Chapter 128
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Before anyone could react, lan slipped the thing into his pocket.
Chloe was completely dumbfounded.
All that work for this?‘ Chloe thought, unable to believe it.
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Andrea was scared out of her wits; her face went pale, and she was shaking, totally clueless about what to do
next.
Mia pointed at Andrea and started yelling, “You bitch, what were you trying to put in my brother’s drink?”
Andrea, humiliated and exposed in front of everyone, shot Chloe a desperate look for help.
Chloe quickly jumped in and tried to defuse the situation. “Mia, wait, you got it wrong. That was mine–I dropped it by accident,” she insisted.
Ian’s friends were all there.
No matter what, Chloe had to keep up Andrea’s good–girl act.
She couldn’t let Ian’s perfect image of Andrea get ruined.
Mia shot Chloe a look and demanded, “Chloe, why are you defending her?”
Mia pressed on, her tone unwavering, “I saw her with my own eyes trying to spike Ian’s drink. Just have Ian empty his pockets and we’ll know for sure.”
Patrick was the first to react. He pulled Mia to the side and said quietly, “You know Andrea’s the mother of Ian’s kid. Just let Ian save a little face, okay?”
Seeing Mia finally calm down thanks to Patrick, Chloe let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But when Chloe turned and saw Andrea just frozen there, not moving an inch, she couldn’t help but feel exhausted all over again. ‘Does she have to make things more awkward?‘ Chloe thought to herself.
Chloe quietly reminded Andrea, “Hey, didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well just now?”
Andrea, jolted by Chloe’s prompt, instantly nodded, trying to go along with her.
Andrea glanced nervously at Jan and spoke, voice barely above a whisper, “lan, I’m feeling a bit under the weather… Could you maybe drive me home?” Her tone was hesitant, clearly testing the waters.
Everyone could tell what she was getting at–asking someone else’s husband to take her home right in front of his wife was as obvious as it gets.
But lan just nodded, like it was no big deal.
He shot Chloe a quick look, then turned to Andrea and said, “Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.”
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Chapter 128
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Mia was about to blow up, but Patrick grabbed her and dragged her back, stopping her before she could make
a scene.
Chloe watched Ian and Andrea walk out of the private room, her face blank, not a hint of emotion in her eyes.
Just a little while ago, Ian had promised her he’d send Andrea and her kid away, that he wanted to be with her for real.
But now, with everyone watching, he dropped the act completely.
Chloe just wished they’d keep pushing forward and finally get together for real, so all her efforts wouldn’t end up meaningless.
Arthur gave Chloe a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Let me take you home later, alright?”
Chloe grinned and nodded. “You finished four bottles of Andrea’s favorite yoghurt today–so from now on, no calling her ugly!”
Arthur scrunched up his face in disgust. “I got that yoghurt from you, not her. What does she have to do with it, anyway?”
Chloe just stared, speechless.
‘Whatever,‘ Chloe thought.
Arthur was the type who’d never let a free meal or a favor make him soft–he’d still trash–talk you no matter what.
Patrick, worried Chloe might be feeling down, decided to call it a night early.
He rounded up Mia, Chloe, and Arthur, and the four of them headed out for some late–night snacks together.
Just around the same time, on a street near the Royal Court Club, a sleek black Bentley eased into a temporary spot by the curb.
Andrea sat stiff in the plush back seat, drenched in cold sweat from sheer nerves.
Not waiting for lan to say anything, she spoke up first, voice trembling, “Ian, I’m sorry. I really should’ve told you about this a long time ago.”
Feeling the tense silence pressing down on her, Andrea nervously grabbed her phone and opened her chat with Chloe.
Andrea pressed, her voice trembling, “Look, these are the texts Chloe sent me. That packet of pills? Chloe gave it to me, too. She threatened me–said if I didn’t spike your drink, Edward would dump me on some island and leave me stranded!”
Jan rolled down the window a bit and lit up a cigarette.
He leaned his head back against the headrest, eyes half–closed, smoking in silence.
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Chapter 128
The quieter lan was, the more Andrea’s nerves frayed.
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She stammered, “Ian, I promise, I never intended to put anything in your drink! I just wanted to find the right. time to tell you everything.”
Andrea continued, “Honestly, I have no clue what Chloe’s really up to. I was afraid telling you might ruin things between you and her, so I held back and thought I’d wait to see how it played out. I never expected Mia to catch me with that stuff and misunderstand everything.”
Ian flicked the ash out the window, not even bothering to look at her.
He said, “I’ve got stuff to do. Just call a cab and head home.”
Andrea, relieved it was finally over, scrambled out of the car without another word.
It was almost midnight when Patrick gave Mia a ride home.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Chloe walked back together.
When the elevator doors opened, Arthur looked at Chloe and said, half–jokingly, “If you guys end up fighting later, call me—I’ll come over and back you up, teach him a lesson.”
Chloe just rolled her eyes at him.
Ever since Chloe had known Ian, the only times he’d ever really flipped out were because of some drama between Andrea and his grandpa.
When it came to Chloe, Ian never bothered arguing or raising his voice. Physical confrontation? Forget it. He just hit her with that classic stone–cold attitude–emotional shutdown every single time.
Honestly, Arthur was a walking disaster when it came to trust.
He’d promised her he could crack Ian’s computer without getting caught.
But the very next day, Ian was already grilling her about it.
And now, tonight, the whole mess about spiking lan’s drink had blown up in everyone’s faces.
Just like they’d agreed, Andrea was going to pin everything on her.
With the pills in Jan’s pocket, there was no way she could talk her way out of this.
At this point, all she could do was come clean.
Worst case, they’d fight, then go back to ignoring each other.
Honestly, she couldn’t stand living like this for another day.
Chloe stepped into her apartment and noticed the lights were still on.
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Chapter 128
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She took off her coat, set down her bag, slipped into her slippers, and walked in from the entryway–spotting Ian standing over by the coffee machine.
Dressed in a dark bathrobe and holding a glass of water, he was just standing there, silently staring at her.
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