Chapter 14
It was only then that Dylan noticed Chloe. Thinking about how she’d stayed with him the whole night, and how he’d ignored her the entire time, he felt a pang of guilt.
Especially since Chloe hadn’t complained at all, and even helped cover for him, giving him a way out, Dylan felt even more remorseful.
He opened his arms and gently hugged her. “Alright, let’s head out. But forget the watch. I’ll buy you some clothes, shoes, and bags. Looks like you’ve been wearing that outfit for a while.”
Chloe replied sensibly, “My clothes are still fine. No need to buy more. I want to help you save money. After all, Olivia’s really materialistic, and you already spend a lot on her every month. I don’t want you to overspend.”
Dylan said with concern, “I know you don’t care about money, but buying you things is one of the ways I show my love. I hope you won’t turn me down.
Chloe finally agreed, pretending to be reluctant, “Alright then, since you put it that way, if I kept refusing, it’d be like rejecting your kindness. I’ll just go along with you.”
Dylan smiled gently.
Chloe’s eyes shifted. In a soft voice, she remarked, “Sweetheart, let’s bring Olivia with us. It’s not safe to leave her alone. I’ll feel better if she’s with
us.”
She thought, “What’s the point of showing off affection if no one’s watching? I want Olivia to see how much Dylan spoils me.
Okay,” Dylan answered. He had the same idea. If Olivia stayed at the hotel alone, he was worried that she’d sneak off again to find some random guy.
Olivia looked at them in surprise. “Don’t you guys need sleep? You spent the whole night blocking my hotel room, and now you still have the energy to go shopping?”
Chloe clung to Dylan’s arm with a blissful smile and said to him, “As long as I’m with you, I’m full of energy. That’s the power of love. Olivia wouldn’t understand since no one loves her. Right, sweetheart?”
“Yeah.” Dylan nodded in agreement.
Olivia shrugged and thought, ‘If they want to exhaust themselves, let them. I’m not the one suffering.’
When they arrived at the shopping mall in the wealthy part of town, a few of Chloe’s friends who had traveled with her from back home were already waiting there.
Chloe smiled, “Sweetheart, my friends came along to keep me company. I couldn’t just leave them behind, so I texted them to come join us. You’re not mad, are you?”
Dylan replied indulgently, “Of course not. As long as you’re happy.”
Chloe leaned into his chest with a content look on her face.
Her friends quickly caught on and began flattering her.
One of them said, “Mr. Wilson really spoils Chloe. I’m so jealous. If a man treated me like that, I’d die happy.”
Another chimed in, “It’s because Chloe is outstanding and has a heart of gold. That’s why Mr. Wilson loves and cherishes her. We could never compare.”
Someone else added, “Exactly. Not like a certain person, who’s trashy and shameless. Even if she used tricks to force Mr. Wilson into marrying her, he’d never truly love her. Mr. Wilson’s only into sweet and kind girls like Chloe.”
It was obvious who that friend of Chloe’s meant by “a certain person“.
Olivia didn’t argue. Dylan was paying her a hundred thousand dollars a day to hang around. She didn’t mind letting them talk just to keep Chloe happy.
After all, Olivia was only getting that rate because of Chloe. She figured if Chloe hadn’t come on this trip, she wouldn’t have made that money. Seeing Olivia’s indifferent expression, Chloe was fuming inside, but with no way to vent, she could only hold Dylan’s arm and walk into the mall. To keep up her image of being modest and frugal, Chloe deliberately headed toward the more affordable stores.
But her friends kept pulling her toward the high–end designer shops, saying only expensive clothes were worthy of her. Chloe pretended to give in 1/2 A
2/2
୦
and let them drag her along.
Once inside, Chloe noticed some discounted items from last year’s collection. She leaned into Dylan’s arm and said sweetly, “Sweetheart, my friends came all this way to keep me company,
“If we don’t get them something to thank them, I’ll feel bad. How about we get each of them one of those discounted pieces?”
Dylan replied gently, “You can decide things like this. I told you earlier–as long as you’re happy.”
