The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

It was evening at Hamilton Manor.

Edward sat at the head of the living room, with Shane and Miranda standing beside him.

Chloe stood in the middle of the living room with her parents.

Thomas and a few bodyguards waited respectfully by the entrance to the living room.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive—a clear standoff between both sides.

(?)

55 vouchers

Shane jabbed a finger at Frank, his anger barely contained. “Frank, your family needs to give the Hamiltons an explanation today!”

Chloe’s parents were devastated after learning their daughter had suffered a miscarriage.

Frank was shaking with fury, his words cutting like a knife. “We trusted our precious daughter to the Hamilton family—and you pushed her until she lost her child. And now you have the audacity to demand answers from

us?”

Edward’s face was stormy as he slammed his cane against the floor, the dull thud echoing through the room.

He said. “Now that your daughter is married into the Hamilton family, she’s one of us. And she went behind everyone’s back and got rid of the Hamilton family’s child. Is this what the Irvine family calls a good daughter?”

Jill squeezed Chloe’s hand, eyes brimming with tears of motherly pain.

Jill retorted angrily, “Even if our girl isn’t the most well–mannered, we sure didn’t beg your family to marry her. Since you look down on her so much, we’ll take her home right now!”

With that, Jill pulled Chloe with her and turned to leave.

Thomas and his bodyguards stepped forward, blocking The Irvines from exiting.

Chloe saw what was happening, took a deep breath, and released her grip on her

parents.

She squared her shoulders and faced Edward and Shane. “Edward, Shane, with the way you treat your own son, lan is only fit to be raising someone else’s child. As for you two–you’ll never be worthy of a true grandson, let alone a great–grandson!”

Edward was so enraged that he nearly fainted, his vision blurring from sheer fury.

He collapsed rigidly onto the sofa, stabbing a finger at Chloe as he roared, ‘Someone, lock this insolent girl in the ancestral hall and make sure she reflects on her behavior!”

The bodyguards moved in, about to grab Chloe, when lan rushed in just in time.

Shielding Chloe behind him, lan faced Edward and said, “Edward, the baby’s gone. If there’s anyone to blame,

12:31 Sat, Oct 4

Chapter 171

it’s me–Chloe had nothing to do with it!”

:

Edward jabbed a finger at lan, teeth grinding in rage. “You damn wretch–kneel!”

Ian knelt down, his face utterly expressionless.

82

55 vouchers

Jill, blind with grief, practically threw herself at Ian, grabbing at him. “You heartless bastard! What did my daughter ever do so wrong that you had to treat her like this?”

She cried and clung to lan’s clothes, pounding on him through sobs. “My girl would have given you her whole heart, and you’re out there messing around with other women! Why do you keep hurting her so much? What did she ever do to deserve this?”

Frank pointed a trembling finger at Ian, eyes bloodshot with fury. “You Hamilton! Did you forget those promises you made when you married my daughter? Did you let the dogs eat your conscience or something?”

Ian knelt there on the floor, not moving an inch under Jill’s barrage of slaps and curses, letting her vent all her fury without a word in protest.

Ian’s eyes were rimmed red with guilt as he choked out, “Dad, Mom, it’s all my fault–I let Chloe down.”

Jill clung to Ian’s shirt, breaking down as she sobbed, her voice ragged with pain. “You–don’t call me Mom! You don’t deserve it!”

She grabbed Ian by the collar, knuckles white, refusing to let go. “If you know you’ve hurt my daughter, then why the hell won’t you just divorce her? What, you want to torment her until she’s dead? Is that what it’ll take for you to get out of her life?”

Every one of Jill’s agonized sobs felt like knives in Ian’s chest, shredding him from the inside out.

She pushed and shook him so hard he nearly fell over, but Ian just knelt there and let her do it.

His eyes were bloodshot, the corners glistening with unshed tears, but try as he might, he couldn’t force out a single word–his throat was tight, choked with guilt and pain.

Miranda stood a short distance away, tearful eyes watching everything happen, but she didn’t step forward.

12:31 Sat, Oct 4

Before Ian could finish, Miranda cut in, “Sir Julian is Ian’s uncle, so he’s not really an outsider. Honestly, when an elder steps into the younger generation’s drama, nobody can really fault them for it.”

Ian shot Thomas a warning look, and Thomas reluctantly stepped aside, letting them pass.

Julian walked out with The Irvines, cool and collected, like he belonged there.

Shane looked like he was about to lose his cool, but the moment Edward shot him a warning glance, he immediately held it in.

lan quietly walked Chloe and her parents out to the front door.

He said to Chloe, “Take it easy–go home and get some rest. I’ll swing by later.”

Without a word, Chloe shot lan a frosty glance before climbing into Julian’s car with her parents

fan watched until their car disappeared from view, then turned silently and headed back into the living room

Just then, Mitchell hurried in and bent close to whisper, ‘Mr. Hamilton, Edward’s men tossed Ms. Sherman out at the In–Border Area. Our people are already on her trail

12:31 Sat, Oct 4

Chapter 171

Ian waved him off, and Mitchell hurried out.

82

E55 vouchers

Miranda slammed the paternity report in front of lan. “You actually lied to your parents and Edward for some random bastard? You’ve really gone off the deep end!”

Ian looked directly at Edward and his parents, his voice level. “Edward, Mom, Dad–Andrea’s son isn’t mine.”

“You bastard!” Edward snarled, his voice trembling, almost bursting with rage.

Edward didn’t hold back. He brought his cane crashing down on Ian’s head–blood gushed instantly, trickling down his face, but lan just stood his ground, completely motionless, refusing to dodge or defend himself.

lan said. “Back in college, Andrea pulled me out of a real mess. When we were seeing each other, Edward- you went behind my back and forced her out of the country to marry some stranger. Yeah, she took that twenty–million–dollar check, but she didn’t touch a single cent. Her husband tormented her for years, and after… after he assaulted her, she was forced to give birth to that child. That kid is nothing but a living nightmare for her.”

lan continued, “She had no way out and came home, asking me to help her bury those six miserable years and give herself another chance at life. She was terrified you’d ship her overseas again and force her into another marriage, so she begged me to claim her child as mine–just to protect her in case things went south.”

Ian said, “I know I screwed up, and I seriously regret agreeing to any of this. But the damage is already done, and I’ll shoulder every bit of the fallout myself.”