When Chloe opened her eyes, she saw Horrace standing right beside her. He had grabbed James's wrist, preventing him from striking her.

Horrace didn't even glance at her, his piercing gaze locked onto James. "You were going to hit her?" He growled.

"I... I wasn't..." James stammered, his confidence visibly crumbling. Horrace's presence was intimidating to anyone, even more so in the current circumstances.

"It’s not his fault! Chloe hit me first, and James couldn't just stand by and do nothing," Isabella quickly interjected, trying to shift the blame.

Chloe wasn't going to let herself be the scapegoat. "That's not true! She said my family deserved everything that's happened to us. She even cursed my mom to spend the rest of her life in the hospital! I hit her because I couldn't take it anymore."

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Chloe didn't want Horrace to see her as someone who acted without reason.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt deflated. If James, the man she had loved for years, hadn't believed her, why on earth would Horrace, someone she'd just met, take her side?

To her surprise, Horrace's next words were sharp, and directed at James. "Did you hear that? From where I’m standing, if Isabella got slapped, she had it coming."

James opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was utterly speechless.

Isabella, however, wasn't the type to just back down. "Uncle, that's just Chloe's version! You can't just take her word for it!"

She knew how much influence Horrace held within the Hayes family. If Horrace turned against her, she feared James might follow suit, so she needed to act quick.

But she hadn't anticipated Horrace's dismissive retort. "Who do you think you are to call me 'Uncle'?"

The color drained from Isabella's face momentarily, before she flushed red with humiliation. She turned to James, yet, despite his usual protectiveness, he didn't dare speak up against Horrace.

Horrace's gaze swept over the pair, his voice cold and dismissive. He settled onto James. "Your first time coming to visit your grandfather, and you cause this kind of spectacle? Don't bring her here again. She's an embarrassment."

His words were aimed at James, but the sting was clearly meant for Isabella. The insult hit its mark, and tears started streaming down her face. She turned on her heels and ran off.

Without another word, James quickly chased after her.

Once they were gone, Chloe turned to Horrace and muttered a quick, "Thanks." She turned to leave, not wanting to linger any longer in what felt like a very unlucky situation, but her streak of bad luck wasn't over yet. As she made her way downstairs, she twisted her ankle. She grabbed the bannister at the last possible moment and avoided a dangerous fall. But she couldn’t hold her weight on her foot anymore.

She sat on the steps outside the hospital and rubbed her ankle, pain etched on her face. Not long after, a sleek Bentley pulled up right in front of her.

The window rolled down, revealing Horrace's sharp, elegant features. "Get in," he demanded.

Chloe hesitated for a moment. After all, they had already shared a bed, what difference would a car ride make compared to that? But it all felt weirdly intimate and she didn’t know what to say. Finally, she decided not to overthink it, and limped over to open the car door on the other side. With a sigh of relief, she slid into the passenger seat.

The car engine turned over and purred smoothly, as it started gliding down the road.

"If they ever try to lay a hand on you again, hit them back. Don't just stand there and be a punching bag," Horrace said, his tone casual but firm.

Chloe turned to him, shocked.

‘Was this something an uncle would say about his own nephew?

Or was he just stirring the pot, hoping to see her and her ex-fiancé get into a full-blown physical fight, make a spectacular scene at the hospital?’

But Horrace's face remained unreadable, offering no clues as to what his motives could be. Chloe couldn't make sense of him. Why did he say that? And why did it feel like he was backing her up?

Uncertain of how to respond, Chloe decided to change the subject. "Do you know any quick ways to make money?"