The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 186: Chapter 186

Serena knew Keith was trying to play peacemaker, and she felt that Chloe's hostility toward her was too strong for any meaningful conversation at the moment.
So Serena simply nodded and replied, "I'll head back to the room."
Chloe watched as Serena walked straight into Keith's room, a flicker of jealousy flashing in her eyes.
"Chloe, Seri is my girlfriend. I hope you can respect her," Keith said to Chloe, unable to bring himself to be too harsh.
After all, he thought Chloe had always been negotiable. He couldn't understand why she started acting like this all of a sudden.
Chloe sensed Keith's displeasure and reined herself in a little. Then, she said carefully, "I don't want Serena to be the one arranging where I stay. I promise I won't be any trouble for you guys.
"Let me stay until I find a place of my own, then I'll move out, okay?"
Chloe was new to the city, so expecting her to move out tomorrow was a bit much. Still, Keith felt it wasn't really appropriate for her and Serena to be living together under the same roof.
"You're a single young woman," Keith said.
"But you and Serena aren't even married yet, right? Don't you always say I'm like a little sister to you? Why can't you let me stay in your house?" Chloe shot back.
As she spoke, Chloe hugged her arms around herself. "Or are you worried Serena will get jealous over this? That would be pretty petty, wouldn't it?"
"Chloe," Keith said, his gaze darkening with disapproval.
Seeing his reaction, Chloe forced a weak smile and said, "I really won't bother you guys much, I promise."
Just then, Serena walked out of her room, carrying her things. Hearing their conversation, she spoke up, "Let her stay for a couple of days. I'm sure she'll move out once she finds a place she likes."
Serena didn't want to be the one putting Keith in a tough spot.
Hearing how considerate Serena was, Keith softened. He turned to Chloe and gave her a warning, though he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless about the situation.
"You can stay here, but you can't be rude to Seri like you were just now," he said firmly.
Chloe immediately broke into a big grin, but she just laughed off Keith's warning. Without another word, she marched right into Serena's old room and started moving all her stuff in.
The way she acted was like she was planning to settle in for good.
"Seri..." Keith called out, his voice tinged with concern.
"It's fine," Serena replied.
Serena pressed her lips together in a faint smile, clearly unbothered by any of it.
As Chloe walked past and caught the look between the two of them, the sight stung her eyes. She made a point of dragging her suitcase noisily across the floor.
"Keith, I can't really lift this. Could you help me out?" Chloe called, her voice all sweet and innocent.
Keith frowned, but Serena just shook her head with a gentle smile, gesturing for him to go help Chloe out. Seeing how thoughtful Serena was, Keith melted even more.
No matter what, he was going to take care of Chloe's situation as soon as possible. He would never let Serena suffer any more because of this.
The next day, Keith suggested helping Chloe find a job, thinking it would help her get used to life here and move out sooner.
Chloe immediately put on her cutest act and said, "Didn't I already tell you? I majored in management when I was abroad. I could totally be your secretary just as a temporary thing.
"My dad thinks so too. I don't have anyone else to rely on here, and you're literally the only person I know. Plus, you're running a company now. Isn't this the perfect internship for me?"
Chloe definitely had the credentials—honestly, making her a secretary would be selling her short.
But even so, it just wouldn't be a good fit.
"I already have a secretary. We've been working together for quite a while. You're new here, and you don't really know how things work yet. It'd be tough for you to jump right in," Keith said.
He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I can help you find a job that's a better match for you."
"No. I know I'm not really qualified to work with you yet, but I can learn anything." Chloe looked at him with pleading eyes. "I'm actually really good at stuff, and I'm not trying to steal your secretary's job or anything."
"Just let me stay by your side, that's all I want," she added, her voice soft and sweet.
Keith's first instinct was to turn her down, but Chloe mentioned her father again.
"This is what my dad wants too. If you really don't agree, I'll have to call him. Maybe you don't really want me here. Maybe I should just go back," she said, her voice trembling with fake sadness.
She immediately put on a heartbroken face and reached for her phone, like she was really about to call.
Keith took a deep breath and called out to stop her. "Fine, since this is what your dad wants, I'll arrange an internship for you."
Chloe's father, Sterling Whitmore, had helped Keith a lot back when he was at his lowest, and Keith didn't want to disappoint Sterling.
Chloe's abilities were undeniable, and letting her join the company's operations seemed only natural.
But Keith knew this decision would probably make Serena compromise, and he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
When Keith told Serena about everything, she wasn't the least bit surprised and didn't object at all.
She understood that Keith was caught in a bind, and she never liked making things harder for him.
"It's really no big deal. Like I said before, letting Chloe stay here for a while isn't a problem," Serena said.
Even though Serena could sense Chloe's hostility toward her, she figured it was probably just because Keith was closer to her.
'Girls can get a little possessive over the people they care about,' Serena thought. 'And as someone who suddenly showed up in their lives, it's only natural that Chloe can't accept me right away.'
Just like that, Chloe officially stayed in Keith's apartment and finally met Alyssa.
Alyssa was so excited to have a new family member—she found everything about Chloe super interesting and treated Chloe with extra warmth.
Even Serena couldn't help but feel a little jealous. After all, Alyssa used to only stick to Serena.
"Alyssa, how about I take you out for some ice cream later?" Chloe offered.
Chloe knew that Serena usually never allowed Alyssa to have ice cream and couldn't help but scoff at that.
'She's already old enough. Does she really need someone telling her what she can and can't eat? That's just making a fuss over nothing,' Chloe thought to herself.
When Alyssa heard that, her eyes lit up with longing. She really hadn't had ice cream in such a long time.
Her illness kept coming back recently, and Nate had said her health could easily fluctuate with her emotions.
So even when Alyssa tried to plead, Serena still wouldn't let her have anything cold.
But even though she wanted it so badly, Alyssa just shook her head, looking as well-behaved as ever.
"I know, Serena doesn't allow you to have any ice cream, right?" Chloe whispered. "How about I sneak you out for some? I won't say a word to her."
When she heard that, Alyssa paused, looking uncertain again.
"Come on, what's there to worry about? I'm not like Serena, always trying to boss you around or anything," Chloe added.