The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 233

eekend, the day of the Quinn Manor’s banquet.

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Chloe headed out early to the local grocery store near her neighborhood, and happened to bump into Ian.

Ian, dressed to the nines in a suit, stepped over to Chloe, his voice uncertain. “Chloe, I need to talk to you.”

Chloe replied coolly, “Ian, you don’t get to call me that. I have nothing to say to you.”

With that, Chloe put the salt she was holding back on the shelf and turned away without another word.

Ian, clutching his stomach and desperate, blocked Chloe’s way. “I really need to talk to you, just for a minute. Please.”

Chloe met his eyes, icy and unyielding. “Ian, I don’t want to see you or hear anything you’ve got to say. My life isn’t your business. Just stay away from me, that’s all I need from you. Understand?”

Their eyes met–Chloe stared him down, refusing to budge.

Ian’s face, already pale, drained of color completely.

Seeing Ian still blocking her path, Chloe marched forward and pushed him out of the way, hard.

The next second, Ian went down hard.

The burning pain in his stomach was unbearable; his hand shot out to catch Chloe’s ankle on pure instinct.

He managed to choke out, “Chloe, my stomach hurts.”

Chloe glanced down at him, shook off his hand, and stepped over him like he wasn’t even there.

She paused, still facing away. “Mr. Hamilton, it’s not your stomach that’s hurting. You just need to calm down.”

With that, Chloe turned on her heel and strode away, her steps firm and resolute.

Ian slumped down in the middle of the supermarket aisle, his vision blurring and the world starting to spin.

fan’s voice trembled, barely audible: “Chloe, let’s talk when you’ve cooled off.”

Chloe’s cold words echoed in his mind, ‘You’re the one who needs to calm down.”

Those two icy voices kept ringing in lan’s ears. All at once, it wasn’t just his stomach hurting–his whole body felt like it was breaking, and his heart ached the worst of all.

Back then, Chloe couldn’t stop crying after that blowout with Andrea.

She’d collapsed right in front of him, but he just assumed she was taking it and being overly dramatic.

He’d been just as cold back then, telling her to just calm down

Chapter 233

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Then he left her all alone at home.

Now, he was the one hit by illness in front of her, and she gave him nothing but an icy line before leaving him right where he was–just like he’d done to her.

‘So this is how much it hurts when the person you care about ignores you and leaves you behind, Ian thought, the pain hitting him harder than anything he’d ever felt.

‘Pfft!‘

That bitter taste flooded lan’s mouth, then–out of nowhere–blood spewed out, sending a passing clerk into

a panic.

“Oh no! Someone just threw up blood and collapsed!”

–

Eight o’clock that night.*

Quinn Manor Second Floor.*

Patrick, looking dapper in a white casual suit, leaned against the railing upstairs, watching Ian make his way up.*

Patrick shot him a look. “You collapsed this morning from a stomach bleed, got rushed to the hospital, and now you show up here tonight? Are you trying to get yourself killed or what?“*

Ian was dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored black suit that made his figure look even more striking.

He stood side by side with Patrick at the railing, leaning forward slightly, hands gripping the rail as he looked down at the banquet hall below.

His features were sharp and flawless, his lips pressed into a thin line. Even though he looked exhausted and pale, there was still that cold, commanding aura about him that made people take notice.

fan stayed silent, his deep eyes scanning the crowd, searching for Chloe.

When Henry, the head of the family, heard lan had shown up, he personally came upstairs. “Since you’d rather not join the party downstairs, Mr. Hamilton, just relax up here for a while.”

Henry quickly told the staff to set up a lounge area by the railing on the second floor.

After making sure everything was just right, Henry quietly slipped away.

fan sank into a single armchair, looking wiped out. He picked up the wine glass from the coffee table, hesitating for a moment before bringing it to his lips.

Patrick darted forward and snatched the glass away. Go ahead and drink yourself under if you want, but Chloe isn’t going to give a damn

Just then, a middle–aged man in a sharp suit walked over and called Eric aside.

Chapter 233

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Andrea’s sister–in–law smirked, trying to hide a mocking laugh. “Why so surprised, Dr. Irvine? If you get to be here for the Quinns‘ private party, what’s stopping us?”

Andrea’s brother glared daggers at her. “You trashed my sister’s life. Enjoyed your lucky streak? Well, it’s over

now.”

Chloe’s stare was ice–cold. “Andrea committed murder–Mr. Hamilton personally made sure she ended up behind bars. All of that had nothing to do with me. So if you want to settle a score, go pick someone else.”

Vivian grinned, fanning the flames. “Oh please, Dr. Irvine, that’s some twisted logic right there. If you hadn’t stuck yourself between Mr. Hamilton and Andrea, she would’ve been Mrs. Hamilton ages ago. And if she’d gotten that spot, do you really think he’d ever send her to jail? Not a chance.”

Andrea’s sister–in–law shot her a smug glare. “Irvine, you wrecked Andrea. Getting thrown out of the Hamilton family? That’s just payback coming for you.”

Andrea’s brother gave a self–satisfied smirk. “Used to be we couldn’t touch you. But now? The tables have turned.”

Vivian slipped closer to Chloe, her words barely above a whisper. “Dr. Irvine, looks like your trouble’s just walked through the door.”

Chloe locked her gaze on the three of them, then spun on her heel and walked away without a second glance.

‘Could it really be Andrea who’s become Henry’s new wife?‘ Chloe wondered, feeling a chill run down her spine.

‘But Andrea was convicted. She should still be in prison–no way she’d be out now,‘ Chloe told herself, trying

to make sense of it.

Just as Chloe was about to head upstairs to find Patrick, Yvonne Langley stepped in front of her. “Chloe, perfect timing! I want you to meet someone.”

Yvonne gestured to the young woman beside her. “This is Mrs. Quinn.”

Chloe gave the woman a once–over, feeling like she’d seen her somewhere before.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with flawless makeup and long, wavy hair casually piled up at the back of her head. Her sexy burgundy evening gown made her baby bump stand out even more.

After Yvonne got a call and left, Chloe gave a polite greeting and was about to walk away.

Mrs. Quinn looked at Chloe, lips curled in a sly smirk and her gaze teasing. “You still haven’t figured out who 1 am, Dr. Irvine?”

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