Rural Belle & Three Heirs
Chapter 18 It Must Be Hard for You

When Philip asked which one she wanted to choose, Chloe was left speechless.

She pointed to the mole on her face and said, "If I wanted to pick a husband from the Martin Family, I wouldn't have done this."

Chloe touched the fake mole on her face, and it fell off. She didn't feel the need to keep up the act in front of her old classmate Philip, so she placed the mole on the dining table. Philip burst into hearty laughter.

While munching on his food, he teased Chloe, "I gotta hand it to you, you really went all out. To dodge picking a husband, you made yourself look like an ugly duckling. That's something else."

Chloe shrugged helplessly. "Don't tease me, Philip. My grandpa said if I don't stay with the Martin Family for a year, he'd break my legs. So now I'm trying to get on the bad side of the three Martin brothers enough for them to kick me out, just so I can tell my grandpa I gave it a shot. My life is a mess."

During the ten days Chloe had been in Sovereign City, she had been constantly battling wits with the three heirs of the Martin Family. She had so many worries but no one to talk to.

Finally meeting her old classmate Philip, she naturally had to vent her inner pressure.

Philip listened patiently to Chloe's complaints over dinner. Seeing her frustration, he felt a pang of sympathy. As the evening wore on, Chloe tried to pay the bill, but Philip insisted, leading to an amusing tug-of-war.

At that moment, Michael came down from a private room upstairs with a group of men and women. When Michael looked up, he was surprised to see Chloe playfully tugging with a man. She had only recently arrived in Sovereign City and had no close friends. Who was this guy? And what happened to the mole on her right cheek?

Puzzled, Michael quickened his pace toward them.

Chloe saw Michael out of the corner of her eye and immediately got nervous. Grant had already noticed something was off with her mole. She couldn't let Michael find out too.

No, she had to think of something quickly.

Desperate, Chloe unexpectedly hugged Philip as he was settling the bill, leaving him stunned.

He trembled as he teased, "Chloe, really? I just wanted to buy you a meal, and now you're hugging me like this?"

Chloe urgently whispered, "Shh, just hold me tight. Michael is approaching. Help me block him while I fix my mole."

Understanding dawned on Philip; her hug wasn't out of gratitude or affection but for a quick cover-up.

Fine, as an old classmate, he'd play along.

Philip wrapped his arms around Chloe, turning to block Michael's view. With quick precision, Chloe grabbed the mole from the table and stuck it back on her face. Michael stormed over and grabbed Philip, shouting, "What the hell are you doing? Trying to be a creep?"

To buy Chloe some time, Philip shot back, "Hey, chill out. I'm hugging my girlfriend. What's it to you?"

"Girlfriend? Get lost!" Michael shoved Philip aside and pulled Chloe behind him.

Chloe lifted her face with the mole and looked at Michael innocently. "Mic, what's wrong?"

Michael stared at the mole on Chloe's face, blinking hard. He was sure he saw her without it just now. But now?

Was he seeing things, or was there something off with Chloe's mole?

"Chloe, your face?"

Chloe looked confused and asked, "What's wrong with my face? Is there a problem?"

Michael looked closely but couldn't find anything wrong. It was still the same face, as ugly as ever. People around them started whispering about Michael's behavior.

A few scattered comments reached his ears.

"I thought it was something serious. Turns out it's just a jealous spat? But this jealousy is misplaced."

"Yeah, two handsome guys fighting over such an ugly girl. Interesting, really interesting. Hey, isn't that guy Michael?" "Yes, it is!"

Michael had been in the entertainment industry for a few years. Although he wasn't a top star due to his studies, he had acted in a few TV dramas and had some recognition.

If his fans found out he was fighting over an ugly girl in a restaurant, it would definitely affect his image. So, always mindful of his reputation, Michael put on a big brother act.

He said, "Are you out of your mind, girl? How old are you, and you're already dating? Sneaking out with a boy? If I hadn't caught you, who knows what kind of trouble you'd be in! Come on, let's go home with brother. I'll deal with this there." Michael finished speaking, grabbed Chloe's clothes, and dragged her away from Philip.

As they left, the whispers started again.

"Oh, it was a misunderstanding. I thought Michael was jealous over this ugly girl."

"So she's his sister! Michael is so handsome, how did his sister turn out so ugly?"

As Michael dragged Chloe away, she wanted to resist but feared her fake mole would expose her. So, she endured in silence.

Soon, an angry Michael threw Chloe into his luxury car. Seeing his expression, Chloe guessed he was planning to hit her.