When Joseph saw them, he narrowed his eyes and sneered. "That's her fiance."
"What?"
Vince was stunned and looked at Joseph with a sympathetic gaze. "Don’t be upset, sir. There are beautiful women everywhere. You’ll find another."
"Shut up!"
Vince was unperturbed. Joseph just got rejected and was now angry and embarrassed. This was not surprising since his boss had always possessed a strong sense of self-esteem. Now, Chloe had brought her new love interest right before him. Anyone would feel uncomfortable, let alone someone like his boss who was a prideful man. His only worry was that Joseph would take his anger out on him, so he kept his distance.
Surprisingly, when Chloe explained the situation, Joseph calmly accepted Noah’s presence and simply smiled. "Since you're already here, you're my guest too."
Chloe blinked, secretly relieved that Joseph and Noah had not got into an argument.
Noah also remained calm as he took hold of Chloe’s hand. "Lead us to Vanya. It's a bit cold out here. I’m worried Chloe will catch a cold."
She was slightly stunned when he held her hand, but she did not shake him off.
Looking at their intertwined hands, Joseph sneered. "With just that thin dress, of course, she'll catch a cold."
"Our grandpa got this outfit for us, so we couldn't refuse. It's my fault for forgetting to bring an extra coat," Noah patiently explained.
Chloe was speechless. She was not cold in the slightest and could not understand why the two men were discussing clothes.
Vanya's room was in the heart of the place, and this was Chloe's first time here. She noticed that many people lived here, and everyone showed exceptional respect toward Joseph. She knew that he held other roles besides his surface identity as a ruthless capitalist, but she had not been able to determine exactly what they were. Judging from the atmosphere of this place, she hazarded a guess that it was something akin to Duskfall.
Noah was also observing the people and surroundings, carefully taking in everything he saw. It became apparent that he had yet to be powerful enough.
Finally, they arrived at Vanya's room. A frail woman lay on a simple bed inside the small wooden cabin, her consciousness fleeting and her breaths labored.
"Don't go inside." Joseph extended an arm to stop Chloe, his expression solemn. "There are no doctors in the country who can cure her or even determine her exact illness. We can only provide medication to ease her condition. As the illness progresses, it may become infectious."
Chloe shuddered at the severity of her situation. "It’s that serious? Can she still communicate normally?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"A lot."
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