<b>Chapter </b><b>43 </b>Chloe’s Reinforcements Have Arrived


    Goosebumps erupted all across Joanne’s skin. She felt terrified as she looked at Etham. It felt like he would rip her to shreds at any moment.


    Meanwhile, the onlookers shuddered as they saw the cold, deadly look on Ethan’s face.


    A man as privileged as Ethan could never stoop so low as to be somebody’s sidepiece!


    Curtis wanted to do something to lighten up the mood, as he hadn’t expected Joanne to drag Ethan into


    this. It wasn’t a good idea for Curtis to upset Ethan right now either. After all, he didn’t have the power or


    influence to stand up against thetter, especially considering Ethan’s influence in Corvessia.


    “Mr. Hughes, my sister was just-”


    The moment Curtis began talking, another voice rang out. “Who is trying to ruin my niece’s reputation?”


    Chloe immediately turned around upon hearing that voice. She watched as Allen entered the press


    conference venue, with Brian following behind him.


    Chloe hurried over to Allen, asking, “What are you doing here, Mr. Jackman?”


    “Getting divorced is a very big affair, Chloe. Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Allen replied, looking


    usatorily at Chloe even as his eyes filled with sorrow for her.


    Allen had felt all the more upset when he’d heard someone framing Chloe right as he reached the venue.


    He thought of how upset Walter and Jenna would be if they were there and saw how their daughter was being ndered.


    “A divorce is a very big deal, which is why I had toe over. After all, I’m your guardian now that your parents are no longer around,” Allen said.


    Tears filled Chloe’s eyes. Allen had been her parents‘ best friend and had even watched her grow up. He was the one who’d passed Chloe the urn containing her parents‘ ashes. In Chloe’s eyes, Allen was basically family,


    “Who are you guys?” Curtis asked Allen. “I’ve never heard Chloe mention your name before.”


    Allen was dressed in normal civilian clothes today rather than his army uniform.


    “So you’re Chloe’s husband?” Allen gazed sharply at Curtis. He’d developed a deadly, grim presence after having served in the army for more than 30 years. Right now, it was this exact bearing that made Curtis feel immensely pressured.


    Before Curtis could answer Allen, Helen yelled out, “Not anymore! My son would never want a woman like


    Chloe<b>!</b><b>” </b>


    “Your <b>son </b>doesn’t deserve Chloe! How can he call himself her husband if he won’t even retrieve his inws ‘ ashes with her?” Allen snapped back.


    Chapter 43 Chloe’s Reinforcements Have Arrived


    <i>2/3 </i>


    “You really expect Curtis to go and retrieve something as unlucky as human ashes? In your dreams!” Helen spat out. “When Chloe brought that urn back home the other day and said she wanted to keep it in the house, I pped her so hard that she finally gave up the idea!


    “I would’ve smashed that urn if she’d actually kept it in the house. How could she jinx my family with that grim little thing? What a horrible girl…”


    Allen was trembling angrily. Only now did he realize just how much Chloe must have suffered all this time. Lena and Ethan were enraged as well, with the former nearly bursting into tears.


    She finally saw how much Chloe had endured before deciding on this divorce. How could Curtis do that


    to Chloe?


    Helen was rambling on gleefully when a cold, male voice suddenly rang out. “Hit her!”


    What followed was a mean p right on Helen’s cheek, cutting her vile rambling short.


    All the onlookers were stunned. One of Brian’s men had struck Helen, as per his instruction.


    Helen was stunned from the strike. She recovered after several seconds and cried out, “How dare you


    gang up on me with these outsiders, Chloe Quall? Having a daughter like you is the reason your parents died so young!”


    “Again!” Brian spat out.


    His men then fiercely struck Helen on the cheeks again. Her face quickly grew swollen and red.


    None of the onlookers dared stop the men. They worked for Brian after all, and he was incredibly


    powerful in Corvessia.


    Curtis wanted to run to Helen’s side, but he was quickly stopped by Brian’s men.


    He couldn’t yell at Brian to stop, so he directed his rage at Chloe instead. He yelled, “Stop them, Chloe! Why aren’t you stopping them? Is this what you wanted?”


    Chloe’s lips pursed into a thin line as she remained silent. She could have ignored Helen if thetter had kept her insults limited <i>to </i>Chloe alone. But there was no way Chloe would tolerate Helen insulting Jenna and Walter!


    Jenna and Walter were brave and powerful soldiers who’d died for their country and deserved to be treated with respect.


    Brian’s men continued pping Helen, the sounds echoing crisply in the air.


    “Are you really going to take responsibility if anything terrible happens to my mother, Chloe Quall?” Curtis


    roared.


    “I’ll take full responsibility,” Brian answered instead. “The Steele family will pay for all necessary medical expenses andpensation fees should your mother be gravely injured from this.” <fn38ab> ?????? ???? find{n}ovel</fn38ab>


    The silence was incredibly loud after that.


    Chapter 43 Chloe’s Reinforcements Have Arrived


    Helen was all the more frightened now and began pleading with Curtis for help.


    “Do you really have to resort to this, Chloe? Wasn’t it just money you wanted? Alright, fine! I’ll give you the money! Now can you please ask them to stop hurting my mother?” Curtis yelled.


    Brian’s men stopped hitting Helen. Brian himself turned to look at Chloe as if awaiting her decision. If Chloe refused to forgive Helen, he would naturally have his men continue hurting thetter.


    Chloe gazed at Curtis and said firmly, “Yes, I did ask you for money. But the 153 million dors I asked for


    isn’tpensation for me; it’s what you owe me. I was the one who gave you 153 million dors to start your business back then.


    “The only reason I never asked for anything besides the 153 million dors is because I don’t want to drag this out. I don’t want you and your family to taint my life anymore.”


    Chloe’s voice rang loud and clear in the air. The onlookers‘ perspectives were different now as they looked at Curtis.


    Everyone knew that he’d single–handedly founded Green Tech, but none of them had known that Chloe was the one who’d given him the money for his startup capital.


    Yet now that Curtis and Chloe were getting a divorce, he was refusing to repay her even a single cent.


    “You could be making up all kinds of stories right now! I could even say that Mom was the one who gave Curtis his startup capital!” Joanne retorted.


    Lena red at Joanne, growling out, “If your family had the means to cough up 153 million dors for Curtis back then, he wouldn’t have given a cheap–ass, 200–dor wedding ring to Chloe!”


    “How could an orphan like Chloe get her hands on so much money?” Joanne scoffed.


    “Because it was the gratuity money from her parents‘ death!” Lena’s words rang out through the venue, stunning everyone into silence.


    Curtis, who’d been quiet all this while, turned to Chloe in utter disbelief, his pupils dting in shock.


    Had that startup capital for Green Tech been… death gratuity money?


    How could that be?