"You already did everything to help me, Chloe," Vernon said. "When you came into the mansion and noticed me, the little boy that nobody wanted to take care of. You gave me everything that I needed, and you taught me love and care."
"You protected me from my mother, brother, and father. You gave me security, love, and warmth. You did everything already. It's my turn to do everything for you."
Vernon's words shocked Chloe. She could hear Vernon's heartbeat accelerate after he said those words.
Back then, she didn't think much about getting recognition or love from this man.
She had always been the caring type since she was a kid.
She was the one who took care of her single-mother family. She also became a paid babysitter around her area in middle school because she needed money.
So when she visited the Gray family mansion, her attention was quickly stolen by a scrawny boy hiding behind a pillar while watching her talking with Vincent.
The boy looked so pale and weak as if he'd die if he got beaten.
He glared at everyone around him, and nobody dared to approach him. They simply ignored him either out of fear or anger.
Vincent told her that kid was his little brother, Vernon, and advised Chloe not to get too close to him because he was like a rabid dog that would bite at anything and anyone who dared to get too close.
He was uncontrollable, and everyone in the house treated him like air until he made a big mess.
Unfortunately, Chloe wasn't the type of person who'd stand and watch.
She had dealt with so many kids before and quickly noticed that Vernon wasn't rabid or uncontrollable. He was just hurt and craving attention.
So she treated her carefully, and they gradually became so close. She treated him genuinely like a little brother she had never had before, and Vernon became very sticky to her.
She filled him with love that he never received before, but she never asked for anything in return. She was naturally a caregiver, and seeing Little Vernon as a happy kid was the best feeling ever.
Thus, Chloe shook her head to deny it, "I—I never wanted anything from you back then, Vernon. Trust me. All I wanted was to see you happy and grow up to be a good man!"
"I know," Vernon said without hesitation. "I can feel your sincerity when you took care of me when I was a kid. I know that you treat me like a little brother. But I don't want to be your little brother, I want to be more than that."
"I want to be the man for you, Chloe, it has always been like that," Vernon confessed. "I've loved you for years, and you don't need to do anything to pay me back. You already paid for my love in advance."
Chloe felt complicated.
She felt so guilty because she had taken advantage of a little boy's vulnerability for her gain. Thus, she tried to separate herself from Vernon.
But Vernon quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered, "This is your chance Chloe. If you feel like you haven't done enough for me, then this is your chance to pay me back."
"Don't try to push me away," Vernon said with his voice half begging. "Don't leave me because I told you the truth. It's not your fault that I fell in love with you since I was just a kid."
"I know that you're sincere. I'm not an idiot who can be manipulated easily, Chloe," Vernon said. "There were so many people back then that wanted to take advantage of me, but I can sense their true nature easily. You are the only one that is sincere to me."
"Chloe Phoenix Gray, you will break me if you push me away right now."
…
There was a long silence between them for a while until Chloe stopped struggling.
She murmured 'I'm sorry' many times, and Vernon kissed her head to assure her, "It's never your fault. It's me who feels these things. I know that you're a good woman, Chloe."
"And thank you for not pushing me away after I tell you the truth. You don't need to do too much for me anymore. You should just let me pamper you, because you deserved it after all the things you went through."
Thus, Chloe and Vernon spent the night embracing each other in the living room. Chloe was the first one to fall asleep because she cried, so Vernon carried her to the bedroom and embraced her to sleep.
He caressed her cheek while gazing at her softly, "You are the only gift from God for me, Chloe. I love you."
**
Chloe woke up in the morning after she heard Mackie's loud voice in the living room. Judging by the heat around her body, she must've been spooned by the one and only the big bear, Vernon, throughout the night.
She turned around and saw that Vernon was still in a deep sleep.
He has always been a heavy sleeper who would not wake up to noises since childhood.
Chloe stared at the sleeping Vernon for a while, then took the initiative to kiss him on the lips.
"I'm so sorry, Vernon. I had no romantic feelings for you when you were a kid. I genuinely took care of you as a little brother," Chloe said. "But now that we're both adults, you showed me what love should've been. You showed me that I deserve so much more than Vincent. You make me fall in love, and I… I refuse to let you go as well."
Chloe took a deep breath and asked, "Can I be honest to you for once?"
Chloe checked on Vernon again, and once she ensured he was still sleeping, she whispered, "Back then, when you were only fifteen years old, I had a little wish that you'd be ten years older than your actual age. Because I thought you'd be the better choice."
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