Chapter 125
Charlotte shook her head. "I was feeling a bit stuffy, so I came out for some air. Who knew..."
Her gaze landed on Chloe, still sitting on the ground, and she let out a cold laugh.
Alexander followed her line of sight, his gentle eyes suddenly darkening, a storm brewing beneath the surface.
He looked down at the woman still putting on an act, his face twisted with disgust.
"Is this how the Johnson family raises their daughters? Or did Henry send you here to make a scene at the Harris Estate?"
"Get out. Go back to the Johnson Mansion right now. I don't want to see your face."
"And tell Henry—if I catch you harassing Charlie one more time, every single project between the Johnson Group and the Harris Group gets canceled. All of them."
Hearing the finality in Alexander's words, Chloe shuddered, a chill shooting from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
"I..."
Chloe tried to speak, but the overwhelming pressure radiating from Alexander left her speechless.
She knew all too well—this man didn't make empty threats.
"Benjamin..."
Desperate, Chloe turned to Benjamin as her last hope.
But Benjamin's expression was dark as thunder. He stared at her with no trace of sympathy—only disgust and irritation.
"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough for one night?"
He shot her a withering look, then turned and strode away without another word.
Watching his retreating figure, Chloe froze completely.
Alexander's threat, Benjamin's indifference—she understood that staying any longer would only invite more humiliation.
Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and dishevelment, gathered what strength she had left, and chased after Benjamin.
Charlotte watched the scene wind down and decided she'd had enough. She turned to Alexander beside her.
"It's getting late. Let's head back."
He nodded, naturally taking her hand in his.
"Sure. I'll walk you back."
The moonlight stretched their shadows long across the ground, drawing them closer until they overlapped, inseparable.
---
Meanwhile, Chloe climbed into Benjamin's car.
She watched the man in front of her, his face dark and brooding, not saying a word since she'd gotten in. She pressed her lips together.
Several times she wanted to ask him to slow down, but seeing that ice-cold expression, she swallowed the words back.
The tires screeched as the car came to a sharp stop in front of the Johnson Mansion.
"Get out."
Benjamin stared straight ahead, his voice cold.
"Benjamin, I..."
"I said get out!" Benjamin whipped his head around, his patience completely exhausted, fury blazing in his eyes. "Chloe, I'm warning you—stop using my name as an excuse to embarrass yourself at the Harris Estate."
"If you cause me any more trouble, our engagement is over. I have plenty of ways to end it."
With that, he turned to look out the window, clearly done with the conversation.
Chloe flinched at his outburst. Seeing the undisguised contempt in his eyes, all her grievances and resentment surged up her throat.
But she didn't dare say anything more. She opened the door and got out.
Before she could even steady herself, the Maybach roared off, leaving only a cloud of exhaust in its wake.
Chloe stared at the taillights disappearing into the night, her hands clenched into fists so tight her nails dug into her palms.
She refused to accept this.
Why did everyone side with Charlotte? Edward did. Alexander did. Even her own fiancé yelled at her because of that bitch.
The thought made her eyes burn red with rage.
Jaw clenched, she dragged her exhausted, humiliated body back to her room, buried her face in her pillow, and sobbed quietly.
Just then, her phone buzzed on the couch where she'd tossed it.
Annoyed by the insistent vibration, she crawled over and grabbed it.
When she saw 'Mandy' on the caller ID, disgust flickered in her eyes.
She almost hung up, but something made her answer instead.
"What do you want?" Her tone was sharp with irritation.
Mandy on the other end clearly hadn't expected such hostility. After a pause, her voice took on a whining quality.
"Chloe, you have to help me. I can't stand being grounded anymore."
Hearing this, Chloe scoffed.
"That's your problem. What does it have to do with me?"
"How can you say that? You have to help me!" Mandy's voice rose to a shrill pitch. "If it weren't for you, would Edward be treating me like this? He froze my credit cards, took my car keys, won't let me leave the house!"
"He says I can't go out until Charlotte calms down."
"Chloe, this is all Charlotte's fault. We can't just let this slide."
"Besides, we're supposed to be friends, aren't we? You have to help me."
"Otherwise, if we let Charlotte keep acting so high and mighty, won't we just be trampled under her feet forever?"
At the mention of Charlotte's name, Chloe's expression darkened instantly.
Of course she didn't actually care what happened to this fair-weather friend. She just couldn't stand seeing Charlotte so pleased with herself.
Why should she get all the good things?
"So what do you want to do?"
"I... I can't do anything on my own. Edward's furious right now—he won't even see me."
Mandy's tone turned wheedling. "But you're different. You're about to get engaged to Benjamin."
"If you're willing to help, we can figure something out together. We'll definitely be able to kick that country bumpkin Charlotte out of the Harris family!"
Listening to Mandy's excited voice, Chloe frowned, her first instinct to refuse.
After all, partnering with such an idiot was too risky.
And she couldn't even be helpful—last time, Chloe had arranged everything herself. Mandy hadn't helped at all; she'd only gotten in the way.
But tonight's events at the Harris Estate stuck in her heart like a thorn.
At the Harris family, she was ultimately an outsider—someone who could be abandoned at any moment.
But Mandy was actually part of the Harris family. Stupid as she was, her position was different.
Besides, an ally was better than another enemy.
Mandy might be foolish, but she'd make a useful scapegoat down the line.
A sinister smile curved Chloe's lips.
"Find a way to sneak out of the house. Let's meet up and figure out exactly how to get Charlotte kicked out."
"Perfect! It's a deal then." Mandy sounded overjoyed. "Wait for my good news."
"Fine."