Chapter 156: Chapter 156: She Can’t Escape Anymore
Watching Cyrus Hawthorne walk away holding Cynthia, Ann Vaughn was overwhelmed with panic and instinctively grabbed Cyrus Hawthorne’s coat hem, "I really don’t know why she was here. Why is it that every time something happens to her, you assume I did it?!"
This is unfair to her!
Cyrus Hawthorne looked at Ann Vaughn with disgust and flung her hand away, throwing what he held in his hand onto the ground, his tone cold and severe: "Besides you, who else would have these Golden Needle?"
"Ann Vaughn, I’ve been too lenient with you."
With that said, he abruptly left the place, leaving Ann Vaughn crouching on the ground behind.
Ann Vaughn picked up the item Cyrus Hawthorne had thrown—a Golden Needle stained with blood.
The Golden Needle that only she would have.
Ann Vaughn clenched the Golden Needle tightly, biting her lip hard, her eyes brimming with shock and confusion.
Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly stood up, heading into the guest room to find the tools she hadn’t had the chance to clear away from yesterday.
Upon careful examination, sure enough, this Golden Needle had been taken from her needle pouch.
Cynthia Vaughn really had a clever trick, playing a good hand at framing trouble!
-
The news of Cynthia being sent to the emergency room spread quickly within an hour, and both the Hawthorne Family and Vaughn Family were aware of it.
"What on earth is going on? Why is our Cynthia always ending up in the emergency room every now and then? Clearly, clearly she was just fine this morning!" Jade Shepherd’s eyes were filled with red veins as she cried out, covering her face.
"President Hawthorne, since you sent Cynthia to the hospital, surely you know what’s going on, right?" Howard Vaughn was calm but looked troubled, "Right now is the critical moment for Cynthia to have surgery, if this keeps happening, how can her body bear it?"
Laura Quinn hurried over upon hearing the news, even though she always found it hard to accept Cynthia’s heart condition, especially with the notoriously opposed Ann Vaughn in front.
It made Cynthia’s gentleness and intelligence stand out even more.
Hence, there was genuine concern in her eyes, "The best cardiologists in the hospital are inside, Cynthia will be fine. Our Hawthorne Family will also do our utmost to find a suitable heart source for Cynthia and expedite the surgery."
Jade Shepherd and Howard Vaughn exchanged a surprised look.
They didn’t expect Laura Quinn to be unaware of Ann Vaughn’s heart condition.
"Mrs. Hawthorne, actually, the suitable heart source has long been..."
Before Jade Shepherd could finish, Cyrus Hawthorne, who had been silently standing by the window, interrupted in a low voice, "The heart source is still being sought, once a suitable one is found, the hospital will immediately arrange for Cynthia’s surgery."
He made no mention of the reason why Cynthia entered the emergency room.
Aside from Jade Shepherd and Howard Vaughn, Laura Quinn also sensed something amiss, but didn’t think it was related to Ann Vaughn.
With Cyrus Hawthorne saying nothing, nobody could guess what he was thinking, Jade Shepherd couldn’t fathom his intentions and naturally dared not mention it further.
If she knew the compatible heart was Ann Vaughn’s own heart, she probably wouldn’t hesitate; she would force Ann Vaughn to agree to the heart transplant for Cynthia.
Soon, the emergency room light went off, and as the attending doctor came out, Jade Shepherd and Howard Vaughn hurriedly inquired.
"...Not very optimistic. Miss Vaughn has multiple needle marks on her body; had she been sent later, perhaps... Moreover, given Miss Vaughn’s current physical condition, it can’t be delayed further—the longer it’s dragged on, the lower the success rate of surgery," the attending doctor spoke through the mask.
Jade Shepherd’s legs almost gave way, nearly collapsed; fortunately, Howard Vaughn held her up, but their focus was entirely on the doctor’s words, and they didn’t immediately realize what "needle marks" meant.
Laura Quinn furrowed her brows, thinking that in today’s world, aside from Ann Vaughn, there’s no one else who would carry Golden Needle at all times.
Could it be that her son was actually protecting Ann Vaughn?!
Thinking of this, Laura Quinn’s expression turned several shades darker, she questioned the doctor, "If she doesn’t undergo surgery, how long can she last?"
"Probably under half a month." The attending physician replied, then continued, "Currently, only Miss Vaughn’s sister, her heart matches Miss Vaughn’s, the hospital is actively seeking a matching heart source, we ask everyone to remain patient."
After saying this, the attending doctor left.
Hearing these words, Laura Quinn’s expression relaxed slightly, showing a hint of pleasure, "Since there is already a ready heart source, then why wait? Let Cynthia undergo surgery early for a speedy recovery, isn’t that right?"
Jade Shepherd and Howard Vaughn both knew Laura Quinn didn’t favor Ann Vaughn, but didn’t expect her to actually support replacing Ann Vaughn’s heart with Cynthia’s.
She was Ann Vaughn’s stepmother!
Jade Shepherd suddenly felt a chill on her back, but if Ann Vaughn didn’t die, Cynthia’s life would be at risk too, thus harboring little sympathy.
"There’s no other way than..."
Cyrus Hawthorne slightly turned his head, cutting her off coldly: "Wait a little longer, now is not the time."
Jade Shepherd didn’t dare to say anything further, but Laura Quinn’s brow furrowed deeper, looking disapproving.
At the same time.
Ann Vaughn was still resting at The Water Terrace, the acupuncture last night had drained her tremendously, leaving her unable to recover quickly.
She could almost guess what Cynthia was trying to accomplish with this drama.
But judging from the continuous calls and messages from Jade Shepherd and Howard Vaughn, it’s far worse than she thought.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so desperate to contact her.
Perhaps, Cynthia’s heart was failing, and the worst case was that she needed to undergo a heart transplant earlier just to survive.
Ann Vaughn sat on the couch, her body curled up, her bulging abdomen now starting to show noticeably with the passing months.
She placed her hand on her abdomen, her gaze hollow and numb, as though trapped in unspoken exhaustion.
No—
Ann Vaughn suddenly rose from the couch, hurrying towards the room.
She couldn’t stay idle, waiting to be slaughtered!
In just a moment, Ann Vaughn packed her luggage and booked her flight on the phone, racing against time to reach the airport.
She couldn’t remain in The Imperial Capital, or else her and her child’s lives would be at risk.
She pinned her hope on them temporarily forgetting about her, allowing her time to escape this place.
With this thought, Ann Vaughn finally reached the airport, hurriedly walking towards the terminal.
However, as soon as she stepped inside, a few figures blocked her path, "Miss Vaughn, we’re sorry, please come with us."
Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes widened gradually, her heart sinking instantly into despair.
She couldn’t escape.
-
In the First Hospital ward.
"Miss Vaughn, if there’s anything you need, please ring the bell anytime. But you must not leave this room, not even a step beyond." The bodyguard spoke respectfully yet firmly, then closed the hospital room door.