Chapter 287
"Looks like Mr. Miller hasn't had a chance to fill you in yet." Griffin maintained that innocent expression of his.
Just then, Howard pushed through the door and walked in.
Chloe looked up at Howard, her eyes searching for answers.
Howard nodded. "You haven't been in the best headspace lately, so I didn't want to tell you."
"What about Ms. Jenkins?" Remy's face slowly materialized in Chloe's mind.
The last time she'd seen Remy, the woman had looked completely worn down.
Now with something this major happening, Remy was probably going through hell.
The room fell silent.
"I heard Ryder got so worked up he had a stroke. He's still laid up in the hospital." Griffin slowly turned to look at Howard. "Mr. Miller, would you call that karma?"
There was always something loaded about the way Griffin spoke.
Chloe glanced at Howard, words on the tip of her tongue.
It wasn't until everyone had cleared out that Chloe finally looked at Howard and spoke carefully. "That whole thing—were you involved?"
Chloe sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, quietly watching Howard.
Howard reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I had nothing to do with it, Chlo. You have to trust me."
The faint scent of sage drifted into Chloe's nose, making her feel more at ease.
"Howard, let's go home." Chloe spoke softly. "I want to go home. I hate the smell of disinfectant in this place."
"Okay."
The Miller Villa.
After getting Chloe settled and asleep, Howard quietly slipped away to his study to handle some work.
That's when Teddy called.
"Mr. Miller, I've dug up some information..." Teddy's voice came through the phone.
"Edward and Remy used to be lovers, but their families were always rivals. Back in the day, these two actually ran away together for love, but after Edward and Remy broke up, Edward's family arranged a marriage for him. Edward was so bitter about it, he moved to Riverton to start fresh..."
Howard's frown deepened as he listened to Teddy's quiet report.
"Later, after she and Edward split up, Remy secretly had a child..." Teddy hesitated before continuing.
Howard sighed. "So Edward is Sloane's biological father."
No wonder Sloane's complete lack of design talent had always been such a sore spot for Remy.
Both Remy and Edward were heavyweight designers in the industry.
She probably felt disappointed.
Her only daughter with Edward hadn't inherited either of their design gifts.
"Actually, it's not Sloane!" Teddy's voice crackled through the phone.
Howard paused. "What do you mean?"
"A month ago, Remy submitted materials for a paternity test..." Teddy paused before continuing. "The test showed that Sloane isn't Remy's biological daughter."
"Moreover, it seems that heir from the Martinez family is also quietly investigating this whole thing..."
After Teddy finished his rapid-fire report, Howard hung up.
"Griffin..." Howard slowly repeated Griffin's name.
Griffin seemed awfully interested in Chloe's business.
Looked like he really needed to have a chat with Griffin.
With that thought, Howard dialed Griffin's number.
"Mr. Miller, you finally called me." Griffin didn't seem surprised by Howard's call.
"Let's meet. Tomorrow at noon, The Coffee Nest." Howard's voice was deliberate.
"Sure thing." Griffin agreed readily.
Howard didn't sleep a wink that night.
When Chloe woke up the next morning, she noticed the faint dark circles under Howard's eyes and frowned slightly.
"Did you not sleep well?" Chloe looked at Howard.
Howard tilted his head and leaned against Chloe's shoulder, acting like a total baby. "Yeah, I've got a killer headache."
Chloe gently pressed her index fingers to Howard's temples. "Close your eyes for a sec. I'll give you a massage."
Howard obediently closed his eyes.
After a while, he gently caught her hands. "That's enough. Don't wear yourself out."
A small smile tugged at Chloe's lips. "It was just for a few minutes."
The two were lost in their romantic bubble when Adeline came yawning down the stairs.
She stared at Howard and Chloe with pure exasperation. "You two are so unfair. First thing in the morning and you're already being all lovey-dovey in front of me. Now I'm gonna lose my appetite."
"Lose your appetite?" Chloe raised an eyebrow at Adeline.
"More like she can't eat because she's thinking about a certain someone." Howard chimed in with perfect timing.
The two of them tag-teamed their teasing until Adeline's face turned bright red.
After the playful banter, Howard glanced at his watch.
"I should head to the office. I'll have Teddy arrange for a driver to swing by. You two can have him take you wherever you want to go."
"Okay, drive safe." Chloe helped Howard with his jacket.
Adeline frowned as she watched the lovebirds. "Maybe I should just head back to Crystal Haven and you two can get back to work?"
"Of course, spending time with you is the most important thing." Chloe scooted over to Adeline's side.
"That's more like it." Adeline rolled her eyes.
She was about to tease Chloe some more when Kelvin's call came through.
Chloe grinned. "Looks like I'm the third wheel now."
"Don't be ridiculous." Adeline shot Chloe a look, then answered the phone.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet? I just spotted this place with amazing sandwiches. Want me to grab some for you guys?" Kelvin asked from the other end.
"I don't like sandwiches." Adeline rolled her eyes.
"I love sandwiches, bring them over!" Chloe could totally see through Kelvin's little scheme and called out toward the phone.
"Perfect, Ms. Brown, I'll pack some up and bring them right over."
Before Adeline could refuse, Kelvin hung up.
"Chloe, what's gotten into you? How can you side with an outsider?" Adeline looked at Chloe like she'd been betrayed.
Chloe couldn't help but burst out laughing.
But she still apologized. "Okay, okay, my bad."
"It's all because I'm such a foodie and just had to crave sandwiches."
"Should I call Kelvin now and tell him not to come?"
She paused as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh wait, I forgot—I don't actually have Kelvin's number."
Watching Chloe deliberately play innocent in front of her, Adeline pouted. "And here I was so worried about you, traveling all this way to see you, and you're siding with an outsider."
"I'm sorry, Adeline." Chloe scooted over to make amends.
Half an hour later, Kelvin showed up at the Miller Villa.
Chloe leaned against the doorframe and teased him. "If I'm not mistaken, that restaurant is about an hour's drive from here. Mr. Williams, you drove pretty fast. Were you in a rush to see someone?"
Kelvin's gaze found Adeline.
Adeline bristled. "Why are you looking at me like that? What does this have to do with me?"
"Right, nothing to do with you. Let's try these sandwiches before they get cold." Chloe pulled Adeline over to the table.