Understood, thank you for the business, Miss."
Beep.
--
Diamond tossed her phone on the sofa. Two weeks had passed since the day Diamond started investigating Shailene. She had obtained all the information needed, including Dorothea's identity as the main client.
But she needed stuff that would actually screw the crap out of her.
"Well, let's hope this information he got is good," Diamond murmured. She grabbed her sweater and went to the basement, where her car was parked.
She walked to her car and crouched. She grabbed a file under her car and entered the car to read the document. She couldn't wait to read what kind of secret that manipulative bitch had.
"Alright, now, let's see," Diamond murmured as she unwrapped the file. She had no expectations since Shailene seemed to be a good psychologist who handled many important women.
But when she read the document, Diamond's hand suddenly trembled. She clenched the paper until it was crumpled around the corner.
"Wow, what an ass," Diamond cursed. "I know she is already a despicable woman for telling Dorothea about Vernon and Chloe. But I never expected her to be THIS despicable."
Diamond gritted her teeth. She couldn't wait to face that woman and tear her apart.
But she had to wait patiently because she didn't want to ruin her plan.
"Heh, things just get even more personal now," Diamond said. "I won't let here ruin people's life for the third time."
**
Shailene sighed as she took off her glasses. It was a busy day today. She had three clients with severe problems.
But none of that mattered much because she still hadn't seen her biggest client entered the door.
"Where is Dorothea now? Don't tell me that Vernon killed her after a confrontation?" Shailene guessed. "Ah, I don't think Dorothea is that stupid. She can always tell Vincent about this, and Vincent will do the stuff to ruin Vernon and Chloe's life. So Vernon will know that Chloe is just a misfortune brought into his life."
Shailene still thought Chloe was behind all the misfortune befalling the Gray family.
Dorothea and Vincent had gone crazy after Chloe was married into the family. Vernon insisted that Dorothea and Vincent had been crazy since the start, but Shailene didn't believe that.
"How can I believe him when he was being groomed by that bitch?" Shailene said. "I feel bad for Vernon, honestly. A perfectly good man, getting groomed by a manipulative, poor woman who just wants to climb the social ladder."
Shailene couldn't help but imagine, "If only I had access to Vernon when he was young. I would be a much better person than Chloe, and Vernon will get obsessed with me instead."
"But I can't rewind time. I just hope there's news from Dorothea, and Vernon will get separated from that manipulative bitch," Shailene wished. "He must know that I'm the one who cares so much about him. He won't find a better partner than I am."
Shailene spent her evening thinking about Vernon when she suddenly got a call from an unknown number;
Shailene didn't think much about it and picked it up;
--
"Good evening, Dr. Shailene Walsh, Ph.D. here," Shailene opened with her title to make sure the one calling her wasn't some random person.
"Hello, Dr. Walsh," the voice from the other side sounded calm but somehow mysterious. "My name is Diamond Johnson, I want to set up a meeting."
--