The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 285

Chapter 285

Chapter 285

Early the next morning, Chloe and her family got up and started getting things ready.

Ian had already had the place tidied up ahead of time.

They just needed to pack up their own stuff.

Chloe called a moving company, and they got everything moved in a single run.

Before heading out, Chloe got a cleaning crew to give the whole place a final scrub, inside and out.

Back at the rental, Chloe and her family dove right back into the hustle, getting everything sorted out.

By evening, the four of them were totally wiped out.

Around seven, the whole family hit up a restaurant, ordered beer grilled skewers, and seafood, and feasted.

Not far behind them, a black Bentley eased to a stop by the curb

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The window slid down, and Ian watched Chloe, wearing disposable gloves, a crawfish in one hand and a beer in the other, his gaze soft with adoration.

Just sharing some barbecue with her family was enough to make her smile like that.

Turns out, happiness can be this simple,’ he wondered.

Ian straightened his suit and got out of the car.

“Hey Ian, over here!” Carl called out, waving enthusiastically and jumping up to offer his seat.

Frank waved the waiter over to get some extra plates and utensils

Ian glanced at the tiny stool in front of him, adjusted his pants, and sat down right next to Chloe.

Chloe stared at lan, and the crawfish she was holding slipped right out of her hand and dropped onto her plate. “Why are you here?”

lan noticed the spicy oil at the corner of Chloe’s mouth and just grabbed a napkin, reaching over to wipe it off for her.

Chloe leaned back quickly, dodging his hand.

Ian didn’t care. He pulled his hand back and asked, “What brings you all the way out to Verdantville?”

“Carl said the barbecue here is awesome and wouldn’t take no for an answer!” Chloe jumped in before anyone else could answer, shooting Carl a warning look.

Jan still had no idea they’d already moved out of his house.

She planned to figure out the expenses and pack up all the gifts he’d given her, then tell him about it when she went to pay him back tomorrow.

Ian gave Chloe a puzzled look.

But Chloe had always been like this, surprising and unpredictable, leaving him scratching his head. He didn’t think much of it.

Frank asked if lan wanted a beer, and Ian nodded.

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Chapter 285

Chloe pouted.

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Ian was always so picky; he’d never eat at a hole-in-the-wall joint like this, let alone at an open-air seat by the road.

Seeing Ian clink glasses with her dad but not touch his food, Chloe teased, waving a crawfish she’d just peeled in front of him. “Here, want to try some?”

lan stared at Chloe, eyes fixed on her, then slowly opened his mouth.

Chloe just chucked the crawfish tail in like she was tossing a beanbag.

With just one bite, Ian’s brows twisted up like a pretzel.

He gave Chloe a look of pure suffering, and she just shrugged. “Don’t push yourself if you can’t take it.”

Ian grimaced and forced it down anyway.

Ian started coughing; the spice hit him like a truck.

He scrambled around, desperate for something to drink.

Jill hurried to pour some water, while Carl jumped up and shoved his own glass in front of Ian. “Here, Ian, take mine!”

Frank got up, too, looking worried. “Ian, come on, you know you can’t handle spice, but you still let Chloe egg you on.”

Chloe couldn’t stop cracking up at how wrecked Ian looked.

Jill handed over a glass of water, but Ian didn’t even hesitate; he grabbed Chloe’s cup and took a big gulp.

Chloe gave lan a look.

Frank patted Ian on the back, concern in his voice. “Let me order you something mild, no spice.”

Ian let out a hiss of pain as Frank’s hand landed on his back.

Frank leaned in, worried. “Hey, you okay?”

Ian shook his head, trying to act like it was nothing.

Frank hurried back to his seat and ordered some non-spicy crawfish for Ian, but Chloe noticed the way lan instinctively shrugged.

Right before the wedding, she suddenly got cold feet and backed out.

Ian cleaned up the mess in no time, but with Edward and Frank old-school temperaments, there was no way he’d escape some family discipline.

In his previous life, lan got chewed out by his family plenty of times because of Andrea.

Chloe purposely ignored how stiff Ian’s back was and just kept munching on her crawfish.

Ian put on a pair of disposable gloves and quietly sat next to Chine, peeling crawfish for her.

Jill, knowing lan had a sensitive stomach, ordered a serving of pasta. “lan, your stomach’s not great. Have a few bites of pasta to settle it.”

The waiter brought over the crawfish, and Carl jumped up to make room. “Put the non-spicy ones over here for lan!”

Frank took away Ian’s shot glass and handed him a can of beer. You’re always busy with work calls, so just have a beer with

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16:38 Mon, May 11

Chapter 285

1. No need to go all out.”

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Across the street, in a black Bentley, Miranda and Shane watched from a distance as their son hung out with the Irvine family, looking all cozy and happy.

Miranda glanced at her husband and said, “Now do you see why an never wants to have dinner at home with you anymore?”

Shane snorted, clearly annoyed, “The heir to a big family eating his terrible food? That’s just embarrassing!”

Miranda let out a cold laugh. “When we got married, you only cared about marrying someone who could boost your career. To you, lan isn’t your son.

“He’s just the guy who’ll take over and keep the family and the company afloat. He’s just a tool to you, nothing else. You never cared about what he actually wants!”

Shane shot back, tilting his head. “All the Hamilton family’s connections, money, and resources are his. He’s a man; business should always come first, not family.”

Miranda rolled up the window. “Shane, if you keep treating our kids like this, I swear I’ll divorce you!”

Her son did get the reins of the Hamilton family.

But Edward and Shane were always interfering, monitoring his every move.

They wouldn’t even let him make decisions about his marriage.

To put it bluntly, her son was nothing more than a puppet for those two cold-hearted men, a tool they used to consolidate the Hamilton family’s power.

What Ian truly yearned for was the warmth and lively chaos of the Irvine family’s everyday life, the kind of genuine, bustling family vibe he’d never had at home.

That night, Chloe got home and jumped right into action.

She sorted all the gifts lan had given her, packed them up, and even made a checklist.

Then she grabbed her calculator and started punching in numbers like mad.

With her hospital internship starting Monday, she planned to us tomorrow to find Ian and hand back the cash and the keys.

Lying in bed, Chloe thought it over again.

Jan had already agreed to go back to being just childhood friend. If she gave back all the gifts he’d given her over the years, it’d be like sending a message that was way too on the nose.

She wasn’t about to burn bridges or get into some pointless fight over who was right or wrong.

She’d keep things intact, make a graceful exit, and act like nothing’s wrong, no matter what she was feeling inside.

That was the kind of wisdom and perspective she’d gained from living two lives.

The next afternoon, Chloe timed her arrival at Hamilton Group perfectly, catching lan just as he was about to clock out.

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Chapter 285

4%

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Mitchell stood respectfully in front of lan’s desk. “Mr. Hamilton ust as you expected, the families behind everyone on your list have all voluntarily given up some of their interests in exchange for long-term cooperation with Hamilton Group.

“Every single person on the list has signed a written pledge; they won’t utter a single word against Ms. Irvine.”

Just as Mitchell finished speaking, Ian’s phone screen lit up.

Seeing Chloe’s WhatsApp chat pop up on the screen, Ian shot to his feet, barely able to hide his excitement.

Last night, Chloe totally gave him the cold shoulder and would even let him drive her home.

He never expected she’d actually come to the office today and ask him out for dinner.

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16:39 Mon, May 11