The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90

“Let’s go,” Chloe said, stepping out the door before lan could say a word.

She slipped out ahead, leaving lan no chance to respond.

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Once they were in the car, lan was busy juggling phone calls, barely paying attention to anything else.

Chloe sat beside him, acting like she was completely uninvolved, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

The car pulled up in the courtyard of Hamilton Manor. Chloe got out first, with Ian right behind her.

Ian hung up and grabbed Chloe’s wrist, halting her. “Wait.”

Chloe pulled her hand free before he could get a word in, turning instead to wave at Mia.

She knew exactly what he wanted to say.

‘Let me guess, Chloe thought, ‘he’s just going to remind me not to speak out of turn in front of the Hamilton elders.

Chloe paused in the center of the living room and greeted each of the Hamiltons politely, one by one.

Shane glared at Ian, his voice full of fury. “Just look at what you’ve done!”

Ian kept his cool. “This one’s on me. Next time, I won’t make the same mistake.”

Miranda cut in, exasperated. “You keep playing with fire, and sooner or later you’re going to get burned. Being ‘careful‘ isn’t going to cut it with something like this.”

Shane was absolutely livid. “Find out who tipped off the press–right now! I want her blacklisted in Kingsford, permanently!”

Ian glanced at Chloe–his expression unreadable—before turning to Shane. “Dad, the blame’s on me. This has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Edward, seated in the main spot on the sofa, glanced over at Thomas.

Thomas briskly ushered all the servants outside and then escorted Mia upstairs.

He returned with a whip in hand and stood at attention behind Edward.

Edward commanded, his voice filled with anger. “Kneel!”

Ian shot Chloe a look, shrugged off his jacket and passed it to her. Chloe took it without batting an eye.

Ian knelt down without a moment’s hesitation.

Edward said, “As the Hamilton Heir, allowing a scandal like this to hit the press is a clear failure on your part.”

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Chapter 90

fan lowered his head. “Yes, Grandpa”

Edward said firmly. “If you mess up, you need to accept the punishment.”

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Chloe calmly draped lan’s jacket over her arm, shifted slightly to the side, and lowered her eyes, staying perfectly composed.

In moments, the crack of the whip landing on lan’s back echoed through the silent living room.

Shane watched his son take the whipping, and when Chloe showed absolutely no reaction, he just huffed in

irritation.

Jan knelt on the hardwood, fists clenched tight at his sides, letting Thomas’s whip strike his back over and over, not flinching once.

He glanced up at Chloe.

She kept her head bowed and her body angled away, completely silent.

‘Why does my chest hurt so damn much?‘ Ian thought, the strange, hollow ache inside drowning out the sting of every lash.

He remembered back when he wasn’t yet married to Chloe–there was that time he clashed with Edward and ended up getting whipped in front of everyone, a real Hamilton punishment.

Chloe happened to stop by that day to see Mia, and she walked right in on the scene.

Without hesitating, she dove in front of him to shield him, and took the blow herself.

He called her a fool.

Her little face was white with pain, but she still managed a faint, reassuring smile just for him.

Back then, she said she was willing–no matter what, she wanted to shield him, even if it meant taking the pain herself.

But now, she was just standing there, unwilling to take even a single step closer, refusing to even look his way -as if he was nothing to her anymore.

Miranda stood next to Shane, watching as lan endured the whipping, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, never once looking away from Chloe.

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She was already lined up to start at the Jordan family’s private hospital after New Year, ready for a fresh chapter–away from the Hamiltons‘ grasp.

Ian’s gaze shifted, his eyes turning dark and complicated as he stared at Chloe.

‘So that’s it, Ian thought, a bitter realization settling in. ‘She went through all this, just because she’s worried Grandpa will butt in and kill her job again.

Shane spat, his face twisted in anger. “You ungrateful thing! As Mrs. Hamilton, you’re out there scraping together pennies? You’re just making the whole Hamilton family look pathetic!”

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Chapter 90

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Ian cut in, his voice steady but protective. “Dad, there’s no need to insult her like that. I stand with Chloe–she has every right to chase her own career.”

Chloe stood next to lan, totally unfazed by his words–her heart felt nothing for him anymore.

After a long stretch of tense silence, Edward finally gave in. “It’s a good thing for young folks to go out and make something of themselves. We’ll grant your request–but tomorrow morning at the press conference, you know exactly what you need to do.”

Chloe breathed out slowly, finally able to relax. The tension that had been gripping her for so long finally let

1. go.

She pulled out a voice recorder, meeting Edward’s eyes head–on. “Your word is as good as gold, Edward. I’m recording this–no Hamilton gets to mess with my career or threaten my family ever again. In return, I’ll cooperate with whatever you need for the sake of the family.”

Edward shot a look at the recorder in Chloe’s hand, and a flicker of approval flashed across his eyes.

“That’s the kind of backbone you only get from a real powerhouse upbringing, he thought. ‘She’s got guts, she’s got real presence, and she knows how to handle things–so much tougher than that woman from the Todd family.

With everything finally resolved, Chloe and Ian quietly returned to their own separate residences, neither of them saying a word along the way.

The whole way back, neither of them said a single word. As soon as Chloe walked through the door, Ian caught her by the arm, stopping her cold.

Ian demanded, his tone sharp and impatient, “If you want your job—or anything else—just tell me straight. There’s no need to play these tricks with me.”

Chloe looked at him, her voice cold and unmoved. “I don’t trust you.”

From now on, whatever she wanted, she’d get it herself–even if it meant using every trick in the book. No more waiting for anyone else’s charity.

‘Survival, no matter the cost. That’s what Ian really taught me,‘ Chloe thought bitterly.

The two of them locked eyes, neither willing to back down–the air between them practically crackling with

tension.

Ian’s face was stormy, his voice low and deliberate. “If you don’t trust me, then why did you come back?”

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