Chapter 507: Chapter 507: Get Out of Here
"Be careful, don’t wake her. She’s come from The Imperial Capital to Marinia and has been busy all day, she definitely hasn’t slept well."
"It’s definitely because this thing you bought doesn’t work well. If it wakes my precious granddaughter, you’ll have to face me!"
"..."
The deliberately lowered voices, which couldn’t hide their affection and excitement, kept reaching Ann Vaughn’s ears, making her instinctively furrow her brows and turn over.
The older voice immediately quieted down, not forgetting to scold, "Lower your voice, you’re disturbing Sweetie!"
Ian Vaughn, unjustly blamed, stood by: "..."
He found it difficult.
Just then, the phone on the bedside table started ringing. Within a second, Ian quickly picked it up and turned off the volume.
He intended to mute the phone and let the call disconnect automatically. However, his finger accidentally touched the answer button, and the call got connected.
"Why didn’t you answer the phone?" A deep, cold voice came from the other end of the phone.
The Hawthorne Family... family head?
Having just found his little niece, Uncle Vaughn squinted his eyes and, after a two-second pause, calmly said, "Annie is sleeping. I will relay this message to her when she wakes up."
The other end remained silent for a long time, the chilling coldness seeming as if it could be transmitted through the screen, saying nothing, yet becoming more terrifying.
Ian Vaughn was not afraid, though, and hung up the phone, then put it back on silent where he got it from, quietly achieving his task.
Thinking about taking the Vaughn Family’s precious little princess whom they had just found back, without asking if he, this uncle, agreed or not.
It wasn’t clear how much time had passed, but eventually, Old Mr. Vaughn held the camera like a treasure and left the room with Ian Vaughn, saying, "Your mother would definitely be happy to see this when she wakes up."
"Don’t you plan to acknowledge Ann Vaughn soon?" Ian frowned, expressing some disapproval as he said, "If we don’t protect her and the Sheridan Family finds out that the daughter they reclaimed is an imposter, what if the events from twenty years ago repeat?"
Even though the Sheridan Family hid it well, Ian researched and found out the true cause of Shuhua Vaughn’s untimely death twenty years ago, and it wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
But Ian was more concerned that Old Mr. Vaughn and Old Mrs. Vaughn might be devastated again, their health unable to sustain it, so he never brought it up, instead swallowing these sordid matters by himself.
Hearing this, Old Mr. Vaughn glared at Ian Vaughn, "Who said I don’t want to recognize Ann? I’m just worried that Ann won’t be able to accept it..."
That child clearly has her own mind, with eyes as clear as water, gentle in character but not weak, who knows what kind of family nurtured her.
The sourness in his heart simultaneously made Old Mr. Vaughn’s sense of regret and worry grow.
Ian Vaughn understood his intent, a flicker of concern crossed his eyes. Indeed, if Ann Vaughn is unwilling to accept this truth, not recognizing them, what then?
"Go check Ann’s past life experience, best if you can contact her adopted parents, the sooner, the better." After a long silence, Old Mr. Vaughn added.
"I’ve already sent someone to investigate, we should get a response by tomorrow at the latest."
Seeing his young son’s thorough and careful handling, Old Mr. Vaughn couldn’t help but nod in relief, with his hands behind him just about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, stopped to ask, "By the way, how come we haven’t seen Brooke today?"
It should have been noticed early, but because of Ann Vaughn, even Old Mr. Vaughn didn’t recall that Brooke Ryan, who always stayed by Old Mrs. Vaughn’s side, was nowhere to be seen.
Upon hearing, Ian Vaughn slightly furrowed his brow, "She’s having a relapse?"
...
The next morning, with frost in the morning dew.
At this time, Viridian Palace’s doors had just been unlocked, and the security team started their daily patrols.
A figure dressed in luxury and fashion entered Viridian Palace through the front door, then quietly slipped inside, tiptoeing upstairs.
"Miss Ryan." The butler of Viridian Palace, dressed in a black uniform, looked at the woman sneaking around at the stairway, glanced at his pocket watch, and stated bluntly, "During your entire day’s absence, the old lady was shocked into a coma. Dangerous items like knives and sleeping pills were found in the room. How did you manage to be ignorant of this?"
The woman almost twisted her ankle in fright, and upon hearing the butler’s words, her face turned ghostly pale, "Gr-Grandma is alright, right?"
The butler did not answer, only observing the still-heavy makeup on her face and the scent of alcohol wafting from her despite the distance, frowned.
"You’d better go clean yourself up quickly and then go visit the old lady. She really needs your company right now."
Every time Old Mrs. Vaughn fell ill, it was Brooke Ryan who accompanied her. Over the years, it had become a habit, whereby the old lady’s health improvement or decline seemed tied to her presence.
Even though the butler harbored dissatisfaction towards her in his heart, he could not punish her for anything.
"I’m really sorry, it was a friend’s birthday last night, I had a bit too much to drink out of joy... I’ll go see Grandma soon." Brooke Ryan apologized with teary eyes, looking like a frightened rabbit, running back to her room.
Once out of the butler’s sight, the vulnerability and innocence on her face immediately changed to disdain and hatred.
"Ugh!" Brooke Ryan spat lowly at the closed door, "Just a servant, who gave you the right to lecture me?"
When she becomes the Vaughn Family’s eldest daughter, she’ll eventually replace this old relic!
After spitting at the butler, Brooke Ryan kicked off her high heels and walked into the room.
Unexpectedly, upon entering, she saw someone lying on her bed!
It was a woman!
"Where did this brazen maid come from, daring to sleep in this lady’s bed?!"
After being chastised by the butler, Brooke Ryan was furious. She threw down her bag and grabbed the vase from the table, storming towards the bed, and poured it directly over the head poking out of the blanket!
Splash—
The icy water cascaded down her face, sliding under her collar from her collarbone, and although Ann Vaughn was in a deep sleep, she awoke immediately from the cold.
Her bleary eyes blinked, and as her vision cleared, she saw the lavishly decorated, princess-themed room.
...Where is she?
Ann Vaughn slowly lifted her arm to touch her damp hair, her bright eyes glaring at the woman holding a vase at the bed, looking furious, "Did you splash me?"
"So what if I did!" Brooke Ryan set the vase down, furiously yanking Ann Vaughn off the bed, "This is my room, my bed! How dare you sleep in here, get out!"