CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: CHLOE PRESTON, IF I LET YOU GO, I’LL REGRET IT

"Yes, sir!" Housekeeper Wallace replied.

She turned, looked respectfully at Caleb Xavier, and said, "Old Master, please get up."

Then, she glanced at Rosalind Rowan. "Miss Rowan, you shouldn’t force yourself to stay. You’re not welcome here."

Caleb Xavier roared, "How dare you, a mere servant, talk to Rosalind like that! Pack your things and get out immediately!"

Housekeeper Wallace wasn’t intimidated. She replied calmly, "This is The Xavier Residence. You don’t have the final say. I only take orders from the Master."

Leaning on his cane, Caleb Xavier looked at the younger man. "Donovan, look at the kind of servant you’ve hired! Fire her at once!"

"I’m afraid not," Donovan Xavier said. "Housekeeper Wallace was right. Miss Rowan is not welcome here."

Rosalind Rowan sat on the sofa, nervously wringing her hands. Her eyes reddened, and shimmering tears made her look pitiful.

The sight made Caleb Xavier’s heart melt.

He stood up, glaring at Donovan with raw fury. "You’re utterly hopeless! You reject someone as good as Rosalind, yet you insist on treating that Chloe like a treasure!"

"I just don’t understand. What do you even like about her?"

With his amnesia, Donovan Xavier couldn’t quite articulate a reason.

After a pause, he simply said, "Everything."

Caleb Xavier was livid. His expression turned vicious as he clenched his teeth. He stepped forward and raised his dragon-headed cane to strike him.

This unfilial son! I must not have beaten him enough in the past. That’s why he’s so disobedient now!

Donovan Xavier’s pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively took a step back.

He was still hit. The cane struck him hard across the back, and a searing pain shot through his entire body. It felt as if his bones were about to shatter.

Donovan Xavier staggered, his brows knitting together. The pain was so intense he nearly collapsed.

Suddenly, images flashed through his mind.

A rainy day. He was kneeling outside the ancestral hall as his grandfather whipped him over and over again, his flesh torn and bleeding.

Is this a memory I had forgotten?

Donovan Xavier desperately tried to recall more, but it was no use. The more he tried, the more his head throbbed, threatening to split open.

Housekeeper Wallace reacted instantly, rushing forward to grab Caleb Xavier’s arm. "Old Master, you can’t hit the Master! He only just woke up. What will we do if you seriously injure him?"

Caleb Xavier lowered his arm.

He calmed down slightly and took a deep breath, but his voice was still laced with anger. "Let me tell you, as long as I draw breath, I will never agree to your marriage!"

The words went in one of Donovan Xavier’s ears and out the other. He paid them no mind.

He turned and, enduring the pain, started up the stairs. His expression was indifferent as he tossed a comment over his shoulder, "I’ll send you an invitation for the wedding day."

"Come if you want. If you don’t, I won’t force you. I’ll just consider myself to have no such family."

Caleb Xavier stared at his tall, retreating figure, his old face wrinkling in anguish as his heart clenched with a sharp pain. "You! You!"

He closed his eyes, his legs unsteady.

Seeing this, Housekeeper Wallace asked worriedly, "Old Master, are you... are you all right?"

For a long moment, Caleb Xavier couldn’t speak. He gripped the dragon-headed cane so tightly that his whole body trembled. The next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The anger had caused him to faint.

"Grandpa... Grandpa, wake up!" Rosalind Rowan cried out in a panic, rushing to support him. "Grandpa, you have to be okay!"

He can’t die! If he does, I’ll have no support. My chances with Donovan Xavier will be even smaller!

Donovan Xavier was already upstairs and knew nothing of the commotion below.

He walked down the corridor, one step at a time, his lips pale and his back still aching.

He looked up and his gaze met a pair of eyes as clear as water.

Donovan Xavier stopped, then stepped forward and took her hand without a second thought.

"Didn’t I tell you to stay in the room and sleep?"

Chloe Preston looked at him and said softly, "You were gone for so long, I got worried. I wanted to sneak out and see what was happening."

"Did your talk with Grandpa go okay? You didn’t fight, did you?"

Donovan Xavier led her back to the room, his voice gentle. "No, everything is fine."

Chloe Preston was skeptical.

They went inside and sat on the edge of the bed. Chloe noticed beads of sweat on his forehead. Her fine brows furrowed slightly as she asked softly, "Donovan, are you not feeling well?"

She reached out to touch his forehead. He didn’t have a fever, but he was covered in a cold sweat.

Seeing her worry, Donovan Xavier took her hand. His lips parted as he said, "It’s nothing. Just a slight headache. I’ll be fine after a nap."

Chloe Preston clearly didn’t believe him. She crossed her arms and said, "Tell me the truth."

Donovan Xavier looked at her sincerely. "Really, it’s nothing."

Chloe Preston stared at him, silent. Then, she reached out and began to pull at his black silk robe.

Donovan Xavier caught her hands, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Before I lost my memory, did you enjoy stripping men’s clothes like this?"

Chloe Preston didn’t answer, just kept tugging determinedly at his robe.

Donovan’s breathing grew ragged. He let out a soft hiss. "Chloe Preston, let go. Have some restraint."

The next moment, she yanked the robe off his shoulders.

Before her was a powerful chest and sharply defined abdominal muscles. The lines of his muscles were firm and fluid, exuding a wild, potent strength that was intensely alluring. Chloe, however, was checking him all over for injuries. Turning him slightly, she saw a terrible mark on his back.

It was a deep, dark bruise, swollen and shaded with purple and red. Mixed with the old, faded scars from a whip, the sight was shocking. It must have been excruciatingly painful.

"Your grandfather hit you again..." Chloe Preston’s voice was a whisper. She didn’t dare touch the wound. She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears.

Donovan Xavier smiled. "It was just one hit. It doesn’t hurt that much."

Chloe Preston’s hands clenched into fists. She stood up and got the first-aid kit.

After she returned, she sat on the bed, carefully applying medicine to the wound. A lump formed in her throat, and she fought hard to hold back her tears.

"I’m sorry..." Chloe Preston said suddenly, her eyes red. She knew. It had to be because of her that Caleb Xavier had struck him so cruelly.

Donovan Xavier’s dark eyes softened. He pulled her around to face him, letting her lean against his chest. "It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself."

Chloe Preston lowered her gaze and fell silent.

After a long moment, she took a shaky breath, her voice choked with sobs. "Donovan Xavier."

"Hm?"

"I... let’s break up."

Donovan Xavier froze, his brow furrowed.

He looked at her, a humorless smile touching his lips. "Are you serious?"

Chloe Preston wiped the tears from her face, not daring to meet his eyes. She stared at the floor and whispered, "I’ve actually been thinking about it for a long time. Maybe we shouldn’t be together. I’m always leaning on you for protection, and it makes you suffer too much."

"I don’t want to force you to choose between me and the Xavier Family. Breaking up... seems like the best choice."

The moment the words left her mouth, Donovan Xavier’s handsome face darkened. He reached out and forcefully pinched her cheek.

It hurts! So much!

Chloe Preston let out a soft hiss, her pretty face scrunching up. "Donovan Xavier, let go! That hurts..."

"Honey, it hurts..."

Only then did Donovan Xavier release her. His voice turned cold. "The pain is good. It’ll sober you up so you stop talking such nonsense."

"Break up? Don’t even think about it!"

Chloe Preston rubbed her reddened cheek, her watery eyes clear. "You don’t even remember me now. Why are you still..."

Donovan Xavier’s voice was grave. "Because I know that the man I was before I lost my memory would never have let you go!"

"If I really let you go, I’m afraid that when my memory returns one day, I’ll regret it."

"Chloe Preston, I don’t want to live with regret. So, you’re going to stay right here by my side."

He paused, then added, "Besides, you’re carrying my child. Do you want him to grow up without a father? Or are you planning to find him a new one?"

Chloe Preston frowned. "How could you think that?"

Anger flared in Donovan Xavier’s eyes. He cupped her chin with one hand, lowered his head, and kissed her with domineering force.

Her lips were pried open as they pressed against each other.

Chloe Preston’s chest heaved. She clenched her fists, her eyelashes fluttering as she tilted her head back, forced to accept the kiss. It was anything but gentle, yet it was still intoxicating.

After what felt like a lifetime, Donovan Xavier finally released her. His dark eyes were bottomless pools of heat, his breathing ragged as he fought for control.

He panted, his thumb tracing the outline of her wet, swollen lips. His voice was hoarse. "You see? We fit together so perfectly when we kiss. How could you expect me to agree to a breakup?"

Chloe Preston’s eyes were misty, lost in a moment of dazed emotion. "Donovan..."

Donovan Xavier said no more. He casually slipped his robe back on, his expression unreadable. He stood up, grabbed his pillow from the bed, and started to leave.

Confused, Chloe Preston called after him, "What are you doing?"

Donovan Xavier glanced back at her. "You made me angry. Tonight, we’re sleeping in separate rooms."

That should teach her a lesson. Let’s see if she dares to mention breaking up again.

Chloe Preston asked, "Are you sure you can stand sleeping without me?"