Chapter 255
Chapter 255
Shane was so pissed off by lan’s words that he nearly blew a fuse.
Luckily. Miranda showed up just in time to keep the father and son from tearing into each other.
Miranda turned to lan, “Tan, you’ve always been calm and rational. You never go for actions that hurt everyone involved. I think you should reconsider ending the partnership with Quinn Enterprises.”
Jan replied firmly. “You don’t have to worry, Mom. Ending the partnership with Quinn Enterprises was always in my plan. I already lined up a publicly listed company last week to take their spot. Any losses Hamilton Group suffers–I’ll make up for them.”
Hearing that Ian had things covered, Shane’s temper cooled down a notch, but his words were still harsh.
Shane glared at his son. “Did you not see that woman leave with the other Hamilton right in front of you outside the police station?”
He went on, “I told you to get rid of that Sherman chick and give me a grandkid as soon as you could, but you wouldn’t listen. Now, even if you hand Hamilton Group over to Chloe on a silver platter, she’s never coming back. You need to give up on that wish already”
Watching lan’s expression twisted in pain, Miranda spent ages coaxing Shane before she finally managed to get him out of there.
Once everyone was gone, only Ian and Mitchell were left in the office.
Ian leaned weakly against his desk, shoulders sagging and head hanging. In a tired voice, he told Mitchell. “Grab the meds.”
Mitchell hurried over to the coffee table in the lounge and grabbed the meds from underneath.
“Man, what’s up with the boss? His son’s already hurting, and he just has to twist the knife, Mitchell couldn’t help but think
Mitchell brought the meds over, but Ian snatched them right out of his hand.
Ian twisted open the bottle, dumped a few painkillers into his palm, and swallowed them in one go.
–
“You can go,” Ian said.
After downing the meds, lan slumped back in his chair, shut his eyes, and tried to pull himself together, exhaustion written all over his face.
At 2 PM, Maggie was at the outpatient wing of the hospital.
She caught her mom and Vivian by the elevator.
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Chapter 255
Maggie told her mother there was something urgent she needed to talk about and quickly ushered her out of the hospital
“Why did Maggie rush her mom out so suddenly?‘ Vivian thought to herself, curiosity bubbling up as she quietly trailed after them.
In the small park outside the hospital, Maggie looked around to make sure no one was watching before finally stopping.
Mrs. Goodwin looked totally confused by her daughter’s actions. “Maggie, what’s going on? Why aren’t you at the office? How come you’re at the hospital?”
Maggie shot her mom a cold look. Just tell me why are you here at the hospital?”
Mrs. Goodwin pulled Maggie aside and whispered viciously, “Mrs. Quinn and I have come up with a way to ruin that livine bitch. Not only will she get kicked out of the Jordan family’s hospital, but we’ll make sure she’s so disgraced she won’t be able to show her face anywhere in Kingsford ever again.”
Maggie took a deep, shaky breath. “Mom, I’m warning you–stop this now before you go too far.”
Mrs. Goodwin snapped, “Everything I’m doing is for you! As soon as that video of Chloe getting mixed up with those hoodlums goes viral, Ian will never think about getting back with her again. Believe me, Maggie- just do as I say and you’ll see I’m right.”
Maggie let out a sigh and lowered her voice. “Mom, I bet Mrs. Quinn hasn’t told you yet–lan already ended all business with Quinn Enterprises.
Mrs. Goodwin’s face dropped. “Seriously? Is that for real?”
Maggie nodded, her tone steely. “Once the Quinns lose Hamilton Group’s support, they’ll be history in Kingsford before long. Ian’s sending a clear warning–anyone who targets his ex–wife will end up just like the Quinn family.
Mrs. Goodwin’s face went ashen. “Seriously, in all of Kingsford, it’s only Mrs. Quinn and me who actually want Chloe destroyed. lan’s sending a message–he’s putting our family on notice.”
Maggie grew serious. “Mom, that’s why I’ve always warned you–the trash talk is one thing, but never actually touch her.”
Mrs. Goodwin had a look of regret on her face. “Maggie, then what about your engagement to him?”
Maggie replied matter–of–factly, staying calm. “Mom, sure, I wanted to be engaged to lan–it would’ve boosted our family’s status. But given how things are now, lan’s no longer a suitable match for me. Honestly, keeping the Goodwin family’s partnership with Hamilton Group is what I need to focus on.”
The mighty boss of Hamilton Group, throwing the company’s interests away just for a woman.
Honestly, you can tell his feelings for her have totally messed with his head–he’s not even thinking straight
anymore.
If he’s willing to put the whole company on the line for her, then someone like me–a total nobody–doesn’t
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Chapter 255
even matter to lan.
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Mrs. Goodwin let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest. “Glad you gave me a heads up. Otherwise, that sneaky Vivian would’ve had me making trouble for Chloe for no good reason.”
Maggie felt lucky she’d gotten there in time. “Mom, Mrs. Quinn is Andrea’s aunt–she’s got a grudge against both Ian and Dr. Irvine. And Vivian? She’s pure drama, always stirring things up. Seriously, steer clear of both of them if you know what’s good for you.”
After Maggie sent her mom off, Vivian–who’d been hiding behind a tree, secretly listening in–slowly stepped out.
“No wonder Maggie was in such a hurry: lan’s already made his move against the Quinn family, Vivian thought to herself.
‘Maggie really does know how to look out for herself–she got out just in time, Vivian mused.
Whenever Vivian thought about how Chloe was the reason her grandma still refused to let her dad acknowledge her as part of the Monroe family, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of hate.
But the
now, even families like the Quinns and the Goodwins were too afraid to show their faces. As an unrecognized illegitimate daughter, Vivian knew better than to mess with lan–no matter how clever she was, he’d outmaneuver her every single time.
After turning it over in her mind, Vivian decided it was best to keep her head down and wait for the situation to change.
As Vivian walked out of the park, she ran into Chloe and one of her colleagues.
Chloe’s face instantly went cold when she saw Vivian.
Vivian spoke up first, trying to sound casual. “Dr. Irvine, don’t look at me like that. I’m not here to cause trouble.”
Seeing the tension, Chloe’s colleague quickly made an excuse and slipped away.
Vivian walked up to Chloe, reluctantly admitting defeat. “Dr. Irvine, looks like you won.”
Chloe gave her a skeptical look. “Cut the crap, Vivian. What do you mean, I won?”
Vivian scoffed, “You probably have no idea, do you? lan went up against the Hamilton elders and the board because of you, and he just cut off Quinn Enterprises–now even Maggie Goodwin wouldn’t dare mess with
you.
Chloe gave Vivian a look of pure boredom, turned on her heel, and walked off without so much as a reply.
“Even if Vivian’s got it right, lan’s not doing all this because of me, Chloe thought to herself.
‘It’s all for his own sake–for that scrap of guilt he barely wants to admit.
‘Counting on him to lose everything for revenge? No way, lan’s always calculating, never one to go down with.
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Chapter 255
the ship.
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During the evening rush hour, Mitchell, sitting in the passenger seat, spotted Chloe stranded by the curb and immediately told the driver to pull over.
Mitchell turned to lan. “Tan, looks like Chloe’s car has a flat tire.
Before Mitchell had even finished speaking and before the car had fully stopped, lan was already out the door.
He shut the car door and was about to head over to Chloe when, from a distance, he spotted Julian Rowe stepping out of his car.
Seeing Chloe jog excitedly up to Julian, flashing him a big, genuine smile, lan just froze where he was. ‘Guess there’s no place for me in her world anymore,‘ he thought bitterly, his feet refusing to move.
Julian, your leg’s finally all better!” Chloe beamed, her whole face lit up with delight.
Seeing Julian so steady on his feet, Chloe grabbed both his hands and spun him around on the curb, grinning
from ear to ear.
Julian was dressed in a dark suit with a deep–colored shirt underneath, but somehow, he managed to make even the most formal outfit look effortlessly cool and a little rebellious.
He pulled his hands back with an exaggerated look of annoyance and said to Chloe, “How did your tire just randomly give out like that?”
Chloe tilted her head back, gazing up at Julian’s handsome face with a playful grin. “Maybe I was just too gorgeous today, and the tire couldn’t handle all that beauty–it just gave out.”
Julian shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to Chloe, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “Step aside, you.”
Chloe scooted right back over, giving his abs a playful squeeze. “Damn, you were in a wheelchair for ages but still rocking a six–pack? Clearly you’ve been working out behind everyone’s back.”
Julian swatted her hand away and pushed her head aside with a grin. “No respect at all, huh? You’re getting wilder by the day.”
Julian crouched down to check the flat tire, and Chloe copied him, squatting right next to him, grinning playfully. “Honestly, fixing a tire never looked so good.”
Just a short distance away, lan just stood there watching Chloe and Julian together, feeling like all hope inside him had burned to ashes. ‘So that’s it, huh? She’s really moved on, he thought, completely dead inside.
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Chapter 256

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