The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 292

Chapter 292

Chapter 292

It was late at night, and they were standing outside the hotel.

Ian offered to drive Chloe and her parents home, but Chloe turned him down.

Frank said, “lan, your family is still waiting for you in the private room. You should go back and check on them.”

With that, Frank took Jill by the arm and headed to the curb to hail a cab.

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Chloe took the chance to draw a clear line between herself and lan. “Ian, you saw how your family acted tonight. Honestly. calling us oil and water isn’t even an exaggeration, is it?”

Ian’s deep gaze never left Chloe.

He said, “Sorry you and your folks had to put up with that.”

Chloe shook her head. “Ever since the Irvine family went bankrupt, we’ve been worlds apart. Truth is, your grandpa and your dad are really just trying to protect you.”

Ian looked down, saying nothing.

Growing up, the thing his dad said to him the most was, “Everything I do is for your own good,” Ian thought.

Chloe said, “You’re the heir to one of the most powerful families out there, and I’m just a regular person. I only landed my job because I pulled some strings with a guy I knew from college

Chloe paused for a moment.

She went on, “Let’s be real. I’m not even qualified to be your friend, let alone your wife.”

She added, “So, maybe we should just keep our distance from now on. It’s better for both of us, and for everyone else too.”

Not giving lan a chance to say anything, Chloe hopped into the cab with her parents and left him standing there.

Ian just stood there, staring after the cab as it drove off, looking completely lost and unsettled.

It was pretty late when Chloe and her parents got back to their new home.

Carl opened the door for them, pasta in one hand.

Noticing there was no one else with them, Carl asked casually, “lan didn’t give you a ride home?”

Jill sighed and led Chloe into the living room.

The four of them sat down together, and Jill kept glancing at Choe, worry written all over her face.

She’d been hesitating the whole way home, but finally asked, “Coe, be honest with me. Is there still a chance for you and lan?”

Chloe spoke to her parents with a firm tone. “Mom, Dad, marriage isn’t just about two people. It’s about two families. Ian and I are just not a good match.

“Even if Miranda treats me like her own daughter, and no matter how great lan is, you saw the way his grandpa and dad treat

us.”

She added, “If they really see me as beneath them, there’s no way I’d ever consider marrying into a family like that

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Chapter 292

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She couldn’t possibly tell her parents about everything she’d gone through in her previous life, so this was the only way she could explain it.

But that was the undeniable truth.

So many love stories ended up falling apart because of reality, because of family.

Jill had been sighing nonstop since they sat down. She said, “It’s really not easy being a rich guy’s wife. Honestly, not marrying into that kind of life might be for the best.”

Frank chimed in. “No matter what you decide, your mom and I are behind you all the way. If they look down on us, well, honestly, we’re not exactly impressed with their family either.”

Chloe’s gaze lingered on her parents, and her heart felt warm.

Having parents like them felt like a blessing.

But Chloe still warned her parents and Carl, “Ian’s grandpa and dad are tough customers.

“Since they made their stance so clear and harsh tonight, we’d better steer clear of them from now on. That way, we’ll save ourselves a lot of headaches.”

Once they were all on the same page, Chloe went back to her room.

Ever since she time-traveled, Chloe would sometimes just space out.

Her thoughts were all over the place.

She was busy dealing with Ian, running around for her hospital internship, selling jewelry to pay off her debt to him, and trying to settle things with him for good.

She hadn’t even had time to notice just how out of character lan had been acting lately.

She’d even run off right in the middle of their wedding photoshoot.

Normally, Ian would’ve hunted her down in no time, either dragging her back to finish the wedding or demanding an explanation.

But he didn’t even try to find her all day.

Even when he showed up that night, he just wanted to patch things up. He didn’t say a word about what happened.

He was acting so meek and careful around me. Chloe thought he wanted to keep the wedding going for the sake of

appearances

But looking back now, that’s not Ian’s style at all, she realized. The really wanted me to go along with it, he’s got a million tricks up his sleeve to make it happen. He’d never need to bow his head to me like that

On top of that, he was acting totally out of character, being all protective of her, and even asking her to marry him

And when she said no, he didn’t even get upset. Instead, he was willing to step back and just be the childhood friend she grew up with.

Ian was always aloof and aristocratic, ruthless and meticulous.

He had never been the kind of guy one could reason with

As Chloe finally cooled off, she suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her back

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Chapter 292

The more she thought about it, there were really only two reasons lan could be acting so out of character.

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First, if he hadn’t time-traveled, maybe he was just putting on an act, playing her, weighing his options, and keeping her as a backup plan until his First Love came back.

Or maybe he had time-traveled, too, just like her, carrying all those memories from their previous life.

Maybe all that humility and caution was genuine, coming straight from his heart because he felt guilty, insecure, and just couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

Chloe’s mind was all over the place, just as messy as her room right now, stuff everywhere, and no time to clean up.

She didn’t want to waste any more time or energy on lan or keep dwelling on the past with him.

As long as Andrea and her son came back, the truth would finally come out.

But figuring out how to get Andrea and her son to return without getting Andrea dragged into the drama was a whole other problem.

Right now, Andrea hadn’t killed anyone or done any of that shady stuff yet.

Chloe wanted absolutely nothing to do with a woman as twisted as Andrea. She didn’t want to know her, didn’t want to get close, and definitely didn’t want to get mixed up with her in any way.

Chloe lay awake for most of the night, her mind a tangled mess of worries and wild thoughts.

It was Saturday morning. After getting up, freshening up, and grabbing breakfast with her family, Chloe rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning up her messy room.

Just after nine, lan showed up at the Irvine residence.

He came to apologize in person to Chloe’s parents for his grandpa and dad’s behavior yesterday.

He said to Chloe’s parents, “Mr. Irvine, Mrs. Irvine, no matter what my grandpa and dad say, they don’t get to decide for me. They went too far yesterday, and I’m here to say sorry for them.

Chloe’s parents had already talked things over with her last night and were on the same page.

Even though they thought it was a shame to lose someone as great as lan, their stance was clear.

Jill said, “lan, we saw how your grandpa and dad acted. Since things just aren’t meant to be between you and Chloe, maybe it’s best if you two keep your distance from now on. It’s better for both of you.”

Ian blurted out, “Mrs. Irvine, I don’t want to give up on Chloe!”

Jill let out a sigh. “Marriage isn’t just about two people; it’s about wo families. Honestly, Chloe really isn’t in your league.”

lan said, “Mrs. Irvine, if anything, I’m the one who’s not good enough for Chloe.”

Chloe stood at her bedroom door, watching lan through the gap as he sat in the living room.

He’d clearly put some thought into his outfit today; his casual su made him look even taller and sharper, every bit the handsome, high-class guy he was.

The stubborn vibe he gave off while talking to her parents was just like the lan she remembered from her previous life.

Watching from afar as lan turned and started walking toward he room, Chloe quickly and quietly pulled her door shut.

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