Chapter 186: What a Sin
"A girlfriend?!" the auntie exclaimed. "He has a girlfriend? That... that can’t be possible, right?"
"Why not? Just last week, my son saw him with his own two eyes giving a girl roses at the entrance of the amusement park. Who gives someone roses if they’re not their girlfriend?"
"What a sin!"
Chloe Ulrich didn’t hear a single word of their laments that followed. Her mind was just replaying their last few sentences.
Veterinarian, girlfriend, amusement park, roses...
If it were just the profession, she could have told herself it was a coincidence. But she and Terry Jules had indeed gone on a date to the amusement park last week, and he had indeed given her a bouquet of roses at the entrance.
At the time, Chloe had been overcome with sweetness when she saw the flowers. Who would have thought that they would soon become a piece of evidence confirming his identity?
Then she recalled what the two women had just mentioned about what ’they’ were doing when the women came downstairs...
Chloe’s mind went blank. The world started spinning, and she nearly fainted on the spot. Her composure completely shattered.
When she came to her senses, Chloe abruptly turned and grabbed the arm of the auntie who was just about to pass her. "Where do you live?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
The auntie jumped in fright. "I... I..."
"Which apartment is yours? Please, tell me, which apartment here is yours?"
Seeing that the young woman was on the verge of tears, the auntie’s heart softened, and she answered instinctively, "I... I live in 406."
"406, 406..." Chloe repeated the number, rushing up the stairs.
Coco Shane and the others hurried after her, leaving the two aunties standing there, staring at each other in confusion.
After a moment, the auntie from 406 said, "She... she isn’t planning on doing something bad at my place, is she?"
Given how the girl looked and dressed, it seemed unlikely. But based on her reaction just now, there was definitely some drama to be had!
The two aunties exchanged a look, decisively picked up their bags, and chased after them.
Unlike newly built complexes, which usually have only two, or at most four, apartments facing each other, some of these old buildings in the older part of the city had seven or eight households living along a single long corridor. Chloe had just reached the fourth floor when she saw that more than one apartment had its door open, with people milling about outside. After a moment of hesitation, she charged straight for 406.
The only apartments adjacent to 406 were 405 and 407. A family of four lived in 405 and was just about to leave.
Chloe moved past them and headed straight for 407. She had just reached the door when she heard the sound of two people talking inside, and her hand, raised to knock, froze in mid-air.
"This is the place, right? I..." Coco Shane, fuming, was about to kick the door in when she, too, froze. After a long moment, she said, "Chloe, am I hearing things? It sounds like..." two men’s voices.
Chloe’s face was deathly pale, and she looked ready to collapse. "You’re not hearing things."
It was precisely because she wasn’t mishearing that she couldn’t accept it. The person her boyfriend was cheating on her with was...
She thought that shock was bad enough, but as the two of them stood frozen at the door, they heard something even more explosive.
"What are you planning to do about that girlfriend of yours?"
"What else can I do? I’ll just have to do what that bitch said, set her up with a honey trap, and then use the photos to blackmail her for a chunk of cash."
As Terry Jules spoke of such a heinous act, his voice held only regret, not a shred of guilt.
"I’m sorry. I was originally planning to marry her, drain her of all her money, and then run away with you. Or maybe I could have lived my life with her, and my life with you, and the two would never interfere with each other."
Terry Jules said this with such tender affection, but outside the door, Chloe and Coco Shane felt like they had been struck by lightning.
’What is this bastard saying? What kind of unbelievable nonsense is this? He must be insane!’
The scumbag inside, still oblivious, continued, "I never expected that bitch to notice something was up and even threaten me with our photos..."
From his tone, it was clear that Terry Jules was quite regretful and dissatisfied that he could only frame Chloe this one time and only get this one payout.
Outside the door, Chloe and her friend’s fists were clenched. They wished they could rush in right now and give those two damned scumbags a thorough beating.
But just as they were about to explode, they held back. They wanted to hear what other mind-blowingly outrageous things these two bastards would say. Plus, they were genuinely curious about who this "bitch" they kept mentioning was.
Terry Jules’s little lover spoke, his words reeking of the classic ’green tea’ act. "It’s okay, I don’t mind. If it really comes to that, I don’t need a title. I can just be your secret lover. As long as you come see me and spend time with me whenever you think of me, I’ll be satisfied."
"There you go again. I’ve told you before, it’s all just an act with her. I have no feelings for her. I only love you, and I only want to be with you. Besides, you know my situation, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll never betray you in this lifetime."
When the two of them mentioned Chloe, it wasn’t like they were talking about a person, but rather a disposable tool. Their words were dripping with a sense of superiority, as if Chloe should feel honored to be a part of their lives. It was so disgusting that the two girls outside felt waves of nausea.
Especially Chloe. ’If I married him, not only would I have to support this fucking scumbag, but I’d also have to tolerate him keeping a lover on the side—and even help support them both? And in his eyes, his lover is the one being wronged?’
’Fine. Just fine! This is absolutely intolerable!’
Rage flooded her mind. Chloe completely forgot about the mastermind they had mentioned earlier. Her only thought was to destroy these two dregs of society. She lifted her foot and kicked the door with all her might.
The door to the rental unit was old—a painted wooden door that had seen better days. Fueled by her explosive anger, Chloe unleashed tremendous potential, and the door actually burst open.
Inside, the two men, who had been affectionately discussing their future in the living room, jumped in shock. Coco Shane, following behind Chloe, curiously peeked out from behind her best friend. Before she could see anything, her two brothers covered her eyes.
"Don’t cover them, don’t! I want to see just how shameless these two are."
Coco Shane struggled with all her might, but she was no match for the firm suppression of her two brothers.
"Be good. Don’t look, don’t look. It’s bad for your eyes."
The siblings’ conversation also jolted the two men inside back to reality.
Terry Jules’s face changed the moment he saw Chloe. "Ch... Chloe, what are you doing here? Let me explain, he’s just... just my roommate."
"Roommate?" Coco Shane violently pried her brother’s hands away and got a clear look at the scene inside.
Her mind flashed back to the sounds they’d heard from outside the door, and Terry Jules’s recent confession...
Coco Shane felt a genuine pang of sympathy for her friend. Then, she went on the offensive, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, roommates who live in the same apartment, sit on the same couch, whisper sweet nothings to each other, and shamelessly discuss another man’s girlfriend? And besides, dressed like that, aren’t you cold?"
Just as Coco Shane finished speaking, a cold draft blew through the apartment, sending a chill through everyone to their very bones.