Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 268

Chapter 268

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“I’m going to kill that bastard.” Back when it all went down, Chloe, losing control, had spat out those harsh

words.

Ian had actually seemed to go along with her. He said, “We’ll make him pay.”

Chloe’s heart jumped into her throat, her mind spinning into utter chaos. She cast Philip a cautious glance. “How did Dustin die?”

Philip crouched down by her bedside. “Not long after Dustin was moved into the ward, Mr. Hamilton and Sir Julian went in, one after the other, to visit him.

“About half an hour after they left together, the doctors announced that his condition had suddenly worsened, and he couldn’t be saved.”

Chloe looked away, doing her best to hide the panic and fear swirling inside her. She was determined to keep moving forward, refusing to look back, but it wasn’t like she wanted lan to end up in trouble.

Philip’s voice was gentle and reassuring. “Even if every one of your worries turns out to be true, I’ve got your back. Don’t worry.”

Chloe looked at Philip, honestly at a loss for words. After Philip left, she called Julian, hearing the sound of poker chips and laughter in the background.

Julian reassured her. “Don’t worry, Chloe. My car’s fully insured, and I was just driving like normal when everything happened. Dustin’s health was always fragile. His luck ran out, that’s all. None of this was anyone else’s fault.”

After the call ended, Chloe kept trying to convince herself it was all okay, but she just couldn’t settle down inside. She paced her room with her phone in hand until past midnight, her thoughts tangled and restless.

Meanwhile, at the Hamilton Manor, the atmosphere in Edward’s study was thick with tension. Edward and Shane stood facing lan across the desk, their expressions hard.

Shane pointed at Ian, voice laced with fury. “You’re the heir to the Hamilton family–the entire future of Hamilton Group rests on your shoulders. And you risked throwing it all away for Chloe? What exactly were you thinking?”

Ian’s face was blank. “If you’re so convinced I killed him, why not just have me arrested already?”

Edward was trembling with rage, but couldn’t utter a single word.

The Venn place was in complete turmoil.

Vivian fanned the flames. “He’s a Venn through and through. Ian already broke his arm once, and the only reason we didn’t go after the Hamiltons was because of their influence.

“This time, after Dustin finally managed to return home, Julian nearly ran him down–and hardly had Dustin survived that when Ian and Julian basically finished him off together. They’ve made it crystal clear that the Venn family means nothing to them.”

18:52 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 268

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Before she could say another word, Maria barked, “Vivian, this isn’t your place. Stay out of it!”

Dustin’s mother, weeping bitterly, choked out, “lan went to see Dustin in the middle of the night. He clearly had an agenda I want him to pay for Dustin’s life.”

The living room was packed with family, most too afraid to say a word.

Maria said. “I saw the security footage. Dustin tried to harass Mr. Hamilton’s ex–wife. He ran into the street himself. That’s how the accident happened.”

Dustin’s brother snapped back, “Grandma, how can you be siding with them? Even if Julian hitting Dustin was an accident, what about lan sneaking into Dustin’s room in the middle of the night?”

Maria said, “Sir Julian just called me. He said he and Mr. Hamilton went there to discuss the settlement.”

None of the Venns believed a word Julian said.

Axel Venn, Dustin’s father, who had been silent the whole time, got up from the couch.

He looked around at everyone, his face grim. “This bastard did this to himself–no one else is to blame. We’ll take care of the cremation paperwork tomorrow. Don’t bother notifying anyone else.”

Dustin’s mother collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. “My boy’s gone! I just can’t accept this.”

Dustin’s three brothers also spoke up, their voices full of anger. “Julian and Ian bullied Dustin; that’s the same as trampling on the whole Venn family. We won’t let this go.”

Axel pointed at his three sons, his gaze steely and warning. “And tell me, what exactly do you think you can actually do? Don’t forget, behind Chloe stands Philip.

“When it comes to dirty tricks, even if you all put your heads together, none of you could ever outplay lan. And you’ve seriously forgotten who Julian is? His background alone should make you think twice about crossing him.

“If you’re thinking about a legal fight, with Philip in their corner, do you really believe you could actually win in court?”

After he finished, the entire Venn family fell silent.

In the end, Maria made the final decision. “We’ll say Dustin died during a failed emergency resuscitation. After the cremation tomorrow, he goes straight to the cemetery. From this moment on, no one is to bring it up again”

Maria and Axel showed real wisdom here. Forget about Julian and Philip, just lan alone was more than the Venn family could handle. If they tried to dig into Dustin’s death, the whole Venn family would end up getting dragged down.

Just like that, a life vanished without a trace in Kingsford, not even a ripple left behind.

*****

18:52 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 208

Early the next morning, Chloe took a day off and went straight to Rowe Estate.

D

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After Julian told her the Venns were at the hospital, signing off on the cremation and dropping the whole thing. Chloe finally felt the tension melt away.

As Chloe was about to leave, Julian handed her a button from a man’s shirt. Julian fixed his gaze intently on Chloe, searching her face for any flicker of emotion. “I found it on Dustin’s hospital bed.

About ten minutes later, Chloe drove out of Rowe Estate. She pulled over by the side of the road, spread her palm open, and just stared at the button lying there.

The shirt lan had worn last night was one she’d bought for him. She recognized the button Julian had given her right away–it was from Ian’s shirt.

Chloe stared at the button in silence for a long time. Finally snapping out of her thoughts, Chloe called Miranda and told her she’d be waiting for lan at her office at two that afternoon.

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