She was simply intolerable and seemed a lot like the devil. It left me deeply unsettled."Secrets? Why would someone as shameless as you still have secrets?”"Chloe, I know you're a smart woman. I’ve sent you many lovely photos, but you’ve ignored them. Why are you still pretending to be clueless in front of my brother? Are you afraid of leaving him?" She sipped her drink and grinned impishly.I was on the verge of breaking. This devil was hard to control."Come on, have a drink to calm your nerves!" She urged me with a smirk, seeing that I was still guarded. "Are you afraid of me? It's just a bottle of wine. I'm drinking it myself, so what's there to be scared of?"She looked at me mockingly when I remained unresponsive. "Well, suit yourself!"Then she leaned in closer and said, "Did you know? Matt and I had our first time right here."My brain buzzed. I had often wondered how they got involved, but Melanie's answer was too much to accept.While my body shook violently, my ear

I struggled to get up, but the men held me down. I fought them desperately, but the more I struggled, the weaker I felt. Giant, grimy hands reached out and ripped my t-shirt.My body trembled, and I cried in despair, "Get away... Help me..."Although I screamed, I was too drained to resist. The men were like savage wolves, and they ignored my pleas.One large man had already undone my jeans, and another was pulling them down.Suddenly, the door burst open with a deafening crash. I knew someone had arrived. Desperately, I cried, “Help me…”There was another loud noise, as if the entire room were shaking. "Let go of me... Help!" I screamed as I clawed at the hands holding me.Then, I heard a voice."Chloe, don't be scared. It's me!" Strong arms enveloped me, offering solace. I sobbed, and the familiar voice whispered, "Don't be afraid. I’m here!"I clung to him, feverishly whispering, "Hold me. Please don’t leave..."Atlas quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around me.

I was finally done with my IV drip. However, before I could ask Atlas to head back, Ivanna burst into the room. "Chlo, what's going on..."Her words trailed off as she noticed Atlas in the room. She fixed her gaze intensely on him with a strange look.I could tell what she was thinking, so I quickly changed the topic. "Why’d you come back so quickly?"Atlas replied instead, “When you were unconscious, she called to check on you out of concern. I told her you were indeed in trouble.”"So, you're the one who answered the call!" Ivanna looked at him with curiosity. "Can you tell me who you are?"I blushed as I briefly introduced Atlas to Ivanna. They exchanged polite handshakes, and Ivanna asked, "Is that his jacket?"I nodded silently.Then I turned to Atlas and told him Ivanna would take me back. Atlas gave me some instructions before we left the hospital room.Ivanna started questioning me about the whole incident. After I told the story, Ivanna was furious and asked why I ha

Matthew had a hunch that something was about to go down. He looked at me coldly and asked, "Honey, what are you doing?"I looked at Matthew and said, "What do you mean? You'll find out once Melanie arrives. It's not me causing trouble. It's her."Matthew sensed my determination and turned to Ivanna. "What's going on here?"Ivanna stood behind me with her arms crossed. She replied, "You're asking me? Maybe you should ask your dear sister when she gets here."The atmosphere in the office became extremely awkward. It was clear that I was an unwelcome guest.Just then, Melanie strolled into the room. When she noticed the crowd in the office, she froze and glared at me. "Chloe, what are you up to? What's all this about?"I wished I could tear Melanie apart when she pretended nothing had happened. I locked eyes with her and said, "You've done something extraordinary, and I'm here to note your achievements. Are you scared now?"“Scared? Why would I be?" Melanie rolled her eyes.She qu

I had to keep Johnson here. He was my ace in the hole.As for why I didn't insist on keeping everyone else, I wanted to leave myself an escape route. I wanted Matthew to reconsider his actions without pushing him to the point of no return.To my surprise, the next person to speak up was Henry, Matthew's father."Why bring this mess into the office? Can't it be discussed at home? It seems like people have lost their sense of decorum," Henry said in a commanding tone, his nose in the air.I spoke respectfully but firmly, "Dad, is that directed at me? You'll see soon enough if I have 'decorum.' But you should listen and watch closely. Who lacks decorum here?"Matthew immediately grew uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because I had never spoken like this since joining the Murphy family. They were used to my soft-spokenness.I stood up and said, "Matthew, are you accustomed to my mild nature? Do you think I'm a pushover? Do you think you can take advantage of me wherever you please?"My

Melanie’s words displeased Matthew. He glared at me, asking, “What else do you want to say?”"Your sister knows it, and I bet you do too!" I looked firmly at him. "When you engage in such disgraceful activities, it's only a matter of time before it comes to light. You should have prepared yourself for this."I didn’t expect Melanie to still be there when Atlas rescued me.Grace sensed the tension and looked at me. “Chlo, don’t be upset. Did she provoke you again? She’s such a stubborn child.”Henry, who had always spoiled Melanie, yelled at Grace, “Why are you talking about our daughter like that?! You don’t know what happened, so stop making such accusations. Chloe’s a married woman, but why is she fooling around instead of staying home?”Henry smirked, thinking I was the one being unreasonable. I thought Melanie might not have fallen so low if he hadn’t pampered her so much.“Hmph, like father, like daughter. She’s a mess now because of you,” I said, “Before you comment on othe

The voices in the recording were clear and had no background noise, recounting the scene inside the bar. Melanie’s laughter echoed through the office, and her every word caught everyone’s attention.Meanwhile, I focused on Matthew’s expression.Melanie’s words became increasingly unbearable as the recording continued. Although I knew the contents of the recording, hearing it again sent shivers down my spine. I was heartbroken as tears streamed down my face.“You set me up, Chloe! I’m going to kill you!” Melanie was shocked but quickly retaliated.However, Ivanna had prepared for her reaction. She kicked Melanie and sent her flying to the couch. Melanie’s eyes were bloodshot as she grabbed an ashtray from the table and threw it at me.I turned away, and the crystal ashtray crashed onto the floor, shattering into pieces. Everyone else in the room froze and gasped.Matthew stared at me and gulped. He avoided my gaze, not daring to look back at me. Suddenly, he stepped forward and re

I gazed at her calmly and responded. "You should probably ask your brother that.”"What do you mean? Don't try to play games with me," Melanie retorted in frustration.Johnson interjected and told me, "Ms. Chloe, calm down.”I understood he was worried I might lose it and reveal too much information. Still, would I need to sell him out to expose those two idiots?I glanced at Johnson, then stepped forward to lock eyes with Melanie. I questioned her, "Remember when I was alone at the airport on that rainy night? Wasn't he sleeping with you on my bed?"When Ava was in the hospital with a high fever, he didn’t leave us a single cent but was having sex with you at a hotel in Operose. Do you remember those photos you sent me, Melanie?”Melanie looked at me helplessly as her confidence faded.I sarcastically continued, “Perhaps you two have slept together too often that you’re unsure which pictures I’m referring to. Is that it? To secure ATL Empire’s project for Tanum Corporation, I m

Matthew’s scream echoed through the room. Before I could turn, a tall figure blocked my path and kneeled before me with a loud thud. “Chloe, please don’t leave! I was a fool for doing all those things.”Matthew grabbed my hand and looked at me guiltily. “Honey, please forgive me!”He slapped himself and added, “I-I’ll change! I won’t repeat those stupid mistakes. Let’s start over!” Melanie rushed over and pulled his arm, saying, “Matt, what are you saying? You promised you’d divorce her once we secure ATL Empire’s project. You told me you never loved her, right? You only married her for our family’s future. Since she knows everything, there’s nothing to fear.”I glared at Melanie and asked Matthew, “Is that what you said?”“Don’t listen to her nonsense! I won’t leave you. We still have Ava,” Matthew desperately pleaded, “You and Ava are my family. Let’s start over!”"Matt, what are you afraid of?" Melanie asked while looking at him. "Can you honestly say you don't want me anymor

Meanwhile, Lauren, who had remained silent since the scandal broke out, began her counterattack. First, she exposed the fake financial verification certificate Matthew made. Then, she revealed Melanie’s secrets and exposed her questionable actions and my messy private life.Matthew desperately tried to cover up the truth. With only two days remaining before the contract signing with ATL Empire, he had no intention of fulfilling my demands.On Monday, he received an email from ATL Empire postponing the contract signing. He was shocked and anxious when he realized the lucrative deal was slipping away. He was absent-minded when he visited me at the hospital.I told him to arrange my discharge because I wanted to go home. I didn’t want Ava to spend all day with the Murphys, either. I couldn’t forget Melanie telling me that the Murphys only cared about sons compared to daughters. I would only feel at ease with Ava beside me.Before Matthew completed my discharge paperwork, Johnson arriv