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'Now I understand why Diamond was so offended when I said that I wanted to leave…' Chloe pondered.

She kept silent while staring at Vernon, who looked at her back with a deep, yet meaningful gaze.

'Oh, my sweet Little Vernon, how much you've grown since the last time I took care of you….' Chloe had so much pride for him.

She and Vernon might not be related, but she was still the nanny who cared for little Vernon.

She cooked for him, tutored him with stuff that he refused to learn from his teachers, listened to his worries since he grew up in a dysfunctional family, and watched him grow up from a little boy to a young teenager.

Now, looking at the handsome and robust man in front of her, Chloe felt a sense of pride.

'And look how much of a brave man you've become when you get older,' Chloe praised in her heart. 'And your bravery… gives me courage as well, Vernon.'

"Vernon, can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh, what?"

"Do you not feel fear?" Chloe asked bluntly, which caught Vernon off guard.

He didn't expect that question to come from Chloe, whom he knew to be very meek.

Vernon wondered if he should just lie.

Of course, he felt fear. He was a human.

But he was also a man, and what man didn't want to show how cool and powerful he was? He wanted to be the strongest man for Chloe, so she could rely on him.

But again, under her gentle eyes, Vernon felt weak and exposed. He was like a kid caught red-handed for doing bad things and had to be honest no matter what.

"I… I feel fear, sometimes…." Vernon replied weakly, not wanting to be too loud to show his weakness.

"And what kind of fear do you have?" Chloe wanted to pry further because, based on what she had observed living with Vernon for more than six months, she concluded this man was a real daredevil who didn't give a shit about anything.

'The fear of losing you for the second time,' Vernon replied in his heart spontaneously. 'It far outweighs my fear of anything in this world, Chloe.'

Too bad he couldn't say that, as he didn't want to make Chloe uncomfortable.

"I—uh… I feared…"

"Hm?"

…

'Oh shit, I just realized that I feared nothing but losing Chloe,' Vernon started panicking. He was so engrossed with his fear of losing his woman the entire time that he forgot other fears he had.

'Should I just say that I'm scared of bugs? Huh, but that's way too cliche and uncool!'

Chloe sensed that Vernon was nervous for an unknown reason, so she tried to make it easier for him to answer by going straight to the point.

"Vernon, have you ever feared someone in your life?" Chloe asked. "Like… your Big brother."

"Ah—" Vernon was not surprised by Chloe's question. In fact, he was more surprised that Chloe hadn't asked him about this ever since he revealed that he was scheming against his own Big brother.

The same Big brother who could twist the law according to his needs.

"Don't worry about that," Vernon replied lightly, giving the illusion that Vernon feared nothing. "I'm not scared of him. Not at all."

"Y—You're not? H—How?" Chloe stammered, thinking that Vernon must be out of his mind for being so damn reckless like this!

But Vernon shrugged without worry, "I never see myself as less than my Big brother. He might be so powerful right now, but that doesn't mean that I can't topple him."

"I just need a good plan and careful strategy before I can turn the table between us," Vernon confidently sat straight and slightly puffed out his chest, like a man demanding praise from his woman.

He glanced at Chloe and smiled, "What? Are you still scared of him?"

…

Chloe thought Vernon would say that he feared his Big brother, so he had to play it safe because he feared the vicious rage that Vincent would rain down upon both of them.

"I don't understand…."

"About what?"

"About everything you said just now, Vernon," Chloe confronted the young man. "You said that you're not afraid of him, but you're now playing safe against him, right?"

"That's because I'm in a disadvantageous position right now. I can't challenge him when we're not in an equal ground, that is suicide," Vernon rebutted. "And if you think that is not-noble or whatsoever, then let me remind you something, Chloe—"

Vernon leaned forward and closed the gap between them. He wrapped his hand around Chloe's waist to stop her from escaping and then rested his chin on her shoulder before whispering;

"—to fight against a monster, you have to become a monster. Vincent is a monster who will do anything to maintain the image of a man. And I am an infamous monster in the biz world who will do anything to show that I'm just a man….'

'In front of the woman I love,' Vernon added in his heart.

He didn't care about what people said about him out there. All he cared about was what Chloe was thinking about him.

"So, if I may beg, please don't think of me as a coward. I'm doing whatever I can, I will show you how much of a noble man I am once I've beaten Vincent, okay?"

…

Vernon's answer completely took her off guard. She didn't even notice that he had been sticking aggressively so close by her side right now.

"Chloe, do you still doubt me?" Vernon asked.

He knew it was hard to convince Chloe about his strength because he was still trying to build his own empire.

But wouldn't it be nice to have the woman you loved support you during your endeavor?

"Vernon, I— I still don't understand…." Chloe repeated. "You said that you're no less than him, and… and you claimed that you can topple him. I—I thought this whole time you are—"

"—feeling inadequate against my Big brother?"