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Chapter 02
While the wife was throwing a fit, he hadn’t even opened his mouth once—but the moment he heard that Chloe had a lover, he reacted instantly. It was so ridiculous it made her laugh.
So Chloe did something uncharacteristic. She added flesh to a lie.
“He’s handsome, capable, and younger than me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Alright, that should be enough. Now disappear already. Chloe nodded as if to say just that. But the soon-to-be newlyweds weren’t so easily satisfied.
“Liar.”
Dür lifted his chin arrogantly.
“You’ve been locked up in your lab all day. A relationship? Don’t be absurd.”
“Why not? Everyone who comes and goes from the lab is male anyway.”
At Chloe’s answer, Dür scoffed.
“So there’s someone in that lab who’s younger and better-looking than you? Ridiculous.”
Ah.
Chloe swallowed a silent sigh. There wasn’t a single flaw in his words. She had overlooked the fact that her ex-husband once worked at the same university.
“So lying really isn’t allowed, huh.”
“Ma’am.”
Just as she was realizing how careful one must be with lies, Melvin took her hand.
“Please find a good man and experience real love. Of course, no one will ever be better than our Dür…”
He had been snorting like an angry bull a moment ago, and now he was acting pitiful, furrowing his brows in sympathy.
‘His acting is actually impressive.’
Just as she began to somewhat understand the man who found this whole farce amusing—
The sofa beside Chloe sank slightly. Someone had sat down next to her.
“Who—?”
The question never left her mouth.
“Why are you here…?”
The man sitting beside her was the enthusiastic fan of this ridiculous farce.
He stared at Melvin—or more precisely, at Melvin holding Chloe’s hand—with obvious displeasure. Then he suddenly yanked Chloe’s hand away.
Because of that, Melvin, who had been leaning forward, lost his balance and toppled awkwardly.
“Aah!”
“My love, are you okay?”
Dür caught Melvin, who had hit his chin on the table, and glared at the sudden intruder.
“How dare you treat my fiancée like this!”
“Oh, sorry. I just don’t like people who casually touch what belongs to me.”
“Pardon?”
“Excuse me?”
“Huh?”
Three different voices followed, but they all meant the same thing.
“Your woman…?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
In response, the man interlaced his fingers with Chloe’s hand.
“The well-looking, capable, younger man Chloe mentioned? That would be me.”
He even pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
Watching the smooth flow of his actions, Chloe thought:
‘He’s insane.’
Completely insane.
She tried to pull her hand away, but his fingers were tightly locked with hers. He was deliberately holding on.
“Oh, a strand of hair came loose.”
He gently tucked Chloe’s hair behind her ear as if being affectionate, then whispered into her ear.
“You just thought I was crazy, didn’t you?”
Startled.
Her attempt to pull her hand away stopped immediately. He chuckled softly.
“If you want, I can leave.”
Then get lost, you bastard. That was what Chloe’s inner voice screamed.
“But then your situation gets complicated, doesn’t it? This doesn’t look like a pleasant situation.”
“….”
It definitely wasn’t pleasant. In fact, it was the worst possible situation.
A vacation encounter with her ex-husband and half-sibling, and a wedding invitation they had handed her. She couldn’t help but feel small in a situation where the label “divorced” weighed on her.
“Then use me. I’m quite handsome, you know.”
Chloe shifted her gaze. His black eyes met hers. Even knowing he was insane, his face was undeniably attractive.
Especially those deep dark eyes that sometimes shimmered with blue light.
“We don’t have time. If we delay any longer, they’ll get suspicious.”
Chloe looked at the man and woman sitting across from her. They were scrutinizing the man with uncertain expressions.
As he said, silence wouldn’t help.
“Cause a scene that hits hard, or sit quietly like a mute.”
He was like the devil—striking precisely at her weakness and sweetening the blow with temptation.
“You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Even though she knew she shouldn’t fall for a madman’s words, her mind began calculating.
He looked younger than her. Capable or not didn’t matter for now. If asked later, she could just say they broke up.
After finishing her calculations, Chloe nodded.
“Then… I’ll accept your help.”
“Good choice.”
He kissed her fingernail.
At that moment, a voice rang out.
“What are you two whispering about in front of others?”
“Apologies. It’s not something pleasant for others to hear. Our Chloe is just so lovely, you see.”
Dür’s face twisted at the suggestive tone.
“That brat doesn’t even know proper manners…”
“If you called that vulgar, my tutors would be heartbroken.”
“Tutors? What kind of…?”
Dür’s mocking tone wavered.
The surname “Valleon” was rare in the Oset Empire. Only a handful existed.
And the only educator among them was…
“Don’t tell me you mean Jude Valleon?”
“Yes. He taught me literature for over ten years.”
Jude Valleon was a name no one could ignore—the former chancellor of the Imperial University who had abruptly retired twenty years ago, and was known to have personally educated only the young heirs of House Verder.
“So that means…”
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
The man stood, smiling faintly.
“Kaidan Verder, direct heir of House Verder.”
“Lies!”
This time it was Melvin who shouted, face flushed red.
“What do you mean lies? That I’m Kaidan Verder?”
Melvin shook his head violently, pointing at Chloe.
“There’s no way my sister would date a Verder heir!”
Harsh words, but not entirely wrong.
Chloe wasn’t especially young or strikingly beautiful. And she carried the label of a divorced woman. Compared to a duke’s heir, she was not a suitable match.
“….”
Chloe stayed silent—not only because she knew it herself.
‘Kaidan Verder? That Verder?’
House Verder was one of the founding noble families of the Oset Empire, producing generations of talent and amassing immense wealth through shipbuilding in the age of global trade.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized how insane this situation was.
And the most absurd part was that Kaidan Verder himself was the one who initiated it.
Why would someone like him involve himself with her?
‘A man like this is a successor of House Verder… the future of that house is going to be a disaster.’
As she thought about both her future and the house’s future darkening at once—
Kaidan clearly did not think so.
“What do you mean there’s no way? She’s so lovely.”
He took her hand again and kissed it.
“Chloe’s only full of papers piled like mountains. No charm at all,” Melvin snapped.
“It’s precisely that intellectual charm that drew me in. Like the poles of a magnet.”
Kaidan wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist and pulled her into his embrace.
“I’ve seen her up close while working. You should know how sexy she is when she’s focused.”
“Sexy?!”
“Why deny it? Are you jealous?”
“Th-that’s not it!”
While Melvin shouted, Kaidan whispered to Chloe.
“This is your chance. Hit them where it hurts.”
If it were usual, she would have stopped here. But not today.
Something boiling inside her chest—tight and suffocating—was being prodded by his seductive voice.
