The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296

Chapter 296

ས ཛཱ, 4%

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“Chloe, why did your wedding with Ian get called off out of nowhere?” Blair asked, casually picking through the seafood. She chatted with Chloe as if it were just another ordinary day.

Chloe sighed, dropping her voice on purpose. “Ian’s into someone else. What can I do?” She didn’t speak loudly, but it was just loud enough for Xander and Melody to hear.

Blair acted shocked. “No way, really?”

Chloe nodded, looking all miserable. “He’s been waiting for his first love. It almost caused a huge fight with his family.” Then she exchanged a glance with Blair.

Blair said, “The Hamilton family is the top family in Kingsford, and Ian’s the only heir. He’s good-looking and generous. If a woman’s lucky enough to marry him, her whole family would h the jackpot. Don’t let this golden opportunity pass you by.”

Chloe nodded, speaking slowly. “He really is generous to the people around him. Before the wedding got called off, he paid off all our family’s debts.

“Not only that, but he also bought my parents a house downtown and wires them a six-figure sum every month. Honestly, just selling any of the gifts he gave me would be enough to set me up for life.”

Blair gave Chloe a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t stress, girl. I’ll help you out. Your birthday’s coming up soon, right? What day was it again?”

Chloe shot a quick glance at Xander and Melody, who were nearby. “December 8th. The birthday party’s at the Royal Court Hotel. You have to come.”

Blair cleared her throat. “Just wait till your birthday. I’ll make sure you and Ian really cross the line. And if you end up carrying the next Hamilton heir, you’ll marry into the top family for sure.”

Chloe was stunned into silence. ‘Did Blair really just say that? This definitely wasn’t in the script when we practiced earlier.

Blair grinned. “Once you’ve got his baby, it won’t matter who he hung up on. By then, he won’t be able to change a thing!”

Chloe waved her hand, shaking her head. “Ian’s willing to turn his back on his family for the woman he loves. He must really care about her. I’m worried he’d resent me for it.”

Blair scoffed, “Snagging a great guy takes guts. If you don’t make move, you’ll never get that dream life. Opportunities don’t wait for anyone. Trust me. I’ll make sure you walk out of that party as Mrs. Hamilton, for real!”

Once they finished chatting, they’d picked out all the seafood they wanted. Blair paid up, then linked arms with Chloe, and the two of them left the stall, laughing and chatting as they walked away.

As soon as they walked off, Melody slammed her strainer down on the ground with a sharp bang. She yanked Xander’s arm and dragged him into a room stuffed with all kinds of junk.

Melody, fuming with impatience, demanded, “Last time I told you to call Andrea and tell her to come back, what did she say?”

Xander, looking sheepish, replied, “Andrea said she’s still not divorced, and she’s out of cash. She wants to get some more money out of that Leonard guy before coming back.”

Melody was so agitated that she was practically foaming at the mouth. “She’s already had the kid! If she could’ve gotten the money, she would’ve done it ages ago. Why would she still be waiting now?”

At the mention of money, Melody’s eyes lit up with pure greed. Back when Andrea schemed to save lan, we all pitched in to help. We spent a whole year working on it.

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16:41 Mon, May 11

Chapter 296

3.4%

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“I even told her to get pregnant and secretly tie the knot. But what did she do? She let that old man from the Hamilton family send her overseas with just a check!”

Xander shot a nervous look at the door, guilt written all over his face. “Keep it down, will you? Andrea really didn’t have a choice.

“Yeah, they were seeing each other, but she just couldn’t get a handle on Ian. She couldn’t get any closer to him, no matter what she tried. There was nothing she could do about it.”

Melody planted her hand on her hip and jabbed a finger at Xander. “Call Andrea right now and tell her to come back immediately!”

Xander stood there, looking all torn up, head hanging low. “Andrea’s already got a kid. The Hamiltons are the biggest deal in Kingsford. No way they’d want a woman who’s already got a kid!

Melody reached out and twisted Xander’s ear. She said, “Didn’t you hear what those two just said? Ian’s fighting with his family, and the wedding’s off. He’s gotta be waiting for your sister to come back!

“Even if your sister had a kid with some other guy, so what? As long as Ian’s cool with it, she’s still got a shot at marrying into the Hamiltons!

“If your sister just sticks to her story that it was that old geezer from the Hamiltons who threatened and forced her to leave the country, who’s gonna prove otherwise? Men are all the same They always want what they can’t have.

“Once your sister’s back, Ian will totally believe she was forced out of the country, forced to marry someone else, and forced to have a kid, all because of his grandfather.

“He’ll be wracked with guilt and eat himself up with regret. Even a little hush money from him would keep us rolling in cash for generations!

“You have to do what I say. Get your sister back before December 8th. She’s gotta see Ian before that woman’s birthday rolls around. We can’t let some other woman swoop in and steal her spot!”

Xander hesitated, pulling out his phone. “Melody, that 20 million Andrea got back then, her classmate scammed most of it after passing it around a few times.

“The money she gave us, we only managed to buy a house, and you blew the rest paying off your brother’s gambling debts.

“Andrea’s still not divorced, and she doesn’t even have enough for a plane ticket. How’s she supposed to get back here so fast?”

Melody threw herself on the floor, bawling and pointing at Xander as she started to curse him. “Marrying a deadbeat like you was the worst decision of my life!

“You’ve got no skills, no family, nothing! I’ve had to rely on my family’s stall just to put food on the table for our two kids. So, what if I used your sister’s money to pay off my brother’s gambling debts?

“Now we finally have a shot at making it big, and you’re still useless! If you’ve got any backbone, stop leeching off my family and go earn some real money yourself!

“Xander, if you don’t do what I say this time, I swear I’ll divorce you!”

After Melody used every trick in the book to pressure him, Xander finally caved and called his sister Andrea again.

As soon as the call connected, Melody scrambled up from the floor and snatched the phone out of his hand. She started spilling everything she knew, exaggerating every detail as she filled Andrea in

Andrea didn’t even hesitate and agreed to come back right away Her voice was practically buzzing with excitement. “Don’t worry, Melody. No matter what it takes, I’ll make sure I’m back before December 8th to see lan.”

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