Chapter 399: Chapter 399: How Did Elias Hawthorne and I End Up Together?
Arguing by the roadside not only wastes breath but also energy, especially with someone who is stingy with words, making communication even more difficult.
Ann Vaughn had no choice but to follow Elias Hawthorne back to the screening room at the branch office, to see if he had gotten the place wrong or if she hadn’t placed it as obviously as she thought.
Since Ann Vaughn had previously come to the branch office with Cyrus Hawthorne, the news of her visit quickly spread internally.
Mark Joyce naturally received the same news, but when he saw that Ann Vaughn was entering the company with Elias, his expression suddenly changed, and he glanced toward the meeting room.
Miss Vaughn... how come she’s with Elias?
Should I report this to President Hawthorne?
Meanwhile,
Inside the screening room, Ann Vaughn searched again and again where she had left the amulet last time but couldn’t find it. She looked around elsewhere too but didn’t even see a shadow of it.
This is too strange; she clearly remembered putting it in this place last time...
Turning her head, she saw Elias staring at her with his ice-blue eyes, causing her a sudden headache.
Hey, hey, could you not look at her with those suspicious eyes like she’s a thief?
No matter how unprincipled she might be, she wouldn’t steal an amulet!
"I don’t know why you insist it was me who took your amulet, but let’s be reasonable, why would I take your amulet, right? There’s no reason, is there? You should think about it properly..."
Before she could finish, Elias interrupted her, "Only you."
"Huh?" Ann Vaughn was taken aback again and realized that he meant besides him, only she had been to the screening room. Her lips twitched again.
Never seen someone so stingy with words.
"Think again, maybe someone who came in later accidentally took it? With so many people in your company, surely it wasn’t just me and you who entered that day?" Ann Vaughn attempted to reason with him.
But as it turned out, reasoning was impossible.
Because he simply wouldn’t engage with you.
A flash of surprise crossed Elias’s unreactive eyes, then quickly returned to normal as he just stared at her without saying a word.
If an ordinary person stared at Ann Vaughn like this, she would have turned and left without a glance.
But being stared at by such a handsome mixed-blood with those beautiful ice-blue eyes, like those of Lake Rilysk... who could withstand that?
"Don’t worry, I’ll think of a way," Ann Vaughn sighed, patted Elias’s shoulder, and walked out of the screening room.
Elias glanced at the place where she had patted, his gaze unchanged, and followed her out.
Ann Vaughn then found the surveillance room on that floor, obtained the surveillance footage from that day, and directly played it back to the time in question.
On the screen, after Ann Vaughn left the screening room, Elias quickly returned there, frantically searching inside, even rummaging through the trash bin.
Finally, he sat on the ground with a bewildered look, like an abandoned puppy.
Since there were no surveillance cameras inside the screening room, these images were just part captured at the door, but from Elias’s actions, it was clear how much he valued that amulet.
It was probably given to him by someone significant, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been trailing her since she came to Marinia...
Earlier, he had concealed it well, and Ann Vaughn had her doubts but hadn’t confirmed them.
Afterward, he probably couldn’t hold back anymore.
Seeing nothing special in the surveillance, Ann Vaughn could only point to a few employees entering the screening room afterward and ask Elias, "You know them, right? Let’s ask if they picked up your item."
Elias nodded, then shook his head.
Ann Vaughn raised her eyebrow, "Are you saying you know them and have already asked?"
Elias nodded again, the surprise in his eyes growing deeper.
"That’s strange," Ann Vaughn didn’t notice this, thoughtfully touching her chin, "Among those you asked, were there any female employees?"
From the surveillance, she couldn’t tell if they were male or female, so she had to ask.
Elias continued to nod.
"Oh~" Ann Vaughn mimicked the look of the mixed-blood fool and nodded, "Do you know where that female employee is? Take me to her."
This time, Elias didn’t nod, nor did he speak, he just walked away.
Ann Vaughn: "..."
Half an hour later, Ann Vaughn emerged from the office lightly flicking the amulet in her fingers, a trace of unextinguished anger on her refined face.
Elias had stayed outside as she instructed, and as soon as she came out, his gaze wouldn’t leave the amulet in her hand.
"Here." Ann Vaughn handed the amulet to Elias, a faint smile on her red lips, "You better keep a close eye on it. If it happens again, don’t recklessly block someone’s car, got it?"
She initially planned to head to The Gilded Pavilion after collecting her things from the hotel, but the pup disrupted her plans.
Being captivated by looks is truly inadvisable.
"Mm." Elias nodded and carefully placed the amulet into his chest pocket, gently patting it afterward as if to ensure it was there.
Seeing him like this, the anger Ann Vaughn had from dealing with the green tea flower inside dissipated.
Her initial thought was correct; the amulet was indeed taken by someone else.
Most likely by a woman who had feelings for Elias.
After all, despite being a bit dazed, this guy’s looks are quite lethal to girls.
Initially, the female employee didn’t admit it, but then Ann Vaughn said, "Elias wants to take the person who found his amulet to dinner," and she got hooked immediately.
Upon realizing she had been tricked, the green tea flower retorted accusing Ann Vaughn of being shameless and seducing her man.
Ann Vaughn didn’t get angry, she simply helped clean the girl’s computer, making her pull an all-nighter as thanks for "finding" the amulet.
While thinking, Ann Vaughn suddenly noticed Elias had approached without her noticing, holding a strand of her hair.
"Stay still." His face serious as he leaned in closer.
Ann Vaughn blinked, and the next moment saw Elias’s body being held back by a distinctly-boned hand on his shoulder, pushing him away indisputably.
Immediately, Ann Vaughn felt a tightness around her waist and a faint cold fragrance lingering in her nose.
"Why are you here?" Ann Vaughn curved her eyes, "I was just about to come up and find you."
Upon hearing this, the sullen air in Cyrus Hawthorne’s chest slightly dissipated, his icy narrow eyes taking on a hint of warmth. "What brought you here so suddenly?"
"I wasn’t planning to..." The words twisted in her mouth, Ann Vaughn made a turn, "I wasn’t planning to disturb your work, just wanted to see you and leave."