Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Do You Still Love Him?
The next morning.
A sudden, urgent ringtone startled the woman deeply asleep on the bed awake.
In those clear, slightly upturned eyes remained a heavy residue of fright as her red lips parted, gasping for air.
For a moment, she could hardly distinguish between dream and reality.
In the dream, Cyrus Hawthorne’s cold and ruthless gaze faded away, while a doctor wielding a glistening scalpel approached relentlessly. She tried desperately to struggle but couldn’t move.
She watched helplessly as the doctor cut open her body and removed the bloody heart.
She felt the child in her belly slipping away, wishing she could scream aloud—
At that moment, she awoke from the nightmare-induced terror.
Ann Vaughn reached out to cover her reddened eyes, her smooth forehead beaded with fragrant sweat, her soft hair damp.
After an unknown period, she finally snapped out of the almost realistically terrifying dream, grabbed her incessantly ringing phone, and answered hoarsely, "What is it?"
"How are you? Are you okay?" Sutton Jennings’ concerned voice came from the other end, "Your voice..."
"There was an accident, and Cyrus Hawthorne brought me back to his house." To avoid worrying him, Ann Vaughn briefly recounted the events while sitting up.
Sutton Jennings fell silent briefly, "Do you still love him?"
Love?
Ann Vaughn thought of the almost real dream that nearly broke her down and let out a laugh.
"Love him? I love him so much that I wish he were dead."
If she had quickly denied or hesitated, Sutton Jennings would have felt some concern.
But by saying this, it strangely set his mind at ease.
"You now have an international position that doesn’t require you to fear him as you once did, but due to past lessons, you need to protect yourself and prioritize your safety in everything."
"I know, you sound just like Kenny." Ann Vaughn agreed somewhat helplessly, reaching down to rub her knees, which were no longer very painful.
She tried moving them, and though still stiff, the recovery was quite good.
Sutton Jennings chuckled wryly a couple of times, only putting down the phone after she hung up, the warmth on his steady face vanishing instantly.
He squinted his peach blossom eyes, circled around the desk, and stopped in front of the middle-aged woman who was lying on the ground, almost lifeless.
"I have little patience, and you have one last chance to confess, who sent you?"
The bloodthirsty voice made the middle-aged woman tremble as she raised her head, meeting Sutton Jennings’ cold and sinister eyes, her whole body shaking.
"I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you everything, please let me go—"
...
As Ann Vaughn slowly moved into the bathroom to wash up and went downstairs, the gardener happened to be coming up to call her and was about to assist her.
Ann Vaughn refused the offer of help, gritting her teeth as she took each step forward.
Her legs were injured, with damage to tendons and bones. Full recovery wouldn’t be easy, so she needed traditional medicine and acupuncture therapy—all indispensable. To speed up recovery, she couldn’t sit in a wheelchair all the time.
The weather was great today, with clear skies and a gentle breeze.
After breakfast, Ann Vaughn moved around the pavilion slowly, but at least she could walk.
She was eager to recover quickly, but such things couldn’t be rushed.
"Miss Vaughn, please rest for a while and have something to eat," Uncle Dexter brought over some refreshments, and after putting them down, spoke to Ann Vaughn.
"Alright." Ann Vaughn also felt her legs had reached their limit and, supporting herself against the white carved railing, walked into the pavilion to sit down.
I have to say, the chef here was very skillful, offering a different dish every day, varied afternoon tea, and supper, each time making Ann Vaughn eat more than she intended.
With Cyrus going to the office early in the morning and not being around, Ann Vaughn felt much more at ease.
"Miss Vaughn, there is something I’d like to ask of you." Uncle Dexter spoke only after seeing that Ann Vaughn had eaten almost enough.
Hearing this, Ann Vaughn put down her tea and looked up at Uncle Dexter, "Please, go ahead."
"From the incident four years ago, the one who felt the worst was Old Master Hawthorne. He always felt he owed you and wronged Old Master Vaughn." Uncle Dexter sighed deeply, "Because of this, the old master has become a vegetarian, saying he wants to accumulate blessings for you."
Ann Vaughn’s eyes shifted slightly, her expression somewhat moved, but she said nothing, pursing her lips.
Watching her, Uncle Dexter continued, "The old master has consistently refused to forgive the young master. All these years, every time the young master went to Cloudmere Manor to see the old master, he was turned away."
Old Master Hawthorne cherished this grandson the most, never missing a word to voice his criticism, but precisely because of their close grandfather-grandson relationship, he acted this way.
For four years, he wouldn’t see Cyrus even once, which shows how truly upset the old master was.
Before Uncle Dexter could finish speaking, Ann Vaughn gently interrupted, "Do you want me to help repair their relationship?"
"No, I’m asking you not to blame the old master for not protecting you four years ago."
This was the old master’s long-standing knot in his heart.
On his deathbed, Old Master Vaughn had written to entrust him, saying that whether the marriage agreement was honored wasn’t important, just that he hoped he’d care for Ann Vaughn a bit more out of old affection.
Old Master Hawthorne agreed, not letting outsiders hurt Ann Vaughn, but ultimately caused ruin at the hands of his grandson.
How could he not feel guilty and remorseful?
"How could I blame Grandpa Hawthorne?" Ann Vaughn pursed her lips, her hair fluttering with the breeze, her eyes slightly red, "He treated me like his own, just like my real grandfather did."
Uncle Dexter felt much relief upon hearing this and smiled kindly, "It’s good that you think this way."
He didn’t have the face to bring up the nonsense his young master did to Ann Vaughn for fear of re-injuring her heart.
"Has Grandpa Hawthorne been well these years?" Ann Vaughn pushed down her emotions and asked again.
Uncle Dexter then recounted Old Master Hawthorne’s general condition over the years to Ann Vaughn.
Hearing that Grandpa Hawthorne was still in good health, Ann Vaughn was relieved a lot.
When she decided to leave here back then, the person she was most worried about was Grandpa Hawthorne, who doted on her like her own grandfather.
But because of Cyrus Hawthorne, she hadn’t told Grandpa Hawthorne she was still alive, feeling guilty for that.
Once her leg healed, she would definitely visit Grandpa Hawthorne.
As night fell.
At precisely six o’clock, Cyrus Hawthorne walked into the villa from outside, carrying a chill with him. He casually handed his coat to Uncle Dexter and asked, "What did she do today?"
"Miss Vaughn’s leg is recovering well; she can walk now. She ate quite a lot for breakfast and lunch and had a good appetite, but she’s been talking about wanting to eat Western food. I’ve already instructed the kitchen to prepare it for her."
What Uncle Dexter found remarkable was that even the family doctor said it would take at least a hundred days to be able to walk, yet Miss Vaughn was able to do so in less than two days.
It must be a blessing.
"There’s no need, I’m taking her out to eat."
With that, Cyrus Hawthorne stepped into the indoor elevator.