“Stupid fool! So, you called me here just to accompany you for drinks?”
Richard grumbled in annoyance at what Edward had done to him. 30 minutes ago, his friend had contacted him, informing him that he was in a bit of an emergency situation at a nightclub.
Not wanting anything dangerous to happen, Richard postponed his bedtime and immediately sped his car to the location where Edward was supposed to be.
However, instead of finding his friend in a critical condition, Richard found Edward sitting comfortably in one of the VIP rooms, holding several glasses of whiskey in his hands.
“I needed a friend, Rich. I couldn’t call Kenzi. Your other friend doesn’t like drinking.” Edward defended himself. He continued to gulp down the drinks that were already prepared.
“Ugh!” Richard scoffed. “Why didn’t you just call Kiano? He can handle you just fine!”
Among Kiano, Kenzi, Richard, and Edward, the ones who often spent time at nightclubs were Kiano and Edward. Both of them had similar habits and hobbies – shooting sports, changing partners frequently, throwing parties, and having fun. It was only after Edward got married that he reduced these habits.
“Kiano is not in London right now. Besides, I purposely called you. In case I get drunk, you’ll be the one taking me home.”
Richard sighed in frustration. He hated wasting time like this. To ensure the well-being of the man in front of him, he had to leave Nathania and Elea, who might already be sound asleep.
“Why not ask your wife to pick you up?”
Edward laughed sarcastically. Downing the remaining whiskey in his hand before speaking again.
“Chloe and I are having an argument. So, I decided to go back to the apartment tonight.”
Richard lifted his face, slightly taken aback by the information Edward shared.
“What happened? Did you get caught cheating?”
Edward chuckled. Why did his friend always accuse him so easily? Was his image really that bad?
“Since when have I betrayed a woman, Rich? I might be a playboy, but I’ve never once lied to a woman I’m involved with.”
Richard nodded rhythmically.
“Then what’s the problem that made you decide to leave home?”
Edward placed the empty glass he had held down and unbuttoned his shirt collar, seeking a more comfortable sitting position.
“I thought this was a common problem that occurs between married couples,” he replied, his face appearing relaxed, as if there were no burdens. Or perhaps he was intentionally hiding his sadness from Richard.
“Let me guess…” Richard responded. “Chloe disappointed you?” His eyes narrowed, indicating he needed more explanation.
“You could say that,” Edward replied with a nod.
A long sigh escaped Richard’s nose. “I figured. Chloe isn’t a good woman for you, Ed.”
“From where did you draw that conclusion?”
Richard stood up and moved closer to Edward.
“Some time ago, when I was buying a cake, I saw Chloe in the same store. Accidentally and without her knowledge, I overheard a little conversation between her and her assistant. Essentially, she wanted to make you suffer.”
Laughter burst from Edward’s lips. Instead of being worried, he found it amusing.
“Oh, really? So, did she know that you were eavesdropping on their conversation at that time?”
Richard shook his head. “It seems not. But when we passed each other, I purposely brought it up.” Richard then clasped his hands in front of his chest. “You have to be careful, Ed. From the beginning, I felt that Chloe had ulterior motives when marrying you.”
Laughter still echoed from Edward’s lips. “Don’t worry. I can handle everything. Besides, no one is allowed to play games with me, especially when it comes to emotions.”
Richard let out a long breath. He reached for the glass that Edward had placed on the table, poured the remaining whiskey into it, and gulped it down until it was empty. He thought there was nothing to worry about if his friend had already said so.
****
Chloe couldn’t stop wiping the tears that kept falling, soaking her cheeks. Her eyes were almost swollen, not to mention her flushed cheeks. She looked completely distressed with her current state.
Throughout the day, Chloe couldn’t even be reached. Samuel, worried about her condition, went to Edward’s residence to make sure of what happened. Luckily, he was still allowed to enter.
Now, in Edward’s office, Samuel chose to wait. He waited for his boss to calm down before asking what happened.
“Ma’am… How long will you be like this? What really happened?” Samuel asked.
Chloe chose to remain silent, still immersed in her sorrow. She never imagined it could hurt so much.
“I should have been the one to leave him. He should also feel the pain I’m feeling right now!” Chloe sobbed. Her feelings were mixed – anger, hatred, and sadness, all mingled together.
“Whom are you referring to, ma’am?” Samuel asked, confused. He truly didn’t understand the meaning of his boss’s words.
“Edward…” Chloe whispered softly. “He left me, Sam. He even wants to divorce me now!”
Samuel was slightly taken aback by the news Chloe just shared. He wondered if Edward, who was so caring, would suddenly want to divorce his wife.
“But why would Mr. Edward want to divorce you?”
Chloe took several deep breaths, trying to control her emotions.
“Edward accused me of causing the failure of the important meeting he had with Emaar yesterday.”
“Wait, hold on!” Samuel interrupted. “So, ma’am, did you really work with Mr. Damian to sabotage the vital Quantum project?”
“By God, it wasn’t me who did that, Sam!” Chloe shook her head repeatedly. “Damian did offer me choices, including deleting the presentation files or inserting a virus into Edward’s laptop.”
“And did you do it?”
Instead of answering, Chloe burst into tears, which only confused Samuel further.
“Ma’am…” he called. “Is it true that you caused the chaos in Mr. Edward’s company?” He repeated his question.
“I did want Edward to suffer, Sam. But, honestly, I wasn’t the one who caused that chaos.”
Samuel furrowed his brow. “By God, I don’t understand this conversation.”
Chloe took a deep breath. She tried to hold back her tears as she slowly explained, “At first, I had carefully planned to delete all the files on Edward’s laptop before he left for work yesterday. But, for some reason, I felt unable to do it.”
“So, it wasn’t you who did it?”
Once again, Chloe shook her head weakly. “Instead, I ended up making copies of his important files onto a flash drive. Just in case Damian asked someone else, I could assist Edward by providing the copies I had saved,” she said. “But chaos still happened, right? That means Damian didn’t just ask me, there were others involved in this,” she continued.
Samuel nodded, understanding her explanation. “But I’m sorry, why did you change your mind? Weren’t you hoping for Edward’s destruction all this time?”
Chloe took a deep breath, her shoulders lifting dramatically. She herself was confused about why she suddenly became so weak. Had love started to creep into her heart? “I don’t know… I felt like what I was doing was wrong, Sam. Unfortunately, Edward didn’t give me a chance to explain everything.”
“Oh my…” Samuel sighed softly, feeling sorry for his boss’s current state. “Could it be that you’ve fallen in love with Mr. Edward?”
Chloe pondered. Honestly, she wasn’t sure about her feelings right now. One question that had been lingering in her mind lately was, could she love Edward? “What do you think, Samuel? Is Edward right for me? Should I overlook the fact that he might be the cause of my sister’s death to pursue this love that I feel growing too late?”
“Ma’am…” Samuel responded. “There’s no such thing as ‘too late’ when it comes to matters of the heart. Besides, until this very moment, there’s no concrete evidence that suggests your husband was responsible for Mrs. Nathalie’s death.”
“But, Sam…”
“Handkerchief and Business Card?” he interrupted. He knew those two magical words very well. “Many possibilities could have happened, ma’am. Who knows if someone else was trying to frame him? I, myself, am even convinced that your husband is not the culprit.”
“But for what reason, Sam? And why Nathalie?” Chloe continued to question.