My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 96

At that moment, her father let out a deep exhale, his fingers tightening into a fist. The tension in the room thickened. He slowly turned his gaze to her, and for the first time, Chloe noticed something she rarely saw in him—defeat.

"If I had succeeded in divorcing those two," he finally spoke, his voice low and sharp, "do you think I would be sitting here like this?" He scoffed, leaning back into the chair. "I’d be drinking, celebrating, not brooding in silence."

At that moment Chloe swallowed. This wasn’t the answer she expected.

"Then... what happened?" she asked hesitantly.

His eyes darkened, his lips curling in distaste.

"The damn lawyer ran away."

Hearing what her father just said, Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, she just stared at him, trying to process his words.

"What?" she finally blurted out, her voice laced with confusion.

"What do you mean the lawyer ran away?"

Her father’s face darkened, frustration seeping through every wrinkle on his forehead. He didn’t like repeating himself, but Chloe’s reaction was expected.

"This doesn’t make sense," she continued, shaking her head. "You’re talking about Nathaniel Graves, right? The Nathaniel Graves? The man who has never lost a case in his entire career? One of the most well-respected lawyers in the country? The man who once went head-to-head with the Supreme Court and still won?"

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "There’s no way a man like him would just run away unless..." Her voice trailed off as a thought hit her.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into her tone.

"Did Mother show up?"

Her father exhaled sharply, gripping the glass on the table as though he wanted to crush it in his hands.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "It wasn’t your mother."

Chloe frowned. "Then... was it Raymond?"

Her lips curled in distaste at the mere mention of his name.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if that fool showed up and made a mess of things. he caused a scene, picked a fight with them, and scared Graves off?"

But instead of agreeing with her, her father let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"If only it were that simple," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

"If Raymond had simply picked a fight, I wouldn’t be sitting here like this."

Hearing what her father just said Chloe stiffened.

"Then what did happen?"

Chloe froze.

Her father’s words echoed in her head like a broken record. Lancaster & Hawthorne?

Immediately She blinked rapidly, her lips parting slightly in shock. "Wait... what?"

she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. Then, as if the weight of his words finally settled in, she snapped her head up, eyes wide.

"You’re saying Lancaster & Hawthorne law firm showed up?" she repeated, disbelief dripping from every word.

Her father didn’t look amused. His grip tightened around his glass, and his jaw clenched.

"That’s exactly what I said."

At that moment Chloe let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head.

"No, no, no... that can’t be right. Why would they—?" She paused, her mind racing.

Even she knew how ridiculous this sounded. Lancaster & Hawthorne? The best law firm in the entire country? A firm so exclusive that only the most powerful, first-class families could even dream of hiring them?

People practically begged to get a consultation with them.

Even within the wealthiest circles, securing their services was like winning the lottery.

And yet... they came, For Raymond?

Her stomach twisted.

"There’s no way," she murmured, shaking her head.

"There’s no way Raymond or even Valentina could have gotten Lancaster & Hawthorne to take their case. How? Why?"

Her father exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple as though trying to rid himself of the same headache Chloe was now developing.

"That’s the same question I asked myself."

Then he leaned back, frustration visible in his eyes.

"But whether we understand it or not, it happened. Lancaster & Hawthorne came, and they called Raymond’s name."

Immediately Chloe felt her entire body stiffen.

"Raymond’s name?"

"They called him their client?" she whispered, her voice almost shaking.

Her father nodded grimly.

"That’s right."

At that moment a suffocating silence filled the air. Chloe swallowed hard.

Nathaniel Graves—one of the most respected lawyers in the country—ran away.

He didn’t fight. He didn’t argue. He didn’t even try to stand his ground.

He simply ran.

Because he knew better.

Because nobody—nobody—messed with Lancaster & Hawthorne and lived to tell the tale.

At that moment in time Chloe’s fingers dug into the fabric of the couch as she processed her father’s words. Her nails pressed so hard against the material that her knuckles turned white.

Without being told she could tell they just hit rock bottom.

Those words felt like a slap to her face.

Her father looked furious, swirling his drink in his hand with an unreadable expression. "We can’t use the law against them anymore," he muttered darkly. "It was already a stretch from the beginning, but now it’s completely out of the question."

At that moment Chloe clenched her jaw. She could feel the anger bubbling inside her, hot and suffocating. This was supposed to work.

She had been so sure that their plan would finally get rid of Raymond once and for all. She imagined how humiliated he would be, how Valentina would crawl back to them, desperate and broken.

But now?

Now, they had been the ones humiliated.

She couldn’t forget the sheer embarrassment she felt at the car dealership. The way Raymond smirked, the way he walked with that insufferable confidence, acting as if he belonged in their world.

And worse—he proved he did.

That alone made her blood boil.

At that moment She gritted her teeth.

"So what now?" Her voice was sharp, almost venomous.

"Do we just sit here and do nothing? Do we just let them walk all over us?"

Her father exhaled sharply.

"What do you suggest, Chloe?" His tone was clipped, impatient.

"They have Lancaster & Hawthorne backing them now. If we push any further through legal means, we’ll be the ones ruined."