Their eyes met.

She saw the worry in her brother’s eyes, and upon seeing her safe, it was as though he breathed a sigh of relief, his tense emotions were soothed. But when he looked at Chloe Vance, his expression turned colder.

Tiana Thorne understood.

Aunt Jarvis wanted to thoroughly humiliate Chloe, making her realize just how unworthy she was of her brother.

Rouge Jarvis pursed her lips and said, "Maxim."

Maxim Ford nodded lightly.

Upon hearing Rouge Jarvis’s voice, Chloe was completely confused...

How is this possible?

Wasn’t he abroad?

How did he come back...

No!

She wanted to get up.

She couldn’t let Maxim see her in such a disgraceful condition.

As soon as she moved, Farewell Mistress noticed her intention. With a swift kick, she stepped directly on Chloe’s face, forcing the other side of her face to press against the ground, pinned down completely, rendering her unable to move.

Humiliated tears fell from her eyes: "Let go of me, let go..."

Farewell Mistress was unmoved; she only obeyed Rouge Jarvis. In the entire Ford family, no one else could command her to do anything.

Maxim Ford walked in from the doorway, directly heading to his sister’s side. He sat next to her, held her hand, checked her, and finally felt assured.

Chloe felt as though he was about to look over; she wished she could find a hole to crawl into to avoid being seen in this state.

Rouge Jarvis returned to sit on the sofa, crossing her legs, her voice no longer warm but icy: "Maxim, this matter started because of you. I’ve told you everything about what happened over the phone. It’s up to you to handle it now."

"Okay."

Maxim responded and then stood up.

He looked down at Chloe on the ground, his dark eyes filled with an apocalyptic coldness, no less than Rouge Jarvis’s. He stared at her for a while, seemingly contemplating how to punish her.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "I’ve canceled the report."

Rouge Jarvis said nothing.

May Sloane didn’t quite understand what this meant...

Does it mean that Chloe will not be punished?

Is it possible that Maxim still has a bit of mercy for her?

Tiana Thorne remained calm, ate half an apple, wiped her hands, her demeanor relaxed.

Chloe heard, and let out a sigh of relief, her breathing became lighter. She wanted to move her head but was pressed down fiercely by Farewell Mistress’s foot, so she could only glance sideways, seeing just a sleeve of his clothes, tears falling like rain, extremely aggrieved: "Maxim... I knew you would save me."

Maxim spoke again: "Release her for now."

This matter was not trivial; Farewell Mistress looked at Rouge Jarvis, who nodded, before withdrawing her foot.

Chloe hurriedly sat up. She wanted to stand, be closer to him, but the pain in her lower back prevented her from standing, leaving her sitting on the ground.

She hastily tidied her disheveled clothes and hair. After some tidying, her eyes brimmed with shining tears: "Maxim..."

Maxim’s eyebrows didn’t move a bit; his eyes were like cold frost, his voice like the autumn wind: "I heard you like me?"

She nodded vigorously like a little chicken pecking at grain: "Yes, Maxim, I like you, I’ve liked you since I was young. Like isn’t enough to prove my deepest feelings, I love you, love you very much, and I won’t marry anyone but you in this lifetime."

His voice grew increasingly calm: "So, your reason for doing all this is because you love me?"

"I did it because I love you so much."

Then, she glared at Tiana Thorne, speaking hastily: "She’s not a good person, Aunt Jarvis. On the day you went back, she spent the night with Master Xiao. She cuckolded you; I was helping you clean up the stain."