Chapter 487: Chapter 487: Hide the Wolf’s Tail
The dimly lit corridor was suffused with a mysterious gloom, accompanied by murmurs and soft gasps that made one’s ears burn, heightening the suggestive ambiance of the moment.
The temperature climbed steadily to a peak, as if it intended to ignite the air in this space.
Ann Vaughn’s head felt deprived of oxygen, her entire body seemed to be drained of strength, aching and weak...
A sliver of light suddenly appeared before her eyes, and Ann Vaughn slowly opened her eyes; her muddled mind gradually became clear.
To her astonishment, she realized she had somehow returned to the elevator, and the doors had already closed.
She was the only one in the entire elevator.
Ann Vaughn: ???
Encountering ghosts in the middle of the night?
If not for the leftover sting on her lips from a recent ruthless onslaught and the unusual soreness of her body, Ann Vaughn would probably think she had just experienced an inappropriate dream.
She steadied her still slightly weak legs, crouched down to gather her things back into the bag, and then stood up, adjusting her rumpled clothes.
Because of that incident, Ann Vaughn’s mind was in a haze, not even realizing when the elevator reached the ground floor.
...At least it indirectly cured her acrophobia.
Bella Hawthorne stepped back two paces as she saw Ann Vaughn walking out of the elevator, cheeks flushed and eyes ablaze with anger. "Sister-in-law, did your talk with my mom not go well?"
"Heh." Ann Vaughn let out a cold laugh, then gritted her teeth and said to Bella Hawthorne, "Tell your brother next time to hide his wolf tail better!"
Otherwise, she’d chop it off!
With that, she turned and walked away, fire practically blazing from her slender back.
"What wolf tail?" Bella Hawthorne was bewildered. What was Sister-in-law talking about?
Although Bella Hawthorne figured out why Ann Vaughn asked her to relay such a message to her older brother, she still sent it verbatim without missing a word.
Upon seeing the "Okay" in reply, Bella Hawthorne was once again deeply puzzled. What kind of charade were they playing at??
Meanwhile.
Ann Vaughn drove away from the family estate in fury, taking nearly half an hour to return to the city, her anger only increasing instead of calming.
It was bad enough that she had been ambushed, but to pretend nothing happened afterward and send her back to the elevator—it almost made her believe she had been kissed by a ghost.
Thinking of this, Ann Vaughn glanced at the tie clip she had placed on the passenger seat and ground her teeth.
For him to wear the tie clip she gave him and then "commit a crime" against her—what a nerve!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, so Ann Vaughn had to roll down the car window a bit to let the cool breeze calm her mood down.
Unexpectedly, the angle at which she rolled down the window perfectly aligned with a familiar figure by a floral stand on the street.
Ann Vaughn paused slightly, then parked the car by the roadside and got out, heading toward the flower stand.
"Hello." Ann Vaughn approached the woman wearing a red scarf, sitting amidst the winter cold, and squatted down to look at the flower pots on the stand. "They’re beautiful, and such rare varieties."
Seeing Ann Vaughn, the woman’s eyes immediately lit up with intense joy, which she quickly suppressed, responding softly, "My son really liked the pastry you gave me last time. As a thank you, you can take a few pots of flowers with you."
"How could I?" Ann Vaughn smiled with her eyes. "It’s already hard to see such beautiful flowers in winter. I just moved and need some plants to warm up my home. How about I buy them all?"
The woman quickly refused, "You like them, just take them. You don’t need to pay; they’re not worth much."
"If you don’t accept money, I won’t buy them," Ann Vaughn pouted slightly, looking somewhat aggrieved.
Seeing her expression, the woman couldn’t help but show a hint of affection in her eyes and reached out to gently touch Ann Vaughn’s cute cheek.
Ann Vaughn was stunned for a moment, looking at the woman puzzled.
"I’m sorry, I just remembered someone from the past. Don’t mind me." Realizing her action, the woman quickly pulled her hand back and started packing the flower pots. "I’ll pack them up for you."
"It’s okay." Ann Vaughn shook her head, dismissing the incident, then bent down to help pack the flower pots.
The coat the woman wore didn’t fit well, and the sleeves were too short, revealing her wrists when she crouched down to pack the items.
Ann Vaughn noticed the bright red birthmark on the woman’s right wrist, partly covered with low-quality foundation but still visible in shape.
It resembled the letter L.
"How about I call someone to help move them to your house?" After packing up the flower pots, the woman enthusiastically suggested.
Ann Vaughn quickly declined, picking up two large bags. "No need, I drove myself. Just help me load them into the car."
The woman hadn’t expected that despite her petite appearance, Ann Vaughn was quite strong and was momentarily taken aback.
Though the flower stand seemed small, once all the items were loaded into the trunk, they took up most of the space.
"Keep the money. If there are more beautiful flowers like these next time, you can deliver them to this address; I’ll buy them all." Ann Vaughn paid the woman and wrote down the address of the small clinic.
Before the woman could refuse, Ann Vaughn returned to her car and drove away.
The woman looked at the thick stack of bills in her hand, her eyes lost in thought.
What a silly girl.
What if she’s intentionally seeking pity to evoke sympathy and money from her? What would she do then?
...
But Ann Vaughn didn’t think that much. She just believed that someone who could casually give away Bone-removing Vine seeds couldn’t possibly be a fraud.
However, though she was happy while buying, once she realized there wasn’t enough room on her balcony for all the flower pots, she started to feel a headache coming on.
Initially, she didn’t think it through, assuming there would be a glass conservatory here too.
"Mommy, your Bone-removing Vine is still in the flowerhouse number 8. It belongs entirely to The Archfiend now." After Kenny huffed and puffed his way to place the flower pots on the living room table, he remarked softly.
Ann Vaughn felt like an arrow had struck her chest.
When she decided to move, she didn’t realize just how leisurely she was about it, but on reflection, she realized there were so many things left behind in the rush.
The Bone-removing Vine was among them.
Seeing Ann Vaughn in a daze, Little Dumpling’s lips curled into a mischievous smile as he added, "And the Bone-removing Vine saved you once, Mommy."
"Saved me?"
Little Dumpling nodded, briefly recounting the events while omitting Ann Vaughn’s miscarriage.
Even though he learned from Sherry that his mommy was already aware of that event, Little Dumpling still avoided the topic to keep from hurting her heart.