The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75

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Chloe hadn’t thought much of it at first–but Mitchell’s line about “trusted shop made her pause.

Jan had sent Mitchell to set up this signing, then demanded she hand over and destroy every shred of evidence of his affair before putting pen to paper.

She’d pushed back once, and he’d immediately tried to walk away.

Something was off.

Just then, her divorce attorney, Neil Reed, stepped forward. “Ms. Irvine, let Mr. Garrison handle the repair himself. You only need to cover the cost.”

Neil’s words clicked,

Chloe held the broken phone out to Mitchell. “You take care of getting it fixed,” she said. “I’ll pay for whatever it costs,”

Mitchell hesitated, his hand hovering over the phone like he didn’t want to take it.

Jan, who’d been silent since Chloe snapped, finally spoke up–short, sharp, final. “Mitchell, do as my wife

says.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the conference room. *****

Ten minutes later, by a curbside temporary parking spot, Chloe let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Reed,” she said.

Neil sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Ms. Irvine, I’ve seen it all in divorce cases–couples tearing each other apart, tricks, schemes… you name it. A little caution never goes amiss.”

Chloe dropped her gaze, hiding the jumble of frustration and exhaustion beneath her calm exterior.

When it came to mind games, to cold calculation–nobody outplayed Ian.

Just minutes ago, she’d nearly walked right into his trap.

“Chloe?” A man’s voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked up to see someone hop off an electric bike, limping toward her.

For a second, she didn’t recognize him–then it clicked. “Leo?”

It was Leo Irvine, her cousin from her uncle’s side.

Polio left him with a childhood limp, forced him from school, and granted him no easy breaks in life.

But he was honest–blunt, even–and ran a small phone repair shop with his wife.

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Chapter 75

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Before she could say more, Mitchell walked over, the broken phone in his hand. “Mrs. Hamilton, do you happen to know anyone who fixes phones? There’s sensitive stuff on here–I’d rather not hand it to a stranger.”

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. She shot Leo a quick, silent warning, then turned to Mitchell. “Sorry, Mr. Garrison, I don’t know anyone.”

But Leo didn’t catch the hint. He stepped forward, grinning. “I fix phones.”

Chloe tried to cut him off, but it was too late.

Mitchell’s face relaxed, like a weight had lifted. “That’s perfect.”

Chloe shot Neil a panicked look, then turned to Leo, her voice sharp with urgency. “Leo, Mr. Garrison is the assistant to Hamilton Group’s CEO. This phone has confidential company files–if anything goes wrong, you could be in legal trouble.”

Leo thumped his chest, a reassuring glint in his eyes as he addressed her. “Don’t worry, Chloe–I’ve been fixing phones for over ten years. This will be a piece of cake.”

He gave Mitchell the address of his shop, and Mitchell nodded eagerly. “Great–I’ll drop it off after work.”

Before Neil headed out, he paused to give Chloe a calm, professional reminder. “Ms. Irvine, as long as Leo works on Mitchell’s phone with constant surveillance, there shouldn’t be any major hiccups. We’ll cover all bases.”

Even after Neil left, Chloe couldn’t shake a faint unease–she pulled Leo aside once more, her voice soft but firm. “Just… be extra careful, okay? I don’t want anything to go wrong with this.”

Before she knew it, the day of the court hearing arrived.

It was past nine am. when Chloe finally convinced her parents to stay home and hailed a cab to the courthouse.

When she stepped out onto the sidewalk, the chaos hit her at once: reporters swarmed in from every direction, cameras flashing like strobe lights, voices clamoring for her attention as they closed in like a tidal

wave.

But before a single question could leave their lips, the Hamilton family’s bodyguards cut through the crowd, their broad shoulders forming a solid barrier between Chloe and the press.

Chloe spun around at the sound of a car door clicking shut–and there was lan, stepping elegantly out of his sleek luxury sedan.

He wore an impeccably tailored business suit, every detail perfectly curated: a sharp silk tie, a gleaming silver brooch pinned to his lapel, an exclusive watch that glinted in the sunlight. Behind him, his assistant hurried to keep up, and the car’s polished exterior only emphasized the air of power surrounding him.

With his commanding height, striking looks, and an aura that hummed with authority, lan looked every inch the man in charge–a figure of such intimidating nobility and absolute detachment that he seemed like a saint who had renounced a throne.

13:31 Thu, Oct 2

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“Mrs. Hamilton, wait–let me explain,” Mitchell said quickly, stepping closer. “It was your cousin, Leo Irvine. He’s the one who told the police… he said you instructed him to pull confidential data from my phone and leak it to a competitor.”

13:31 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 75

She hadn’t touched Mitchell’s phone. Not once.

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She had nothing to hide, no reason to steal files, and she wasn’t afraid of rumors or accusations. The law would clear her name, she told herself. It had to.

The officers guided her toward the door, and as she stepped into the hallway, she came face–to–face with Ian.

The hallway fell silent. They stared at each other–Chloe’s eyes rimmed red, her lower lip bitten raw to hold back tears;

Ian’s face unreadable, his gaze sharp as glass. She said nothing. Not a word. She just turned her head and walked straight past him, not even glancing his way.

Ian didn’t move. He didn’t try to stop the police, didn’t say a single thing to her. He just stood there and let her

1. go.

The day she’d dreamed of–the hearing that was supposed to set her free–ended with her wrists in handcuffs, being led away from the courthouse.

That night, at the entrance to the Hamilton Manor, Chloe’s parents stood in the middle of the driveway, blocking Ian’s car.

Ian stepped out slowly, his posture calm, his expression as polite as ever. “Frank. Jill.”

Frank’s face was red with rage, his hands trembling as he pointed a finger at Ian. “Tell me–why? What crime did my daughter commit to make you throw her in jail?”

Ian didn’t flinch. His expression didn’t flicker, not even for a second. “Frank, I didn’t put Chloe behind bars. It was her cousin–Leo Irvine. He named her in the company secrets leak. That’s why the police took her.”

Jill’s eyes were swollen from crying, her voice cracking as she sobbed. “That’s impossible. Leo’s always been honest–he’d never lie about something like this! He’d never accuse Chloe!”

Ian sighed, a faint, helpless look crossing his face. “There’s nothing any of us can do right now. Only the police investigation will uncover the truth.”

Mitchell, who’d been standing beside Ian’s car, spoke up then, his tone careful. “Mr. Hamilton, with all due respect–Mrs. Hamilton is definitely being framed. Is there any way you could pull some strings? Get her out on bail until the investigation ends?”

Jan’s gaze shifted to Chloe’s parents. His face was perfectly composed, no hint of emotion in his eyes betraying his true thought.

Frank, crushed by his daughter’s predicament, swallowed his pride and lowered his head before Ian. “Please,

Ian.”

Ian fell silent. He stood there for a long moment before he finally spoke.

His tone was neutral, impossible to read. “Frank, Jill–I’m the executive president of Hamilton Group. When company secrets are leaked, it’s my duty to see this through to the end and make sure every employee gets a clear explanation. I can’t make exceptions, even for family.”