Chapter 477: Chapter 477: The Decision
However, what Laura Quinn could never have imagined was that not long after she left The Hawthorne Residence, Mark Joyce led the Shadow Guard in a thorough search inside.
Her only confidante, Mrs. Lynch, was not there as she had gone to the hospital to visit her grandson, and the newly replaced servants dared not rashly inform Laura Quinn about this incident.
As a result, while Laura Quinn was gleefully losing herself at the afternoon tea party, the mansion was already turned upside down.
The Shadow Guard carried out the order meticulously, so much so that they even searched under the carpets of the mansion, examining every nook and cranny.
And the place where they finally found the item was within an unexpected location, the hidden compartment behind the mirror in Laura Quinn’s room.
From the surface, that hidden compartment seemed nonexistent. If it weren’t for the members of the Shadow Guard having some knowledge about mechanisms and being thorough and careful enough, they might have been fooled.
The item hidden within the compartment were several packets of a green crystalline substance, requiring laboratory analysis to determine exactly what it was.
Subsequently, the Shadow Guard found another packet of this crystalline substance inside the kitchen cabinet, with the only difference being that it was dust-covered, as if unused for a long time.
Mark Joyce had them all sent for identification, merely waiting for the results to come out.
Meanwhile, in the hospital.
Ann Vaughn, who was specifically reminded by Kenny on his way to school in the morning, exposed her true nature shortly after he left for kindergarten by deciding to discharge herself from the hospital.
Luckily, Cyrus Hawthorne had to leave unexpectedly due to some urgent matters; otherwise, under his stringent supervision—where he would even check on her frequently during her bath to ensure she hadn’t fainted—her getting discharged would have been nearly impossible.
But Ann Vaughn, cautious as she was, forgot to guard against Sherry.
"I just received a text from Kenny not long ago. He told me to keep an eye on you because you’d definitely try to find a way to get discharged." Sherry waved her phone, looking somewhat helplessly at Ann Vaughan.
She knew it, Ann and Kenny were alike, both not meant to stay put for long.
But due to Ann Vaughn’s miscarriage and her body being weak and in need of proper rest, Cyrus Hawthorne didn’t hide this matter from Sherry, asking her to take good care of Ann, especially to watch over her.
Both father and son foresaw her intention to get discharged early and had all possible means to prevent it tightly blocked, something Ann herself was unaware of.
"...Too smart for his good," Ann Vaughn’s face crumpled, sniffing the floral fragrance in the air forcefully, "This scent is truly wonderful."
Just sniffing it made her feel at peace.
Sherry looked at Ann Vaughn’s unaware demeanor with eyes full of pity and sighed heavily, her mouth turning bitter.
If Ann knew that the child she longed for had silently died in her womb, even as resilient as she was, she wouldn’t be able to take it.
Moreover, it wasn’t an accidental miscarriage, but from the moment she conceived, it was doomed to be lost.
The poison of the broken child grass, lies in that only when the poison manifests can a pregnant woman realize she’s pregnant, and it further affects the mother’s pulse, hard to detect unless through blood test.
But Ann Vaughn, being a doctor herself, didn’t have any discomfort, naturally she wouldn’t undergo tests without reason, making it nearly impossible to detect.
Indeed, blessings do not come in pairs, and misfortunes never come singly.
As Sherry was sighing, she saw Ann Vaughn lift the blanket, put on a coat, and headed out, "I’m going downstairs to get some fresh air, I’m about to suffocate staying here any longer."
Seeing her slip away quickly, Sherry hurriedly chased after her, "Be careful, don’t run so fast!"
Hearing this, Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but hold her forehead, thinking of Cyrus, Kenny, and now Sherry too, each treating her like a fragile doll. Was she really that delicate?
Walking out of the inpatient building, Ann Vaughn strolled along the path to a bench in front of the artificial lake and sat down.
The bright but non-glare sunlight danced on her long hair and shoulders, as if gilded with a layer of beautiful golden light, making her feel entirely warm and lazy, leaning against the back of the bench.
Though the air was a bit chilly today, it was within a range Ann Vaughn could tolerate. She closed her eyes peacefully, planning to nap for a while.
"Help... help..."
A weak, sobbing voice came from an unknown direction, more distinctly clear in the absence of people around, causing Ann Vaughn to open her eyes, look around, and yet saw no one.
Turning her head back, her gaze landed on the artificial lake in front, and she saw the water splashing wildly, small arms constantly thrashing, trying to grab hold of something but sinking faster!
Ann Vaughn’s face changed, she abruptly stood up, taking a few steps forward into the lake. The icy, bone-chilling lake water made her shiver violently.
Thankfully, the water at the edge wasn’t deep for her stature. She gritted her teeth, fighting off the penetrating cold, and walked towards the small figure, her slender hand sliding under his armpit, lifting him as she moved back to the lake’s edge.
After placing the little boy on the grass, Ann Vaughn quickly pressed on an acupuncture point on the sole of his foot, and he immediately coughed out several mouthfuls of water, his tightly shut eyes slowly opening.
Ann Vaughn finally breathed a sigh of relief, but when the cold wind blew, she felt a biting chill all over, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Little Feng! My darling!" At that moment, a familiar voice called out from nearby. Ann Vaughn turned her head and saw Mrs. Lynch rushing over anxiously, scooping up the little boy, "What happened? Huh? Were you playing near the lake again?!"
"Pretty sister..." The little boy coughed twice, his eyes red like a startled fawn, pointing at the shivering Ann Vaughn, "saved me."
Mrs. Lynch was heartbroken, wiping the water off the boy’s face, and upon hearing him, she promptly turned to see the thoroughly soaked Ann Vaughn, her lips turning pale from the cold, causing a jolt in her heart.
"Young Madam, thank you, truly thank you!" Mrs. Lynch was stunned for a moment, regained her senses, and quickly expressed gratitude to Ann Vaughn, her eyes full of guilt, "I..."
"No worries, just take him back to change clothes, so he doesn’t catch a cold." Ann thought it quite a coincidence that the little boy was Mrs. Lynch’s family, and didn’t dwell on it. After saying this, she hugged her arms around herself and left.
Seeing this scene, Sherry, who had caught up, nearly fainted from worry and anger. Hastily, she dragged Ann back to the ward, making her soak in warm water and drink ginger soup, fearing she might catch a cold.
Lying on the hospital bed, Ann Vaughn sniffled, her nose a bit congested, feeling her head getting heavy.
Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the door to the ward was knocked, and Mrs. Lynch hesitantly walked in. Upon seeing Ann Vaughn’s pale face, she resolutely made a decision.