The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 192: Chapter 192
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Chloe's insights had caught Serena and Lana completely off guard in the best possible way.
Neither of them had the mindset for managing a business. If Kristy were around, she might've helped, but she was deep into her honeymoon phase and had completely ghosted her two best friends.
"You want me to work at your studio?" Chloe asked, visibly thrown off.
Lana tugged at Serena's sleeve. Sure, Chloe had made some valid points just now, but... she was the competition. 'How are you supposed to turn a romantic rival into a colleague?'
"What, is there a problem?" Serena asked, puzzled.
The silence from the other two women said it all. Yes. There were definitely problems. The scary part? Chloe was actually starting to consider it.
Since returning to the country, she'd been looking for a path that truly belonged to her. She wanted her skills to matter. She wanted someone to notice what she'd learned abroad.
But instead, she got pulled into Keith's orbit, lost herself in a messy situation, and threw herself into Brannon Creative Group for all the wrong reasons.
'This isn't the life I pictured. This isn't what I want,' she thought to herself.
"I'll give you time to think about it," Serena said gently. "Salary's negotiable. As long as it's not something insane, we'll figure it out."
Chloe stared at her. Serena was actually serious, genuinely offering her a place, without a shred of bitterness. And when she thought about staying at Brannon Creative Group, wasting time in a department she had zero interest in...
She made up her mind. "Fine. Your studio's such a mess anyway, if I can help turn it around, that'll look pretty damn good on my résumé."
She rolled her eyes. "And for the record, I'm not doing this for you. I just think it might be kind of fun."
Lana watched the whole exchange and finally understood what Serena meant. 'Yeah, Chloe has a sharp tongue. But she isn't actually malicious. Just... difficult. Like a porcupine in designer heels.'
"Alright," Lana said. "If Serena's inviting you, I guess that means you pass the test. Barely."
She checked the time. "It's getting late. I'm heading out. Chloe, you're welcome to join us, but if you cause any drama, don't be surprised when I put you over my knee. I've trained for this, you know."
Chloe blinked, utterly speechless, and then turned to Serena. 'How are these two even friends? Their personalities don't match at all,' she wondered.
"I'm starving. Let's go home and eat," she muttered, walking out first. They had dinner together at home.
Afterward, Keith returned, having just finished up work. As soon as he walked in, he heard about Chloe joining Serena's studio and immediately frowned.
"Didn't you insist on joining Brannon Creative Group yourself? Now you're suddenly changing your mind?" His tone sharpened. "You've already caused enough trouble for Serena. Don't go turning her studio into another problem."
Chloe's face fell. She'd known from the beginning that Keith favored Serena, but it still stung—being accused without even getting to explain. 'He doesn't even know what happened, and he's already blaming me. Figures.'
Serena jumped in quickly, "That's not what happened. Chloe's not here to stir things up. I'm the one who invited her."
She took Keith's hand and gave him a quick rundown of the day's events. Of course, she glossed over a few messy details like Chloe's tone or the near-slap-fight with Lana, but the end result was what mattered.
Keith listened without interrupting, but his frown didn't ease.
"Chloe's impulsive. She just came back from studying abroad and has zero practical experience," he said. Then, remembering Serena's earlier mention of management issues at the studio, he offered, "If you really need help, I can find a consultant for you. Chloe's not the right fit."
But Serena shook her head, her voice calm but firm. "I'm the one who asked her. I believe in her. If we're bringing in someone new, I want it to be Chloe."
Chloe had already braced herself for rejection, but once again, it was Serena who stood up for her. That caught her off guard.
Keith looked at Serena, saw how serious she was, and realized she wasn't budging. Chloe's position at Brannon Creative Group had always been awkward. If she stayed, she'd probably never get any real experience.
'Still... Chloe working for Serena? Won't that put extra pressure on Serena?' he thought.
"It'll be fine," Serena said softly, as if reading his thoughts. "I've gotten to know Chloe better these past few weeks. I trust her. She won't let me down. Right, Chloe?"
Chloe shifted awkwardly but nodded. "I take work seriously. If I said I'll do a good job, then I will. I'm not going to let my personal feelings get in the way."
Keith looked at the two of them, Serena steady and warm, and Chloe trying her best to keep her pride intact. 'If I say no now, I'll just be the bad guy,' he sighed inwardly.
"Alright. If Serena's made up her mind, then I'll trust her judgment. Let's give it a shot." He turned away, rubbing his temple. "I'm going to go change. You two keep talking."
As he disappeared into the bedroom, Chloe's expression shifted. She'd agreed, sure, but she hadn't expected Serena to defend her like that, especially not in front of Keith.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. "We're supposed to be rivals, remember? I told you I'm not backing off Keith. Are you just trying to patronize me?"
Serena looked surprised. "That's not it at all. But honestly? I don't think you stand much of a chance against me."
Chloe stared at her, stunned. 'That... was brutally honest.'
The more time she spent with Serena, the more Chloe realized there was something about her—something hard to hate, no matter how much she wanted to.
"I never saw you as a rival," Serena said. "At most, you were just a family member who didn't quite have her head on straight. But now? We're going to be teammates.
"If you still want to compete with me, fine. Just don't let it interfere with work. Other than that, I don't mind you being yourself."
Chloe let out a huff, half irritated, half defeated. But inside, all the fire had gone out. 'What the hell am I supposed to do with someone like her? It's like trying to wrestle a cloud.'
Neither of them had the mindset for managing a business. If Kristy were around, she might've helped, but she was deep into her honeymoon phase and had completely ghosted her two best friends.
"You want me to work at your studio?" Chloe asked, visibly thrown off.
Lana tugged at Serena's sleeve. Sure, Chloe had made some valid points just now, but... she was the competition. 'How are you supposed to turn a romantic rival into a colleague?'
"What, is there a problem?" Serena asked, puzzled.
The silence from the other two women said it all. Yes. There were definitely problems. The scary part? Chloe was actually starting to consider it.
Since returning to the country, she'd been looking for a path that truly belonged to her. She wanted her skills to matter. She wanted someone to notice what she'd learned abroad.
But instead, she got pulled into Keith's orbit, lost herself in a messy situation, and threw herself into Brannon Creative Group for all the wrong reasons.
'This isn't the life I pictured. This isn't what I want,' she thought to herself.
"I'll give you time to think about it," Serena said gently. "Salary's negotiable. As long as it's not something insane, we'll figure it out."
Chloe stared at her. Serena was actually serious, genuinely offering her a place, without a shred of bitterness. And when she thought about staying at Brannon Creative Group, wasting time in a department she had zero interest in...
She made up her mind. "Fine. Your studio's such a mess anyway, if I can help turn it around, that'll look pretty damn good on my résumé."
She rolled her eyes. "And for the record, I'm not doing this for you. I just think it might be kind of fun."
Lana watched the whole exchange and finally understood what Serena meant. 'Yeah, Chloe has a sharp tongue. But she isn't actually malicious. Just... difficult. Like a porcupine in designer heels.'
"Alright," Lana said. "If Serena's inviting you, I guess that means you pass the test. Barely."
She checked the time. "It's getting late. I'm heading out. Chloe, you're welcome to join us, but if you cause any drama, don't be surprised when I put you over my knee. I've trained for this, you know."
Chloe blinked, utterly speechless, and then turned to Serena. 'How are these two even friends? Their personalities don't match at all,' she wondered.
"I'm starving. Let's go home and eat," she muttered, walking out first. They had dinner together at home.
Afterward, Keith returned, having just finished up work. As soon as he walked in, he heard about Chloe joining Serena's studio and immediately frowned.
"Didn't you insist on joining Brannon Creative Group yourself? Now you're suddenly changing your mind?" His tone sharpened. "You've already caused enough trouble for Serena. Don't go turning her studio into another problem."
Chloe's face fell. She'd known from the beginning that Keith favored Serena, but it still stung—being accused without even getting to explain. 'He doesn't even know what happened, and he's already blaming me. Figures.'
Serena jumped in quickly, "That's not what happened. Chloe's not here to stir things up. I'm the one who invited her."
She took Keith's hand and gave him a quick rundown of the day's events. Of course, she glossed over a few messy details like Chloe's tone or the near-slap-fight with Lana, but the end result was what mattered.
Keith listened without interrupting, but his frown didn't ease.
"Chloe's impulsive. She just came back from studying abroad and has zero practical experience," he said. Then, remembering Serena's earlier mention of management issues at the studio, he offered, "If you really need help, I can find a consultant for you. Chloe's not the right fit."
But Serena shook her head, her voice calm but firm. "I'm the one who asked her. I believe in her. If we're bringing in someone new, I want it to be Chloe."
Chloe had already braced herself for rejection, but once again, it was Serena who stood up for her. That caught her off guard.
Keith looked at Serena, saw how serious she was, and realized she wasn't budging. Chloe's position at Brannon Creative Group had always been awkward. If she stayed, she'd probably never get any real experience.
'Still... Chloe working for Serena? Won't that put extra pressure on Serena?' he thought.
"It'll be fine," Serena said softly, as if reading his thoughts. "I've gotten to know Chloe better these past few weeks. I trust her. She won't let me down. Right, Chloe?"
Chloe shifted awkwardly but nodded. "I take work seriously. If I said I'll do a good job, then I will. I'm not going to let my personal feelings get in the way."
Keith looked at the two of them, Serena steady and warm, and Chloe trying her best to keep her pride intact. 'If I say no now, I'll just be the bad guy,' he sighed inwardly.
"Alright. If Serena's made up her mind, then I'll trust her judgment. Let's give it a shot." He turned away, rubbing his temple. "I'm going to go change. You two keep talking."
As he disappeared into the bedroom, Chloe's expression shifted. She'd agreed, sure, but she hadn't expected Serena to defend her like that, especially not in front of Keith.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. "We're supposed to be rivals, remember? I told you I'm not backing off Keith. Are you just trying to patronize me?"
Serena looked surprised. "That's not it at all. But honestly? I don't think you stand much of a chance against me."
Chloe stared at her, stunned. 'That... was brutally honest.'
The more time she spent with Serena, the more Chloe realized there was something about her—something hard to hate, no matter how much she wanted to.
"I never saw you as a rival," Serena said. "At most, you were just a family member who didn't quite have her head on straight. But now? We're going to be teammates.
"If you still want to compete with me, fine. Just don't let it interfere with work. Other than that, I don't mind you being yourself."
Chloe let out a huff, half irritated, half defeated. But inside, all the fire had gone out. 'What the hell am I supposed to do with someone like her? It's like trying to wrestle a cloud.'
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 192. Continue reading Chapter 193 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.