The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 212

He was growing impatient.

He simply could not tolerate anyone speaking ill of Jenna.

Chloe glanced at her phone screen, which still showed zero available drivers, and then at Belle, who was trembling violently beside her. With a swift motion, she slammed the passenger door shut.

She pulled open the rear door instead. "Belle, get in."

Belle was caught off guard. "Huh?"

"A free ride is a free ride," Chloe said coolly. "Just treat him like a driver."

Preston raised an eyebrow, a faint, amused smile touching his lips. "Fine."

"Here's some warm water."

"Have some dessert. It'll make you feel better."

Chloe was losing her patience. "Preston, can you just focus on driving?"

"It's my first time playing chauffeur," Preston replied smoothly. "I have to be professional."

"Driver Hayes, please shut your mouth."

Preston's lips curved upward. "As you wish, Ms. Reed."

Chloe turned her head away in sheer exasperation, refusing to entertain him any further.

The luxurious SUV glided steadily over the snow-covered roads. Inside, the warm, heated cabin felt like an entirely different world from the raging blizzard outside.

Belle leaned back into the spacious, heated massage seats. Her stiff, freezing body slowly thawed, and she felt as if she had been brought back to life.

"Sigh."

Noticing the intense way Preston's eyes lingered on Chloe in the rearview mirror, Belle suddenly let out a long, dramatic sigh, feeling a wave of inexplicable melancholy.

"Preston, did you have a crush on Chloe back in high school?"

The already quiet cabin instantly plunged into a dead silence.

Chloe didn't look back. The scenery rushing past the window slowly blurred in her vision.

A low chuckle rumbled from Preston, carrying a tone that was impossible to decipher.

He glanced at Chloe through the mirror and casually added, "We were, and we always will be."

Chloe's face remained utterly blank, as if she hadn't heard a single word.

Belle, however, still held onto a shred of hope. "There is no such thing as a purely platonic friendship when it comes to a woman like that! Can't you see what she's trying to do? Don't you know she runs around town calling herself Mrs. Hayes? Don't you know about the things she did back then..."

"You're misunderstanding Jenna."

The smile vanished from Preston's face. "She has suffered a lot. That's why she's so sensitive and defensive. Her heart isn't actually bad."

Hearing this monumental joke, Belle was so utterly speechless she rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

She opened her mouth to argue back, but Chloe suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Belle, drop it."

Her voice was ice-cold. "There's no point wasting your breath on a man like him."

"A man like me?" Preston laughed, though the sound lacked any real humor. "Chloe, what exactly is that supposed to mean?"