CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 3: SHE CALLS HIM HUSBAND

Chloe Preston struggled to get up. After taking a shower in the bathroom, she left the room.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Without giving it much thought, Chloe Preston went to open the door.

She assumed Donovan Xavier had returned, so she opened it and began, "Do you know you were..."

In the next second, she froze, staring at the person before her.

The woman’s pupils shrank sharply when she saw her.

A handsome man with attractive features stood beside her. Upon seeing Chloe Preston, his face filled with disbelief. "Oh my God, Donovan really brought a woman home!"

Faye Hughes said nothing. She stood rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed intently on Chloe Preston. She seemed to be scrutinizing her with a mix of hostility and a touch of jealousy unique to women.

A chill ran down Chloe Preston’s spine; she could sense the visitors’ ill intentions.

In this situation, it felt like she was the one being caught cheating!

Chloe Preston spoke politely, "Are you looking for Donovan Xavier? He’s not here."

Owen Grant replied with a smile, "We’re not looking for him. We just heard Donovan brought a woman home yesterday, so we came to have a look."

"You have no idea. He’s been single all these years and has never brought a woman back here!"

Chloe Preston’s mouth twitched. "Is... is that so?"

This didn’t match her impression of Donovan Xavier at all. She remembered his needs in that department were quite intense. Had he really turned over a new leaf?

Faye Hughes stared directly at her, her tone interrogating. "What is your relationship with Donovan?"

"No relationship," Chloe Preston replied.

Faye Hughes didn’t believe her, clenching her hands and seething with suppressed fury. Her gaze drifted down, and the large hickey on Chloe’s neck caused her anger to flare.

Faye Hughes gritted her teeth. "Did he kiss you?"

Chloe Preston paused for a moment, then nodded honestly. "Yes."

"Did you two sleep together?" Faye asked.

Chloe Preston nodded honestly again. "Yes."

The next moment, Faye Hughes averted her gaze and strode directly inside.

She deliberately bumped into Chloe, who stumbled and fell painfully to the ground. The skin on her wrist was scraped, and blood began to seep from the wound.

Owen Grant immediately helped her up before looking toward the woman who had walked to the sofa. "Faye Hughes, you’re acting out of line."

Chloe Preston’s watery eyes shifted.

So this was Faye Hughes, the woman who had called Donovan Xavier so many times last night. While she and Donovan were going wild until the early hours of the morning, she’d heard the faint sound of a phone ringing outside the door.

Faye Hughes was unimpressed. She snorted lightly and slammed her bag down on the table. Turning, she sat on the sofa, her eyes lazy and her expression one of pure arrogance.

Chloe Preston walked back over, her mood ice-cold, and poured a glass of hot water at the table.

"Thank you." Faye Hughes reached out, subconsciously assuming the water was for her. "But I prefer coffee. Why don’t you go make a cup? And wash some fruit while you’re at it. Arrange it nicely on a plate."

Chloe Preston scoffed.

She’s treating me like a servant. Even Donovan Xavier never dared to order me around like this. She had poured that water for herself.

Seeing that she was being ignored, Faye Hughes gritted her teeth, a burst of anger flaring within her. She shot to her feet and lashed out, "How dare you ignore me! Do you have any idea how important I am to Donovan? Who do you think you are? Compared to me, you’re nothing!"

Her words were boastful and deliberately provocative.

Chloe Preston paused briefly, then lifted her eyes to meet Faye’s.

A smirk played on Faye Hughes’s lips; she was eager to see an angry reaction.

But Chloe Preston’s eyes were calm, her entire demeanor unusually serene. "I don’t know how important you are to him. All I know is that he ignored your calls to sleep with me."

She said it lightly, but the words carried a lethal sting.

Faye Hughes thought of the previous night, of how none of her calls had connected, and her fingernails dug painfully into her palm.

"What’s there to be arrogant about? Donovan must have just forgotten to answer!"

Chloe Preston lowered her gaze to her injured wrist and smiled faintly. "Yes, I’m sure. After all, he was busy sleeping with me. He was so exhausted, how could he possibly remember you? If you want details, you should ask him."

With that, she turned to leave.

Faye Hughes stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "You must have seduced him on purpose!"

Chloe Preston shot her a cold glance. "Let go!"

In the ensuing struggle, the cup slipped from her hand, and the hot water splashed all over Faye Hughes.

Just then, Donovan Xavier returned. He walked in, took in the scene before him, and froze for a moment.

The next second, Faye Hughes ran to him and grabbed his arm. Her eyes instantly turned red, and she looked pitifully weak, as if she had been horribly wronged. "Donovan, she splashed me!"

Chloe Preston sighed and shook her head.

She knew this would happen.

Donovan Xavier saw that Faye was indeed wet, and he frowned slightly, his expression unreadable.

Faye Hughes wiped away her tears, her voice choked with emotion. "Donovan, the water scalded my arm! You have to stand up for me!"

Listening to this gave Chloe Preston a headache.

This is endless. What did I do in a past life to deserve this? Dig up her family’s graves?

Chloe Preston stepped forward.

She lifted her gaze to the man, her eyes rimmed with red, her pretty face a mask of grievance. "Honey..."

Her voice was soft and delicate, with a slight catch to it, and his heart nearly melted at the sound.

What a bewitching little siren!

Seeing this, Faye Hughes was stunned.

Instantly, Donovan Xavier’s gaze flickered, and his heart skipped a beat.

Is she still dazed from sleep? Last night, no matter how he coaxed or teased her, she had stubbornly refused to call him that. So willful, so disobedient.

The next second, Chloe Preston reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve. To any onlooker, it looked like she was acting coquettishly.

"What’s wrong?" Donovan Xavier asked. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his tone softened unconsciously.

Chloe Preston held her hand out for him to see, her voice muffled and soft, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Honey, she pushed me first. My hand is scraped and it hurts. Blow on it for me?"

His brows tightened as he saw her hand.

Seeing that things were going poorly, Faye Hughes immediately looked at the man, eager to explain. "Donovan, it’s not what you think, listen..."

Chloe Preston interrupted her by plunging into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his sturdy waist.

With her soft, fragrant body in his arms, Donovan Xavier’s breath hitched for a moment.

He was completely defenseless against her like this.

Chloe Preston nuzzled against his chest, then lifted her head, her face looking utterly aggrieved. "Honey, if you don’t make her answer for this today, I’m going to make a scene..."

Just as she was getting into her act, her phone rang in her pocket.

Chloe Preston took out her phone and answered the call. A voice immediately came from the other side. "Miss Quinn, what time is it? Are you still coming or not!"

Chloe Preston froze, suddenly remembering something. "I’m coming! Give me twenty minutes!"

She hung up and rushed to the room to grab her bag.

Damn it! Because of this woman, I almost forgot about my appointment!

Inside the room, Chloe Preston hastily grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

Donovan Xavier followed her in, grabbing her by the waist. He frowned. "Where are you going?"

He had just heard a man’s voice on the phone.

Chloe Preston glanced at him, her voice laced with anxiety. "You don’t need to know."

Donovan swept her up with one arm, strode forward, and pressed her onto the bed. "But I want to know. Confess. What man are you running off to meet?"

Just a moment ago she was hugging him and acting coquettishly. How could one phone call change her completely?