Vernon, if this breakfast is getting cold, you can reheat it. I've also prepared another banana-apple juice in the fridge just in case this one on the table is too lukewarm for you.

I've prepared your suit, it's on the sofa, good luck with work.

— Chloe.





Vernon was quiet for a while and scoffed as he found the note funny. He crumpled the note and threw it in the bin near the kitchen sink. He had a good idea of what made her try to avoid him.

"Obviously, I'm the one in the wrong. I'm the one who triggered her trauma, so she should be mad at me," Vernon said. He sat at the dining table and started digging into the breakfast made by Chloe.

He knew that Chloe wasn't mad at him because she still cooked breakfast that looked filling and pretty much suited Vernon's taste.

So there was only one explanation as to why she tried to avoid him;

"You feel guilty about what happened last night, right, Chloe?" Vernon talked to himself while he was sipping the banana-apple juice.

'',

"I should be the one who feels guilty and apologize to you," Vernon said. "You have the right to be mad at me. I don't mind. I'd be grateful, in fact…."

Vernon didn't know what kind of expression Chloe would make if she was mad. He remembered clearly how she scolded and reprimanded him for playing pranks on his parents just to get their attention.

Big sis Chloe would pull his ear until he felt a little pain and then scold him for at least two hours straight.

Then, she would force him to do a chore— cleaning up the pranks or small house chores that the maids usually did.

He would grumble and complain when he had to do chores, but under Big sis Chloe's stern look, he could only pout and continue with the chores.

The maids would be very worried when they saw their young master washing the dishes or even taking out the trash. They knew they would get punished if Young Master Vernon told the head butler or head maid about this.

But Vernon never actually snitched on his Big sis Chloe and other maids.

Because he— in fact— loved being punished and reprimanded by Big sis Chloe.

It gave him a sense of security. Because when he got reprimanded by Big sis Chloe, that meant someone still cared for him.

Because his parents would never reprimand him. They simply ignored his existence and preferred to teach his Big brother about everything, pouring all their attention on Vincent.

Because Vincent was the heir of the Gray family, not him.

He was just a kid that happened to be born under the Gray family, but he was worthless.

'And the only one who cares for my well being is Big sis Chloe. She is my guiding light…' Vernon said in his heart.

Truth be told, if it wasn't because of what he witnessed back then— that Big sis Chloe told his late father that Vernon was 'disgusting, incompetent, and not as good as Vincent'— Vernon would never think about hurting her.

He wouldn't even think about leaving New York because he wanted to stay close by her side.

"I still don't understand why she said that about me… maybe she already forgot about it," Vernon said. "But I will never forget."

His heart was conflicted between wanting to embrace Chloe gently or punishing her for hurting his heart so badly until Vernon felt nothing but a restless rage for the past ten years.

But he had his own priority.

He might be hurt, and he still resented his Big sis Chloe for looking down on him.

But, when he saw her crying and showing signs of deep trauma— he knew that he had to do something.

'At least, I need to get close to her, earn her trust so she will tell me about the whole thing,' Vernon thought.

Even though he still resented her so much, he was willing to put aside his resentment if that meant he could heal Chloe out of her trauma.

"But how do I even heal someone out of trauma? Heck, I think I scare people more than I comfort them," Vernon started counting how many times he helped people feel better.

Then he realized that he had never done it.

Ever since he was a kid, he had been spoiled rotten and enjoyed being babied by Big sis Chloe.

Then he basically spent ten years being a ruthless, heartless bastard in Europe, ruining everything he touched as long as he got what he wanted.



"Fuck, I don't know how to comfort someone. What should I do then?"

p Vernon felt stuck after realizing that he wasn't a tender person to begin with. Added to his scary appearance, he would probably terrify her even more.



"I need someone to guide me on how to approach her carefully, but who will help me? Should I hire a psychologist to tell me what to do?" Vernon wondered.

That thought lingered in his head for a while, even when he returned to his bedroom to take a bath and prepare himself for the day.

He wore the suit that Chloe had prepared while standing in front of the full mirror.

"Hmm, handsome as always," Vernon said, praising himself for gaining more confidence.

He used the VIP elevator to the basement and drove his car out of the apartment building.

His mind was still filled with Chloe, thinking of a way to get close to her, if that was even possible.

He knew he needed someone to tell him what to do because he wasn't good at making people comfortable.

He walked into his office building and went up to the CEO's office with the office's VIP elevator. He pondered;

'Hm… who will be suitable enough to tell me what to do to gain Chloe's trust….'

Ding!

The elevator door opened, and Vernon saw Diamond, busy at her desk, writing a report.

'',



'',

'OH!'