"Inside, isn't it obvious?"
"You're not allowed to enter, Sir. Mr. Vincent Gray is still in a meeting with an important guest," Maria insisted. She didn't budge even under Vernon's intimidation. "Be civil and step back."
Vernon wanted to laugh because this bitch dared to prevent his entry.
How could she dare to block her entry when it was obvious that Vincent favored him so much?
Thus, he did the oldest trick in his book, "BIG BRO! MAY I COME IN?!" Vernon yelled, calling Vincent with the endearing 'Big bro' that would surely entice Vincent's brotherly feelings.
And it worked.
Ten seconds later, there was an answer from the inside, "Just come in!"
"Heh, see? I don't understand why you need to keep me away from my Big bro. We're obviously so close, and there is nothing to hide between us!" Vernon said proudly.
Maria could only bite her lower lip and turned her back. She opened the CEO's office door and muttered, "Come in, Sir."
Vernon passed Secretary Maria arrogantly and entered the CEO's office. He was eager to see the sight of Dorothea-- that dying bitch who put a gap for the past three weeks between him and Chloe.
He didn't even care if Dorothea started accusing him of being the one who was keeping Chloe by his side. It would be funnier because Vincent would never believe her.
Dorothea was just a crazy old lady nobody wanted. Not even the servants liked her.
But what he saw wasn't Dorothea.
It was also another old lady, but she was a lot fatter and looked less crazy and more nervous. Vernon already knew the identity of this woman, but he acted like he had no clue, so Vincent wouldn't suspect a thing from him.
Vincent smiled at his little bro and called him, "Come here, Vernon. Join me to investigate this useless old woman."
Vernon acted innocent and sat right beside Vernon on the sofa, facing the old woman whose face was so pale, it looked like she was about to faint anytime soon.
"So, what's the problem with her?" Vernon asked while checking on his Big brother's face.
Vernon noticed a repressed rage. Vincent was all smiling right now, but his lips twitched a few times, and his neck was so tense, it looked like he was about to explode in front of this poor old woman.
"The problem? Oh, it's nothing much," Vernon sneered. "Why don't you tell my little brother about the problem that you brought here, Mrs. Andrew."
Mrs. Andrew-- The Principal of Mackie's old school, swallowed her saliva. Her body shook, but she still tried to act calm and explained, "I--It's about Mackenzie...."
"Uh-huh, what about my niece?" Vernon asked as he continued his play as an innocent bystander here.
"She... she hasn't come to school since three weeks ago," Mrs. Andrew reported. "Since that last incident of Mr. Gray abusing Chloe--"
"--Giving her a lesson," Vincent interrupted. "I didn't abuse my wife. I just give her a lesson, so she knows that I'm still the one in control, and she is nothing but a weak bitch who will eventually crawl back to me."
Mrs. Andrew swallowed her saliva again, and Vernon sensed that Vincent got even angrier.
Which was funny. Vernon should be the one who was mad because his bastard brother still believed that Chloe needed him.
'Obviously, it's YOU who needs her the most,' Vernon ridiculed in his heart. 'But it's fine. Keep being in denial with your own heart, it's better because that means Chloe will never return to you.'
After a brief silence, Mrs. Andrew revised her words, "Since that last incident of Mr. Gray giving Mrs. Gray a lesson, Mackie was nowhere to be seen. We tried to contact Mrs. Gray's number, but we have been blocked, and even if we try to call her with other numbers, she just rejects the call. Mrs. Gray's number has been uncontactable since last week."
"So it took you three weeks of my daughter missing until you decided to tell me about it, right?"
"M--My apologies, Mr. Gray."
"Apology won't change the fact that you failed to protect my daughter," Vincent said. "Tsk, what if she got kidnapped? So annoying."
Vernon was surprised by Vincent's comment just now. He didn't expect Vincent to be so attentive to his daughter. He thought that Vincent only saw Mackie as a pet, just like how Vincent treated him when he was young.
'I guess I was wrong,' Vernon thought.
"Relax, big bro, don't panic. I'm sure Mackie is fine," Vernon tried to put him at ease.
? "And why do you think so?" Vincent asked.
"Because if Mackie got kidnapped or disappeared, sister-in-law would be the first one to search for you and beg for your help," Vernon explained. He didn't want Vincent to start a nationwide hunt to find his daughter. While in actuality, his daughter went to another school for her own safety.
Vincent pondered briefly and nodded, "You're right, Vernon. If she got kidnapped, Chloe would be the first one to crawl back to me," Vincent chuckled as if he had just remembered a funny moment. "It'd be funny if I kidnapped Mackie myself and hid her somewhere. I bet Chloe will go insane and kiss my feet, so I will return Mackie to her."
Vernon's lips twitched. He was trying not to punch Vincent for having that crazy idea. But Vincent was crazy, to begin with, and Vernon should've been used to it by now.
"I think that's a little extreme, Big bro. What if Mackie got traumatized because she got kidnapped by you?" Vernon advised. "She is still your daughter, don't you want to keep her safe?"
Vincent finally turned his head towards his Little brother. He gave Vernon that puzzled look, "What do you mean, Vernon? Why should I care about Mackie? She is just a kid coming out of Chloe's womb. We can just make another baby if that little girl dies. It'd be better if it's a boy."
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