The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 188

Chloe poured her a glass of water, smoothly steering the conversation in another direction.

"I remember you always said you wanted to be a journalist. How about now? Where are you working?"

That hit the mark. Belle's eyes lit up, and her attention successfully shifted.

"Haha!"

Beaming with pride, she excitedly dug into her purse, pulled out a press badge, and held it up for Chloe to see.

"Back then, I thought I'd be happy just working for some tiny local blog. I never dreamed I'd actually get a job at The Sterling Bay Chronicle!"

Chloe felt a surge of genuine happiness for her. "Belle, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

Belle grinned. "What about you, Chloe? I remember your essays were always getting submitted to the school's publishing board..."

"So, did your dream come true too?"

Chloe froze for a second.

She would never forget sitting in that cramped, dingy apartment, surrounded by constant screaming and insults, carefully writing down those words:

[I want to be an eagle soaring through the sky, using my wings to shatter the storm, flying forward without hesitation, forever free.

Forever unchained.]

She gave a small, distant smile. "Almost."

"Well, then an early congratulations to you!" Belle cheered.

Having successfully changed the subject, the atmosphere was finally light and warm again. Suddenly, Belle's phone buzzed with a text. In an instant, she was absolutely livid.

"I can't! I literally cannot handle this right now!"

Chloe grabbed her arm. "Calm down..."

"I know you're just looking out for me, but I'm not afraid! I have to stand up for all the scholars getting screwed over! Don't worry, this is my job. I have the Chronicle backing me. They'll protect me!"

Chloe knew full well that Belle had a fiery sense of justice.

If she didn't, she never would have stepped up to defend Chloe when the rest of the world turned their backs on her all those years ago.

But Chloe was equally aware of Preston's blind favoritism toward Jenna, as well as the dirty tactics Jenna wouldn't hesitate to use. She couldn't let Belle take that risk.

"What I'm saying is, nothing has been officially announced yet. It's just a rumor. Let's verify the facts before we do anything..."

Blinded by righteous fury, Belle wasn't listening. She was already storming over to their table.

"Preston!"