Chapter 15

Heather remarked, "Chloe's cozying up to Brendan for money. If she wants money, we'll give it to her."

"So, Naomi, take this check to her, and have her leave Ashburgh with her mother and brother. Otherwise, she won't get a penny from Brendan."

Upon seeing the $20 million check from Heather, Naomi found the situation both alarming and bewildering. Heather, usually so sharp, seemed confused.

"Mom, if I do this with Chloe, I'm putting myself in a difficult situation. She won't take the money, and she won't leave Ashburgh." If she took the check to Chloe, it would only accelerate her divorce from Brendan. She hadn't even become pregnant yet!

Heather insisted, "Naomi, trust me. Take the check to Chloe first; I'll meet her afterward. She won't be able to resist; she needs the money to support her mother and brother."

Naomi hesitated. "Mom, this—"

Heather interrupted. "Naomi, you're too honest. Chloe is crafty. You can't outsmart her."

Seeing Heather's strong emotions, Naomi chose not to argue. She couldn't outsmart Chloe, not because of her inability, but because Brendan's heart wasn't with her. The more she intervened, the worse things would become—like a referee with a biased heart.

"Naomi," Heather called.

Naomi snapped back to reality. "Fine, I'll go and meet her." With Heather so insistent, Naomi had no choice. Otherwise, things would become more complicated if Heather acted first. It would be bad for both her and the Ludwig family's reputation if the situation worsened.

Taking Heather's check, Naomi met Chloe the next day. In the cafe, she said little, only asking Chloe to take the money and leave with her mother and brother. Chloe was pale but remained quiet.

However, by noon, Jason called Naomi: "Ms. Goodwin, Mr. Ludwig wants you to come to the office this afternoon." Naomi smiled wryly. She knew why Brendan wanted to see her.

Half an hour later, she entered Brendan's office. Chloe was standing beside him, looking upset. With a serious expression, Brendan tossed the check at Naomi. "Did you give her this this morning?"

Chloe, seeming like a victim, tried to explain, "Naomi, you seem to have misunderstood. There's nothing going on between Brendan and me."

Ignoring Chloe, Naomi calmly pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Brendan. She teased, "What's the matter? Your mistress isn't satisfied?" She continued, "How about you give me $20 million? I'll have someone draft the divorce agreement, and I'll agree to it."

Naomi's indifference darkened Brendan's expression. Chloe was surprised. "Naomi, it's just $20 million."

Naomi knew that as the daughter of the Goodwin family, she wouldn't divorce Brendan for such a small amount. Finally, she looked at Chloe and said with a faint smile, "You're really devoted to him. This is just what I value him at."

Recalling that night at Yellowwind Bay, she thought of how he'd rather go to the bathroom than touch her. He had even been with Chloe.

Several errors were corrected: spelling (amining, Ashbergh, cralty, Nanqu, Chlor, Yellowind), punctuation (missing commas, incorrect quotation marks, run-on sentences), grammar (verb tense inconsistencies, pronoun agreement), and word choice for clarity and flow. The dollar amount was also clarified.