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
When Grace dropped Ava off, she also brought a heap of groceries. There was wine, fresh seafood, and many other things. She had put a lot of thought into the gesture, but I thought little it. After all, it was my money being spent, so I was not feeling particularly grateful. Even now, eighty percent of Tanum Corporation's customers were the ones I had pulled in the early days. It wasn't an exaggeration. I suspected that there was going to be a celebration here tonight.As soon as Ava returned, she rushed into the room and chattered away. She told me how much she missed her grandma. I knew she was trying to cheer me up.My mother-in-law was busy outside, and Henry had been here since the afternoon. I haven't had a good impression of my father-in-law since that day.Today, Matthew got off work early, but Melanie was nowhere to be seen.At the dinner table, Matthew smiled and said our anniversary banquet would be on Friday at the Feusaka Hotel. However, I kept silent and allowed t
To my surprise, I saw that tall figure standing out in the crowd. My heart raced, yet I wanted to avoid him. I felt too embarrassed to face him in such a setting.Matthew spotted Atlas as he entered. He rushed to greet him since today's event was to impress Atlas. I had not seen Nick, but I knew Matthew was anticipating Atlas’s attendance more.They exchanged a handshake. Despite Matthew's courteous words, Atlas maintained his composure. One of Atlas's attendants handed me a gift, but he didn’t pretend to offer congratulatory remarks.Honestly, it made me quite comfortable.Everything was transparent with Atlas. I imagined it would be awkward to put on an act with him. Matthew and Atlas exchanged polite pleasantries while I stood on the sidelines. Someone gently linked their arm with mine. A tender voice inquired, "Chlo, who is this gentleman?"I was taken aback, turning to find Melanie's smiling face. I had never seen such a shameless smile before.Seeing me unresponsive, Matt