The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 226

Preston forced down the inexplicable wave of unease in his chest, though he added right before hanging up,

"Go check Oceanview Heights. See if she arrived safely."

"Understood."

...

Chloe sat by the window seat, watching the towering skyscrapers below shrink into tiny silhouettes.

The dazzling, chaotic metropolis of Sterling Bay blurred bit by bit as the plane ascended, finally transforming into a hazy patch of color.

No Preston. No Jenna. No endless cycle of pain and disappointment. No exhausting back-and-forth arguments over the divorce...

On this flight, she slept more soundly than she had in a very long time.

When they landed, it was already noon the following day.

The moment her phone regained a signal, a massive flood of missed calls popped up.

She frowned, scrolling through the list. It was entirely Preston, Ken, and a rotating handful of unknown numbers from Sterling Bay—it was glaringly obvious that someone had been cycling through different phones trying to reach her.

Belle leaned over, stifling a yawn, and visibly jumped when she caught sight of the screen.

"God, why do you have so many missed calls? Is it an emergency?"

Chloe's heart suddenly tightened. Her first thought went straight to Grandma.

She found Preston's number and dialed back.

The call connected instantly, but there was dead silence on the other end.

"What is it?" Chloe asked impatiently, breaking the silence.

"...Nothing." Preston paused, his voice completely unreadable. "Just reminding you that I've already sent you the flight details. Are you going to send me your location so I can come get you, or are you coming straight to the airport?"

"I never agreed to travel abroad with you," Chloe replied coldly.

Just as she was about to hang up, a nonchalant chuckle drifted through the receiver.

Due to the nature of her previous career, which required her to constantly travel the globe, she wasn't completely unfamiliar with the local environment and roads.

"Ms. Reed."

Henry rushed over to greet her from a distance. He was sweating profusely and looked incredibly anxious.

"You finally made it. The professor is alone in the woods right now. You have exactly ten minutes to convince him."

"Thank you so much, Henry. I owe you for this, and I'll definitely find a way to repay you," Chloe thanked him sincerely.

Just before she set off, she couldn't resist confirming one last thing.

"Henry, I have to ask... is it true that Dr. Macleod signed a partnership agreement with the Hayes Corporation?"

The moment he heard that question, the color drained entirely from Henry's face. A flash of unmistakable terror flickered in his eyes.

He replied stiffly, "I actually don't know much about that... We're running out of time, you need to hurry."