Chapter 14 Refusal 1/4 Chloe choked on her drink and coughed violently , then quickly took a sip of the lemonade beside her to calm herself . She finally looked at Brian and said , " Mr. Steele , you must be joking . " " I'm not joking , " Brian replied calmly . Chloe fell silent . She wondered if Brian could actually be serious about having his hands severed once he died and giving them to her . Such a thought was far from normal . She'd always heard that Brian was a madman , and at this moment , she understood that remark more deeply than ever . " No , thank you , " she quickly said . He'd seen too many people around him chasing fame and fortune , constantly scheming to flatter him and find shortcuts in life . But Chloe sought neither fame nor wealth , leaving him to wonder what she truly wanted . " Ms. Quall , would you be interested in being my bodyguard ? " Brian asked suddenly . " What ? " Chloe was stunned . " You want me to be your bodyguard ? " " You're skilled , and you saved me before . I think you'd be perfect for it . And if you agree , you can set your own price , " Brian said . " Sorry , I just started at Skyline Tech , and I'm not planning to change jobs , " Chloe refused . Chapter 14 Refusal 2/4 " That's a shame , " Brian said lightly but didn't press the matter . Chloe breathed a sigh of relief . Once they finished their meal and got ready to leave , Brian spoke again . " Ms. Quall , I'm not easily saved . But if someone saves me , they must see it through to the end . " Chloe paused , meeting his dark , unfathomable eyes . What did he mean by " see it through to the end " ? He had so many bodyguards . Even if there was any danger , they would save him . She didn't ask further , and Brian didn't explain either . Not long after parting ways with Brian , Chloe received a call from Joanne . Since she'd blocked Joanne's personal number , the latter called her using the company line . " Chloe , I need you to write a new project proposal for the project you handled before . " Joanne said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world . Chloe could have laughed out of frustration . " Why should I write it for you ? " " Don't forget that you're my brother's wife . If I tell you to write it , you have to ! " Joanne said arrogantly . Joanne thought that Chloe loved Curtis and would do anything for him . And being obedient as ever , Joanne naturally assumed Chloe would comply this time too . " Your brother's wife ? " Chloe laughed . " You're very close to Sonya and think she's the best , don't you ? Why don't you just ask her to write it for you ? " " I can be close to whoever I want ! If you don't write and deliver that proposal to me right away , I'll have Curtis divorce you . He listens to me the most . You'll just get divorced and end up a discarded wife ! " Joanne snapped venomously . " Fine , then hurry up and have Curtis divorce me . I'll be waiting ! " Chloe said , hanging up immediately . Joanne stared at the phone in disbelief . Chloe had actually dared to refuse her request . She clearly didn't take her seriously , and Joanne swore to make her pay for it . Curtis looked over the project proposal Joanne had submitted . The content was dreadful and had obviously been thrown together without any thought . Some of the sections even contradicted each other . " This is what you produced after taking over the project ? You really think this can secure a deal ? " Curtis said angrily . Thinking back to the project proposals Chloe had submitted before , which he'd never had to worry about , Curtis felt even more frustrated . Chapter 14 Refusal 3/4 " Curtis , it's because Chloe didn't hand over the work properly when she left . She didn't explain much , so I couldn't write a proper proposal , " Joanne tried to explain . " Shut up ! " Curtis snapped . " It was your idea to take over this project . I handed you such an important task , and now you deliver this mess ? How do you expect me to continue trusting you with work ? " " You should blame Chloe ! She's deliberately making things hard for me . Curtis , you should have divorced her a long time ago ! " Joanne urged . " Enough ! Don't let me hear that again ! Chloe married me when I was at my lowest , and I will not divorce her ! " Curtis said . He scolded Joanne for a while before finally letting her leave the CEO's office . That evening , Curtis received a call from Helen . " How could you scold Joanne like that ? " Helen said irritably . " She just graduated from college . Of course , she lacks experience . Not doing her work well isn't a big deal . " Besides , it's all Chloe's fault . Not only did she make things hard for Joanne , but she's made things difficult for me too . If she hadn't interfered , I would have been able to get Dr. Davidson's appointment by now . She's trying to ruin my eyesight ! " Curtis was also frustrated about the doctor's appointment . He'd already paid someone to try and secure a slot with Richard , but the appointments were so limited and in such high demand that he hadn't managed to get one . For now , he could only have Helen see another doctor for her follow - up . Listening to Helen complain about her eyes and other minor aches , Curtis couldn't help but recall how Chloe used to take care of everything whenever Helen was sick . At that time , he only needed to focus on work . Joanne's studies and Helen's medical appointments were all handled by Chloe . " Mom , I'll figure out a way to get an appointment with Dr. Davidson , " Curtis said . " Joanne was right today - Chloe is such a malicious woman . You should divorce her ! " Helen said again . Curtis stood up , displeased . " Stop saying that . Chloe hasn't done anything to hurt me . I won't hurt her either . " Helen and Joanne exchanged a glance , both seeing disappointment in the other's eyes . Helen grumbled inwardly , unwilling to accept that she might really have to give Chloe 100 million dollars . The next day , Curtis faced another frustrating problem . " What did you say ? The bank didn't approve the loan ? " Curtis said , looking at his secretary , Adrian Langford , in disbelief . " Yes , " Adrian said . Chapter 14 Refusal 4/4 " And the reason ? " Curtis asked . " They said they received news that Prosperity Investments , which was originally going to invest in our project , has decided to terminate their investment intention , " Adrian explained . Curtis was shocked . Before he even had time to think about why he hadn't been informed , the bank had already found out . He quickly dialed Morgan Jimenez , the manager originally in charge of the project investment at Prosperity Investments . " Mr. Jimenez , I'd like to ask about the verbal investment agreement your company had previously made with us ... " " I was just about to call you , Mr. Green . Our company has decided to withdraw the investment . After all , the original plan to invest was because of Ms. Quall , and now that she has left , the verbal agreement naturally no longer applies , " Morgan said . Curtis was dumbfounded . He couldn't believe it . " Because of Chloe ? "