Chapter 5 5

David acted as if nothing had happened. "Continue the meeting," he said, his voice level and cold.

Seated closest to him was his first cousin, William Jones-the second Young Lord of the Jones family.

William leaned in, whispering, "Big brother, I heard Grandma. Did you really marry that girl... Chloe-something?"

David shot him a stony glare that could have frozen a volcano.

William rubbed his nose and sat up straight, not daring to ask another question. Inside, however, he was overflowing with sympathy. While the sons of the Jones family didn't need political marriages to solidify their status, this was the definition of a mismatch. Just because Grandma liked a girl named Chloe, her eldest grandson was forced to marry her?

Poor guy, William thought. I'm just glad I'm not the eldest. Otherwise, I'd be the one taking a stranger for a wife just to pay back Grandma's medical debt.

Chloe, unaware of the boardroom drama, dragged her suitcase toward her new home. Using the keys David had given her, she unlocked the door to Unit 808.

As she stepped inside, her breath hitched. The apartment was huge-certainly larger than her sister's place-and the interior design was undeniably luxurious.

She dropped her suitcase and began a self-guided tour. This was her home now.

The layout consisted of two living areas, four bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and two spacious balconies. Chloe estimated the place was at least 200 square meters.

However, it was shockingly empty.

Aside from a sofa set, a coffee table, and a wine cabinet in the living room, there was almost no furniture. Out of the four bedrooms, only two had beds and wardrobes. The other two were completely bare.

The Lord bedroom was a suite, complete with its own walk-in closet, a small study, and a massive bathroom. Even with the partitioned spaces, the bedroom itself was large enough to rival the main living room.

This must be David's territory, she realized.

Chloe chose the other furnished bedroom. It was right next to one of the balconies, offering plenty of natural light, and was separated from the Lord suite by another room. This distance provided them both with a comfortable level of privacy.

As long as he doesn't ask to fulfill 'marital duties,' I'm certainly not going to bring it up, she thought.

After stowing her suitcase, she checked the kitchen. It was spotless-too spotless. There wasn't a single pot, pan, or utensil in sight. The balconies were equally barren. Since they were so wide, Chloe imagined filling them with potted plants and perhaps a swing chair where she could sit and read.

It was clear David never ate at home.

Now that she was living here, she needed to set up a functional kitchen. She hopped onto her phone and ordered a bulk of kitchenware and appliances. As for the furniture and plants, she decided to wait until David returned so she could ask for his input.

After all, it was his house. She was just a guest.

By the time she finished her orders, the school lunch rush was about to begin. She grabbed her keys and rushed back to the bookstore.

Her best friend, Sara, was waiting for her. "Chloe, where were you all morning?"

"I moved."

"Moved? Why? I thought things were fine at your sister's."

Chloe glanced toward the school gates. The students hadn't come out yet, so she took a moment to explain. "My brother-in-law wants me out. He keeps picking fights with my sister because of me. I didn't want to make things harder for her, so I left."

"But you pay for your food and rent! Why is he still complaining? He always seemed like a decent guy," Sara said, clearly annoyed on her friend's behalf.

Chloe sighed. "I give my sister 5,000 Dollar a month, but I tell her to save 3,000 of it in a secret account. We tell my brother-in-law I only give 2,000. My sister is a stay-at-home mom with no income; she has to ask him for every single penny. The more she asks, the more he looks down on her. I wanted her to have some emergency cash so he wouldn't have another reason to scold her."

Sara shook her head in frustration. "Men always say, 'I'll take care of you,' but when they actually have to do it, they complain about every cent. It's so unfair. Once a woman marries, she gives up everything for the family only to be treated like a burden."

"Once James starts kindergarten, Kate needs to find a job," Chloe agreed. "Economic independence is the only way a woman can keep her head high."

"But would your sister really let you move out just like that?" Sara asked. She knew how protective Kate was.

"I got married."

"Oh. Wait-WHAT? You got married? To who? You don't even have a boyfriend!"

Sara's voice rose to a shriek, attracting looks from a few passing students.

"I'll tell you later. It's a long story and the rush is starting," Chloe said, as a wave of students flooded the store.

The two were swept into a whirlwind of activity, selling stationery and reference books until the lunch hour ended. Only when they finally sat down to order takeout did Sara pounce again.

"Okay, spill it. Who did you marry? You didn't even give me a heads-up! We were supposed to be 'Single Queens' together!"

Chloe trusted Sara completely, so she laid out the whole story-though she admitted she knew very little about her new husband herself.

Sara stared at her for a long time before poking Chloe's forehead. "You've got some guts! You married a guy you met once? If you needed a place to stay, you could have moved in with me! My family has plenty of extra rooms."

The James family was quite well-off; Sara only ran the bookstore to kill time.

"And if you wanted to get married just to ease your sister's mind, you could have married my cousin! He's honest, kind, and has a great job. He would have married you in a heartbeat. Isn't that better than a total stranger?"

Sara frowned. "Are you sure that old lady didn't set you up? What if she faked the fall just to trap you?"

Chloe laughed. "Sara, your cousin already has a girlfriend. And Grandma Jones isn't like that. Even though I don't know Mr. Jones well, I can tell he's a decent man. Besides, I was just looking for a roommate for life."

Sara grumbled, "My aunt doesn't even like my cousin's girlfriend anyway... Look, marriage isn't a game. You can't just find a random 'roommate' to spend the rest of your life with. I'm telling you, Chloe, if your sister finds out the truth, she's going to be devastated."