Chapter 185: Afraid You’ll Beat Him to Death
"...I was just thinking, don’t all you young people like to travel and see the world? With this card, accommodations will be much more convenient."
"Mhm, thank you, Auntie." Having received so many cards lately, Arabella Donovan could now pocket them without batting an eye.
Mrs. Jennings was even happier to see her accept the gift. She speared a piece of cut cantaloupe and handed it to her, asking with a faint smile, "I heard you ran into Chloe while you were shopping the other day, and that you gave her a few words of advice before you left."
’Here it comes!’
The gossip antenna in Arabella Donovan’s mind shot up instantly. Her eyes, which had been glazed over and drowsy from being too full, suddenly lit up, and her whole demeanor became much more alert.
"Yes, that’s right. I could tell from her facial features that her current boyfriend is not a good man. But since we had just met, I figured she might find it offensive if I was too blunt, and she probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. So, I was a bit more tactful and told her to go verify it for herself."
Mrs. Jennings nodded. "Seeing is believing. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what other people say; nothing is as convincing as seeing it for herself."
"So, does that mean she... already..."
Mrs. Jennings said nothing, her smile deeply meaningful.
It turned out that the moment Eugene Jennings had parted ways with Arabella Donovan, he had called his older brother and recounted the day’s events in detail.
Brandon Jennings was at his company at the time—a company he co-owned with Chloe Ulrich’s brother, Quincy Ulrich, who actually held a larger share than he did.
After hearing his younger brother out, motivated by a mix of compassion for an old classmate and loyalty to a good friend, Brandon immediately rushed to Quincy Ulrich’s office to tell him everything.
Quincy Ulrich listened and thought Brandon Jennings was joking. Never mind the rest—how could his own youngest sister be half-siblings with them? Wouldn’t that mean his mother...
Quincy almost started a fight with Brandon over it. Brandon knew the whole thing sounded unbelievable and could understand his friend’s reaction, so he didn’t argue.
He just told him that, if all went according to plan, Chloe Ulrich and her best friend would be making a surprise visit to the boyfriend’s house tomorrow, following his little cousin’s advice. To prevent any accidents, he’d better have some people keep an eye on the two of them for protection. Plus, he could see for himself whether his little cousin’s prediction was accurate.
Although Quincy Ulrich didn’t believe Brandon, he still had to be cautious about his sister’s safety. And while he was angry at Brandon, he had an even worse impression of the pig outside trying to court his sister. The mere thought that this guy might be cheating on her made Quincy want to kill him. He immediately had four or five tall, brawny bodyguards arranged to follow and protect Chloe Ulrich in secret.
"And then? And then? Did they really go? Did they... did they..." Just from this description, Arabella Donovan could already imagine what kind of person this Mr. Ulrich was.
But for that very reason, having a good idea of what Chloe Ulrich and the others were about to see, she was all the more curious how these people would... lose their cool.
"...Yes, they went."
Chloe Ulrich’s boyfriend was named Terry Jules, and he was a veterinarian.
Chloe Ulrich had a dog that went through a period of poor appetite and listlessness, so she took it to a veterinary hospital where she met Terry Jules.
The two bonded over the dog. While caring for it, Chloe found him to be a very gentle, considerate, and understanding person. She developed feelings for him, and it wasn’t long before they started dating.
In the six months they’d been together, their relationship had remained proper, but Terry Jules cared for her meticulously. He not only drove her to and from work every day but also sent her flowers and gifts weekly. He would often cook for her, and even when they were on dates, he never forgot to help take care of the dog that brought them together, frequently making time to walk it with her. He was, in short, the perfect, doting boyfriend.
This was enough to completely captivate Chloe Ulrich, an unlucky soul whose previous relationships had all fizzled out. She declared that she had finally met her true love.
Chloe was initially shaken by Arabella Donovan’s warning, but after a night of thinking, her love-addled brain took over. She was unwilling to doubt her perfect boyfriend over a stranger’s words and started having second thoughts before they even set out, deciding she didn’t want to go to his house after all.
Luckily, she had a modern-day bestie who, upon hearing the slightest hint that Chloe was about to bail, immediately stormed over to her house and dragged her out.
"We’ve come this far, and now you say you’re not going? Are you playing me? I even called my two brothers to act as your bodyguards! You’re going today whether you like it or not! If that pretty boy is clean, that’s great—I’ll apologize to him myself. But if he really dared to do something to wrong you, just watch my brothers beat him to a pulp!"
Chloe Ulrich peeked out upon hearing this and saw two handsome young men standing behind Coco Shane.
Coco Shane noticed her gaze and thought she was worried about her brothers’ fighting abilities. She immediately puffed out her chest and said, "Don’t worry. They might look frail, but my big brother is a karate black belt, and my second brother is into boxing. If your boyfriend really gets embarrassed and tries to attack us, my brothers could pin him with one hand."
The corner of Chloe Ulrich’s mouth twitched. She muttered under her breath, "I’m not worried... I’m not worried about Terry Jules attacking us. I’m worried your brothers won’t know their own strength and accidentally kill him."
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing... Let’s go now." Chloe promptly gave in, grabbing Coco Shane and dashing outside.
When they arrived downstairs from Terry Jules’s apartment, Chloe grew apprehensive again. "Coco, maybe we should just..."
"Maybe we should what? It’s just a relationship, why are you being so wishy-washy? Didn’t you say your boyfriend moved out and lives alone, not with his parents? Then what’s there to be afraid of? Let’s go, upstairs!"
Coco Shane grabbed the back of Chloe’s neck like she was carrying a poor little chick and pushed her all the way up the stairs.
Terry Jules lived in a somewhat dilapidated residential building in an old part of the city. The area wasn’t great, the residents were a motley crew, and the soundproofing was so bad you could probably hear a neighbor’s argument from across a living room.
The two girls had just reached the second floor when they saw two older women coming down from upstairs, carrying grocery bags. The women walked arm-in-arm, huddled together as they vividly discussed neighborhood gossip.
"Is that tour guide who lives next to you back?"
"Of course he’s back! And in broad daylight, you can hear... They were still at it when I came downstairs just now. I’m too embarrassed to even say it!"
"In broad daylight? How shameless! It’s an offense to public decency."
"I know, right? We all live so close together, and I have children at home!"
Chloe and Coco could guess what the two women were talking about, and their faces flushed slightly, but they didn’t think much of it.
But then, the woman who was suffering from the noise added, "It’s more than just an offense to public decency! You have no idea—that veterinarian has a girlfriend, you know?"