'I think the second one is more plausible, knowing his little brother, Vernon Phoenix Gray is a big playboy who fucks around as well," Diamond thought.
Funnily enough, the media rarely saw Chloe and Mackie, despite being the wife and daughter of a handsome, young billionaire. Though, whenever asked by the media about his wife's absence, Vincent always said that his wife is a deep introvert that doesn't like media attention.
People thought that was because Vincent wanted to protect his family from the media's eyes to living a normal life.
"And why aren't you accompanying him in many events?"
"Vincent forbids me from meeting any random person or showing myself in public. I'm basically trapped in our house. My activity is just taking care of Mackie, cooking, and doing laundry," Chloe replied. She had a sad smile, "At first, I see nothing wrong with it since I know he is the jealous type. But once I know that he has been fucking around nonstop, I know that I'm nothing but a furniture in his house. That's why I got terribly depressed, even suicidal at some point…."
"Ah, please don't say this to Vernon, okay? I don't want him to think that I'm just a burden. I don't want to get fired so soon…." Chloe pleaded. Getting fired in this harsh situation was basically a death sentence for Chloe.
Diamond bit her lower lip. She thought that Chloe was just a spoiled, ungrateful woman at first.
But after knowing this, it was hard to pin the blame on her for leaving Vincent. That guy was an absolute monster.
'I want to report this to Mr. Phoenix Gray. But… he is always unpredictable. What if he decided to kick Chloe because he thought of her as a burden? I will die out of guilt,' Diamond thought.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Okay, I'll keep your secret from Mr. Phoenix Gray, I promise," Diamond said, much to Chloe's relief.
Mackie saw her mommy, and Miss Diamond was whispering for a while. She got curious, "Mommy, are you talking about Daddy?"
"Ah, n—not at all, dear. Miss Diamond and I are just talking about work," Chloe said as she shifted Mackie's attention to the menu instead, "Have you decided what you want to eat?"
"Yes! I want this, and this, and this!" Mackie pointed at one meal and two desserts, also a drink.
Normally, Chloe wouldn't let Mackie eat too many sweets, but she wanted to treat her daughter after so much, so she nodded, "Okay, dear."
"Really? Thank you, Mommy!"
Daryl returned after ten minutes and took the menu and their orders. Again, he kept stealing glances at Chloe, but Chloe intentionally acted dumb and ignored him, much to his disappointment.
After Daryl left, Diamond whispered, "Did you tell him you're married?"
"Yeah, I told him I'm married, but he knew my marriage is not good."
"Wha— how could he know?!"
"When I was at my lowest, I couldn't handle it anymore. So I sat here until the restaurant closed, not eating my food. I broke down in tears once he approached me and asked what was wrong…."
Chloe also felt guilty because she broke down in tears in front of a random man.
But she had nobody to talk to. Even her family supported Vernon more.
Diamond felt heavier in her heart as she continued listening to Chloe's story. She wanted to comfort her in some way, but she knew that might make Chloe feel small and pitiful. Thus, she sat in silence as she stared at Mackie, who was drawing imaginary things with her finger on the table.
"Mackie Honey, are you doing well in school?" Diamond asked Mackenzie, thinking it would lift up the somber mood around her.
Mackenzie lifted her head, and her round, black pupils stared at Miss Diamond, "I'm doing well! Mackie always gets A in any exams!"
"Really? That's great!"
"Un! Daddy, told me that we will go to Disneyland again if I do good in school. Since Mackie is always doing good, we will go to Disneyland six times!" Mackenzie said innocently.
"Six times?"
"Since Daddy never fulfilled his promise to me to go to Disneyland.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMommy said that Daddy is busy, and we will go when Mackie is twelve years old! That will be five years from now, and that would be six visits to Disneyland!"
…
Diamond shifted her gaze towards Chloe, and the latter smiled bitterly and replied with a helpless gaze.
…
'Oh my god, these two are so pitiful! How could— How could someone be this evil to his own wife and daughter!' Diamond pitied both Chloe and Mackenzie.
'Alright, I will fuckin help both of them! I will protect them in any way possible from Mr. Phoenix Gray's wrath!' Diamond swore in her heart.
She couldn't believe that she would actually dedicate herself to helping someone else, but seriously, Chloe deserved happiness in her life.
Chloe didn't know what was in Diamond's head. All she saw was her expression changing from sadness, anger, calm, and suddenly spirited, as if she was determined to do something.
'Well, I'm just glad that Diamond is a good person. I thought she would be like Vernon, who is unpredictable and crazy,' Chloe thought.
**
Chloe, Mackie, and Diamond ate in silence until it came to the dessert. They waited for Mackie to eat and started chatting in a low voice again.
"How about your daughter? What makes her scared of the word Aunt? That's definitely got to do with the Gray family, right?" Diamond asked.
"Yes, you see… that family is a big one, with many branch families and relatives. They're constantly trying to bootlick Dorothea Gray, Vincent, and even Vernon at some point. But all of them treated those relatives hot-and-cold."
"When Mackenzie was born, she was instantly Dorothea's favorite grandchild, which creates jealousy among the relatives," Chloe explained. "One of them is called Aunt Mary, and she is Dorothea's niece from her sister. She kidnapped Mackie and took her hostage."