"Sis, like you said, that's his pre-marital property. I didn't contribute a single cent toward it, so it wouldn't be right for me to ask him to add my name. Let's not mention it again."
Chloe felt that David had already done enough by giving her the keys immediately after they registered. It solved her housing crisis, and that was plenty. She wouldn't ask to be on the deed, though if he ever offered it himself, she wouldn't refuse-after all, if they were to be husband and wife, she intended for it to be for life.
Kate only brought it up out of concern. Knowing her sister was fiercely independent and not the least bit greedy, she dropped the subject.
After enduring a long, protective interrogation from her sister, Chloe finally managed to move out. Kate had wanted to see her off to Square Garden, but just then, little James woke up and began crying for his mother.
"Sis, go take care of James. I don't have much stuff; I can handle it myself."
Kate had to feed her son and then start preparing lunch. If the food wasn't on the table when her husband returned from work, he would scold her, claiming she "did nothing all day" yet couldn't even manage a simple meal.
"Then be careful on the way," Kate said worriedly. "Are you coming back for lunch? Bring your husband."
"I have to get back to the shop, so I can't make it. As for Mr. Jones... he's very busy. He told me he's going on a business trip this afternoon and might be gone for a while. I'll bring him to meet you as soon as he's back."
Chloe told a small lie. She didn't actually know David's schedule, but she remembered Grandma Jones saying he was a workaholic who was often away for weeks at a time. She didn't want to make a promise to her sister that she couldn't keep.
"A business trip on the very day you get married?" Kate frowned, feeling that her new brother-in-law was a bit inconsiderate.
"We only registered; it's not like we had the wedding ceremony yet. Let him work; we'll need the money later. Sis, I'm leaving! Go feed James!"
Chloe waved goodbye to her sister and nephew, then lugged her suitcase down the stairs.
Chloe had heard of Square Garden, though she had never been inside. She hailed a taxi and headed straight there. It was only after she arrived at the gate that she realized she had forgotten to ask David which floor he lived on.
She pulled out her phone to call him, only to realize she didn't actually have his phone number. Fortunately, they had added each other on Whatsapp, so she attempted a voice call through the app.
At that moment, David was in the middle of a high-level meeting. The entire conference room was deathly silent, as he strictly forbade private calls during work hours.
His own phone was on silent, but it sat face-up on the mahogany table. He saw the notification immediately. However, when they had added each other earlier, he hadn't bother to save her contact name. Seeing an incoming call from a user named "Mermaid of the Deep Sea," he didn't even blink. He assumed it was some random person he'd added by mistake, swiped to reject the call, and-for good measure-immediately deleted the contact.
Chloe stared at her screen in confusion. When the call was rejected, she tried to send a text: [Mr. Jones, I'm at Square Garden, but I don't know which unit is yours.]
She hit send, only to be met with a grey system notification: [Your message was sent, but rejected by the recipient. You are not yet friends with this user.]
Chloe froze. "What? Not friends?"
She muttered to herself, "We literally just exchanged QR codes at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Did I add the wrong person?"
She thought back carefully. No, she was certain it was him. There was only one explanation: David had deleted her.
Did he already forget we got married this morning?
To be fair, if she hadn't just moved her entire life out of her sister's house, she might have forgotten she had a new husband named David, too.
Left with no choice, Chloe called Grandma Jones. When the old lady picked up, Chloe explained, "Grandma, I've moved out of my sister's place and I'm at Square Garden. But I don't know which floor Mr. Jones... I mean, David's apartment is on. Do you happen to know?"
Grandma Jones: "..."
"Don't worry, Chloe. Stay right there. I'll call David right now."
The truth was, the old lady didn't know either. To properly "test" Chloe, David had used a newly purchased apartment and car that the rest of the family hadn't even visited yet. Grandma had only found out he bought a place in Square Garden after the two of them had signed the marriage papers.
The old lady hung up and immediately dialed David.
Back in the boardroom, David had just finished purging the "Mermaid" from his life and had returned to the meeting. Not three minutes later, his screen lit up again. Seeing it was his grandmother, he had no choice but to answer.
"Grandma, I'm in a meeting," he said, his voice low and commanding. "If it's not urgent, it can wait until I'm home."
"David, what building and floor is that new place of yours in Square Garden? Chloe is there now with her luggage, but she doesn't know where to go! Didn't you add her on Whatsapp? Tell her immediately!"
David's dark brows arched. Oh.
It clicked. He had gotten married today to a girl his grandmother adored-a girl named Chloe. And he had, quite literally, just deleted his wife.
"Tell her it's Building B, 8th floor, Unit 808," he replied calmly.
"Fine, I'll tell her. You get back to your work." The old lady was a woman of action; as soon as she had the answer, she hung up and relayed it to Chloe.
David looked at his phone for a moment. With a rare hint of sheepishness, he searched for the "Mermaid" and sent a new friend request.
Chloe wasn't the type to hold a grudge over something so small. She accepted the request immediately.
Sorry I forgot who you were for a moment, David messaged her.
It was an honest mistake. While Chloe had saved his grandmother's life, it was David's parents who had handled the hospital visits and formal thanks. David had only visited when Chloe wasn't around. For a man who managed a multi-billion dollar empire, the name "Chloe" had simply never registered in his mind, despite how much his grandmother nagged him about her.
Chloe replied: No worries. Get back to work. I'll move my things up.
Need help? he asked out of politeness.
I only have one suitcase; I can manage. Besides, even if I did need help, could you actually leave work to come here?
David replied with blunt honesty: No.
He was swamped. There was no way he was leaving a billion-dollar merger to help her carry a suitcase.
Chloe sent back a "laughing-crying" emoji and went silent, signaling that she wouldn't disturb his work further.
David didn't follow up. They were strangers; there wasn't much to talk about. He only hoped this new wife of his would stay this sensible and not bother him with trivial matters every five minutes.
He set the phone back on the table and looked up, only to find every executive in the room staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.
