Chapter 148

Chapter 148 Visitors gradually left the Rose Manor, leaving only Chloe and Grace.

The surroundings grew dim, but Chloe’s face, free of makeup, remained as fair and radiant as a bright moon, eliciting both envy and jealousy from Grace.

Setting aside all grievances, Grace had to admit that Miss Thorp from the Thorp family was outstanding, an unparalleled beauty.

A woman this beautiful, living under the same roof as her man for three years, regardless of the substance behind the fare, how could she not feel anxious, fearful, and resentful?

So Grace gritted her teeth and walked up to Chloe, running her fingers through her long black hair. She displayed a triumphant smile rather than the fragile appearance she had shown in front of Joseph.

“So you’ve found a new target so quickly? You’re quite impressive. But wouldn’t it have been better to do this earlier? No matter how you entangled Joseph, he wouldn’t have given you a second glance.”

Chloe glanced at her as if she were a lunatic. “Why would I want him to look at me? I’m not a peacock in a park, and I don’t need to flaunt my feathers.”

Grace was momentarily silenced, but she felt deeply offended and provoked, so she decided to use her trump card.

“Since we’ve met. I might as well tell you some good news. Joseph and I are going to get engaged soon. We’ve chosen the day, of my birthday party for the engagement.”

“Is that so? Well, congratulations. But I don’t have a red envelope for you.” Chloe responded nonchalantly, her tone utterly dismissive.

Seeing Chloe’s indifference, Grace couldn’t help but feel her anger rise. She thought. “Even if you act tough, you must be seething with anger inside. But what’s the use?”

“In the end, I’m the one who will be with Joseph, and you’ll be the joke of the entire Medo city!”

“Ah, Grace, every time you see me, it’s either you’re shouting about wanting to get Joseph or bragging about how your relationship with him is unbreakable.”

“Is your life really so dull and uninteresting? Besides a man who’s been divorced once, do you have nothing else to be proud of?”

Chloe sighed lazily, feeling like talking to her was lowering herself to another level.

But this self-important bad woman had to be put in her place, or else Chloe would feel uneasy.

“What did you say?!” Grace glared at her, her anger making her tongue-tied.

“You want to show off your change in social class and marrying into a wealthy family, and I can understand that. But you. should find a suitable audience for your bragging. You treasure the one thing I find repulsive. I find you boring.”

Garbage?!

Grace, furious, flushed and paled, retorted,” Chloe! You’re just sour grapes because you can’t have him! The fact that you’re badmouthing us so much right now only proves how much you care about me and Joseph being together!”

“Calling Joseph trash is just a way for you to vent your frustration, after all, you’re the one who wasted three years in vain, and you’re also the one Joseph kicked to the curb!”

Chloe’s gaze turned suddenly icy, like two flying daggers that seemed to pierce into Grace’s heart, making her shiver inwardly.

“This is something you should understand, darling. Sometimes, you need to know when to quit. Just because I’ve made some concessions doesn’t mean you can take advantage of me. And just because I’m kind doesn’t mean you can babble nonsense in front of me.”

“Let me remind you for the last time, don’t use my tolerance as an excuse to step out of line. Otherwise, your days ahead might not be as pleasant, Miss Ashley.”

The name “Ashley” struck Grace like a sudden thunderbolt on a clear day, making her liver and gallbladder tremble. Her face turned ashen as if burnt.

Her blood seemed to reverse, her breath caught, and she took a stnall step back in panic.

“What’s the matter? What’s with that expression?”

Chloe, seeing her lose all color, couldn’t help but smile. “Isn’t Ashley the English name you used when you were studying in the United States?”

“I’ve never seen someone react like this just hearing their own name, it’s like a female ghost hearing an exorcism.”

“I don’t know who Ashley is... I’ve never heard that name before. I don’t know what nonsense you’re spewing!” Grace’s breathing grew even more rapid as she desperately tried to distance herself from the accusation.

After all, the former Ashley was a promiscuous, lustful, materialistic woman, a far cry from the pure and virtuous image she was now trying to project for Joseph.

If Joseph were to find out that she had once slept with different men for seven consecutive days and even gave birth to a daughter from one of those encounters, everything would be ruined.

Chloe narrowed her dangerously beautiful almond-shaped eyes, taking two steps closer, her hands behind her back, her slender waist slightly curved. She revealed a prophetic and icy smile.

“Faces can be altered, names can be changed, but what you’ve done in the past, no matter how much you try to erase it, there will always be traces left behind.”

“There are things I won’t say, not because I’m kind, but because they have nothing to do with me, and I can’t be bothered. But if you dare to provoke me again, don’t blame me for tearing apart your fig leaf.”

Grace felt a violent spasm in her chest, and her whole body was overcome with a bone-chilling sensation, as if Chloe had drained her of every drop of blood.

As Joseph left Rose Manor, Chil and Jerome had already departed.

After the conversation with that man, he sat alone in the cold wind like a dried-up fossil for a long time.

By now, it was already late in the day.

Joseph sent someone to take Grace back to the hospital and returned to the Mazeland Manor with Max.

On the way, Max was so anxious that his cold sweat soaked through his suit. He blushed and repeatedly apologized to Joseph, “I’m sorry... I’m sorry, Mr. Sawle... You can punish me however you want!”

“It’s all my fault, I didn’t do a proper investigation, I didn’t know that the person in charge who contacted me was from the Xavy Group! It’s all my fault...”

As he spoke, Max, a tall and sturdy young man, choked up unexpectedly.

Joseph, who had been deep in thought with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and spoke coldly, “How old are you? Is it worth crying over such a small matter?”

“But this... it’s not a small matter...” Max said helplessly.

“People from the Xavy Group haven’t appeared in the country for more than a decade. It’s normal that you couldn’t find their information.”

Joseph said as he closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. “Even if you found it, the result would be the same. He won’t cooperate with us. There are several other rose gardens in the country, just contact them, and we’ll find a supplier.”

“Yes, I’ll do that tomorrow!”

Max rubbed his eyes and sighed deeply. “Mr. Sawle, that Director Xavier, he’s really generous when it comes to Miss Thorp. For such a big project, he agreed to it right away. A normal businessman would at least compare multiple options and consider it carefully, right?”

Those words were like a thorn, deeply embedded in Joseph’s heart.

He asked with a tone of desolation, “Max, have 1 treated Chloe poorly in the past? Have I really done such’a terrible job?”

Max, with a lump in his throat, was momentarily speechless. Although he was straightforward, he wasn’t foolish.

He had just messed up an assignment, and now the boss had thrown him a life-or-death question. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

“It’s okay, I won’t blame you, but you can speak your mind.” Joseph saw through his cautious thoughts.

“Cough... well.. Mr. Sawle, to be honest, you haven’t treated Miss Thorp... poorly. She has the best of everything in terms of food, clothing, and shelter. You give her luxury cars and black cards without hesitation.”

“I and her were originally in an arranged marriage, arranged by my grandfather. It was a marriage in name only. As long as it’s something I can provide, I’ve never been stingy.” Joseph pinched the bridge of his high nose, his voice filled with melancholy.

*If Miss Thorp had approached you from the beginning with a contractual attitude, planning to stay for three years and then leave, then you wouldn’t have done anything wrong to her.”

-Max suddenly turned serious, his brow furrowing. “It’s just a pity, Mr. Sawle, that Miss Thorp genuinely loved you. She used to love you wholeheartedly, caring for you, unwaveringly, for three years. No matter how you neglected her or how the Sawle family mistreated her, she never complained.”

“Facing with a woman who considered you her husband, those three years of how you treated Miss Thorp... indeed, they were too heartless, too cruel. The money you gave her, in the eyes of a woman who loved you deeply, was truly a stark humiliation.”

Stark humiliation.

Joseph’s throat trembled violently.

All the turbulent emotions gathered in his heaving chest. He tried hard to suppress them, taking a deep breath.

However, when he thought of the phrase “she loved you, his unyielding spirit felt like it was about to be crushed by this surge of emotion, unable to resist.