章節 14: Chapter 14

"I thought my secretary told you to sit down and wait, Sister-in-law."

Chloe heard a voice from behind. She turned her head and froze on the spot when she saw Vernon Phoenix Gray standing at the opened door.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Vernon. I was just… just…." Chloe got tongue-tied now as she got nervous. She was unsure on how to make it less awkward as Vernon caught her prying around the room, even wanting to check a door.

Vernon looked at her with a smile, but his eyes were dangerously staring at Chloe, making sure that Chloe didn't move an inch from her position, "Sit down, and I will talk to you."

"Y—Yes!" Chloe reacted spontaneously. She sat on the seat again and heard Vernon's steady footsteps as he walked past her. Vernon sat on the opposite seat, only a few inches away from hers.

He leaned on the backrest and crossed his legs as he stared at Chloe with his brooding gaze, a gaze that made Chloe feel even more nervous than before.

Vernon was still in his suit, with his short hair combed to the back. He was wearing rimless glasses at work. Vernon still had a thin smile as he opened his mouth, "I'm glad that you called, Sister-in-law. It's been a long time since we talked, right?"

"Y—You can call me by my name…." Chloe requested as she felt awkward when Vernon continuously called her sister-in-law.

They hadn't been in contact for years, more than ten years, in fact. So it felt a bit awkward for him to keep addressing her as sister-in-law.

Other than that, Chloe wouldn't be his Sister-in-law after she divorced Vincent.

"No, I like to call you sister-in-law. It reminds me that you're married to my brother," Vernon replied. His thin smile disappeared for a split second before he smiled again, but his eyes darkened as he mentioned 'marriage.'

Chloe felt uncomfortable talking about her marriage. She wanted to say that she was already in the divorce process with Vincent.

'But I am going to ask for a job from Vernon, which is Vincent's little brother. Would he give me a job if he knows that I'm going to leave Vincent?'

Chloe started weighing the pros and cons of her decision and decided not to tell Vernon about it.

She needed a job badly. She didn't care whether Vernon would fire her after knowing the truth. At least she could save a lot of money before that happened.

But of course, she had to play it safe, making sure that Vernon wouldn't notice her desperation too quickly. Maybe a little chitchat would help.

"Vernon, you were like… a teenager when the last time I saw you before you left? Maybe you're around thirteen to fourteen years old? Look at how you've grown to be such a dashing man!" Chloe praised Vernon, hoping that would make the CEO relax a bit.

But Vernon didn't react much. He only grinned and replied, "Do I look handsome and big now?"

"U—uh, yea, you're a big man now, hahaha…" Chloe laughed awkwardly. She felt that Vernon's eyes were too focused on her and her body, making her nervous and self-conscious. She looked down to avoid his gaze and checked on her appearance.

'Did I wear the wrong outfit? No, I'm wearing a tucked striped long shirt and jeans. It shouldn't be too shabby.'

'Maybe he thought that I'm too old or ugly to work here. He is Vincent's brother, so he must be judging me from my body right now, just like Vincent usually did.'

"I'm a big man, indeed," Vernon finally relaxed. "Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

"Ah, I just want to catch up—"

"Catch up? You come here only for chatting? Both of us know that you have a more urgent matter, right?" Vernon said. Chloe raised her head immediately and saw Vernon smiling meaningfully at her. "I mean, it's just a little illogical that you would call your estranged brother-in-law just to chat, right? I gave you my business card in case you need help."

Her breath stiffened for a few seconds. She really thought that Vernon already knew about the whole thing. But he made sense because Vernon was seriously estranged from his family, let alone with a mere in-law like Chloe.

To come here only for chitchat sounded stupid.

"Don't worry. I'm always open to listen to your request. We're a family, after all," Vernon assured.

Vernon was right. She had to strike while the iron was hot. Vernon seemed to be more reasonable than Vincent. Surely, he would help, right?

Chloe took a deep breath, prepared herself, and uttered her real reason, "I… I need a job."