?


    "O—Okay, I will listen to you…" Chloe nodded obediently. "Just please, don''t cry anymore, okay? I can''t see you cry, Vernon. It hurts me as well…."


    Vernon nodded and gave Chloe a kiss on the lips before letting her go, much to Chloe''s embarrassment.


    "W—Well, I''ll go to Mackie now," Chloe said. She hurriedly got up and went downstairs, feeling weird that she had to agree to Vernon''s request without much fight.


    Honestly, she was ready to argue with Vernon for the whole day because she didn''t want Vernon to be too obvious with his protection. What if the supposedly secret visit to see Judith''s body turned into a chaotic mess because Vernon''s bodyguards attracted too much attention?


    ''I just think that sometimes Vernon can be too paranoid…'' Chloe thought.


    She sighed as she walked to Mackie''s bedroom door, "Well, now that I''ve said yes, I guess it can''t be helped. I just hope nothing bad will happen."


    **


    Vernon took a deep breath as he stared at the bathroom mirror after washing his face. His eyes were red and puffy because he cried nonstop in front of Chloe.


    Honestly, he disliked showing weakness, especially in front of the woman he was supposed to protect.


    He wanted to be the fortress that would never crumble forever, so Chloe would always lean on him no matter what.


    But when he realized how awfully stubborn Chloe could be, he knew he had to take extreme measures to coax her to give up her stubbornness.


    ''Well, I know that Chloe is weak to tears. If Dorothea can soften Chloe''s heart with her tears, I can do that as well,'' Vernon thought as he shaved his stubble. ''Though, it''s really unpleasant to do. It makes me feel unworthy to call myself a fortress that will protect her.''


    ''But in the end, I get what I want. Chloe''s agreement to send four bodyguards to surround her all the time during that hospital visit, and I get to watch from outside. It''s still far from my ideal protection because I want the hospital to be cleared out with at least twenty bodyguards around her, but I guess it can''t be helped,'' Vernon had a proud grin as he finished his shaving. "This is about Chloe and Mackie''s safety, I don''t care if I have to act pitiful as long as they are safe."


    **


    Vernon entered his office around ten in the morning. He was greeted by Diamond, whose face was stern and serious, indicating that something bad had just happened.


    "What''s wrong?" Vernon asked as he sat in his chair.


    Diamond stood across the desk and replied, "Sir, what did you do to Vincent Gray yesterday?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "… I pushed him to the ss table until it broke and the ss shard scattered around him. Then I stomped him with my shoes, making sure those ss shards dig inside his body," Vernon replied coldly. He had no intention of hiding it because it seemed that Diamond was already dealing with the consequence. "Did that bastard do something to you?"


    Diamond sighed. She knew there''d be a day when her boss finally showed his true self in front of Vincent.


    But she didn''t expect it to be so early, "Sir, based on my calction. You are equal to him in terms of business partners, influence, and worth, with only a slight advantage for reputation because Graypany has been suffering a lot from bad press these days," Diamond said. "Isn''t it a bit too early for you to reveal your true face, Sir?"


    Diamond didn''t exactly know all of her boss'' ns because he kept them hidden most of the time unless the n included Diamond as well.


    So she had to make sure that nothing was out of her calction.


    ραпdα---n?νa| сom "It is indeed too early," Vernon said. "But that doesn''t mean we''repletely screwed, Diamond. That just means we will have to be extra careful because we''ll have to cut contact with Vincent''spanypletely."


    "What makes you act so rashly, Sir?"


    "… he wanted to p me for being a disobedient dog. He just wants to vent his frustration on me since the advertisement guarantees total failure for his new makeup brand," Vernon said. "I won''t take a beating from a weak man who can only beat women like him. Besides, I know that his position is already shaky, it''s a good reality p for him so he knows he''s not God."


    "I see…" Diamond understood that her boss'' reaction was humane. Nobody wanted to be beaten, let alone by a coward who hid behind his status like Vincent. "Then, what will you do next, Sir? I assume that you have some sort of n, right?"


    "I do," Vernon smirked. "Chloe told mest night that two days from now, the police would announce the case to the public. They have been dying the announcement for a while because it is a gruesome murder case that indirectly involves Vincent Gray, a powerful businessman with a lot of connections."


    "Chloe suggests that I send as many paparazzi and news reporters to the police department right on that day. She told me that the police might not be able to put Vincent to trial because theycked evidence, especially with Chelsea''s sanity, it''s hard to take the word of a madwoman seriously. But Chelsea''s reputation as the female Joker alongside her im about Vincent being her future husband would bring bad press to Vincent and the Gray family."


    "With this, Vincent''s position in his ownpany would be unstable, and the board directors and investors probably would demand him to step down from the position as CEO because of his smeared reputation," Vernon said.


    Diamond''s jaw dropped as Vernon retold the idea that Chloe had.


    "Wow, did Chloe n this by herself?" She asked.


    "Yes, she said that she already nted the seed of suspicion in the Officer''s mind, so he will always be on watch against Vincent and hisckeys, making it hard for Vincent to manipte the oue of the investigation."