The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 190

"And who is qualified, then?"

Preston suddenly spoke.

His dark eyes were devoid of emotion, and a faint smirk ghosted his lips, yet the crushing psychological pressure he radiated was suffocating.

"Do you dictate who is and isn't qualified?"

Belle choked on her words, her momentum instantly faltering. "Of course not, but you can't just—"

Preston's smirk vanished, replaced by an arctic glare. "Dr. Sharpe makes the rules, and Dr. Sharpe selects the candidate. If she was chosen, it's because she has something exceptional to offer. If you have a problem with it, tell your friend to earn it on his own merits."

"You..." Belle was stunned. She couldn't believe he had the audacity to spin blatant nepotism into something so self-righteous. For a second, she was utterly speechless.

"You had your chance to apologize, and you lost it. Watch your back."

Dropping the icy threat, Preston turned and led Jenna away.

Jenna continued to sniffle dramatically, clinging to his side. As they walked off, she muttered something through her fake tears.

Undoubtedly, nothing pleasant.

"When did Preston Hayes turn into such a monster?"

It took Belle a long time to shake off the shock. She stood there, completely appalled.

"Trash really does attract trash! No wonder he's into a snake like Jenna!"

Noticing a few onlookers secretly recording the drama on their phones, Chloe immediately stepped forward, blocked the cameras, and dragged Belle quickly down the stairs.

Once they were outside and Belle had finally calmed down a bit, she looked at Chloe.

"I'm so sorry. I totally lost my temper back there, and now I've dragged you into this mess..."

"But judging by what Jenna said... do they know you?"

Chloe didn't see the point in hiding it anymore. "Preston and I got married three years ago. But we're getting a divorce very soon."

"What?!" Belle's eyes bugged out, her brain completely short-circuiting.

She blurted out, "Why?!"

"The second your divorce is finalized, I swear I'm going to expose exactly what happened back then and make him regret it for the rest of his miserable life! What an absolute piece of trash!"

A fleeting trace of mockery flashed in Chloe's eyes. "He won't care."

The two of them exchanged numbers and prepared to part ways.

Right before she left, Belle hesitated, clearly wrestling with something.

"Chloe... are you absolutely sure you're ready to cut ties with Preston for good?"

She looked at Chloe with utter seriousness.

"The real reason I came back to Sterling Bay is that several of Jenna's old victims reached out to me. We're teaming up to expose her and hold her accountable for all the bullying she put us through."

"I'm gathering evidence right now. When the time comes... would you be willing to help me?"

"But I need to be upfront about this. If we blow this wide open, it'll be a massive victory against bullying, but because Preston is backing her... he's definitely going to take collateral damage."

Chloe didn't hesitate for a single second. "Whatever you need, I'm all in."