Chapter 140: Chapter 140: I Have No Feelings for Her
"When did this happen?" Ann Vaughn intuitively felt that the issue from three years ago being brought up again was not so simple, but the online news had been suppressed under the public relations efforts of Hawthorne Corp.
All she could see was just some fragments.
Bella Hawthorne, who had access to the primary data, told Ann Vaughn the news she had heard from Mark Joyce without holding back.
After she finished speaking, Bella Hawthorne looked at Ann Vaughn’s expression, afraid she might feel sad: "Sister-in-law, all these matters have already been resolved; don’t feel upset. This was a trap my second uncle deliberately designed against my brother, and you got implicated!"
Anyway, she couldn’t believe that her sister-in-law, who stood up to help as an "outsider" at that time, could be the kind of bad woman described by the outside world.
One cannot only rely on their eyes and ears to know someone.
Ann Vaughn was completely stunned, her eyes like a suddenly frozen lake, staring blankly at the ground, unable to hear a sound from the outside world.
She couldn’t imagine that so many things would happen in just a few days.
Even more unimaginable was that these matters were directly or indirectly related to her.
Leaving aside the theft of confidential documents, the matter of her being pushed out by the Vaughn Family to take the blame for Cynthia Vaughn three years ago was something she couldn’t argue against.
The cause might have been Orion Hawthorne’s desire to grasp power and profit, kidnapping her to threaten Cyrus Hawthorne.
But the "scandal" from those years brought immeasurable loss and negative impact to the Hawthorne Group.
She couldn’t imagine how Cyrus Hawthorne felt when he was cleaning up the mess she had left, saving her from the sea of fire and bombs.
Ann Vaughn had always believed that Cyrus Hawthorne should hate her, because she married him in place of Cynthia Vaughn, because she secretly hid her pregnancy, because she...
Brought so much trouble to the Hawthorne Family.
But what he said in the log cabin then told her otherwise.
Ann Vaughn’s mind was in turmoil; after saying goodbye to Bella Hawthorne, she returned to her ward, lay on the bed, and covered her head with a blanket, forcing herself to calm down.
But the more she did so, the clearer her mind became.
She didn’t mind the derogatory remarks on the internet, but the fact that the small clinic and the Hawthorne Group were implicated and artificially damaged made her feel uneasy.
Even though Hawthorne Corp. worked hard to suppress the heat of this matter, due to her previous reputation, this matter wouldn’t be easily resolved.
Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back, even if Ann Vaughn was innocent in the scandal three years ago; once she stepped forward and said, "It’s me,"
She knew she could never clear this stain in her life.
Even though she was deceived.
She knew that even if she stood up to clarify, no one would believe her, but she didn’t care.
But... what about Cyrus Hawthorne?
-
The next day.
Ann Vaughn made bone broth and a few light dishes at The Water Terrace and brought them back to the hospital.
She handed the food and soup to Bella Hawthorne, asking her to take it to Cyrus Hawthorne, and advised her not to mention her, just say it was made by the Hawthorne Family chef.
Bella Hawthorne was puzzled, "Why can’t you let my brother know? This is sister-in-law’s kind gesture."
"I’m afraid if he knows I made it, he might not drink it." Ann Vaughn pursed her red lips, feeling a bit bitter inside.
She still didn’t know how to face Cyrus Hawthorne.
All she could do was this.
When Bella Hawthorne entered the ward, Ann Vaughn stood outside and accidentally caught a glimpse of the hospital bed through the gap.
He had woken up.
It was the first time Ann Vaughn saw him in a light blue hospital gown, half-lying on the bed; his appearance was as delicate as a painting, his demeanor not as aggressive as usual.
He exuded a somewhat calm and airy elegance.
With just one glance, the ward door closed.
Ann Vaughn stood for a while longer, then left.
In the following days, Ann Vaughn would ask Bella Hawthorne to take meals to Cyrus Hawthorne daily, adding extracted medication beneficial for his injuries.
Bella Hawthorne, a bit slow on the uptake, didn’t notice anything amiss at first, but seeing Ann Vaughn always asking her to pass the meals on, without telling her brother or visiting him herself,
She started feeling a bit puzzled.
Why did it seem like sister-in-law was avoiding her brother?
Puzzled but still doing as told, Bella Hawthorne returned to the ward with the meals as usual.
The doctors had just left after completing a series of extensive examinations, and Cyrus Hawthorne was sitting on the sofa, handling some accumulated files on his laptop.
Seeing Bella Hawthorne come in, he glanced at the thermal container in her hand, his thin lips curling up, only to revert shortly after.
"Where is she?"
Bella Hawthorne, about to sit, froze, her face full of fear as she looked at him, "Who is she? What are you talking about, brother?"
Noticing her obvious attempt to cover, Cyrus Hawthorne’s expression turned slightly cold, "If you don’t tell the truth, don’t expect any allowance next month."
"Don’t, please!" Bella Hawthorne quickly waved her hand, looking pained, "But I promised sister-in-law not to tell you..."
"So it’s her."
"..." Even slow-witted Bella Hawthorne realized she had been tricked and felt indignant, "You already knew, yet you asked me!"
Cyrus Hawthorne gave a light laugh, casually closed his laptop, and then methodically opened and arranged the layers of the thermal container on the table.
The inviting aroma immediately filled the entire ward.
Though Bella Hawthorne had come after eating, she was still tempted, yet dared not reach for these dishes.
How absurd.
The first time she had audaciously taken a piece of rib from the meal Ann Vaughn made for her brother, he had smacked her hand with chopsticks.
It had infuriated her to tears; it was just a rib, after all, what gourmet cuisine hadn’t her brother tasted!
He couldn’t possibly be her biological brother, definitely not!
"Only she could make such a meal, and you want to cover for her?" Thinking of that heartless woman who hadn’t shown up in days, Cyrus Hawthorne’s narrowed eyes grew darker, unfathomable.
"Brother, do you like sister-in-law?" Bella Hawthorne propped her chin, asking suddenly.
Cyrus Hawthorne’s hand holding the chopsticks paused, his thin lips pursed into a line, continuing his meal after a moment, his voice faint, "I have no feelings for her."
"Why not? Sister-in-law is beautiful and kind-hearted, an excellent cook, a skilled doctor..." Bella Hawthorne listed praises for Ann Vaughn with her hands, "Why don’t you like sister-in-law?"
"Bella Hawthorne, if you’re very idle, start interning at the company next week; I’ll have Joe arrange a position for you."
Bella Hawthorne was stunned, feeling wronged, she stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed out, "Fine, I won’t say anything; what kind of brother are you!"
Seeing Cyrus Hawthorne’s indifferent expression, without any hint of turning back, Bella Hawthorne could only leave with a huff, her high heels clicking as she walked away.