Chapter 10 Loving Father and Filial Daughter

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Benjamin angrily rebuked, "When did I ever ask you to sleep with him? If you can't handle the project, don't make excuses to avoid responsibility!"

Chloe frowned and replied, "I didn't. He was the one who touched me—"

"We've been working on this project for a whole year, and you ruined it at the last moment. Your irresponsible behavior has caused the company significant losses!"

"It's not my fault! If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance cameras in the building."

"That's enough! No more excuses. Either you take responsibility for the company's losses or you apologize to Mr. Lionel and beg him to sign the contract. This is your last chance!"

With that, Benjamin hung up the phone, leaving only the sound of the cold, mechanical dial tone in Chloe's ear.

Chloe looked at her phone screen, which displayed the word "Dad," and fell silent. She stood frozen to the spot until a car horn blared out from behind her and she snapped back to reality. She silently moved aside to make way and murmured an apology under her breath.

At this moment, Nathan came out and saw Chloe standing at the crossroads. Through the rearview mirror, he noticed that Joseph, who was sitting in the back seat, was also looking in Chloe's direction.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Should we give her a ride?"

Joseph habitually rolled down the window, letting in the cool breeze. His thin lips parted, and just as he was about to speak, Chloe also looked over in their direction.

When the woman saw that it was Joseph, the desolation and disappointment on her face instantly vanished. Her almond-shaped eyes brightened as she waved and called out, "Jojo!"

"Pfft!" Nathan stomped on the brake and burst out laughing. "Jojo?"

'And he said they weren’t close.'

Joseph's face sank as he warned Chloe, "Don't call me that."

"Fine." Chloe walked over, placing her hands on the car window and looking at him pitifully. "Can you please drive me home? It's difficult to get a cab from here."

She was not lying. All the cabs passing by were required to stop at the underground parking lot, and she did not want to go back there.

Joseph silently looked into her teary eyes and, after a moment, calmly withdrew his gaze. "Get in."

A bright smile appeared on Chloe's face. "Thank you!"

Upon getting into the car, she noticed that the person sitting in the front seat was not the same man from before.

"Hello, my name’s Nathan Reese," Nathan introduced himself.

Joseph remained silent, while Chloe politely responded, "Hello, I’m Chloe Johnson."

The two sitting in the back seat remained silent, and Nathan also wisely kept his mouth shut.

The ride was short and the temperature in the car was comfortable. Soon, Chloe arrived at her destination. Since she was not sure if Nathan knew about her and Joseph's relationship, she chose to turn off at the roadside near his villa.

Nathan watched her departing figure thoughtfully and asked, "Joe, do you live in the same neighborhood? It seems that you two live very near to each other."

"You're quite talkative today."

"I heard that your grandfather has been becoming more incessant in his urging for you to get married lately. I'm just concerned about your future. I think she’d be a good choice."

Joseph's thin lips curled into a mocking smile. "Because she's a beauty?"

For Nathan, any woman with a beautiful face was attractive.

"She's indeed a beauty, but what's more important is that I think she manages her emotions well. At least she doesn’t let her negative emotions affect others."

Joseph was stunned and he commanded, "Let's go to Fairlight."

He had not had the chance to visit the place since he came back, and it was about time for him to do so.

*

Chloe returned to the villa and felt strange upon seeing the unfamiliar environment. She habitually opened the food delivery app to order something to eat, but after placing an order, she realized that she only had $150 left in her bank account!

She suddenly remembered that Benjamin had not paid her salary in three months. He also had not given her any bonuses for over a year. She texted her colleagues at the company and found out that they had all received their salaries on time every month, all except for her.

She immediately called the finance department and was met with an arrogant response, "This was Mr. Benjamin’s decision. If you have any questions, you can bring it up with him directly."