The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39

:

55 vouchord”

“Ms. Judd,” Chloe called out as soon as she and lan went upstairs to his suite. The moment she saw Lily, Chloe rushed over for a warm hug.

Lily grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her down next to her, while Ian poured them some juice and took a seat across from them.

Lily was a celebrity, and even though she was already middle–aged, her sense of style was on point and she radiated effortless charm.

She looked at Ian and Chloe with a wistful sigh, repeating, “What a pity. If only you two had a little one running around calling me Ms. Judd, that would make me so happy.”

Ian shot a glance at Chloe and replied, “Don’t worry, Ms. Judd. As soon as Chloe and I have a baby, you’ll be the first to know.”

Lily smiled softly, “You two have been married for three years already. Don’t you think it’s time you started thinking about having a child?”

Ian kept his gaze fixed on Chloe. “You’re right, Ms. Judd. I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

Chloe was getting pretty good at matching Ian’s fake smiles, acting along without missing a beat.

Still, no way was she going to spoil everything by bringing up the divorce every time.

So she casually steered the conversation away. “Ms. Judd, when are you heading back to Kingsford? Let me know anytime, okay?”

Lily had squeezed this visit in despite her packed schedule, so she couldn’t linger. “Don’t worry, Chloe. Next time my tour stops in Kingsford, I’ll come spend a few days with you guys for sure.”

About ten minutes later, Ian and Chloe escorted Lily to the elevator.

As soon as the doors slid shut, Chloe shook Ian’s hand off her shoulder.

Ian quickly caught her wrist, stopping her from leaving. “Chloe, we really need to talk.”

Chloe tried to pull away, but his grip only got tighter.

Ian stared at her. “Are you coming with me, or do you want me to carry you?”

Chloe glanced around, forcefully shaking off lan’s hand. “Let go of me. I can walk by myself.”

They headed back to the suite, and lan shut the door behind them.

Chloe stood in front of the sofa, her face blank. “lan, I want a divorce. This isn’t a tantrum or pettiness. I’m done. You’ve seen the papers. I’ll pay you back 300 million within a month. After that, there’s nothing left to

talk about.”

13:21 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 39

Ian moved in front of her, staring in disbelief. “Did you sell your mom’s jewelry?”

Chloe turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. “That’s my business. It has nothing to do with you.”

55 vouchers

Ian couldn’t help but frown, “That jewelry meant everything to your mom. How could you even think about selling it just so you could divorce me?”

Just thinking about that jewelry made Chloe’s eyes go red with tears. “If I don’t sell my mom’s jewelry to pay you back 300 million, would you still divorce me?”

They locked eyes, and Ian went quiet.

Brushing past Ian, Chloe walked to the floor–to–ceiling window and stared out at the night sky. “That jewelry meant everything to my mom, but compared to my happiness, she’d rather let it go.”

Ian hesitated, finally giving in. “Chloe, we can leave things as they are and give each other some time to think things through. But you can’t sell that jewelry.”

Chloe turned around and stared straight at Ian, her tone icy and deliberate. “Let along the jewelry, if it would get me out of this marriage, my parents would even sell their blood or their kidneys for me.”

Ian’s hand tightened on the back of the sofa without him realizing it, his chest heaving under the weight of her words.

He knew better than anyone how much Chloe’s parents adored her.

He took a step closer, then another, until he was right in front of her.

He grabbed her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. “Chloe, tell me. What can I do to make you stay? Just tell me.”

Chloe shook her head. “Ian, it’s too late. The thought of you getting back together with your true love and having a kid with her is more than I can handle.”

She added, “Divorce is the only way out for us now.”

Ian couldn’t stop himself. He pulled Chloe into a tight hug, holding her close.

His voice was hoarse and desperate. “Chloe, I know this is so unfair to you. But if you can accept Andrea and her kid, I swear, everything I have is yours.”

Chloe tried to wriggle free, but lan’s hold was like iron. “lan, no matter what you do, you’ll still spend money on Andrea and her kid, and treat them better than anyone else. Am I right?”

She stared him straight in the eye. “I’m not that naive girl you could push around anymore. I won’t just go along with whatever you say. You can’t trick me again.”

Thu, Oct 2

63

In the midst of it, Ian’s phone slipped out of his pocket and started vibrating wildly. Chloe accidentally hit the answer button, but neither of them noticed.

“Let’s have a baby, Chloe,” Ian growled.

His kiss was fierce, swallowing up Chloe’s muffled whimpers and desperate breaths. On the other end of the line, Andrea was stunned into silence, shocked for a long moment.

“Ian, are you even listening?” Andrea’s voice finally broke through, urgent and shaky. “Clint is burning up again, and he’s been freaking out for hours. I just can’t get him to settle down. Can you come over and help

me out?”

*****

13:21 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 39

The intimate moment was abruptly cut off by Andrea’s sudden crying,

Ian pulled away from Chloe instantly and gently helped her sit up on the sofa.

EZ 55 vouchers

He answered the call. His voice automatically turned gentle. “Andrea, please don’t cry. Tell me slowly. I’m

here.”

Chloe hastily straightened her clothes, refusing to meet lan’s eyes as she got up to leave.

lan caught her wrist before she could make it out, gripping her tightly.

Through the phone speaker, Andrea’s sobs kept pouring out, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

Chloe turned, fixing lan with a cold, unwavering glare. “I’ve known you for more than twenty years, and I’ve never been so disgusted by you.”

With that, Chloe walked out of Ian’s suite without looking back.

The door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.

On the other end of the line, Andrea’s crying abruptly ceased. “Ian, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were with Mrs. Hamilton. Please, don’t come over. I’ll figure something out myself,” she rushed out.

Without waiting for a response, she hung up the phone.

田