hapter 109
Chapter 109
Jan strode up to Edward, grabbed Chloe by the wrist, and hauled her to her feet.
“Grandpa, I’m standing by Andrea–I’ll never agree to a divorce?” lan declared.
Miranda jumped in, her voice sharp, “If you’re really taking Andrea and her son’s side, then you have t divorce Chloe!”
Jan’s emotions were starting to get the better of him. “Mom!”
Andrea lowered her head, awkwardness written all over her face.
Ian couldn’t shake the guilt he felt toward her; standing up for Andrea was his way of making sure Edward wouldn’t hurt her again like he had six years ago,
But his heart belonged to Chloe–no amount of pressure from everyone else could force him to let her
go
Andrea couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine.
She was glad, honestly, that when Chloe asked her earlier, she hadn’t blurted out her real feelings for lan or admitted she wanted to be with him.
Otherwise, even if that stubborn old Edward actually cut her some slack, Ian would have frozen her out completely–no way he’d ever take her back.
Edward didn’t mince words. “Ian, you’re the Hunter Heir. Andrea’s always stirring up trouble, and Chloe’s just not cut out for the role of Mrs. Hamilton–she’s too soft, too naive. She’ll never be able to hold that position.”
Ian stood his ground. “Grandpa, Andrea’s innocent. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me–just let her go
Miranda shot back, “Andrea’s innocent? And what about Chloe? Isn’t she innocent too?”
Edward pressed on, “If you really want to protect Andrea and her son, then you need to divorce Chloe and marry a proper heiress from a good family.”
Ian blurted out, “No matter what you say, I’m not divorcing Chloe!”
Andrea kept her head down, fists clenched so hard at her sides her knuckles went white.
‘Why does it always have to be me?‘ Andrea grumbled to herself, frustration simmering beneath her calm.
‘Why should I always get the short end of the stick–even if lan remarried me, I’d still have to be the one in the shadows?‘ she fumed, her resentment building.
‘And how dare that old fossil humiliate me like this?‘ Andrea seethed, barely able to hold it all in.
After going over everything in her mind, Andrea finally found the courage to step forward.
She said, “Edward, please don’t worry. Yes, Ian and I have a child, but I’ve never wanted to get back together
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with him. The only reason I’m here is my child. Tonight, everything was my fault–if you think I should be punished, I’ll accept it without complaint.”
Chloe closed her eyes, exhaustion washing over her.
lan was putting it all on the line for Andrea, but she didn’t even have the nerve to respond.
Looks like I’ll have to come up with another plan, Chloe thought to herself.
Edward shot a look at Thomas, and the butler quickly motioned for several bodyguards to come forward
“Dump Andrea on the island,” Edward barked.
As soon as his words landed, a bunch of bodyguards rushed in. Scared out of her wits, Andrea nearly tripped over herself scrambling behind Ian.
Ian stepped protectively in front of her and warned, “Grandpa, don’t push me, or I won’t hold back.”
Edward scoffed. “Useless brat!”
Chloe saw Ian about to get into a fight with the manor bodyguards and acted instantly–without a second thought, she slipped in front of him, shielding him from harm.
Now it was obvious: if she really wanted to break things off with Ian, she’d have to prove to Andrea she was truly sincere–maybe even team up with her.
Chloe urged Ian and Andrea toward the exit. “You two go–I’ll hold back the guards!”
Ian glared at Chloe, his eyes stormy with suspicion and fury, barely able to hold back his frustration.
He snapped, “Chloe, I don’t care what game you’re playing–you’re leaving the manor with me. Now!”
Chloe stood her ground at the living room door, using her own body to keep lan and Andrea separated outside and block anyone from getting through.
She said, “I promised you when we came here–I wouldn’t let the woman you care about get hurt. I meant every word.”
Chloe and Ian locked eyes for a long moment, then she closed the door, leaving lan and Andrea on the other side.
“Chloe!” Ian barked, his anger cutting through the tense air.
He grabbed for the handle, rattling it hard–only to find the door firmly locked from the inside.
Watching Ian flip out, yelling Chloe’s name and slamming his body against the door over and over, Andrea was losing it—she was panicked, jealousy gnawing at her.
She broke down in tears, desperately trying to stop him. “Ian, your mom and sister treat Chloe so well- nothing’s gonna happen to her with them around. Your grandpa’s coming for me. He wants me dead!”
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Andrea sobbed even harder, her voice trembling. “I don’t want to get dumped on that island! My little boy’s still at home waiting for me–please, Jan, just take me back, okay?”
But lan didn’t budge, so Andrea just dropped to her knees right in front of him. “Tan, do you really want to we me die here in your family’s house? Please–I’m begging you, I’m really scared…”
Andrea’s cries and desperate begging finally brought lan back to his senses.
lan realized Andrea was right–with his mom on Chloe’s side, nothing would happen to her.
To be on the safe side, lan thought, he needed to get Andrea out of here first.
Ian reached down and pulled Andrea to her feet. “Let’s go, I’ll get you home.”
Ian drove Andrea to the entrance of her rented apartment complex.
Seeing that Ian had stopped at the gate and wasn’t coming in, Andrea hesitated, then slowly unbuckled her seatbelt.
With one hand on the door handle, Andrea turned to look at Ian.
She said, “Ian, it really was my fault tonight—I dragged you right into all this mess. Next time, I’ll buy Chloe a new outfit and apologize to her face–to–face.”
Ian seemed totally spaced out, barely even present.
He kept yanking at his shirt collar in frustration. “Just toss the clothes, okay? I’ll handle things with Chloe- you don’t need to stress about it.”
Andrea glanced away nervously. “Seriously, it’s not right. I borrowed Chloe’s clothes–it was my mistake, and she didn’t give me a hard time. She even spoke up for me. I owe her a proper apology.”
Ian could barely breathe, so he cracked open both windows and let the cool night air fill the car.
Andrea saw him like this and simply shot him a glance before quietly slipping out of the car.
Before she left, she made sure to add with a half–smile, “lan, you know, I’ve figured out your wife is honestly amazing. Women are pretty easy to cheer up, really–just stop acting so stiff all the time. Go spoil her a bit and show some genuine care, okay? Chloe’s probably home by now. You’d better hurry back and check in on her.”
Ian looked at Andrea, his expression complicated and difficult to read.
He said, “Everything I said tonight was just to stop Grandpa from putting you and your son through any more pain. Don’t let it bother you.”
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