Chapter 2
While his wife had thrown a tantrum, he hadn’t said a single word—but the moment he heard that Chloe had a lover, he immediately reacted. It was ridiculous.
So Chloe did something completely out of character. She embellished the lie.
“He’s handsome, capable… and even younger than me.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
There, that should be enough. Now go away. Chloe nodded subtly to convey that message. But the soon-to-be-married couple didn’t let her off so easily.
“Liar.”
Dur raised his chin arrogantly as he spoke.
“You spend all day holed up in your lab—what kind of dating life could you possibly have?”
“Why not? The only people who come in and out of the lab are men, after all.”
At Chloe’s response, Dur snorted dismissively.
“You expect me to believe there’s a guy younger and better-looking than you in your lab? Ridiculous.”
Ahh…
Chloe swallowed hard without a sound. Dur wasn’t wrong. She’d forgotten that her ex-husband worked at the same university.
So lying really doesn’t pay, huh.
“Chloe.”
Just when she was painfully realizing that lies require meticulous background research, Melvin reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Please meet a good man and experience a proper kind of love. Of course… no one could ever be better than our Dur.”
Wasn’t she just flaring her nostrils like an angry bull moments ago? And now she’s furrowing her brows with concern?
Her acting really is something else.
Chloe was starting to understand, just a little, why that man had said this farce was entertaining.
Just then, the sofa Chloe sat on dipped slightly. Someone had taken the seat beside her.
“Who…?”
The question never made it out of her mouth.
“Why are you here…?”
Sitting beside her was none other than the enthusiastic male fan of this ridiculous little play.
The man looked at Melvin—or more precisely, at the hand Melvin was holding—and scowled in displeasure. Then, he abruptly snatched Chloe’s hand away from Melvin, causing Melvin to lose her balance and fall forward awkwardly.
“Ah!”
“My love, are you okay?”
Dur rushed to cradle Melvin, whose chin had bumped the table. His gaze was locked on the mysterious man who had just appeared.
“How dare you behave so rudely to my fiancée!”
“Oh, I apologize. I just have a habit of not tolerating people touching my woman.”
“Wh—what?”
“Huh?”
“Hmm…?”
The three others responded differently, but their reactions meant the same thing.
“Your woman…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
In response to Dur’s question, the man interlaced his fingers with Chloe’s.
“I’m the handsome, capable, and younger man Chloe mentioned.”
And he didn’t forget to press a gentle kiss to the back of Chloe’s hand.
As Chloe watched this all unfold so naturally, one thought came to mind:
This guy is insane.
And not just a little insane—completely insane.
Chloe tried to pull her hand away, but it was no use. Their fingers were tightly interlocked, and he was gripping her firmly.
“Oh dear, a strand of hair’s out of place.”
He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered into it.
“You just thought I was crazy, didn’t you?”
Startled.
Chloe froze mid-struggle. The man chuckled with a soft puff of air.
“If you want, I can get up and walk away right now.”
Then please, do. Get lost, you crazy bastard. she screamed internally.
“But wouldn’t that put you in an awkward spot? From what I’ve seen, this doesn’t look like a very pleasant situation.”
“…”
It was definitely not a pleasant situation. No, it was the worst.
Running into her ex-husband and half-sister while on vacation—only to be handed a wedding invitation? As a divorcée, she couldn’t help but feel diminished.
“In that case, use me. I’m not too bad-looking, right?”
Chloe shifted her gaze from the invitation to the man’s eyes. His black pupils met hers. As insane as he was, he really was handsome.
His eyes were deep and dark, and depending on the angle, they glinted with a hint of blue.
“There’s no time. If you hesitate any longer, they’ll definitely start suspecting something.”
Chloe looked across at the couple. They were eyeing the man suspiciously. Just as he said, dragging this out wouldn’t do her any good.
“So… will you strike back boldly, or just sit there like a mute?”
He really was like the devil. He pinpointed her weakness and twisted it—then sweetened it with tempting words.
“You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Even though she knew she shouldn’t fall for a lunatic’s words, Chloe’s mind was already working through the logic.
He definitely looked younger than her. No problem there. As for capability—well, no one would demand proof right now. And if they asked later? She could just say they broke up.
Once her calculations were done, Chloe nodded.
“Alright… I’ll take your help.”
“Smart choice.”
Smooch.
He kissed the back of her nail. Just then, a sharp voice broke the silence.
“What are you two whispering about over there, in front of other people?”
“Sorry. It’s not something others should hear. Our Chloe is just so lovable.”
He made it sound like some intimate lover’s whisper. Definitely not something to be overheard in public. And considering they were in a hotel, the meaning wasn’t hard to guess.
Dur’s face twisted in disgust.
“You brat—saying such vulgar things…”
“Vulgar? My tutors would be heartbroken to hear that.”
The man drooped his eyebrows like a disappointed child.
“Ha! As if you received any decent education.”
“Oh no, Valéan would cry if he heard that.”
“Valé-who?”
Dur had been all set to mock him, but now he hesitated.
There were fewer than twenty people with the surname Valéan in the entire Oselt Empire. And the only educator among them…
“Wait… don’t tell me you mean Jude Valéan?”
“Ah, so you know him. He taught me literature for over ten years.”
Jude Valéan was a name no one could forget. Former chancellor of Oselt Imperial University, he had retired suddenly two decades ago. Since then, he was known to have taught only the three sons of the Duke of Verder.
“Then you must be…”
“Forgive my late introduction.”
The man stood up with a charming smile.
“I’m Caiden Verder, the legitimate heir of House Verder.”
“Liar!”
This time, it was Melvin who shouted. Her fake smile vanished, and her face turned red.
“What’s a lie? That I’m Caiden Verder?”
At Caiden’s words, Melvin shook her head violently, then pointed a trembling finger at Chloe.
“There’s no way my sister would be dating the Duke’s heir!”
Rude, yes—but not untrue.
Chloe wasn’t particularly beautiful, nor was she young. On top of that, she carried the label of divorcée. If he really was the Duke’s heir, she was far from an ideal match.
“…”
Chloe stayed silent—not because Melvin had hit a sore spot, but because she herself was just realizing something.
Caiden Verder? That Verder?!
The House of Verder wasn’t just any noble house. They were heroes of the empire’s founding and had produced countless talents. Now that maritime trade had opened up, they were amassing a fortune through shipbuilding.
The more she thought about the Verder family’s legacy, the more absurd her actions felt.
Even more absurd? That the person who had taken the lead in this madness… was Caiden Verder himself.
Why would someone from such a prestigious family get involved with her? And more importantly…
If this lunatic is one of the heirs, the Verder family’s future is looking pretty bleak…
Chloe couldn’t help but feel that both her future and the family’s were headed straight downhill.
But Caiden clearly didn’t agree.
“What exactly is so unbelievable? She’s a lovely woman.”
He lifted their interlocked hands and kissed her palm. The ticklish touch made Chloe flinch instinctively.
“All she has are piles of research papers! She doesn’t have a single ounce of charm!”
“It was that intellectual charm that drew me in. Like the opposite poles of a magnet.”
Caiden slipped his arm around Chloe’s waist, dramatically pulling her into his embrace.
“You’ve seen her up close, right? You should know just how sexy she looks when she’s focused on her work.”
“Sexy? Please!”
“Why won’t you admit it? Oh, wait… could this be jealousy?”
“As if I’d ever!”
While Melvin screamed at the top of her lungs, Caiden whispered into Chloe’s ear.
“This is your chance, Chloe. Hit them where it hurts.”
Normally, she would’ve backed down by now. But not today. Something bubbling and boiling inside her chest—something Caiden’s voice was now tapping on gently—refused to stay quiet.
