Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Ex-Wife?
Sutton Jennings’s voice came from the other side, still weak but sounding steady and unperturbed, without a trace of guilt.
After waking up, he learned from his subordinates that Ann Vaughn was taken away by Cyrus Hawthorne. To prevent any misunderstanding and anger directed at Ann Vaughn, he made this phone call.
He was rough-hewn, used to any kind of misunderstanding or misinterpretation of him—none of it mattered to him as he had a clear conscience.
But Ann Vaughn was different. He didn’t want her to bear even the slightest stain or slander.
"If she were harmed in any way, you’d already be dead." Cyrus Hawthorne’s voice was low and cold, his handsome face full of chilling hostility. "Stay away from her in the future, and deal with those filthy tactics yourself."
With that, he hung up, his expression dark and brooding.
From the first moment he found Ann Vaughn, he knew nothing had happened between her and Sutton Jennings. However, whenever he thought about the contents of that diary, he was uncontrollably furious.
It was more accurate to say his anger was directed at Sutton Jennings rather than Ann Vaughn.
Aurelia Club was Sutton Jennings’s property, a major stronghold of the Gate, and Room 1001 was his exclusive suite. No outsider could possibly approach.
And the lingering scent of passion in the room further indicated that all of this was a design by someone close rather than an outsider.
Who else could enter Sutton Jennings’s room to do such things but his subordinates?
Whether Sutton Jennings was aware of it or not, he was the main culprit.
Whenever he thought of the girl he cherished almost being dragged into the abyss by that man, Cyrus Hawthorne almost crushed the glass in his hand, his face icy.
Too idle, indeed.
Meanwhile.
In Room 1001 of the Aurelia Club.
Sutton Jennings half-sat on the sofa, still with the Golden Needle in his arm, his other hand lightly pressed against his forehead, his face cold.
Several members of the Gate stood before him, not daring to utter a word, heads bowed low.
"Who gave you the authority to act on your own?" Sutton Jennings half-opened his eyes full of malice, his gaze bloodthirsty with reproach. "You even dared to plot against me, how very capable you are."
Noticing his sarcastic tone, the members dared not speak further, breathing carefully.
Initially, they thought this plan would be foolproof, and Lord Shane would win the beauty.
But they did not expect Lord Shane would rather endure the burning of the poison than touch that woman.
"Lord, how should we deal with them?" the assistant beside the sofa whispered in inquiry.
"Send them to Taran Forest for punishment, no need to bring them back," Sutton Jennings said coldly.
The members who initially thought the matter would be resolved with leniency panicked instantly, "thump thump thump," several of them knelt down pleading.
"Lord Shane, we realize our mistake. We shouldn’t have acted on our own. Please have mercy!"
"We are willing to take any punishment, just don’t expel us from the Gate!"
"Lord Shane!"
Sutton Jennings’s face was icy, his eyes unwavering as he looked at them. "It seems I have been too lenient with you, making you forget who you are."
"From today onwards, anyone who violates the Gate’s rules will be treated as traitors!"
Traitors?!
The members looked ashen, sweating, their eyes filled with despair.
They were desperadoes who finally found a place to live and establish themselves within the Gate, no longer needing to live as fugitives, gaining self-respect and wealth.
If the Gate took all these away, they would be worse off than before!
The assistant shook his head, thinking how these people failed to understand their mistake even at the brink of doom.
A man willing to endure intense pain without touching a woman even in the slightest isn’t devoid of desires or interest in women.
It’s precisely because the desire is so deep that he doesn’t dare to touch, lest he can no longer bear the pain of being unable to touch her ever again.
...
The next day.
Ann Vaughn awoke to find warmth over her knees and a sensation of heat over her stomach, as if her whole body was soaking in warm water, utterly comfortable.
She lifted the blanket to find patches with a faint medicinal scent on her knees, ankles, and stomach—this scent was pleasant, different from other patches.
Ann Vaughn kicked her slender legs, intending to get out of bed and freshen up, only to realize she had somehow returned to the Azure Gardens apartment.
And the "source of all evil" was honestly lying on her desk...
Ann Vaughn jumped up and grabbed the diary, shoved it into the small box under the bed, kicking it further in before breathing a sigh of relief.
Just then, her phone on the bedside table rang suddenly.
Picking it up, Ann Vaughn answered as she walked to the bathroom, "Susie, I just happen to have something to ask you..."
"Something huge happened! Why were you with Sutton Jennings last night? Now there are unfounded rumors everywhere about you two rendezvousing at Aurelia Club with marriage plans being set! Isn’t your man going to be livid?"
Hearing Susie’s blunt voice, Ann Vaughn knew last night’s events clearly had nothing to do with her.
She wondered who borrowed her hand to lure her into such a trap...
"Wait, let me see." Ann Vaughn bit down on her toothbrush, clicked on the link Susie sent, and read.
[Former First Lady of Hawthorne Group’s CEO meets new love at night, suspected of abandoning old flame, wedding near!]
[Explosive! The real reason behind former Young Madam of Hawthorne Family’s divorce! Enchanted by lust and stumbled ahead!]
[Heartache for President Hawthorne, waiting for two years, only to find his beloved favors green!]
...
What a mess of disdainful titles!
Ann Vaughn’s lips twitched; her toothbrush almost fell out from sheer speechlessness.
"Do these entertainment journalists run out of material to write? Are they just fishing for leisure?"
"Come on, ten award-winning actors combined can’t match your man’s heat. You’re his ex-wife, who else should they follow if not you?" Susie teased with a laugh.
Ex-wife?
Ann Vaughn paused, clutching her electric toothbrush. If people knew she and Cyrus Hawthorne had never actually divorced, their eyes would drop from their sockets!
Dismissing the thought, Ann Vaughn shared the incident about yesterday’s text message with Susie, advising her to be cautious in case someone targets her.
Unexpectedly, Susie soon whispered, "Talk later, Uncle heard us mention this, and wants me to find him. I need to run!"
With that, she quickly hung up without hesitation.
...who knows how scared she was of that Master Moore’s uncle to act so swiftly.